Hello all,

I'm looking at this 2009 TL with technology package and 3.5L V6. It is a two owner vehicle, the second owner bought it when it had 25K, now it has 275K. The body and interior looks great with minor imperfections on body. The owner is asking $3900. The owner says it shifts great, has no engine rattles, and has been well maintained. I'm going for a test drive in a few days, and would appreciate any helpful suggestions on what I should be specifically testing / looking for when inspecting the vehicle and test driving it, and whether or not I should be paying that much, or should steer clear from this vehicle. I don't drive much, just for school which is 2 miles away, and occasional road trips.

Thanks for helping !!

 

Sounds like a good, inexpensive used car.

Check to see that there's nothing majorly wrong and that its safe to drive.

I'm sure it will need a few things now/later. But...$3900

 

Make sure A/C is working, if it's not it can be an expensive repair bill. Check when the last time the timing belt was done. Should be done every 105K max, so it should have been done at 105, 210 and now 315K miles.

Main thing to look for is that most of the features like radio, power seat, etc work. As well check tires and brakes. Bring the car to mechanic for pre-purchase inspection.

Also make sure to drive the car make sure it shifts properly.

 

That is ridiculous for a 13 year old car with almost 300k miles.

 

A few compounding things on this:
1. Inflation
2. Supply + Demand
3. Brand Value
4. Reliability

Take a look at wholesale values:

 

These cars have held their value very well over 10+ years. For the OP, $3,900 looks pretty good if the major functions set out above are all working.

Honda/Acura designs their powertrains to go 300K with no major failures -- that is their expectation, with proper maintenance, of course.

I first started buying Honda autos after witnessing their durability in real time. A friend/neighbor had an Accord that lasted over 20 years and well over 200K of abuse. I mean it literally received no maintenance until something broke, failed or fell off. They never changed the oil, to my knowledge, only adding when it was low. The car looked like crap -- I don't believe it was ever washed -- but the thing still ran and was driven daily to work in DC traffic until being handed down to children.

 

Sounds like a nice car.. just be prepared to do some repairs here and there but it sounds nice. Especially in today's market. How was it taken care of, maintenance wise? Any pics?

 

Why?