blackbr

My fiscally-conservative new wife probably isn't going to let me continue leasing new cars, and to avoid the new car depreciation she's probably going to want me to get something lightly used and run it til it dies (smart lady!!!).

My Mercedes C300 AWD Sport comes off lease in about 18 months.

By then I ought to find some low-mileage samples of 2012 models. Used to want an SH-AWD but am now leaning towards FWD as I like the improvements to that model.

Those of you who bought used, would you mind sharing your experiences? How was the condition and mileage of the car when you bought it? Did you go Acura-certified and do you recommend that route? How much would you estimate you saved by getting a lightly used car? Would you do it again?

Grazie!!!

TRIUMPHT

iTrader: (1)

honestly depends on alot....i bought a CPO TL 06 in 08 25K on the dash and by the time everything was said and done the car was about 30 grand......at that point a brand new one was 35/36 grand......when financing i had a 4% interest rate a new one had a 1.something % interest rate......was that really worth it ? i really saved nothing ........just take a look around at that point add payments on both and see which makes more sense

blackbr

I know that Acuras tend to hold their value and a quick look on Autotrader reveals few 2009 and later TL's to be had for <$30,000, and those that are have at least 20K miles on them. Right now you can get the same APR on a new or used model (2.9% for 60 months), and I would think that I could get what, $4K off sticker on a new one?

KillerG

drove both the c3 and shawd back to back. The 3 was more quiet and composed for sure (merc after all) but all in all if you like to be involved in your drive then youre gonna love the TL

TRIUMPHT

iTrader: (1)

^ pretty much because before i was gonna get my 11 i was supposed to get a 2010 ....but by december there wasnt a big selection in the colors i wanted ............so had to go 2011 .......but they had knocked about 2K off the sticker for the 2010..........on the other hand i paid full price for the 11 because i got it in 2010 and in feb i went to the site and they had a 2011 SHAWD with tech package with 6K on it ...and it was going for 36K which is what i paid for my base .........that would've been a better value because it would've had an extended warranty and way more loaded than mines ........but hey ..it happens...........that's why i say just look around and weigh your options ........GOOD LUCK ...

Sigwill24

I've noticed the same thing looking for used 2010, 2011 TL. With attractive financing you are almost always better off buying new. It feels better too!

jspagna1

You can probably get a great deal on a 2011. I always buy new as I keep my cars forever and if it's the wifes car I'm not worried as she is great with her cars as she does'nt abuse them at all.
I would see what they quote you for a 2011 TL.

HawkI

I went the route your considering. Back in October I bought a lightly used '09 SH-AWD that the previous owner put in service in January and had for only 8 months and had about 8K miles on it. It was basically a new car, the previous owner had just moved up from the south and decided to trade it in for an SUV, I'm assuming for what they anticipated the winters to be like. Like others have said it can be a toss up as far as the deal you get between a new and lightly used one. In my case I saved about $5K or so by going lightly used. I looked and researched for awhile and this one just happened to be the best deal as far as what I wanted and the price. So far I've been very pleased with the car.

promethus78

I waited until my dealer rotated out his service fleet of loaner. Soo in the beging to of 2010 I got an 09 FWD with 9k on the dash for just under 30K. New i could have had it for ~33-35K however since it was a loaner it was CPO. Its all about the warranty

Shellyduchsk8s

I just bought my 09 AWD w/ Tech for well under $30k last week (no trade in). It's CPO, and I love it. I plan on keeping it 2.5-3 years, at which point I'll probably get a used '13 AWD w/ Tech. I drive up and down 95 (between MD & DE), so I plan on putting a lot of miles on it, hence not buying a new car. I loaded 150k on my 05 Accord (bought 1 yr. old), and she's still going strong.

Price really depends on the condition of the car, and the dealership. I found out a lot of the used car salemen had no idea what they were selling - one guy in DE told me the 09 doesn't come w/ AWD as a feature, and we got into an argument, after which he tried to sell me a base '11. Moron. I ended up purchasing the car down in Annapolis MD, b/c no one in the Baltimore area had what I wanted. Black on black w/ both packages was *impossible* to find - I even had a car broker watching the Manheim and Highline auctions, and NOTHING.

Overall, I'm ok w/ purchasing it from a dealership, esp. for the price I paid and the fact that if I have an issue, I can pick up the phone and b*cth at a person!

I would hands-down purchase another used TL, she was worth the months of searching & well worth the price

Mr Marco

^

Saving thousands of dollars on a slightly used car offers the best bang for the buck. If you buy it brand new you are going to loose 30-60 cents a mile in depreciation anyhow, so you might as well let someone else eat the first $3,000-12,500 in loss because the car is still fresh for the first 25k.

docboy

+100000

I bought my 2010 TL 6MT new when it was first released, paid near MSRP. Will never buy new again, unless I decide to lease new vehicles through my future practice/business. Lightly used vehicles are the way to go. IMHO.

Beeper27

I purchased a used 09 TL Tech FWD in October 2010, with 9K on it. I paid 24,500 from a dealer auction. I have a guy (who I bought my mdx from) who found the car and got the car for 23,000 and charged me the 1500 for inspections and shipping and his time. My 08 mdx tech that i bought in 08, cost me 30,500 after his fees. It just depends on what is out there when you are looking. The same guy got my cousin an 08 750li fully loaded with the sport package and rear dvd for 42 after fees, which I thought was pretty good. For me, on the MDX, the saving was 30,000 and for the TL was over 20,000 for the exact same car new in my area (not to mention the 12% tax savings on it as well).

Shellyduchsk8s

*********Hi! A member PM'd me about the details of my car purchase, but since I'm still new, I can't respond, sooooo I'm going to post it here!***********


Hi karyakarta!

I got my TL w/ 43k on it - slightly high, yes, but I knew that I'd be loading miles on it anyway, so I wasn't bothered. It's black on black (impossible to find w/ Tech and SH-AWD).

Price was $28,495, before about $1,500 in taxes/tags/title. I put $5,500 down, w/o a trade in, so I'm happy w/ the overall price.

I purchased it from Criswell Acura, in Annapolis. If you decide to look, ask for Alan Hannon - he's the used sales manager, and *very* knowledgeable about Acura's. Actually, he was the only salesman who knew his product, and I talked to A LOT of salesmen.

Good luck, and let me know what you find out there!

-Michelle

Shellyduchsk8s

As a sidenote: I did not want to purchase a former loaner vehicle, so I had a harder time finding a car ( I know how *I* personally drive loaner cars, and I did not want something that was once driven like it was stolen! ). Criswell was the ONLY dealership that disclosed the entire history of the car, which was refreshing. My car originally came from Connecticut, shipped to NY, was 1st a lease then was purchased in NY, and now it's in MD. 1 owner, tons of service records (all the typical stuff - oil changes, maintenance, etc.)

karyakarta

Shellyduchsk8s - Thank you for sharing

Shellyduchsk8s

You're welcome - I hope it helps!

LongLurkerTL12

I would do it over and over! I love this car so much!
I have a 2012 tech. It had been leased once before me by a lady named Wendy the miles were low! I will have paid about 25,000 by the time it's paid off. That's close to half off haha I've see them around for about 15k-18k but I cannot say they are tech or advanced. The sound system in the tech is off the charts compared to any other car I've been in besides a Mazda when they had bose. If you're looking for an amazing car for backroading do consider the awd manual. You can get some nice 20x10's on the fwd and lower it for back roading but that will need done before so. The fwd just has so much roll on turns. FYI the exhaust mods are enough to make you grin ear to ear.

Acura certified would be ideal. I would assume they would check the vehicle over better than other dealers. Drive the car make sure there are no unwanted sounds, when you are done test driving it let it run and do a walk around like any other vehicle you would purchase.

I'm sure you researched the car previously or you wouldn't be on her asking but the mods are expensive wheels and tires that look good will net you over 3,000, a full exhaust will be 2,000+ for a bot on. $50-$100 per hp.

It's an amazing car hands down, especially for it's luxury factor.

TheMuffinMan

iTrader: (1)

This is a fucking 9 year old thread

NBP04TL4ME

OP has probably had two cars since..........

Acuraneewb

I can relate to what you are going through. I was in the same spot back in 2016. I debated AWD vs FWD and even first bought a Infiniti 37x from Carmax only to return it 3 days later. I then settled on my 2013 FWD Tech with 29,000 miles CPO from Acura. I paid 25K. Although they cleaned it up real nice to the point it looked brand new, I was not very impressed with their "mechanical certification" AT ALL. After driving the car a week I started noticing vibration in the steering wheel on braking. Took it back to the dealer and asked them to pull the inspection report. Sure enough the tech who did the certification process noted this on his inspection yet Acura failed to address it at all. No resurfacing was done and forget about any new rotors being put on. Its just a gimmick to fake you into thinking you have piece of mind. Maybe it was just this dealership and maybe other dealerships do a better job but at the end of the day its all about profit margins for all of them.

After I brought it back they resurfaced the front rotors for me and sent me on my way. After about another 10 days the problem returned. I was so pissed off I signed up on this forum, looked up the process on youtube, bought my own slotted rotors and pads and replaced all 4 myself. So the CPO process is a joke and I thought I was paying a premium for peace of mind but a $100 Prepurchase inspection from your trusted mechanic gets you a better look over IMO.

Since then the car has given my zero issues. I now have around 55K miles and love the sound system and the peppy ride in sport mode. Unfortunately a growing family means I dont drive it as much and maybe getting ready to sell soon.

If I could do it again, I would search the internet for the perfect sample, have a private PPI and buy with confidence. Its a fun car. Good luck!

LongLurkerTL12

wow I thought it said 2020