jeff442

I know this board is probably already flooded with "what's my car worth" threads, but I don't know of anyone with more Acura TL expertise than this group. I have a 2005 TL, black interior/exterior, with manual transmission, and navigation. I also have the 18" gunmetal A-spec wheels (best looking OEM wheels ever, in my opinion!). I purchased the car with 60,000 miles back in December 2005 and it now has 260,000 miles. The car runs/shifts flawlessly. Mobile 1 oil changes, synchromesh tranny fluid changes, timing belt/water pump (twice!), and brakes/tires are all the car has ever needed. Aesthetically it is in fair/good condition. I'm looking to either sell or trade the car in. Kelly Blue Book shows the trade in value as $5900 for fair condition and $6200 for good. The private party sale values are stated to be $8200 for fair and $8700 for good condition.

The trouble is that with mileage this high, are the KBB estimates accurate? Would it really be possible to find a home for a TL with this kind of mileage?

BeezleTL85

KBB and check around on the net like auto trader and other car sales websites to see what a cars comparable to yours are selling for.

erdoc48

As for trade in, I wouldn't expect a dealer to give you much at all for a car with that kind of mileage- if they gave you anything for it, they would hand the car off to a wholesaler as they generally don't sell such high mileage cars off the dealer lot. You'll probably be better off trying to sell it yourself. One thing though...you got a lot of use out of it and it has served you well. It might be a good idea to just keep it (technically as a 'beater' even though it's in decent shape), as selling it with 260,000 miles will likely not get you all that much money.

If selling it would be a hassle, how about handing it down to a family member that could use a nice ride, despite the mileage (or sell it to them at a discount)? I did this with my 00TL (sold at a discount to my brother who needed a 4 door car- he still has it now). I knew trade in would be a joke and didn't want the hassle of selling it myself.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

it's going to be hard to find one that has that kinda mileage.
the car is worth whatever someone will pay you for it. I could see someone paying you 5-7K for a car that was perfectly maintained and is in good condition.

jeff442

Good suggestions so far guys. I'll go on Autotrader and look at the 2004-2006 models with over 200,000 miles. I'm not sure if the manual transmission will make it more or less desirable.

I also went to Edmunds and they say that my car in average condidtion would be $6600 to a private party and $5400 on trade.

jeff442

Well the sample size of cars for sale (and who knows if they actually sell at this price) on Autotrader is pretty small, but here are the ones I show as comparable:

2004, white, auto, no nav, 258000 miles, $6981

2004, green, 6MT, no nav, 240000 miles, $6500

2004, grey, auto, w/ nav, 238000 miles, $7995

2005, black, auto, w/ nav, 225000 miles, $7475

2004, black, auto, no nav, 221000 miles, $5995

2006, grey, auto, w/ nav, 214000 miles, $8995

2005, blue, auto, no nav, 210000 miles, $10595

2004, black, auto, no nav, 204000 miles, $5995

2004, white, auto, w/ nav, 202000 miles, $9998

2004, gray, auto, no nav, 201000 miles $8995

2005, black, auto, w/ nav, 196000 miles $6900

2004, black, auto, w/ nav, 192000 miles $7695

Looks like ~$7500 is the average sale price here

BeezleTL85

Those prices make me feel a little better about putting so many miles on my car but I personally wouldn't pay more than 5k. I would ask 7500 obo

Shoot2Thrill

Figure $2500 Trade

Go $5000+ private sell anything above that Ask for $7500
I have sold 4 used cars recently. Polish it and put it on a busy street with a big sign and your number. Works way better than craigslist

05_NBP_TL

iTrader: (1)

I have polished many cars for friends and family that want to sale their vehicles quickly and for the most money. Hell, I even done a 3-step polish job/interior/motor/and even waxed the wheels for friend(then he ended up keeping the car because he was amazed at how good it looked )

I would either do a private sale for the amount of money that you are happy with or keep the car as a beater/hand-me-down tto a family member. I kept my 99 TL as a beater because no one wanted to pay over $2500 for it with 200k miles. Had the car 4 years now after my initial intent of selling(had it 10 years total).

Good luck OP

RoadRover

Wow, over a quarter mil on the clock is impressive even if we are talking about an Acura.

I clicked on this thread because my 05 6MT/Nav had 160 and I thought THAT was high.

If a big dealer buys it off you they're just going to auction it, only small independents and exporters deal in 200k+ inventory.

The average wholesale value, aka what a dealer would expect to get at auction for an "average condition" example with your specs and mileage, is $4,350. So I'd imagine they'll be willing to give you up to $3,000-$3,500 as trade-in value if they want to do a deal.


As for the transmission, dealers will try and deduct for it from a trade-in standpoint but I think it's actually a big boost if you decide to sell it private party... because you're mostly going to attract enthusiasts/car guys(or girls) who are willing to take on the risk of a car with that kind of mileage.

anx1300c

iTrader: (2)

I think you should just keep it another 7-8 years and shoot for the 500K mark. Maybe by then, Acura/Honda will start doing one of those half million mile promotions and you can win some cool prizes and become famous while they fly you around the world to do PR work, all while paying you a ridiculous seven figure salary.

RoadRover

...while the second part of that last comment might be a pipe dream, it would be pretty awesome to go for the 500k. Godspeed

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

^^ala tyson and his legend minus the salary.

PhilB81

Just curious, why are you selling? Because I tend to agree with others above, with so many miles, unless it has become a money pit and everything is falling off the car, I'd keep it.

I also think that the dealer will reduce the price because of the manual trans thinking it's a reduced customer base. But in reality, someone buying it privately will know the manual will be more reliable and will keep going.

geekybiker

Agreed. Manual is a negative for trade in, but a positive for private sale. Doubly so if you have any mods on the car.

From what I've heard its rare for dealers to keep cars with more than 70k miles. Expect to take a hit on trade in after that point.

truonghthe

Well the problem with buyer is that most people won't spend $7500 on a car that has 260k miles on it, unless they owned Honda product with high mileage before like us. OP just polish it up making the car shinny and clean as possible from inside and out so your chance of selling the car is increase dramatically.

JORTS

How many clutches have you gone through?

jeff442

Original clutch - no joke!

truonghthe

I had seen original clutch last for 300k+miles before, it all depend on the driver.

TLtypeSex

Holy shit that's alot of miles lol. Good luck with the sale.

ez12a

good to know the clutch lasts that long! glws!