Hey, guys and gals. My name is Jay and I am brand new to this site. I am contemplating purchasing a pre-owned 2005 Acura RL from a private owner. The seller is the original and only owner of the vehicle. I still have to do CarFax research myself. The seller states that the vehicle is in perfect condition and took great care of the car. Basically, what I am getting at is: what research should I do and what questions should I ask about the vehicle? The selling price is ($8400, OBO). Thank you all for any information you can provide. I hope to become a regular on the site, and definitely will if I go through with the purchase. Thanks, again!

 

How many miles? Has the timing belt and water pump service been completed? Has the brake master recall been performed? Has the A/C ever failed? Has the door handle ever failed?

You probably actually want to hear "yes" for the A/C and handle and that all was fixed. If not, those are potential weak points that should be checked carefully. That is a great price for the car if it is in good condition. Just be aware that 2005 is prone to the most issues. In the main RL forum, there is a "search this forum" option on the right side. Type "2005 problems" as they are all documented.

Welcome!

 

Mileage? Pics? Mods?

 

Duh, I failed to provide the mileage! This 2005 RL has (116,000) miles on it. It is grey, with a black leather interior. I will try to post some pictures of it, but I am admittedly "dumb" when it comes to that. The seller does provide pics, but how do I add that in a Post in this Forum? Heavy_RL, I apologize, but when you state "Mods," what does that mean? oo7spy and Heavy_RL, I truly appreciate the replies. oo7spy, your Post is exactly what I am looking for, so I will take the questions you posted and ask the seller if those actions have been completed. Thanks, again, guys!

 

For what its worth, I have a 2005 with 179K miles. I bought it new and ll the items listed by 007 have been performed. I'd think you could get many more miles out of the car.
Only other thing is that the car eats batteries

 

getakey, thank you so much for the reply. Means a lot. I will take into account your thoughts on the batteries. oo7spy and HEAVY_RL, I have perused this site for a few hours since I have joined, and let me tell you, I am honored to have you guys post in my thread. Wow, you guys know your stuff! Listen, I can tell you what model/year vehicle passes by on the highway, but I have never been a "car guy," meaning I have no idea what goes on under the hood, nor can I fix anything myself. Luckily, my neighbor works on every kind of car and he knows his stuff. There are so many knowledgeable people on this site, that I feel I am in good hands. Keep up the great work, fellas, and I hope to be in touch in the near future.

 

OK, gents (especially you, oo7spy). Just got a response from the seller. Here goes, pretty much verbatim: "Timing Belt was done at 86,xxx miles, as well as the Water Pump. A/C always works perfect. Door Handles never gave any problems. Recall was taken care of. Car has new Rotors, Brakes, Spark Plugs, Oil and Oil Filter." He basically told me that if I want a better car, just buy a brand new RL. Which, what is a seller supposed to say, right? But, he does sound genuine and the car looks very nice and clean. Just a reminder that I forgot to mention in my first post, the vehicle has (116,000) miles on it and the seller lists it at ($8400, OBO). I have been perusing the RL Forums, searching "2005 problems." What else should I ask of this seller, guys?! I want to cover ALL of my bases, but I also don't want to keep peppering the seller with e-mail questions back-and-forth (although, I know that is just doing my homework). Again, thank you all so much. I want to become the proud owner of a Pre-Owned Acura and join in on this website forum regularly!

 

You have the right mind set. Buying a used car is rarely easy given all of the unknowns. It is something you have to trust a little about what you know and trust a lot of your gut. The A/C and handles are weaker on the 2005 models, but that doesn't mean they are doomed to fail. From his response, it sounds like the seller cared for the car. The next thing to do is drive it and inspect it. Every panel and door should have a VIN sticker and each sticker should match if the car has never been in an accident. You will find these on the jams where they are hidden when closed. For instance, open the door and look on the edge where the latch is. There should also be one on the door jam in a similar place. Same goes with the trunk. The hood will have one as well underneath. Match the last 5 digits on every sticker of every panel, you will know that none have been damaged to the point of replacement. In addition, all windows and windshields should have an Acura logo on them.

When you start the car, turn the ignition to position (II) without turning it on. All of the dash lights should illuminate. Turn the car on, and all lights should go away within 10 seconds. Let the car idle before and after driving to check for a rough idle or misfires. When you drive the car, cruise at 35-45 mph and listen for a whine coming from underneath the car. This could be the propeller shaft whine, but it usually only heard in cold temps. Blast the A/C (regardless of temperature) and make sure it never blows warm (it may take a while to get cold). Check the driver and passenger door handles for unlock and lock capabilities. I would test these a few times but not repeatedly and close together (damage to the handles can occur from overuse). While driving, check the alignment by releasing the steering wheel on a straight and level road. The car should not significantly pull to either side. Make sure the car gets up to operating temperature (~40% of the temp gauge) without going over 50%. Make sure you push the car to highway speeds for 5 min and check for vibrations/temperature increases. Do some hard braking and check for vibrations there as well. I suggest checking the stereo and A/C while not driving and keep those off while driving to listen for strange sounds. Of course a machine is never quiet, but you get the idea.

Honestly, if the car is in good condition, the price is low enough to still be a good value if some of these things are wrong and need to be fixed (except an indication of a major accident). Don't make a decision based on emotion though. It is a material item with the potential to drain your wallet if you make a decision based on an attachment.

 

take him 8 grand and be happy.

 

007 - good info
Forgot about the propeller shaft whine issue.

Also make sure that the little blue led lights in the overhead console go off when you turn off the car. I have it on very good authority that if they don't, its broken

 

To add some more info on the propeller shaft wine. As 007 states, it usually only occurs in cool to cold temps. In my case. <50 degrees. Also, occurs over very narrow speed range. Again in my case, 30 to 35 mph. And, it totally goes away when the car warms up.
I wouldn't sweat too much if the car has the whine, as my car has had this behavior for over 4 years. Since car has 179K miles, that's at least 80K miles driven with the problem. I live with it through the winter (for less than 5 minutes in the morning) and forget about it during the summer.

 

You. . .guys. . .are. . .unbelievable!!! Wow, I cannot thank all of you enough for the replies. I apologize for allowing the replies to sit for two days without responding (work schedule). oo7spy, that is my next step, to actually go see the car and take it for a drive. I will definitely take minute steps to check off everything on the list that you stated. HEAVY_RL and getakey, I really appreciate you continuing to post in my thread. It does mean a lot to me. It seriously blows my mind how much all you guys know about these vehicles. I will continue to post in this thread until I am dead confident that this is the vehicle for me. One more thing, fellas: the seller lives about an hour away from me. How do I go about this? Is it okay to ask if I can take the vehicle for a few hours, so I can have my mechanic and my neighbor do a full autopsy (for lack of a better word) on the car? They will be able to hear noises, or feel the car out better than I would. I just don't know how this private-seller thing works. I might be able to have my neighbor (the one who works on cars) go with me. But, what if he cannot? I don't know if I can fully trust myself on a test ride. I know I sound "soft" here, but as I said, I am not really a "car guy" and might miss a few important things. Again, thank you all so much for all the help you have already brought to me. Look forward to communicating more in the near future. I really like this car.

 

Your options are limited with a private seller. It is really up to them, and at that price, they are looking to sell the car, not negotiate. (Have we said that is a great price yet? ) Your best bet is to have someone with you. If you can't do that, drive the car (the seller will insist to ride with), drive it hard, and see if it feels right.

Honestly, at $8k, you don't have much to bargain with.

 

HEAVY_RL, thank you for the "Thank You." oo7spy, I think that is what I am going to do, have my neighbor (who knows cars) with me for the test-ride. I am glad to hear that you guys feel that this is a great price for the vehicle. I'm a little surprised that it hasn't sold yet, but maybe that's just my luck! Next step: test ride. I will keep you guys informed of my progress. Again, I really appreciate everything you guys have done for me. I cannot thank you enough.