Hey ladies and gents! I've been a member for a good while but more of a lurker than contributor since i don't own an Acura yet. I started out interested in a '05 - '08 RL but have changed focus to a 4th gen TL.

I had to come on here and vent a bit about those damn used car unicorns!!! I have been looking for a '09-'10 SH-AWD TL, fairly low mileage, tech package is a huge plus, black is bad(northern Ohio winters and all), and a clean title is a must. In the 6+ months I have been looking, day in and day out, I've had about 5 close calls. Two of which were brought out from under me, one was wholesaled (09 MBM/umber 30k miles, clean title one owner, 21500... Fml lol) and the rest turned out to be in poor, poor shape. As I mentioned I live in Ohio but I have been looking in a 500-600miles radius....

Why can't that perfect used car unicorn exist?!?!? Hell, I sold cars for a bit so I know it really doesn't... But damnit why can't it?!?! Have any of you had similar trouble with your used car hunt?

 

Why didnt you pull the trigger on the 2 that got sold on you?

 

One was in Florida and the other in southern Virginia. Both were only around for 3-4 days. Didn't quite have the time to get down there.

 

Do a nationwide search. If you find your ideal TL, you can always have it shipped to you.
And hey it's costs extra to ship a car - but it will be worth it!

 

I've actually done a nationwide search the majority of the time, but most SH-AWD TLs are on the east coast anyway. I know weather plays a huge factor in that but Ive been surprised how few are west of the Mississippi.

On a side note... How nice of a color do you guys think WDP is? I test drove a certified one a couple miles away this weekend and I was severely disappointed in it. Especially since it had been one of my top colors. The car really needed a good detailing, buff and wax, but the paint had almost zero depth and did nothing for the lines of the car. There wasn't a single other WDP on the lot to compare to. Please tell me this is an isolated case!!

 

I got an 09 SH AWD in Grigio, with 22k miles, in Cincinnati last October. They are out there.

Do you have alerts set up on all the online services?

 

No, what alerts are you talking about? How do you set them up?

That sounds like a stellar deal btw! Nice find.

 

you can setup alerts on autotrader.com to email you when new car has been posted. same with ebay

 

Stay patient! I assure you it will be worth the wait.

I searched for months and had my 2010 6MT shipped over 2,000 miles back in Sep 2011. I split the shipping with the dealer as part of the deal.

 

How does the saying go, "Good men are hard to find, unless your a knockout."

Good cars are hard to find too. A quality used car that fits your criteria can take months to find. What makes it even more challenging is how new the 4G TL is, plus how few people trade them off. I mean why would anyone ever get rid of it?

Our TL was a media demonstrator. It went straight to auction from Acura's HQ in Torrence, CA. Very low miles, but they had to put new tires on it.

Keep looking. It took me two months to find this one, and three months to find my sister's Subaru.

 

I'll sell you my '12 for the right price :P

 

I work at an Acura dealer and it took me 2 months to find the right car, just have some patience it will happen.

 

i got extremely lucky, found my car within a few hours. 09 PMM SH AWD. 35k miles on it, lease return, clean car fax, about 15 miles from my house. it was listed for 27k and i got it for 26.5 with GAP. i live in NJ. My cousin is looking for a car aswell, but hes looking for a base TL or maybe one with TECH, if i run across anything decent, i'll PM you the links. What colors are you looking for exactly?

i was in Sidney Ohio for a few months for a review program, and from Sidney to NJ it was about 600miles on the dot.

 

I guess I got lucky but I don't think it was the best price I could find. I wasn't really actively looking yet but wanted an 09 CBP on Umber. Called up my buddy at the dealer and asked to be on the lookout. Calls me back the very next day and says there is a CBP/Umber coming back from lease with 60k kilometers on it. A week later I became an owner of it. It was 28k though. Not the cheapest price but I just did not want to bother looking for 6 months.

 

Which acura dealer are you at? I bought my 2012 from Buerkle acura.

 

I appreciate the leads! I started out hunting for a WDP but after seeing the car I drove this past weekend I'm not so sure. Royal Blue, Mayan, and the PPM aren't bad choices either. I really don't want a black car just because of the time required to keep it looking nice. I would definitely consider one with an Umber interior though. Anything with Umber is an option! I know that searching for a used car requires you to make certain concessions. Exterior color is one of them for me.

That's the worst part though. Having sold cars and knowing what it's like to deal with a stubborn customer, I should know better. I used to get so frustrated with customers looking for a single color, specific options, perfect miles, perfect condition, and the deal of the century! Favorite line used to be that there's no such thing as a used car factory... Now that's exactly what I'm hunting for!! Lol. Good old karma for ya.

I'd still be interested in hearing your experiences with WDP and your opinions on its appearance.

 

Took about 4.5 months for me to find my TL - I used a car broker, and searched on my own. The TL's are very popular at auction, and I lost one in a last second bid. I ended up finding the car I now own doing a search online - check out the local dealers, see what inventory they have, inquire about anything coming off of lease. All the legwork is worth it though, I LOVE my TL

 

Are you looking at Certified? Obviously, that raises the price, but helps with the lower miles and clean titles. I got a CPO SH-AWD with Tech, had 34k miles on it (and umber interior ). I think I could have done better on price if I'd waited. But I couldn't really wait too long, and as you say, there are not a lot of SH-AWDs (with or without Tech) west of the Mississippi. But there are some. Good luck with the hunt!

 

How long ago did you happen to buy the car and, if you don't mind me asking, how much did you pay?

Was it WDP? If it was I'll pay double!!! Lol, jk.



But no really...

 

These are the WDP SH-AWD TLs I found online. Some don't have navi unfortunately. But the color combo is what you've been looking for, WDP with umber interior. And as for price, you did say that you were willing to pay double so I hope these prices don't phase you.

http://tinyurl.com/87rwfy7
('10, $29,995/ 22,795 miles, no navi)
West Allis, WI

http://tinyurl.com/6tbtol9
('09, $31,998/ 14,700 miles, no navi)
Chesapeake, VA

http://tinyurl.com/84ffbrh
('10, $32,895/ 24,555 miles, navi)
Shrewsbury, MA

http://tinyurl.com/6wp4z66
('10, $32,995/ 21,013 miles, navi)
White Plains, NY

http://tinyurl.com/7bx92v5
('10, $33,354/ 23,694 miles, navi)
Reno, NV

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2012-...item4ab9dd4492

although seems kinda fishy, considering the post says he'd let it go for 26K

 

not to mention, if he said that he's willing to let it go for 26k, then he should've set the reserve to that.

hmmm......

 

Its true OP that its hard to find a used car which meets our criteria.. but keep looking you will find one. I found mine recently after roughly 1.5 months search...'10 Base Nav with 18K for 25.6k.. pretty good deal considering the market.. good luck.

 

I'm with you guys on the fishy smell. A '12 with tech and 5k just shouldn't go for that low of a price. He claims clean title and no accidents... But I see no reason why that car shouldn't be 10k higher.

Thanks for the links to the other WDPs, though! I may call on one and see how much wiggle room is there. I've got a feeling there could be as much as 2.5-3.5k on one or two of them.

I just decided to pass on a 09 WDP/Umber/Tech with 55k for 23.9... Too many questions and too much of a hassle buying from a private seller 11 hours away. Hunt continues.

I wonder how Borealis Blue Pearl would look with darker wheels, trim and lights. Hmmmm!! Thanks again for the help, guys!

 

Haha, nope, it's PMM / Umber. Anyway, bought it about 3 weeks ago, paid 29.7 for SH-AWD/Tech. Had 34k miles.

 

Aww see if it was WDP, I would have paid 32! Lol jk.


So, I got close this weekend... Really damn close. Went to a dealership to check out a 2009 SHAWD and it was sold. On the lot for a week. But, the used car manager said he had just taken in something nicer the day before and hadnt even put it through service or certification process. Said it was a 2009... Ok good start... AWD... Ok getting warmer... Tech package... Damn not bad!...miles? 27.3k, one owner, no accidents.. Ok, everything sounds good so far, what's the color combo?... MBM/Umber... DING DING DING!

We went to look at it and it had a couple cosmetic issues, scrape on the front bumper and a dent/scrape on the back. Interior was flawless. Just a gorgeous car. My fears of it being outsider price range were confirmed when we sat down though. 28.340. Discussion ended well but I walked out Saturday on it. Called today and offered 25k cash before taxes, doc fee, etc., and to handle all the body work/ detailing myself if the rest of the certification pocess checked out. After a little phone tag they came back at 27.9 saying its being listed at 29.9 come tomorrow.

FML... So freaking close!! Back to scouring the web and classifieds.