NNRRGG

Continuing my search for my TL I've stumbled upon an offer of a 2013 Acura TL SH-AWD w/Tech (5294 miles) for $37,595. The only catch is that it's an executive demo. Is this something I should avoid or should I pursue this deal?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

if its cheaper than the rest, and you're comfortable with 5k on the clock, go ahead.

AlexG_6MT

iTrader: (1)

Not sure if it is possible but try to get it CPOed if it already isn't - with that you will actually have more warranty than a brand new car. Picked up a similar '13 a month ago only regret not going new is the previously installed swirl marks - but then again every new car on the lot had swirl marks as well.

With the 7 yr/100k powertrain warranty on the CPO you have peace of mind for a long long time.

NNRRGG

Yeah, it's CPO'd. Seriously considering this. Going to try to schedule a test drive soon.

AlexG_6MT

iTrader: (1)

Also not sure where you are located, but that price is very similar to what I paid for mine. Just giving you a reference for pricing against new, it was 2-3k lower than any new TLs I could find in a several hundred mile radius (I did not qualify for any incentives). If you qualify, Acura Loyalty or Conquest discounts could change your opinion on a new one or help to bargain down the CPO car.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Right, it should be significantly reduced to sell. if same price as others.....

Mr Marco

If the price is right, why not. Although you do realize that "executive demo" is a nice way of saying "loaner." Mine was a press demonstrator. 56k later it's still running like a champ.

You can bet they hammered the shit out of my car in the first 1,500 miles.

keith7120

I did exactly that. I bought a demo that was driven by the credit manager. It had 5995 miles on it. My only complaint was the music stored on the Hard Drive. LOL

Mr Marco

Yep, mine had a really bad Tina Turner album!!!

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

personally wouldn't but that's just me.

hadokenuh

I don't know. You can get a brand new 2013 AWD Tech for 36.5-37K right now. Unless the color combo is not available new, I'd go with a new one.

wreak

I wouldn't have a problem buying a demo either but if I did I would definitely ask for a deal on the extended Acuracare warranty. The savings on the car would have to cover the cost of the extended warranty and still save me at least a few grand.

SeismicGuy

I think it would depend on how the demo was spec'd out and also how much saving there was versus new. In the past I recall that the cars in the showroom or the ones used for demo were somehow special compared with the standard off-the-lot cars (e.g., some special wheels or other trim features). But if the demo is really nothing special and the price is not much better than a new one, I would probably opt for the new one.

unkled20

I would have no problem buying a demo, I have in the past. I bought an '08 TL TypeS that the new car manager put 4k miles on. I got an amazing deal on it though. The '09s were already on the lot, so they wanted to dump the one I bought.

As someone else said though, I think you can do better on the price. You shouldn't have a problem getting a new one for the same price.

KeithL

Me personally never. Rentals, loners and demos are out. Especially if I plan on keeping them a long time. That is my personal preference. Honestly I am so picky I usually walk away form anything that does not have less than 25 miles on it. I see how these sales guys demo cars. I recently went to look at some Audis and the sales guy take a car starts it up and mashes the pedal. Car is stone cold and still breaking. I always question people that complain of oil burning in their cars, if they had miles on them when they got them. Yes I know some designs are flawed and have more oil burning than others, but seating the rings poorly during break in can sure add up to oil consumption. I baby the car during break in. Most of My TLs I was lucky enough to get with less than 10 miles on the odometer, several were right when delivered.

Mr Marco

^Yep, I've often wondered how a few car could use soooo much more oil then the rest of us. Could it be that some folks are unlucky? Maybe there is a bad employee on the piston assembly line who only works part time?
-OR- Is it the truth that these folks are driving their cars like a member of the Andretti family?

TeamAcura

Just delete it LOL.

+1

+1

I got mine for the same price w/ the incentives though.

Regarding, the seating of the rings or break-in period...This subject has been beaten to death on a motorcycle forum I'm on lol. Some people say it's perfectly fine or had no problems at all and others are strictly against it which doesn't necessary mean they had issues. Preferable I like to go thru the rev cycles to break in the engine. They do run a dyno on all the motors before it goes to the assembly line so technically it should be broken in already. On motorcycles they all go thru this process, I'm not really sure about cars.

emanon256

Agreed. My dad always told me, the way you drive the car the first hundred miles, is going to determine how the engine runs the rest of its life. He typically puts over 300K on his cars with minimal repairs. Also, my 95 TL was purchased new, and needed almost no repairs until I sold it at 240K. Just wanted something new, can't keep them as long as my dad.

I usually steer clear form demos. My wife bought her Toyota as a demo and it started burning oil badly around 70K and needed over $8K in repairs by 100K. And I can attest that we took good care of it. After that she bought her outback with 3 miles on it, and was worried because another one had 2, but wasn't the color she liked.

I gambled on my 09TL CPO, but at least it wasn't a demo. Also the previous owner bought it from the same dealer and was a senior, so hopefully they knew to break it in. I only know because there was a small folio in the glove box that had all of the service records, the original bill of sale, and copies of their licenses. Not sure why it wasn't removed by the dealer. Then again, I gave them a copy of all records when I traded in my S2K., but I don't keep a copy of my license with my records.

Edward'TLS

NO, because it is hard to tell if the demo car has been abused or not.

Jackieee_TL

That's not a great deal at all IMO. I got a quote from several dealers with one being the lowest at $37,795 for a SH Tech. So I knew that's the worst I could do walking in the dealership. Just shop around and throw them a lowball offer if anything, and leave if they can work something out. Simple as that.

NNRRGG

Interesting...I agree that the demo car isn't the best deal out there compared to what you guys have shown. So my options so far go as listed:

2012 CPO TL (SH-AWD w/ Tech) 20,000k miles = KBB listed the car for $36,200
2013 Brand New TL (SH-AWD w/ Tech) = KBB listed fair price for $39,817

My end game is trying to get a TL for less than or equal to 40k (including TTL fees, so around 36,500+TTL). But I see that others are reporting lower prices. I plan on visiting the dealership this week so hopefully I can get an updated price quote from them.

KeithL

Buy the new AWD Tech, especially if you plan on keeping it a long time.

AlexG_6MT

iTrader: (1)

This is going to depend on where you live. Do you live someplace that sees a lot of snow? Most of the sub $39k prices I have been seeing on here are coming from areas that don't see snow and I imagine the dealerships have trouble pushing a lot of AWD TLs. In the Chicago area the SH-AWD cars sell faster than the FWD, I couldn't get a dealer to budge below $39k before incentives - although this was also on 6MTs.

If you go the used CPO route, the KBB value on the 2012 you have is considerably too high for 20k miles.

manutd

Like everyone says, if you're getting a good deal with the demo then go ahead with the purchase. It still depends who the "executive" was as they give those cars to dealership managers/assistant managers at the dealership. If so, it was a test drive demo as well... it saves the dealer from issuing one of their own cars as a demo... If i were you for the price there i would look at new.

TL Rower

Like i posted a few weeks back, i purchased a CPO'd 2012 Tech AWD Manual for $31,300. I didn't like the fact that someone else's ass was in the seat for 7500 miles but huge discount was too hard to pass up. I figure if they utterly abused it for the 7k miles they put on it hopefully whatever ugliness rears it's head will happen before 100K miles when the drivetrain warranty expires. Other than that, the car was in showroom condition with no bad music on the HD.

Tonyware

If every time a sales guy demos the AWD to a client, throws the car into corners like hell... then I would say you need new tires before picking it up as a demo car, and don't listen to the cr*p that it still has 50% or so tread etc etc. New tires or nothing. When these tires "go" they go fast.

NNRRGG

I will take this into consideration, thanks.

I live in Manhattan so if it snows here, it normally piles on the streets. Do you think I can get a new 2013 to 36k range? What price would you consider a CPO 20k TL would be at? I'm currently looking at 2-3 CPO TL's with 20k miles on it and they list them around 34,500 being the lowest and 36k being the highest.

Alright thanks for the advice, I'll make sure to keep this in mind if I jump on the deal.

If it is a test drive demo I would back away from the deal. Who knows what they've done to it. CPO or buying a new one seems to be my options apart from this offer.


I'll make sure to ask those questions at the dealership. I'm still distinguishing what a good price is and what is not in NYC. It seems that people are getting different prices from where they live.

AlexG_6MT

iTrader: (1)

It really is going to take market research here to find this out, although assuming that those 2-3 CPO cars are 2012s SH-AWD Tech and they are averaging $35.7k, I would imagine you won't be seeing any new TLs going for much less than $38k with that many other cars in the area setting a precedent for depreciation. For an 8 month old same model year car with 7k miles on it I saw a discount of $2200 from the best price of a new car.

With 20k miles I wouldn't go higher on a 2012 than 35 assuming it was pristine condition as well as the price on the '13 that you already got offered. Factor in the manufacture date/end of CPO warranty date as well when considering a bunch of 2012s - that might help your decision.


Shoot some e-mails to a bunch of dealerships in the area and starting making offers and get quotes, this will show you how low the market can take. I would advise against putting dealerships in a bidding war for you as that really pisses them off, but at least see what each has to offer.

KeithL

I would like to believe that, but here in Atlanta they are giving OK deals on AWD, but not as good as others are getting.

350

iTrader: (4)

Good deal and warranty I don't see the real issue with so few miles even if it was beat on. I think it should be able to take way more abuse, and once you own it it won't be driven like a rental/loaner anymore. Loaners are fun, I try to keep the revs as high as possible.

MisterZDX

If you're financing then I would say go new. You might end up spending a few grand more, but depending on the length of your term, that will translate to your monthly payment increasing by about 40 bucks or so. For a piece of mind, I would say that is worth it. A year ago I purchased a Cadillac CTS Coupe as a demo with 3366 miles on it and I often wondered if I made the right decision. It was the right color, a premium model with 19" summer tire package and lots of extra goodies. Because I am an Acura person at heart, I ended up trading it for a 2013 ZDX. But I'd never buy another demo again. As someone stated earlier, take the time to research new prices or if you can, wait it out a little longer when prices really start to drop by year's end. When buying a new car, timing is everything.

NNRRGG

Update on the demo car! I visited the dealer and he said the demo car was used only for their manager's use. It roughly has about 7k miles on it now and offered it for a lower price of 35,800. You guys think I should go for it? I should be making a decision by the end of the week. My other options are a '12 Black TL 14k miles priced at 32,400 and a '12 Black TL 21K miles priced at $31,847. I'm really liking the Graphite Metallic Luster...SO MANY CHOICES AHHH.

TeamAcura

What trim are the two black '12s? The first '12 with the lower miles sounds tempting if it's SH-AWD w/ the tech pack. They can go lower than 35.8K on the '13 especially since there's another 2K miles on it.

MSGross

as you can see, opinions vary but so does everyones background, experience and bank accounts. If the managers car is a good deal then it sounds like a decent buy. I looked at a Passat TDI demo and the price was 15-20% off new (best deal they had). My grandmother worked for GM and would order a new car, have the manager "demo" it and save even more money.

I wouldn't buy a rental car but IMHO this is a safe deal. These cars are well built, right?

Buy the one that you want, don't "settle" at this point to save money. I assume that you are financing so, as already stated, the monthly payment won't be affected that much.

NNRRGG

All the Acura TL's I am looking at are all SH-AWD Tech Pkg'd. I just visited the lower mileaged black '12 and it had a chunk bit right out of the left front tire as well as imperfections in the paint. The sales guy said, "they'd have those checked out." Not sure what that means but the test drive was pretty solid. Aside from the squeaky door handle, I couldn't really inspect it that much b/c the sales guy rode with us.

But with the '13 it was clocked at 6500 miles for $36,995. I ask for an updated mileage and he estimated around 7-8k max with an updated price of $35.8k. Do you think I should shoot for lower?

Great advice I will take this into consideration. The car wasn't at least a loaner but more of a car used for business by the manager. They said they'd have it in by Thursday for me so I can take a look at it.


Besides those 2 other cars I'm looking at the 21696 mileage black umber '12. I've never seen umber seats in person so I look forward to seeing them this week.

NNRRGG

Sorry for the double post but my mind is running at 100 miles a minute thinking about this demo car. While it is listed at $35,831+ TTL and the salesman told me it was CPO'd; its does not show up on the carfax and neither on their website. The other two CPO's that I'm looking at show it was offered as Acura CPO with a date and everything. It even shows their remaining miles/months from the original factory warranty. But with this TL Demo it does not even list the original warranty or CPO on the carfax. I can provide links if needed. Did the demo's original warranty already start? Or does it begin once I purchase the vehicle? I've also read people have bought demo cars titled as new only to find out when they try to get something fixed, warranty has magically ended and that the warranty started when the dealership used it and not when it was sold to the buyer. Do you think the dealership is trying to take me in anyway?


(So many questions, please don't hurt me )

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

warranty starts when car is put into service. so yes...the original warranty has started when it was used as a demo.

AlexG_6MT

iTrader: (1)

I wouldn't stress to much about the CarFax showing no CPO or warranty information. Part of this is probably because the car is so new. Also it was likely registered to the business rather than personal, which may effect how it appears on carfax. Ask the dealer about exact dates on the warranty. When you sign for the car there will be paperwork outlining the details of the CPO and current warranty including mileage and end date.

Honestly the '13 sounds like a great deal and far less likely to be ragged on even if it was a demo compared to the used '12s. Have you asked for pricing on a new '13? That would be your best bet to determine if the CPO is fair or not. Don't ask first at the dealership with the CPO '13, ask at another and see what it comes out too.

KeithL

If you believe it was truly the manager's car then I am more OK with it, but seeing as I hate used cars in general, I would be OK with that one.

Mr Marco

Managers car, my ass. If you were the sales manager and had your pick of cars on the lot, would you drive a TL? Hell no. The SM would be driving that hot AMG Merc they took on trade...