I am a college student in the market to purchase a used 2005 RL. I was excited about buying one of these cars until I started reading the consumer reviews. I was reading about all of the electrical problems, and the AC compressors. What are everyone's thoughts about these issues? Have yal experienced them yourselves, and would you recommend a college student getting something that might have alot of repair costs??

 

I've been in the automobile business since I was 18. A college kid on a tight budget should buy a Toyota Corolla or a Honda Civic.

Acura makes an awesome car but the repair costs will be double if not triple that of a civic or a corolla. Btw, I work for Honda. Get a Civic!

 

Well I am graduating in a few months. Plus I am a car guy. I had a E46 that I just sold, because I wanted something a little more reliable. Honda Civics are for high school students. I at least want something with a V6.

 

What's your budget?

 

Ok. Well I'm sure you will find a ton of info on this site. The RL is an awesome car but can be expensive to repair. With that said the RL should be less expensive to own than the Mercedes you mentioned.

 

Well I've got a decent budget to buy the car with, and I was going to get a warranty as well

 

One of the most expensive repairs I've read about here is the drive shaft bearing making noise. It isn't a common failure but seems to have a high enough failure rate to be concerned. Engine mounts are not that expensive but tend to fail often. Besides that regular maintenance items can get expensive but not astronomical.

 

I would reccomend you read as many threads as you can. That should give you a good idea of what to look for and what to expect.

 

If you are looking at an 05, you won't be able to purchase an Acura Care warranty, which really is what you want. You need to purchase the extended warranty before the original OEM bumper to bumper expires. This is 4 years or 50K miles.

 

Spend some time reading in here - https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-rl-2005-2012-76/garage-helpful-2g-rl-info-789209/

 

I've got an 05 w/ 127k mi. and have had zero issues with it. Also had a 96 that I passed on to my daughter who still drives it w/ 220k mi. /The 96 is all original everything, exhaust, shocks, struts, not a single major repair/replacement. I'm very impressed with these cars and highly recommend them for reliability.

I'm currently looking to upgrade to 2010-12 model, but they are hard to find due to so few sold new. The car really doesn't get the recognition it deserves.

 

So much in this thread.

Don't buy a $50k luxury car until you have a $50k+ salary. Even if the price isn't for a $50k car, the repairs are always going to be for a $50k car.

A Civic is a car for anyone. The idea of only High School students driving a compact I4 is hilarious. I would rock an Si in a heartbeat. If you want a V6, there is nothing wrong with that.

An E46 is a BMW, not a Benz. (Not directed at you, OP.)


Honestly, OP, I would strongly recommend against a 2005 RL in your situation. It is completely possible that you can find a great condition one that will give you no trouble mechanically or financially, but the odds are against you. The one you want is the one they don't want to sell.

What about a V6 TSX or UA7 TL-S? The TSX is fully built in Japan like the RL and is expected to be more reliable than a 2005 RL (less bells and whistles to fail). Both the TSX and TL-S are fabulous driver's cars and will be less expensive than an RL.

 

^ What he said

Or if you're still set on getting an RL I would try and look for something a little newer that has lower mileage and one that you can buy the extended warranty on.

 

If you're going to get an KB1 RL, try to find an 07+. That way you won't have to deal w/ potential problems since they are less prone to problems than the earlier model. Like 007 said, why not the TL, TL-S, or even TSX V6. Looking for something RWD or AWD?

 

Don't buy an 05 RL, no matter how cheap the price is. Given, the RL is a very nice cars. But the gas, insurance(no matter how good of a driver your are), and the repair and maintenance bills will kill you. Please, don't buy an 05 RL, trust me I've owned one.

I recommend buying a newer lower end car like a Honda Civic. Price for a used one is great, and gas will save you A LOT of money, and you the cars a so reliable you won't have to worry at all about repair bills.

 

Insurance is actually not bad at all. I mean I don't have the best driving record and I'm paying a little over $900 for the whole year w/ complete coverage through Nationwide.

 

Oops! I saw an E and automatically assumed it was an E series Mercedes.

 

No shit! My RL cost less to insure than my wife's '09 Civic EXL coupe (speaking of weak I4s). As it turns out, insurance pays the most out in medical bills, so they care more about a car's safety rating than repair costs.

Edit: State Farm here. Top tier insurance companies FTW.

 

Where's the OP?

 

I would not recommend you get an 05. Don't be fooled or lured by the price. There are too many things that can and will go wrong. And none are cheap fixes. When you quantify all the variables you will see that there are very few 05's that have had no issues. Even ordinary things that will reach the end of their life soon like bulbs are a pain in the ass to get repaired. Things like engine and transmission mounts that endlessly break can get very expensive to keep repairing. The ballasts on the HID can go anytime as well as all the bulbs. The active headlights tend to get glitchy if not fail by then. You also have the numerous issues with the hardware breaking or just becoming unkept looking. The door handles are especially disconcerting as well as the wobbly mirrors. The car also rusts like crazy from every angle. And some of the worst case scenarios are frightening. You might be better off leasing something.

 

TLDR but you are NEVER better off leasing

 

I bought my 05 RL about a year ago and it's been great to me.
Had 59K miles when I picked it up, it has 75k right now.
I only had to deal with turn leather seats on the driver side, but insurance isn't too bad. Gas is kinda expensive though, so I hope you don't commute a lot.

 

The repairs on my 2006 have been minimal thus far (115k). I had to pay like $1500 for the 100k mile maintenance, but other than that I don't think I ever spent more than $300 for dealer repairs. Now I'm starting to do my own repairs. Never had any electrical issues, or AC issues whatsoever.

Just remember though, the tires alone are gonna cost twice as much as an Accord--shocks, brakes, probably same thing. Make sure it has had 100k mile maintenance performed before you buy it at least! If they skipped that, then don't buy it.

 

Agreed. My '95 Camry costs 370$ every 6 months w/complete coverage. The RL is 440$ with the same coverage.