2007 Acura TL

[AndyGwis]

Anyone out here have a 2007 Acura TL or thinking of getting one?

My 3.2 CL Type S just crossed 100K mark a few days ago. Still running strong, but after driving American cars for years, I have a paranoia about driving anything with that many miles. Somehow think cars turn into ticking timebombs at about 80K miles. This one is still going strong, but still. . .

I think I can get one for a special offer of $28,899 - $1500 if I pay cash or find outside financing. Maybe even another $1000 - $1500 off with Dealer cash incentive. So, with TTL, looking at around $27,000 +/- a grand.

Good deal? I know the residual on Acuras isn't great, but I love Acuras mix of luxury, sportiness, reliability, customer service, and value.

Anyway, any thoughts or help would be appreciated. Also, do I trade my CL in, or fix up any incidentals (scratches, little dents, etc.) and try to sell on my own? Probably would throw it on CL like I do everything else :)

Thanks!
Gwis

[RuSsMaN]

You need to be buying a house for you and that pretty lady that hangs out with you (for reasons I'll never know).

I'd buy an Acura with 100K on it and not think twice about driving it for another 5 years or more.

Cheers,
Russ

[AndyGwis]

Home plans are definitely in the works. But, with my girlfriend no graduating till December, we're keeping housing plans flexible until we figure out where she'll be working. No point buying a nice little townhouse up in Frisco now if she's working downtown or further in 6 months.

[RuSsMaN]

Roger that, what I was hinting to is - no point in getting locked down on another car payment for 5 to 7 years, when you may be trying to get financing on a house within the next 6-18 months.

If you are less than 2 years out, get (or keep) your numbers as good as possible.

[Mazeroth]

Drive your car until it dies. Buying a car gives you a ton of gratification up front but I've found that dies rather quickly. Invest the money you would have spent on the car into an index fund or something similar and stash some more away into your 401k, if you have one. Also, use the money you save for a down payment on a house. I can never understand why people spend so much money on transportation. I've been driving my wife's 2000 Cavalier for the past few weeks WITHOUT AIR (she's driving mine with air and 50k less miles) and I'm just as happy driving her car as I am mine. I get home in the same mood as I would if I would have driven my car.

[Silverti]

I had an 02 Acura TL Type S. I got rid of it after about 1 year and a half. I would recomend you look at an IS350 (base) or a BMW 330i. You jsut cant beat RWD period and they are both a lot more sporty.

[snow]

If you do decide to buy a new car by all means sell the old one and use the cash towards the downpayment on the new one.

REGARDS SNOW

[66chevyIISS]

That car should last you a long time it's an Acura!

I bought my 96 tl in 2000 with 80,000 miles. I just tripped 178K on it last week. The only thing major I've had to do was replace the radiator because the plastic side tank cracked.

[disneyjoe7]

My wife car is an Acura TL-s we plan to keep it until about 300k if it last that long without serious trouble but I don't think that would be a problem.

[edbert]

Remember that by trading in the car, you only pay taxes on the difference. For example, New car = $27,000.00, dealer says your trade-in is worth $10,000.00, you pay taxes on $17,000.00 Now, say that you are able to sell the car on your own for say $1,500.00 more privately. You have $11,500.00 to put down, but you pay taxes on the full $27K. The overall difference is in your favor slightly by selling it on your own, but it may be worth it to just trade it in(assuming they are giving you a fair value) so you don't have to go through the hassle of selling it yourself. And don't forget, you can always sell it to Carmax. They'll give you a free quote that's good for like 250 miles or 2 weeks, it will at least give you a ballpark number on what it's worth, generally closer to what you would get trade-in or possibly a little more.

You can verify this with any dealer, it's not like it's a big secret but more that the general population isn't always aware of. I used to sell cars about five years ago.

[Shizelbs]

If I were to buy a car today, the Acura TL would be at the top of my list. To me it strikes the perfect balance between sporty and classy.

[Silverti]

That car should last you a long time it's an Acura!

I bought my 96 tl in 2000 with 80,000 miles. I just tripped 178K on it last week. The only thing major I've had to do was replace the radiator because the plastic side tank cracked.


Actually my TL was ranked as just about the most unreliable car I have owned (10 Hondas, 1 Lexus, 1 Subaru, 1 Toyota). On the flip side, our old Acura 03 MDX was on the most reliable side. That TL/CL model year 01 to 05 was an extremely problematic model. Tranny, squeaks and rattles galor. I had a friend with a 02 like mine and he went through 2 tranny's on it in under 2 years. Our TL forums were usually packed with problems which as a Honda guy I found very odd and rare.

If you are serious about a TL, I would wait a bit until they come out with an AWD-SH model so you can consider it at least "sporty" :)

[heiney9]

I wouldn't hesitate to drive it another 3-5 years, especially if you are the one who put the 100K on it. You know exactly what's been done, how its been driven and taken care of etc. Save your money and continue to drive it. They seem to be very reliable cars and of course you will have a few maintenance issues here and there, but in the end it will still be a whole lot cheaper than buying brand new.

YMMV

H9