Considering buying a 2012 or 2013 Acura station wagon. Because I’m not a gearhead, I’d only consider “certified” vehicles. There’s a 2012 with 25K located near me. In the last week, I’ve had a 2013 with 17K miles (well priced and located close to me) yanked out from under me, and another 2013 with 13K miles (not well priced and located about 450 miles from me) also sold before I acted.
Trying to figure out whether to take the bird in hand, so to speak, or hold out for another 2013 with low mileage. There’s no difference in the car itself, just a difference of warranty length and, likely, a few miles, since a 2013 that someone has turned in on a lease will have lower mileage than a 2012. How much is that worth, do you think?
I don’t have an urgent need for this car, so I could wait over the next few months and see what comes on the market. On the other hand, the 2012 is only a car ride away (so no cost of a plane ticket)… Would you guys gamble and wait for the “perfect” car, or would you settle on one that seems pretty good, but is already 2 years old – both in terms of warranty and in terms of mileage? We tend to buy cars and then drive 'em into the ground (or until they start costing $2 - $3K every service). I figure for an Acura, that’s at least 10 years from now, or 8 years in the case of the 2012.
All that Certified Used Car means that is certified to be a used car. And if you keep vehicles long term why not buy new and get exactly what you want with full warranty?
As far as miles driven, we’re not driving this car “like a grandma,” but it’s mostly used for squiring kids around, and we’re averaging 10K/year. So the 2012 with 25K is… about 2-1/2 years old as far as we’re concerned. I would assume that any 2013 that somebody turns in on a lease will have less than 25K… but how much should we pay for that extra mileage? Should we be concerned about buying a car that already has “lost” 2-1/2 years?
Given that the two model years are identical, I’d buy either one. They aren’t very common cars, so you may wait a long time for the ‘perfect’ car. With used cars, you can only buy what someone is selling. Nice choice of cars, BTW. One of the few true wagons of recent years, and probably the most reliable. Very efficient, too.
If it is factory CPO, then you should find exactly what that means on the Acura web site if you haven’t already. Acura has a set of inspections and test, and all manufacturers do, to justify the extra they charge you for a CPO vehicle.
You get an extended powertrain warranty (7yrs/100,000miles) so the 2012 would have another 4yrs and 75,000 miles. And a year added to the warranty for everything but the power-train. The inspection is usually done by the dealer’s tech’s so you’re trusting that they actually put in the time.
No leftover '14s that are wagons with the tech. package anywhere near me… The west coast has more of these wagons, generally, but I’m in the D.C. metro area. Also, just to be clear about my fussiness, I’m trying to get one that’s not white, black, or red. There are two wagons that qualify, but they’re in CA and WA. FWIW, they’re priced about $7 - $10K over the 2012 we’re considering.