Kirby11

Why aren't there more owners of these cars here on the forum? I am considering buying one. I understand that when new, these cars were fairly expensive, did not sell all that well and did not gain the success as the similarly equipped and lower priced TL. However, now that a few years have passed, we should be seeing more people scooping up RL's at about a third of their original price. I assume the lack of aftermarket products for these cars has to do with their lack of popularity. Personally I think RL's look better, I can learn to live without a manual transmission, and on paper the performance difference doesn't seem that huge. Am I weird? whats the deal?

jaki30

My daughter bought a new car in June. The dealer offered her prime money for her 2011 RL Advance with 25k miles on it. We tried to determine what the car was really worth, but, only found two 2011 /12 RLs for sale on Auto Trader. Dealer said these cars were in short supply. Also mentioned the RLX was a slow seller at the time due to lack of AWD. I sold my wife's ES 350 and bought the car from my daughter for the dealer offered price. First AWD car. Impressed with the RL more than the ES 350.

oo7spy

2012 sales were less than 400 units. 2011 was in the triple digits too. I'm pretty sure the cumulative MMC numbers didn't get over 5,000 cars. Given that the vast majority of people don't mod their cars and only a few go to forums seeking advice for DIY work, everything scales down to a really low number. Consider that they sell 100,000 Accords in a year, and you can see the difference.

CadiGTi

Actually Honda in the US annually sells in the neighborhood of 300,000 Accords, 300,000 Civics, and this year it looks like the CR-V will be in the 300,000 unit territory.

January - June 2015 US Accord production was 190,740 units and Civic US + Canadian production was at just about 200,000 units.

Some nice volumes. By comparison, VW in the USA only sold approximately 240k (Total) cars in the USA from January - August 2015.

The 2011-2012 RL has to be one of the rarest (if not "the rarest") regular production cars for this period in the USA.

Kirby11

I was just browsing cars.com comparing offers (I do this at least an hour or two every day with cars.com/autotrader/truecar/ebay etc... I think I have developed a strange addiction over the years ) anyway, at the moment there are 626 '09-'12 sh-awd TL's for sale (832 including '13 and '14) while there are only 124 '09-'12 RL's. Not a lot to choose from when looking for RL's. I will probably end up having to travel a great distance to find one with the right combination of price and mileage. (if i do decide to go the RL route)

Also, little off topic... There are many more aftermarket wheels available for '09+ TL's compared to '09+ RL's. Since these vehicles are so similar in so many ways, is it safe to say that wheels that fit the TL will also fit the RL or am I way off?

Thanks for your feedback.
-Kirby

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

I do this too, sometimes, for the KB2 RL.

They'll fit.

Kirby11

Thanks for the quick response. Are there any other aftermarket parts that these two models directly share. Or any that only require minor altering for fitment? I've done a few searches. It seems Iakonafuji has taken on modding the MMC RL more than anyone else. I'm not really sure if they even make half the parts he used any more.

Ratheruneeq

Personally i cant wait to trade in a kb1 for a kb2... theyre rare like legends but of course with modern features and such a unique and powerful presence. I have no problem marinating in the luxurious beautifully crafted beauty that people slept on hard initially because they were too hung up on numbers and overlooked the craftsmanship and quality.... no problem rolling by the hoards of g35's, lexus's, and TL's but looking better and scarcer.... 👍

Kirby11

Driving around in a car that is rare, uncommon or hardly ever seen in my area is a big part of why I would lean towards something like an RL instead of becoming one of the thousands of Audi's WRX's or F-150's that roam the streets of the ski town that I live in.

oo7spy

No, they won't just "fit". 2012 TL wheels don't clear the RL BBK. If stock wheels don't fit, you can imagine how far that can impact the aftermarket.


Cadi, thanks for expounding on my point.

Kirby11

thanks oo7spy. if i cant find decent looking aftermarket wheels it may be a deal breaker. performanceplustire.com has quite a few choices. way more than tirerack.com

oo7spy

TSW has some gorgeous options for the RL. Go to the wheel or photo subforum and type "TSW" in the "search this forum" toolbar.

knv8

If you are looking for certified rl's, its even more of a challenge. There are 15 in the whole US on cars.com.

Kirby11

tsw.com has a wheel configurator. There are a few good looking wheels.

95legend6speed

can't believe off the market wheels could be a deal breaker on such a rear gem. anyhow check out discounted wheel warehouse they have quite a few selections. CHEERS

JimLew

The RL is a nice car and I picked up a CPO 2010 2 years ago with 17k miles. It lacks a personality with handling and communicative steering that I plan to correct with a few additions. However, it is a fantastic road car for the highway and I rarely see another KB2 on the road. The prices are soft compared to a TL and a heck of a deal for what it offers.

Kirby11

Wow! discounted wheel warehouse has 674 options for 20" wheels for 09-12 RL's. I hope they are right, that almost seems like too many! lol. I've been cross-researching 3rd generation Lexus GS 350 awd's as well. Does anyone have any experience with these cars and how they compare to RL's? Their straight line performance (0-60) is quite faster.

oo7spy

The GS350 is a great car and the same class as the RL. Reliability should be a touch better.

stchas

Bought a 2012 Advance CPO with 49k miles in June to replace my 2006 Tech with 170k miles. Firm believer in the 2G with AWD. Very hard to find these gems, especially with the Advance package. Had to fly to DFW to pick it up. It was worth the trip!

Blues Legend

No.

IIRC, the PCD of the lug nuts (or if not, then the spigot bore) is different, even on the otherwise-identical A-SPEC wheels!

kleedz30

I have a 2010 rl for about 2 years and a 2005 rl for about 3 years i see the 05 06 07 08 all over but the 2010 i hardly see any where i live to the point when i see one the drivers always stare like omg finally someone has my car its weird but i live it all the same it seems these models are becoming like vigors

john102

JimLew,

I agree, the RL is a great highway cruiser. What additions are you planning to improve the steering feel?

JimLew

Nothing too wild, I'm looking to reduce the softness in the corners and tighten up the steering response. I just bought a set of 19" OZ rims and I have not decided on the tires yet. The OZ's are lighter than stock and should contribute to a quicker response. Planning on new coilovers and I have yet to make the final decision on which ones to buy. Leaning toward the Tien and lowering the stance somewhat with the adjustable settings. That is all that I plan to do. I anticipate this will connect the car to the road and connect me with the car so that it is more responsive.
On a related topic, I cannot get used to the feel of the steering wheel. Not fond of the slick feel of the wooden sections. I bought a leather wheel skin and will cut sections to fit over the wood and lace them up with the cording. I covered a steering wheel in another car with a leather skin and it made a big difference.

bigcocoon

actually love the design of that model unfortunately not many for sale even here in the SF Bay Area. Not a single one on craigslist and cars.coom has none within a 50 mile radius

Boomstick0

Lexus parts are $$$ though.

oo7spy

So are Acura parts.

Nexx

and everyone and their mom has one it seems. rather have a RL

Boomstick0

That's right, my RL is super unique, anyone who sees a blue RL in western Massachusetts who knows me should instantly know it's me. Now to get some vanity plates...

MrG4Life

iTrader: (1)

I see a 2010 RL practically every day. It's my co-worker's and I park next to him most of the time lol. Other than that I hardly ever see those model year RL's. Me personally I prefer the look of the '05-'08 model year which I see more of. The '05-'08 are also rare but I do see more of them than the '09-'12 models.