Acura TL-S follow-up

"Chairman Kaga" (mike-mckinnon)
09/10/2015 at 10:22 • Filed to: None

Regarding my post yesterday about the ‘07 Acura TL-S -

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I drove the car, and it’s a pass. Maybe my expectations of an 8-year old car with 97k miles were too high, but this one seemed pretty beat to my eyes.

Several significant dents, one on a fender crease that looked like it would be a bear to repair

Dull paint

Bad curb rash on all four wheels

Severely cracked dash on the passenger side (an issue with most TLs, I realize)

Fake carbon fiber interior trim was severely chipped, scratched, and worn down to plastic base

Chunk-chunk hard downshifts

Owner didn’t know if he’d done timing belt/water pump then insisted it was fine, even though it’s required in about 3,000 more miles

Nav system has never been updated from stock 2005 DVDs

All of the driver’s door switches were worn to bare plastic

Seats needed severe TLC, although no rips or split seams

Splitting air hose, possibly other brittle rubber components under the hood

And for the clincher, it threw a “gas cap loose” CEL when I took a medium speed corner, which the owner said has happened since new but has never been resolved (?!)

The owner seemed pretty unwilling to back off his asking price at all. Maybe $500 at most. He’s only had one other serious offer of $11,500, which he said was “insulting.” It drove fine up until the CEL, although with far less gusto than I was expecting. Maybe because it was so quiet? The ride was quite nice - firm but compliant, the seats comfortable, the stereo amazeballs... but the whole time I’m thinking, “So $13k for the car, with an immediate $600-800 for timing belt and water pump, $400 or so for dent removal, and who knows how many hundreds for the fuel issue, dash repair or replacement, interior trim repair or replacement, and general reconditioning.” And it totally killed my boner for the car.

I think I might be looking at an ‘08 G35 sedan on my friend’s lot, and I’m also trying to get the owner of an ‘08 328i wagon to respond to my emails. Still not writing off the IS300 wagon either, mainly because it’s only $9,000 with 60k miles.

DISCUSSION (7)

Steve in Manhattan > Chairman Kaga
09/10/2015 at 10:26

What a shame - always amazes me when someone has a somewhat high end machine and treats it like shit. And if you’re selling it, get it detailed at minimum.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > Chairman Kaga
09/10/2015 at 10:31

Sigh that’s a disappointment

Party-vi > Chairman Kaga
09/10/2015 at 10:32

The G35 is not going to do you any favors maintenance wise, neither is the 328i.

Chairman Kaga > Steve in Manhattan
09/10/2015 at 10:34

It was actually quite clean. Carpets were good, seats were freshly wiped, no visible grime on the exterior. Maybe that’s why the flaws were so glaring?

Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed > Chairman Kaga
09/10/2015 at 10:41

Curb rash and bad paint are two red flags that the car was owned by a dingleberry. If it was clean, he probably just paid to get it washed and vacuumed. Probably smart to avoid if you can’t get an honest price.

Steve in Manhattan > Chairman Kaga
09/10/2015 at 10:44

Still, dull paint deserved a buff. Best foot forward ...

FrankAtlanta > Chairman Kaga
09/10/2015 at 11:51

It sounds like it was slightly spruced/cleaned for sale, but doesn’t sound like it’s truly been looked after. As Steve noted, they could have at least had it detailed - that they didn’t take this basic step is pretty consistent with the wear signs you’ve seen (curbed wheels, CEL, etc.). My guess is this car certainly hasn’t had an easy life.