I have been looking at a RL for about 4 months now. My initial search pegged me at getting a 2005 model. But as time went on I realized that I want a model that still will have some sort of warranty. My wife feels that we should wait for my baby boy to arrive (April !!) before getting the vehicle but she is on board with the idea.

Saturday we test drove this RL. I liked it a lot, and the price is pretty low. Two things were wrong with the vehicle. Front passenger window didn't roll down, at all. We tried my control and the control on the door itself. The second thing that was wrong was the navigation disc was missing. We liked the price. I think that the color (white) could be lived with even though I am not a huge fan of white. My dad claims that it would help the resell value. The other thing that he brought to my attention is why are they selling the car for such a cheap price.

The 2008 RL has more miles that the 2007 I test drove but it seems to be CPO as well.

Will I be able to get an extended warranty on the RL I test drove, even if I didn't buy it from Acura? Is there something else majorly wrong with the one I test drove as the reason why it was priced so low?

 

You need to provide a lot more information if you want people here to explain the car to you. Pictures, mileage, price, service history, etc. The window thing is a non issue, just needs to be reset, search around here, there's an explanation how to do it. Nav disc is $185 from Acura.

You can get an aftermarket warranty, but better to go with Acuracare. Acura will warranty a vehicle with less than 50k miles on it and coverage usually is to 100k miles or 4 years. Cost is between $1000-$2000, lower end of the range if you buy it at the same time you buy your car from the dealer, more if you buy it after the fact.

 

If it's a CPO from an Acura dealer, it doesn't make sense that they would not have made sure it has the DVD, well maybe not, some dealers aren't very careful, but CPO cars are marketed as having gone thru a rigorous check point system.
If it's not an Acura dealer, if the price seems way too low, it could be a base model whicj doesn't even come with Navi at all.
just wild guessing, good luck.

 

Hmm, the links that I embedded are not showing up for you guys...

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/m...222363294.html is the first RL. I drove it. The passenger window wouldn't even go down when using the passenger switch. This is also the vehicle that was missing the NAV DVD.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/n...224785056.html This RL is CPO. The other isn't. This RL also has twice (nearly) as many miles as the 07 I was looking at.

 

So I just did a carfax on the RL that I test drove (the white one that was selling for 21900). It has been in two front collisions.
Two questions. Can I still get an extended warranty from Acura. How much lower than the 22k asking price should I go due to the damage.

When I test drove it I vaguely remember the vehicle pulling, but I think it was to the left, and I also think it was the wind that was causing it.

 

it. it is going to give you major problems. go run away you can find alot of RL that are never in accid. ebay motors have many RLs at dealers for sale.. never buy a total car!!

 

Thanks or the advice, I think I will continue looking. Pretty bummed though as I liked the vehicle. The wife feels we should just keep the civic and save up more money.

 

What year civic do you have? It might be in your best interest to buy something bigger like a Honda Accord or look into a 2004-2008 Acura TL or TSX. They are fairly larger and it'll be much easier with a car-seat. Plus your insurance and gas bill won't go up by much with the accord and TSX, and slightly more with the TL vs. the RL which chuggs a little more.

Granted none have the quality or luxury of the RL, but its still something a bit better than the civic at a decent price point.

 

An 02 EX Coupe. At first I wanted a TSX, then a TL, then I found out the RL has AWD and have kinda fell in love with it. The Legacy GT was my original choice, but I want the reliability of Honda/Acura...

 

RL is cheap to insure, same year Civic costs more.

I second not buying a car that was obviously driven by someone who's not very good. I would be afraid of the maintenance records too.

 

good luck!, and just like everyone else is saying, keep looking!
dont every buy any type of car thats ever been in an accident. funny you talk about the civic, my sister has an 02 sedan, i keep my RL in the garage with these gas prices at $4! i just drive hers to work 50mile roundtrip, since she leaves it at home. if you need a new car i would go with the TL great car-dad has one and still gets 28mpg highway. if not keep the civic!

 

Not the new 3.7 TL... That thing sucks up gas like a sponge! I'd go with a TSX, if you want good gas mileage.

 

I have to agree with everyone here...
1. Always check carfax and never buy a car that was in an accident, especially if it's such a complex car as the RL is. Way to many things can go wrong during the repair and you will go nuts trying to chase problems, warning lights, etc.

2. If you have a Civic now, you will be shocked at the gas mileage you'll get with the RL. The RL likes premium gas and you'll be getting around 20mpg mixed. Some here get better, some get worse, but you get the idea! With gas prices going up again - think about this carefully. Look what's happening at the gas pump, consider how much you drive, etc.

If you do NOT need AWD, the TL(3.2L) is the better car on gas, yet it has decent room and some luxury. You can get a great deal on a used 2005+ TL too. There is a lot more supply.

We used to have a TSX before my daughter was born (9mo old now) and we sold the TSX due to limited room in the car. The rear seat of the TSX is not roomy. It was a pain to put the baby car seat in and out. My wife now drives a Toyota minivan and she loves it - same gas mileage as the RL, but with so much more room.

Don't get me wrong... a TSX will be much better and bigger than Civic EX, however it is not the most baby-friendly car. TL may be better in terms of room, but it will suck more gas.

One thing to point out - the TSX trunk was more useful than the RL's trunk. TSX trunk was deeper and we could fit more "baby stuff" in it.
The RL, for it's size/class/price has a disappointingly small trunk.

 

Yeah buddy... go w/ the TSX for gas mileage and considering the fact that you have a baby, you could buy a used 2008 TSX for $18-$19K and still have the fun and feel of a sport sedan without banking the bank w/ (predicted $5/gallon) fuel...

 

Yeah, we have decided to wait till my son is born in April. Figure out what kind of damage he will do to my wallet, and from there decide what we are going to get.

 

Sorry for the derail, but when is your boy due? Our son is due on April 13! We have a 17 month old daughter, too! I love the RL/MDX setup for the family, but it is definitely not cheap to fill up either car.

 

That is pretty cool, so is mine (same day)! Ironically I was all prepared to pay high gas prices when we got back from Hawaii (was gonna turbocharge my P10) but ended up selling the car and motor to someone who had the means and time to install it. Ever since then I have been torn between turbo or not.

AWD, Dual Climate Control, and Navi/BT (oh and 4 doors) are my new requirements. I felt that the RL added some cool things (like the prox entry and starting and the voice control). As much as it pains me, I will wait until the time is right and get the right vehicle...

 

Good stuff man! Congrats and I guess we'll see who's wife pops first! LOL!

 

Update: I got some funding to buy! So I have started calling around. Pohanka (Chantilly) says that their 2007 Lakeshore Metallic 46k CPO'd tech model can be had 26.5 OTD. On their website they have it listed for 25.5k, I am not sure if I will be successful with a OTD price of 25.5k (which is pretty much my max price I want to pay). I started with 22-23k and she said no flat out. Carmax has a blue 2007 tech model for 24.8k which I would presume would put me at around 25.5k OTD, but it isn't CPO. Although it does have 39k miles on it and I do like the color. The question is would you guys go with the Carmax deal or would you see if you can get Pohanka to come down in price?

EDIT: Let me know if you guys want to links to each car (has pics there).

EDIT #2 @tnobori my wife hasn't popped yet! How about yours?

 

Considering the two choices you presented, I would go with the CPO car...allthough more pricey...it will provide peace of mind and you won't have to come out of pocket for an extended warranty. Either way, I believe you will be extemely happy with either choice. Good luck and enjoy!

 

Buy a low mileage non-cpo and buy an extended warranty from a dealer.

 

don't buy a car that was wrecked... there are plenty of good ones.

with many things in life - you get what you pay for OFTEN, but not always, holds true in the used car market. the CPO pristine one at the dealer WILL cost more than teh one at the small used car lot that has been crashed...

good luck. the RL is a good family car, the rear seats are not huge, but are big enough. I have three k ids, two still in car seats, and they can all fit back there.

 

go into pohanka and talk in person ... usually dealership are more willing to make a deal if u r there in person

 

I actually had a good faith hold on a Redondo Red 2007 RL (58k miles) from Spitzer Acura in PA. Told my wife and she flipped her gourd So now I have funding, but no backing from my wife. I am hoping that will change with the birth of my boy.

This whole process would be a lot easier if I were single

 

LOL! Get used to it!

 

Hey Diamond, we had our son at 1:32am PST today! Really glad to be driving him home in an Acura! Take the safety angle with your wife. Good luck!