spoiler900

Hey guys, I am a 22 year old college student who has owned a 2001 Acura TL since I was 16, and it has been my baby. I recently acquired my Uncles 2005 RL. He is the original owner, its been dealer maintained, and its just shy of 150,000 miles. I am considering selling this car, or selling my TL, not sure which one. This one has a shit ton of more features and drives so much better, but my TL has a ton of sentimental value.

So is this RL worth keeping? I know these cars can have some electrical issues or other problems, especially with the mileage, is this car worth keeping? Any common issues to look out for?

Also, how easy/hard is it to add a backup camera into the factory system.

THANKS GUYS

253RL

No

rlerman

Keep the RL. With that mileage and time that has gone by, whatever gremlins that might have lurked are likely gone. They seem to be very reliable.

You might share what work has been done to give us a better idea of whats needed.

How many miles a year do you plan on driving? Tranny and engine should easily go past 200k if properly maintained. Any suspension work? Shocks and struts may be needed

beekermartin

Lol. Your asking a lot of broad questions. I don't think you'll get much help. Spend a few hours reading lots of threads and you will find most of your answers.

M T L T L

If the cost of ownership doesn't bother you then there's no comparison between the 2. Your 2001 has a inherent tranny design flaw which WILL let you down one day or the other. Im surprised it has come this far.

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

sell it. keep the TL. invest all your earnings into scratch tickets. Ride into the sunset.

oo7spy

Post says 22, SN says 29...

I am not convinced that if the 2005 problem parts haven't broken yet, they aren't going to break. They are a weak design regardless of how long some may hold up. If they have broken and been replaced, that is a different story.

OP, if your TL is a 5AT, then you are driving around a glass transmission. If your 2005 RL hasn't had the problematic parts replaced, you are most likely driving toward an accessory nightmare.

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

glass tranny....

FWIW, do NOT google search that and click images.

Yumcha

To fix a transmission vs. the potential parts nightmare of the RL...which costs more?

I would suspect the latter? If yes, I'd keep the TL.

M T L T L

I'd take the accessory problems of the RL over a perfectly fine 2G TL any day.

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

whoa, a visit from royalty.

swake457

In that specific situation, I would sell it and move on.

You can rest assured, even at 150K miles, you will be dealing with gremlins in this car soon enough. Some are simple, others are frustrating and parts are expensive for this car. Your Uncle is the original owner, do you know what issues he has had with it?

Spend some time searching this forum. You'll soon get a sense for the more common issues seen on the 05 RL.

Max Effort

My 06 (late 05 production) RL has experienced some of the issues mentioned here but like your Uncle I am the original owner. These have been fixed under warranty or as a courtesy repair by my dealer. they have been mostly simple minor issues but the transmission was one of them. Since then, I have had nothing but enjoyment from her.


For what it's worth, I would follow the advice given by others here and research the forums regarding the specific problem or concern. There is plenty of good information. At the end of the day, if your Uncle has maintained the car well and you plan on doing the same, It's worth keeping. Have the dealer run the VIN and check the service history just to make sure.

Yumcha

Where?!??!



I want to see the Queen. I think she's hawt.

IndyTodd

What are these "accessory problems" people keep mentioning about the RL? It doesn't sound that scary to me. I'd rather have an accessory fail than a transmission. My 06 RL hasn't had any major issues yet, but it only has 115k miles.

The RL is has SH-AWD, which is a super awesome advantage. And you aren't going to have much less parts costs than on another Acura (TL). The RL is four years newer too, plus it has all sorts of great gadgets and GPS, voice control, blue tooth--stuff that is just now becoming common on brand new cars! It is a no brainer to me.

oo7spy

Acura link battery draw, door handle shorts causing a potential lock out or having to drive to the dealer with the alarm going, very weak A/C components (stator, coil, clutch), & poorly calibrated fuel pump causing vapor lock to name a few accessories off hand. Then you have the propeller shaft whine, differential whir, and torque converter issues that can haunt the drivetrain.

Find the "search this forum" tool, and type 2005 problems. The list is quite lengthy. Like I mentioned, if these parts have been replaced with newer, upgraded parts, your 2005 RL will likely be a great car to own.

Mr Marco

fify

TonyCD

Torque converter issues? I hadn't heard that one. I thought we had the same rather solid transmission as the more recent Odysseys.

oo7spy

Something about a whine IIRC. It's not a huge issue, but big enough that Acura acknowledged it in a TSB I believe.

spoiler900

UPDATE

As said, my Uncle bought the car brand new so here is the history.

He dealer maintained it so anything that needed to be done was doe by Acura. He mentioned at one point there was something wrong with the electrical and they had to reprogram the keys. Other then that, its been a solid car for as far as i know, i can ask my Uncle if he remembers having any other problems. I have had it for about 1,500 miles or so and it drives like brand new, I cant find a thing wrong with it mechanically or the way it drives, it drives straight as an arrow.

I am a student and I have a 4Runner that I drive a lot too, so I wont be putting that many miles on the car. Its at about 149K now and I couldnt imagine putting more than 10k in it when I graduate next summer and might consider selling it within a year or two after that, so probably no more than 170k miles or so.

Ill either keep this car or my 2001 acura TL, which has a ton of sentimental value being my first car, my baby, but this new RL drives so much better and has so many more features I feel in love with it! Sorry i dont have any photos of the RL. It is like a light blue I think its called meteor metallic or something close to that, its in pretty good shape especially the inside1

Opinons...

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG]<a href="http://s784.photobucket.com/user/spoiler900/media/IMG_4089_zps7e8327a5.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy128/spoiler900/IMG_4089_zps7e8327a5.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_4089_zps7e8327a5.jpg"/></a>[/IMG]

tkosho24v

WTF????