akilsaran1726

Hi All,
I am little new to the Acura community. I am in the market for 3G TL.please suggest:
1. Seeing a 2004 TL with navi (though navigation does not work) at high 204k miles.can I buy with this high miles.
2. asking price is 5000. Is it too costly for such high miles.
3. Seems to be maintained well.but it seems car is due for timing belt change.how long I could drive without changing from now as that seems that to be costly either for now.

please help. I don't want to buy any other car than acura at least 3G.should I buy this or wait?

NBP04TL4ME

Hard to say or give opinions without knowing what your budget is...............

akilsaran1726

My budget is 6000 and okay with little high miles 170k+ miles. But this one scares me. Hence I need your opinions.

NBP04TL4ME

$6K is a limited budget for a 3G TL, but you never know. As you pointed out this particular car is going to be due for another TB service at 210K and it's going to run you roughly $1K.

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

Wait since your budget is 6K. You could be potentially spending about 2k grand very soon for the TB service and who knows what's up with the Navi. If your gut scares you why gamble?

MarcoNorthPolo

You said yourself that this car scares you, so that is your answer right there.

subinf

I have 225k on my car and if someone wanted to pay me 5k that would be awesome. Seems a tad on the pricey side.

Alexns05

Have a mechanic check it out and see if anything would need to get fixed. On a low budget a high mileage TL probably isn't the best option with such high mileage. As somebody mentioned the timing belt replacement is coming up. Shouldn't be near $2000 unless you go to the stealership. I got my timing belt, water pump, spark plugs, and air filters changed for about $700 including parts. But what happens if something else goes bad? Tires alone on this thing cost me around $600.

Definitely a reliable car but like with any car purchase you're rolling the dice. I'd never get a TL without a few thousand dollars in the bank to spare on case something big went wrong.

For $6000 budget you should just try to find an 06 Civic with high mileage.

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

with a budget of 6k, you shouldnt really be looking at 3rd gen TL's...just my opinion. Buying a car out of your budget by resorting to very high mileage doesn't seem like a smart move, financially. Keep in mind you'd still have to put in premium gas in the car and maintenance and fixes will be more expensive than say, a civic.

YeuEmMaiMai

automatic? No buy
manual? maybe but most likely a no buy

car is 10 years old and there are parts that are at or near replacement time

timing belt for sure
new shocks- there is NO WAY that that car rides like it did when it was new if those are original shocks
new rubber suspension pieces
.....

NBP04TL4ME

Keep looking and/or look for something a little less expensive in general. My $0.02

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

wow, with the rash of threads asking on how to price the car and this thread; we clearly see an over saturation of the market.

too expensive for the $3200-5000 crowd because of the maintenance.
and people arent touching these machines at $15-20k because there are better and newer cars for the same amount of money.

subinf

I don't think maintenance should be a huge issue. There isn't much that needs to be done at 200k that isn't due at right around 100k. Either way you are running into the same cost issues.

mvp2765

iTrader: (1)

It's taking a big risk. I wouldn't personally ever a buy a car with 200K+ miles.

bud_d

Great advice has been given so far in this thread.

If it was me, I would look up the price of the car on Edmunds, and evaluate the upcoming maintenance needs, and decide on the fair price to pay for the car. If you are not comfortable evaluating the mechanical condition of the car, take it to a mechanic you know and trust, or you get recommendations of a mechanic from friends or family you trust. It might cost you some money to have the mechanic look at it, but it will be money well spent.

Doug

GhostTL09

iTrader: (1)

RUN AWAY!!!!! a 5K-6K 3rd Gen TL usually has high miles, worn out interior, dull paint, scratches and or dings around it. If this describes it RUN AWAY!!!! Plus Nav doesn't work, which means it doesn't have NAV because you don't know what the issue is and obviously the owner didn't want to touch it. You have to get to at least 10k for a decent to good TL and usually about 11k-16k for very good to outstanding.

TL Luver

iTrader: (2)

Everyone keeps talking about timing service one this 200k+ car...


Both of my lex-i (Lexus'es) transmission's went out at 250k...I did ride a little bit hard...

I know two totally different makers but two of the most reliable...

I love the 3rd gen tl dont get me wrong im on my second; just no one's gone over the fact that any car maker with 200k+ mi. tranny is likely to go soon...

robocam

I'd say the opposite. I just spent over $4k having my MT rebuilt by an independent shop.

OP, run far away from this car. Look at a Camry instead.

TL Luver

iTrader: (2)

Im agreeing with you sir; well not necessarily run away but be prepared for a transmission job somewhere down the line no transission last forever...maybe the engine ...

Prelude1897

I bought my 04 TL 6spd with 206k miles and it still drives smooth. Bought it for a hell of a deal and was offered 5k for it, but had to decline since I've been looking for one for awhile, plus 6spds are hard to find around my area...

my opinion is if the car still runs and drives smooth, pick it up. Of course try and get it at a lower price, but don't let mileage scare you away. If regular maintence has been done, then that car will last for many many more miles