I am planning to purchase the second gen RL soon. I was intending to purchase an '05 but have been concerned about the consumer reports poor rating on the electrical, climate control, power equip, body hardware, and audio system. The '06 and newer seem to receive improved ratings in these categories. Are these poor ratings for the 05' justified? Has Acura done any recalls to remedy the situations?

I welcome your suggestions and personal experiences to help me narrow my choices.

 

Welcome, if you do a quick glance below there is another recent post with the answers to your questions.

 

Since I am new to the group, my status is not yet allowing me to view the recent post below that you mention. I look forward to reading it when I qualify.

 

Welcome to AZ!

The search function has been borked the last couple of days, so your query is reasonable. The admins are working on it.

That said, the biggest issue with the 2005 RL is that the AC can be problematic. Ask whether the AC has required repair. There are also various niggling electronic issues that are easily fixed with software upgrades; there are multiple TSBs addressing the issues that any Acura dealer should know about. This can be mitigated by purchasing a CPO car. The 2006 has far fewer issues but will cost you a lot more. I don't know of any body integrity or audio system issues in the 2005 RL, so I still can't figure out where CR got that info....the RL is as much of a tank as an aluminum-bodied car can be.

The 2005 RL right now is probably the best bang for the buck in the used mid-luxury market. Having bought new (though not at MSRP), I'm astonished at loss of value for this fabulous car.

 

I'm with you there Bob!

 

Hey Bob, wouldn't a 2005 with an Acuracare warranty be just as good as a 2005 CPO? From what I understand the CPO cars are gone through and anything broken is fixed/replaced, but if you buy a non-CPO car with warranty in excellent condition, wouldn't it essentially be the same thing?

 

If I buy from a private party, how can I determine if the A/C has had the required repair and the car has had the software upgrades?
Why is the 05' so much less than the 06'?

 

What were the A/C and electrical issues and once they are repaired do they stay that way? What would cost of repair be to these if the car was out of warranty? What is the warranty on these?
(sorry for so many questions/thanks for your knowledge)

 

Thanks Bob for the input.
If I buy from a private party, how can I determine if the A/C has had the required repair and the car has had the software upgrades?
And why is the 05' so much less than the 06'?

 

Give any dealer the vin and they can provide a free history printout.

 

AC problem deals with a bad field coil. There's a TSB on it and haven't seen anyone report a problem once its been fixed. I would not buy an 05 w/o a warranty, or an 06/07 for that matter. Repairs on these cars are very expensive. There was a thread recently talking about replacing a headlight bulb and the entire front bumper had to be removed. Granted, the bulb isn't under warranty, but if something in the assembly goes, it would be.

Prices of 05s a very cheap now, with relatively low mileage I see them in the low 20s.

A CPO covers the car for 12 months/12 k miles. An Acura warranty extends the original warranty to 7 years/100k miles from date car was put into service. If you have the acura extended warranty and not CPO, no big deal. The reverse wouldn't be as good.

 

I tend to keep my cars for 7-10 years with about 15k miles driven per year. Should I be concerned about owning this '05 car without a warranty? How often have you had to have warranty repairs performed and what would they have cost? For context, my current car is a 98 Accord and in the past 11 years it has only needed a battery, radiator, tires and routine check ups.

 

It depends on whether all the TSBs have been dealt with. We have a member with well over 200k miles on their RL and the only repairs are AC and replacement of an axle. He bought his new.

All the same, having an Acuracare warranty is the best option, just in case, especially if the AC hasn't died yet. It's really not that much money if you buy it online.

I don't see a big issue with owning a 2005 RL as long as you are an informed customer.

 

buy the 05 w/extended warranty and save the $5k. You can use the $5k for any repairs you may need down the road...or go on vacation

 

Thanks rlerman for your reply. You are helping me gain confidence in the '05 purchase.
Why do you think there are so many more '05's for sale and for so much less than the '06's?

 

Where is the best place to purchase this warranty that you suggest?

 

I guess any dealership but this place seems to have a good reputation.

http://www.curryacuracare.com/



...

 

Thank you. The warranty seems like a smart purchase. Why do you think there are so many more '05's for sale and for so much less than the '06's?

 

Lease returns flooding the market with 05s. 06's will be there every shortly.

 

I got the warranty through my acura dealer where I bought the car. Some dealers will throw it in, but they build it into the price. I paid $900 for it and they were offering it for $1250.

 

For how many miles/years?

 

Warranty is 7 years/100k miles from date car was originally placed in service. When I purchased my car back in May, it had 43k miles on it with a service date of March 2005. Therefore, I effectively had a little less than 4 years and 56k miles.