So I just got myself a 2005 RL for my 24th b-day. If you recall my earlier post regarding the Base vs. A-Spec, I ended up getting the Base due to the price.

The car had 75k miles!!!!! yeah yeah, I know that's not ideal but I got it for 17K out the door and I developed allot of faith in the car after poking around this site for a while plus the retail value is still 24K...and I got an extended warranty hopefully I'll never need it.

Anyhow....

I took the car on a road trip for my b-day, like 3 days after having it. From Columbus, Oh to Miami, Fl...Call me crazy or call it it the ultimate test to see if it was a lemon or a good buy.

I drove 18 hours straight (wired on redbull, sunflower seeds and techno music) through some VERY crappy conditions. It was raining like crazy from West Virginia to Georgia and the car performed like a champ. Mind you I was averaging 70mph while other cars had to pull over on the side of the road b/c of the rain. There were several moments where I felt the wheels begin to slip but the 4wheel drive kicked in like a charm to stabilize the traction.

Gas mileage was great. I filled up like 3 times (about 150 dollars)...I'm sure this is stuff you other owners already know or experianced.

I did find one con to the car's many pro's, call it the Achilles heel: 135mph....yuppp, that's about the fastest I could go, sucks. Especially since my last car was an '04 tl that got up to 150. I guess its more of a blessing in disguise since I shouldn't be going that fast anyways.

Well long stroy short, I maked it down and back, added 3,000 miles to the car in 5 days and its still running great. I'm really loving my RL. Can't wait till it snow so I can see how it performs with icy roads.

 

Awesome and good to hear. Wait till you put on the A-spec suspension or H&Rs.

 

You said it! It already corners very well. I plan on adding the A-Spec suspension, rims, tint, spoiler, and maybe the Audi light. Gonna take me a while though.

I must say this is definitely a boy car. With all the blue interior accent lights, it appeals to me very much.

 

congratulations. It will be fun!!

 

I can now confirm that this car will slide sideways but it was pretty neutral with no snapping of either end. I am impressed with it's handling.

 

How'd you do that?

mennis, welcome to the club! Just don't take it 135 mph anymore, OK?

 

welcome
guess you young guys are buying are old guy trade ins
I've got you beat in miles (85K), and can tell you all is still good

 

I drive a 30 mile canyon each day and know it well. Very little if any traffic. Have taken all of my cars through there and must say the RL does very well with the A-Spec. Stock is a bit bouncy with less control hitting the very tight turns. Anyhow even with the skid goodies on the car slide well into a few bends but pulled out. More torque would make things much easier. The SH-AWD does work well and is impressive.

 

<--------Jealous because there are no canyon roads in Northeast Ohio to toss either his RL or S2000 on


I lived in Cali for a time, so I've driven a few LA-area canyon roads and they are fun!

I'm impressed that the RL can handle those roads that well.

 

I literally learned to drive in LA canyons, but don't drive anything like them anymore on a regular basis. I cannot wait to hit my old hunting grounds with the RL. 470, which canyon do you drive for 30 miles?

Congrats on the new/old RL!!

 

Congradulations on the new car Mennis.

Did you purchase it locally or did you go out of town to get it? I'm also from Columbus area and I have been looking at used RLs for the last month or so.

 

I got it at Miracle Motors in town. I did allot of research and they are the cheapest dealership for miles around. They still have 2 other RL's that are being sold at or below the trade in value.

There was an A-Spec in the state of Delaware that I was checking out but it was too far and 26k vs 17k...not a hard decision. Miracle motors has the best deals in RL's and cars in general (I sound like I work there), the other dealers had average pricing for their vehicles...Let me know if you need more info...I probably seen all the RL's being sold around town..