Hey guys, I'm in the market for a used 2012 TL and I just wanted to do some homework before going to the used car dealership and purchasing one.

After a week or so of looking in the market for a relatively low mileage 2012 model, I stumbled upon this one here Used 2012 Acura TL For Sale | South Easton MA . The dealer has a pretty decent reputation so I called the guy up to have him hold the car for me with a $300 refundable deposit until I can swing by to test drive it on Thurs.

I already have a pre-approved loan for 20k along with a 3.5k positive equity on a 2011 Ford Fiesta (Lima Bean) so the only thing left to do is to test drive to see if I like it and actually negotiate a deal. These are a few of my questions:

1. What questions should I ask the salesman before negotiating a deal?
2. Price-wise, how much could I possibly talk him down too or is this a pretty low price to begin with?
3. Should I get the car pre-inspected before I purchase?
4. How long will these cars last me if I decide to sign the contract?

Thank you so much for your time in advance and I'm glad to be a new member of the forum and hopefully soon-to-be TL owner!!

 

1. Get a carfax or autocheck or something that lists the car and title history.
2. It looks like that dealer is a haggle free place.
3. Yes, take it to acura dealer or your personal mechanic
4. The better you take care of it and follow manufacturer maintenance, it could last you easily 10 more years.

Cheers,

Nick

 

It comes with the free Carfax and it seems that everything checked out! 1 owner, no accidents and pretty well maintained. Overall, it looks to be very good. I just have to test drive it!

Thanks!

 

Don't rely to heavily on Carfax, it's not the be all. Just use that as one of your tools. Good luck!

 

1. Get a carfax or autocheck
2. It looks like that dealer is a haggle free place...and that a pretty good price overall.
3. Yes, take it to acura dealer or your personal mechanic---definitely do this.
If there's one thing you don't want to cheap out on--its this.

4. The better you take care of it and follow manufacturer maintenance, it could last you easily 10 more years. Absolutely. TL's overall are pretty bulletproof cars if maintained.

Personally, I would try to hold out for a tech version as it adds so much to the car. But if that doesn't matter to you so much that's a pretty good deal.

 

All of the answers from other members pretty much nailed it but this is what I should do as my personal reference:
1. Get a carfax report and Autocheck if you can. I'll pay $45 for a unlimited full month of Autocheck, it's worth it because Autocheck may list something that Carfax doesn't. You can subtract this cost into your negotiation price. Worst case scenario that this deal doesn't work out, you still have Autocheck for the next car that you want to buy.
2. Bourne is fairly firm on their prices but keep in mind that they have a body shop in the back and one of the sale man I know who works there told me they buy lease cars then flip them for profit so inspect the hell out of the car.
3. Get the car inspect it either at Acura dealer or your mechanic and tell them to print out the report.
4. These cars will last as long as you do regular maintenance.

In my opinion, I'd rather wait for the Sh-Awd models. The primary reason is we just had a historic winter season in Mass last year. If you check this car out and like it, spend money on the set of winter tires and wheels, you will need that. Good luck.

 

That's a very good price. Carfax reports can be manipulated or not reported to so use that as only 1 form of inspection to the vehicle. Take it to Acura and spend the $100 to have it inspected. The reason I say take it to Acura is because that becomes leverage when negotiating the final purchase price. Anything that needs to be maintenanced or repaired will be quoted OEM ($$$), where as an independent shop may quote less because of OEMish parts($). I got $800 of a deal on my 05TL because it needed a new ballast and bulb. Took it to salesman, he spoke to manager and without asking he said "DONE", we'll take this off the purchase price.