Hey Aziners,

As the title says, I'm considering selling my RL. We have an MDX and my RL. Between the premium gas, my wife's 100 mile per day commute, the poor mpg rating for both of our vehicles, our house hunt, and our need to have an SUV for our family; my RL is the most logical to be on the chopping block. It's not something I want to do, but I need to see if it even makes sense.

I bought it last year with 94k miles (it now has 102k) from a respected member on here. It has been babied by both of us; including mobil1 oil, all services, and excessive pampering with the paint. It has had Zaino protection since it was purchased. The body and paint are quite good, with only rock chips near the lower front and rear bumpers. The door handles both lock, though the unlock only works consistently on the driver side. The passenger seat also does not want to recline consistently. I suspect the motor for the power seat, and I have the part in my possession. The AC issue was resolved around 70k miles, and none of the other known issues have affected this car.

All of the "mods" are in my sig, and I also had an iPod adapter installed (I don't remember if I noted this in my sig). Anyway, I'm in CA and looking to see what I can expect to get if I do decide to sell. If it's not worth it to me, I'll just suck it up and buy a cheap commuter for my wife.

The "big service" has not been done yet, but I'll wait and see who any potential buyers are. I will either pay my mechanic to do it or reduce the price accordingly (whichever makes more sense). Any input is appreciated, and it is very hard for me to even consider this as my RL has been my favorite car I have ever owned.

 

man only a yr of holding her and now letting go. lol.

I understand times are tough especially with gas. this rl doesnt make much on mpg, which im not to happy as well. i came from a 26-32mpg (city/hwy) to 15-20mpg (city/hwy) car. dont like that part but love the ride it gives me. every time i get in the car makes me feel presidential LOL. i have owned a mdx as well and loved that car but wasnt a big fan of SUV especially when market fell and gas shoot up to $5gal. well besides those points i would say keep here she is an awd, let me correct my self a SH-awd car and is a great long lasting car. you say you only have 2 kids thats fine. now if you think you will have another, then i would consider the mdx.

well with the market still being down and all. cars really not selling i would have to say you can probably get $14-16k depending what it brings as in service and warranty. i have seen some for $20-25k with 90k miles but they are still trying to sell nd ive seen these ads for 4-5 mons. just recently i saw a guy who was selling his carbon rl with 18' aftermarket rims for $19k drop it down to $16500. you have to see with in your state how the cars are selling. especially where you dont get much soon you probably better off keeping it. an awd car is hard to sell in areas as CA FL TX. now more north and eastern side you will sell quick. well what ever happens best wishes she will be missed.

one question. Would you like to sell me those rims?

 

I think ^he is right about the price to expect. You could get lucky with $18k, but I think $15k is more reasonable especially without the service.

If you do sell, what would you get? My wife needs a 4 door car that gets great mpg as she is prego and owns an '09 civic coupe. I would love to get her an A3 TDI, but the prices are still in the ~$28k range. It looks like an even trade for an '09 Civic Sedan is the most viable solution for us. Any ideas for y'all?

 

Only thing you have to do is bit of math... Selling price seems to be right as mentioned above but you mentioned gas mileage is the main reason why you consider selling your RL... It is very important to know what car you are planning to get and then deciding whether RL goes on sale or not. Only logical decision is Honda Civic as gas mileage is as best as it gets on gas ran vehicle. If you are into "hybrid" cars (where there is nothing hybrid about them) you can account that you will pay high price, think you are saving where you are just giving money to someone else and not on the gas station ... maintenance and final price on hybrids is unfounded and IMHO a rip-off!!!

If you are getting something else and get 4-5 miles more on galon - not worth selling RL TRUST ME!!!

 

Looking at a civic. Just a matter of what generation and how much I want to pay. I had a 2003 civic before and it was the most boring f***ing car on the planet. But it sure was a pleasure to fill up. I may opt for a 2007+, but I'll have a payment. I don't know... It seems to be the right choice and I agree with the anti-hybrid sentiment 100%; especially considering my wife's commute is nearly all freeway.

 

How big is your family? Faced with a 3rd child I opted for a minivan. We traded two cross overs for a new Odyssey + used RL. It seems clear that your RL is worth more to you than you are likely to get for it. If you do sell in the range mentioned here there isn't much available that will not be a major let down.

 

Why not just put your car in the Black Market with a price and see if anyone bites? It is free to post up there, after all. It can't hurt. There are always people looking for an affordable RL.

 

Very true Bob, I guess I just wanted to get a feeling from this side of the board first. Maybe I'll post it this weekend.

RLStuck, I know that a civic will be a letdown. In a way that's better than trying to get something that is truly trying to compete as more than transportation. A civic is a temporary solution, maybe when I'm ready to get back into an RL there will be a redesign making its way to the used market!

 

My brother in law has a V6 Honda sedan and I can't believe the quality difference in comparison. Sure, it is a nice car... it isn't an Acura. If I had the money I would buy this car in a heartbeat, it is that good.

 

Dont sell! just get a cheap beater. Thats what im about to do, im in between switching jobs and i will have about 120 mile commute a day. My friend is considering selling me his 4dr civic for 800.

 

This is almost exactly what I did. I sometimes have to drive 200 or so miles a day. I picked up a 1996 Accord 2.2 liter 4-cylinder from a family member for cheap.

In straight up mileage, I went from 24-25 mpg on premium with the RL to 27-28 on regular gas with the Accord. It's not a big jump. The RL doesn't get THAT bad mileage on highway.

I am putting all of those miles on a car with almost no value. Repairs and replacement parts like tires are cheaper too. The Accord is just cheaper to maintain through the day to day grind and I don't get worked up about door dings. Insurance is around $380 a year for liability only.

 

keep your car. and wait on the big service and use the money you were gonna use towards the service to a beater car.

 

rl015 has the best point here. Does giving up a great car and spending $$$ on another really get made up in mpgs? In other words, how cheap of a car would you have to get, and how long would you have to drive it to break even or better yet, save? Then to think you are losing the RL to break even. :shakehead If you get a beater, the same applies. How much do you have to drive to save on gas and maintenance to justify buying a car?

My wife's '09 Civic coupe gets 31-34 real world mpgs. High 30's could be had with pure highway driving. The 5 speed transmission is a huge help with the new civics. Her car can probably go as fast as Legend #1. However, it could not get to that speed as fast. She fills up at 11 gallons of regular. It is frustrating for me to see her pull into the gas station with more miles on the tank than I do and leave with a $30 cheaper gas receipt. You should be able to get into an '08+ EX-L (leather, sun roof, sub woofer, seat heaters, etc.) with a navi and less than 60k mi for about what your RL is worth. We are thinking right now of trying to do a lateral move from her coupe to a sedan with all the same options (and maybe navi) to break even.

 

I agree with the logic several of you have used in your posts.

Here's the breakdown: My car payment is $265/mo and I have about 4 more years to go. My gas bill is small since my commute is about 1 mile each way (at least temporarily). I could easily purchase a used civic (possibly a previous body style) for around $10k. Carrying over my estimated equity from the RL, my payment for the same four years would leave me with a payment of about $160. Factor in lower insurance premiums and I can probably expect about $200 per month in savings.

My wife's gas bill is around $78 (approximately $4.10/gallon) and that gets us 300 miles. We fill up about 6.5 times per month for the ~2000 miles she drives. So the total gas bill (conservatively) is $507. If we figure an average of 34 mpg (even though her commute is almost entirely highway miles), the same miles would run us about $224 using regular gas ($3.80/gal). Total savings here would be $283.

We're talking about nearly $500 per month in savings which will cost me a one time fee of around $1000 for tax and title for a new vehicle purchase. I understand that there is no comparing the ride, quality, and overall enjoyability of a civic to an RL. However, $500 covers a lot of other bills and allows me to create a better situation for my family.

As usual, I sincerely appreciate and value the feedback from my fellow Aziners! This made me crunch the numbers and probably made my decision for me.