TL owners; i'm a fellow Honda/Acura owner and loyalist. My current Honda stable includes an 07 GPW/Red S2000, and i've just given back an 06' Accord EX-L to the company i've left.

Which brings me to my post...

I'm looking to purchase a daily driver, and are very seriously considering the TL's. I live in Honda/Acura land where Accords, Civics, TL's, Elements etc. are made (Columbus, OH), and they are very plentiful. However, I've recently found one on AutoTrader in the combination i'm looking for; Nav & 6 sp. w/ very low mileage.

Mileage is approx. 14K on this 2005 which, as the owner states, is meticulous.

I'm thinking I will offer 20,500 - and wanted to check with the experts as to this pricing and your thoughts for such a low mileage, well maintained vehicle.

Thanks!

 

that sounds like a very good deal my man. I would go with that. If possible get it down to 20k and your butter, but 20.5 is very good. Good Luck. But make sure it is in great shape. Dont settle for a car that might have been punished on a regular basis. I tell ya my friend, alot of people that own this 3G TL, really rape the car, until it drives very different from TL to TL. I have driven about 4, 04 TLs in my area, and all drive different. Since people do some real serious damage to their engines. Good luck.

 

I appreciate the reply. I've not ever dealt with a private seller in the past, only a dealer, and was able to drive the car before purchasing. I'll put a post out on S2ki for a member locally to perhaps take a look at the car, but you're right, you never know what's happened to that manual tranny, or that engine.

Here's a link to the post; it's difficult to see the car closely, but i'm planning to call the owner tomorrow and ask for photo's of the tire tread, driver seat side bolster, any chips on the car, and photo's of all four rims.

I've read the stickies about problem area's with the 05's, but from your eyes as owners, should I request any other photographs of area's you've seen wear on your cars which would be indicative of the TL having taken a beating?

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...3&rdpage=thumb

 

I dont own a TL yet. Im in the market for a 04.

And Ive done alot of research and reading on the car. And from test driving like I said 4 TL's but Automatic. I dont know manual. ROFL LMAO. my cousin and his S2K will teach me one day. ROFL.


Anyways, um After driving a TL The main thing you have to do is test drive it. Check out the interior and get a carfax report, if you have a mechanic make him check it out. But you can tell a well kept and maintained TL by looking at the shape of the paint and interior. Then Drive that sucker and make sure the car feels smooth. From experiance, Since it is an 05 with that low miles, its a good chance its a great car. But good luck.

 

edit after looking at it, I would say it is a keeper. But what I question is not showing pics of the interior. Oh another thing is, dont mind if the seats have major cracks on them. That was one of my pet peeves, until I got on this site. Apparently no matter how well you maintain the leather seat, THEY ALWAYS Crack. For this, I would have bought Car Seats in the front 2 seats but leave the back seats uncovered, but then again I am not buying a new TL but used.

 

either the owner damaged his trunk or knows his way around cars. His trunk is de-badged, I would look carefully at the trunk paint and aslo make sure the VIN numbers (little stickers) are in the door jambs, on the doors, hood, trunklid and any other place that they may be hiding.

Few things to check on the test-drive
All electronics funcition properly
Tires are properly inflated (bring a guage)
NO vibrations
NO pulling to either side
All interior lights work

After the drive
Check the bolts holding fenders to see if they have any marks indicating they have been removed.
Check paint for any werid things, dust fragments, bubbles, peeling, excessive orange peel, paint runoff on the edges, etc.
Check all body panels for the VIN stickers
Check the tread on the tires
Check the rims for damage
Check to see if the spare tire/jack has been used, ask why (marks will be evident)


Also it appears the plugs near the acura indent on the bumper are missing, ask for a replacement if you buy

 

Great post, I appreciate the advice. I too noticed the lack of badging on the trunk. I will ask owner to clafiry the reasoning for this tomorrow. I prefer that look anyway.

My problem with buying this vehicle though, and asking about price, is because I am in Ohio, it is in NY; thus, i'll have to rely on pictures and the owners word before flying to get the car, drive, and then pay for it. I will be mighty disappointed though if it ends up being a dud.

Keep the comments coming! Anyone on this board close and could do me a favor and look at the car? I'd be glad to pay you, or buy lunch and some beers when I come get the car.

 

Where in NY exactly, there a few members that live in that big state...

 

DELMAR , NY 12054

 

I'd also check all the electronics......radio, CD player, cassette player (if you use it), cruise control, radio controls on steering wheel, bluetooth, Navi, etc. Test the brakes including the emergency. Wipers, horn and lights. Kinda like your state inspection routine. Good luck with your deal. From the pics the car looks to be in good shape but pics can be deceiving.

 

You're very true. Time will tell about the vehicle; I'm planning to call around 10.

I'l let everyone know what happens. Too bad there's not a way to look at the clutch and tranny without disassembling quite a few things.

Back to your bluetooth comment; would this 05' have that? Or did that come after the minor model change in 07'?

 

It does have bluetooth....I have an 05 myself
greatest.feature.ever

 

S2Kbdub: My signature, XS2K, tells it all. I lost my S2K in a garage fire which changed my life to that of practicality and instead of replacing it, I bought a 2006 TL instead. We used the S2K as a daily driver but it sucked in the snow even with snow tires and I just could not put it through the abuse the Colorado winters put on a car. I am glad the TL you are looking at has the 6MT instead of the automatic. My wife insisted on the auto and I thought I could still have fun with the sportshift but it is not even close. As for the '05 you are looking at, it looks like a great deal and other posters have given enough suggestions.

 

I'm fairly certain i'd seen pictures of the AP2 you'd lost in your garage fire. I could be mistaken though.

When I called about the TL available in NY, it was already sold. So, i've moved on to a Black/Tan 6-sp navi TL in PA. One wheel has a 3' curb rash, and there's a mark on the back bumper, but otherwise, the vehicle it told to be in tip top shape. I'm going to offer much less on this vehicle as the mileage is higher (21k), and there are the two areas of concern i'll need repaired.

Here's a link to that offering:http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...e=&cardist=408

Thoughts?

 

i'd be careful when dealing with this company, their professionalism is shown by saying this whip is awesome....

 

Good call. I spoke with the gentleman today, and he's said to me after questioning what kind mileage he's getting "well, i don't really know because i'm not really driving this thing like any normal person would".

Which means, he's driving the P*ss out of it!

So, i'm looking at this one close to home on Friday the 4th. I can talk them down to a decent price, and the fact it's local and has all of the service records helps immensely as well.

Here's a link.

What could I offer for this? I'm thinking 22??

http://columbus.craigslist.org/car/730071382.html

 

I think 22 is good for that one, but I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted 22.5 for it or maybe 23. That car is a rare combo, blue on quartz, not commonly found, because blue was only available with ebony or parchment/camel, quartz had to be custom ordered. From the pictures it looks pretty clean, and it has the wing to. I would call, tell your interested, and ask for more pictures.

 

I appreciate the input about the color combo. I do like a rarity or at least a non "me-too" quality associated with a vehicle, or most things in my life for that matter. That's killer you could custom order this color combo only!

I'm not a fan of the wing to be honest with you - but hell, if that's the worst thing about the vehicle, i'm in TL heaven.

I do feel that 22 would be a very fair price for this vehicle. It's simply an added bonus they've not even had this car in the weather and have 10,000 mi on the ticker. The fact that it's local makes it all the more desirable!

 

But atleast they have one thing right on there write up. The TL is a better car than a BMW, maybe not a M5 or a M3, but better than cars in its class, like the 330i

 

s2k, what did I tell ya bro. Its going to take a while to find a Good TL, like I told you, alot of people kill their TLs by driving it like d-bags. But dont worry you will find one, like I will. I spotted a white pearl on my way today. Beautiful car. I cant wait to own one! but unlike you I am in the market for a 04 for 15k cash. Peace.

 

blue/quartz is not that rare, there is one near me. I shall tell ya it is horrid looking. But its all in taste. IMO black interior/carbon fiber is the best with all exterior color TLs. But thats me.

 

True, that's very subjective.

This will be the first time i've ever purchased a used car. And as i've begun the process to do so, i've realized that I cannot be picky about things like color, but really have to look for the right vehicle offering; condition, mileage, etc.

 

beware that people can easily roll back the mileage on a lot of cars these days.... hopefully its dealer serviced and carfax the car before you buy... not a bad price for low mileage and options...

 

I am in a similar situation. I live in Columbus and been scouting TL's as well. I don't think I am going to pull the trigger until winter as I am going to wait until the '09's come out to see what they does to used prices (and availability) and by then I am hoping I can unload my 4Runner.

There is a '05 Gold One at MAG Volvo in Worthington. It has about 30K on the clock and looked pretty nice. Not my favorite color, but it was in pretty good shape.

If I see any others I will be sure to pass them your way.

 

Thanks for the message. For my situation, the TL seems to be the best fit. I would like to find something pre-owned, as i've always purchased new, and swore i'd never do it again. The one i've seen listed in Columbus is a 10k mi. 05' w/ Navi, and is absolutely spotless. If I can get this car for 21-22, that's essentially a savings of $13k + over a new model. Best of luck in your search, and thank you again for the heads up about the MAG TL.

 

You probably saw this one on Craigslist, but someone in Hilliard had a white '05 with grey interior, no navi and 21k miles for $21K obo.

I drove by it the other day and it was very nice. I drove by today and it wasn't there, so I don't know if the people sold it or what. However, that one might be worth a look.

An '05 with navi and 10k for $21-$22k would seem to be a very good deal considering what I have been seeing in the Columbus and surrounding markets.

Good luck and I look forward to hearing what you end up with.

 

I'd not seen the aforementioned on Craigslist during my search. I assume they sold it. For some reason, the non-navi variants haven't crossed my mind as a consideration. If this blue one fails to impress, I might have to change my search criteria a bit.

Good luck with you search as well.

 

don't change your option of navi!!!! Consider what you are loosing. many bash themselves becuase they could not get a tl with navi. Of course, you know the roads near you, but the integration, look and function it provides surpasses that one downfall, and it's well worth it.