fisch2332

Hello,

I have the opportunity to buy a 2009 Acura TL AWD-SH w/Tech for $18,800. It has just over 50,000 miles. The only past accident it was in required a new front bumper, but no damage aside from that. I contacted the Acura dealer that did all the maintenance on this car and they said there were never any major issues.

I also could use that money to buy an entry level AWD like a Subaru Forester.

What do you think?

Thanks for the input!

VQPower37

TL > Forester ... if the 09 is well maintained it will be a reliable car overall, but being the first year of this 4g it may have some rattles/ blown speakers etc. So be sure to look over it carefully and have those things repaired as part of the deal

fisch2332

Thanks for the response. Everything seemed to be in good shape inside and out. I will be going on an extended test drive today. Any suggestions on what to look for while driving? I am new to car buying.

VQPower37

I'm not an expert by any means, but I would listen to each speaker individually by messing with the L/R F/B setting in the audio menu to make sure none sound crackly as if they are blown.

Also while driving I would take it up to highway speeds or higher to make sure there is no weird sounds that are speed dependent or vibration through the car.

One thing that I noticed a lot when I was helping my buddy find his CPO 2010 AWD TL was that under the front bumper appears to be scraped a lot on these cars. So I would look under the front bumper to see how many times the car has been scraped going up driveways etc.

Other things ... tire wear, fluid colors, paint mismatches (I know you had mentioned the front bumper is redone), VIN stickers on all the panels

These are some of the things I would look for

fisch2332

Okay thanks again. I'll be sure to check that stuff out!

weather

VQPower...those are really good tips you gave.