Dharv88 RL

My car was totaled and I'm currently looking into buying a 05 RL with 90k and a 1yr power train warranty for $13k. Car has one previous owner and car was owne in NY. Car has a good car fax history with 24 service records and no accidents. Its silver with black interior. I need a car with awd so if not this then probably a 06 a4 with 60k for the same price. Anything I should look for in the RL or things that I should ask? Thanksn

oo7spy

Read the three threads linked in the second post to find what to look for.

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-rl-2005-2012-76/acura-rl-depreciation-transmission-question-826946/

'05s biggest problems seem to be the A/C stator or clutch. Many users have had their A/C fixed for cheap and it is all documented here. At 90k, the timing belt maintenance is coming up soon and costs upwards of $1k. Are you buying from an Acura dealer? If so, ask them to throw this in with the cost. If not, use it to bargain.

I'm not sure if you have driven both an A4 and an RL, but I would be very surprised if you felt the A4 was up to RL standards. Now an A6 or A7, no doubt, but I see an A4 competing with a TSX.

Dharv88 RL

I would be buying for a BMW dealer and it comes with a 1yr power train warranty. I'm a looking at a 05 with 90k n a 1yr power train warranty or a 06 with 89k and no warranty. I used to own a a4 but it was totaled and have never driven a RL. Is it worth not getting the warranty just to get the 06?

EL19

iTrader: (4)

I got my 05 RL with 90K back in March. Have put about 8K on her so far and no problems except people like to hit my car all the time and needed to replace the alternator. "knock on wood". was a private sale and I ensured all of the known recalls (master cylinder, AC compressor/clutch, door handles, etc) were taken care of before hand. I'm about to do my own timing belt/water pump job. But my Honda mechanic said theyd do the labor for $375 plus about $250 for parts.

oo7spy

Why's the price difference on the '06, and which one seems to be better taken care of? I would almost lean towards the '06 b/c of the slightly improved problems that were found on '05s. Both '05 & '06 potentially have the differential whine and propeller shaft whirl so there is no difference there. Drive the '06 and listen closely for these issues as I think these will be the only powertrain problems you might run into.

Jamesgt727

i have an 06 RL with 92K on the clock. I love it, runs great but as 007spy mentioned, last week i had the dealer replace the A/C stator and the clutch assembly to the tune of $750. at an Acura Dealer. Also, the leather seat cover for the bottom section of the driver seat started cracking and deteriorating. I had that changed this past Tuesday for $576. installed. I keep mine in tip top shape, and guess that is costs me about $2,500/Year to keep it that way, oil changes and parts....so far. Still drives straight and true, runs great, no complaints. Good luck.

Dharv88 RL

Going to look at another 05 RL tonight this one only has 69k on it with no warranty. It's a private seller who says one front shock needs to be replaced. He said he was quoted at the dealer $260 to replace the shock. Does this sound accurate? Also he is only asking $13,000 I'm gonna try to get to $12500. Let me know what you think thanks.

mitchkramez

Seems pretty cheap to me - KBB, even in new york, puts that car in the 17k price range - why are these so cheap?

southwest77083

bought my 05 rl 3 weeks ago with 61k miles from a honda store in dallas for 15,900 so its a good price. love the car ! only have the flickering headlight problem but will change the light bulbs this weekend.

oo7spy

That shock sounds iffy to me. There should be no need to replace a shock after 69k, especially only one, unless the car jumped a curb or smacked a huge pot hole. The low price suggests to me the owner knows something is wrong and he won't feel bad about selling it like that.

You can check the price of a strut on Oemacuraparts.com. That price sounds right installed. There is a DIY here for the struts.

Dharv88 RL

After looking at the car the seller seems a lil fishy. Stating he bought the car a few weeks ago but has realized it was to small and wants to sell. Also the car was not registered so i couldnt drive it. Wish he told me that before i went to look at it. But anyway i think ill keep looking. Im located in CT n dont have a problem traveling if anyone knows anyone selling a RL please let me know thank you

Dharv88 RL

I have to say after test driving all these RL's that im truely falling in love with this car. But it is a true pain in the ass to find. So far i have looked at 3 and they have either had problems, had sketchy sellers, or where over priced. So tomorrow im going to look at 2 more. 1st RL is a 05 with 93k it was in 1 accident and had 2 previous owners 1 from Florida and 1 from NY. I was able to get the seller to $11,500. The 2nd car is a 05 with 60k with 2 previous owners both from NY seller is asking $15,500. Not sure which one would be a better drive. Is 40k less miles worth $4,000? I plan on keeping this car for a long time. and driving it till the wheels fall off lol.

tnobori1

IMO, miles are much less important than the condition of the car. I purchased mine with 94k miles, which I never would have considered until I talked to the owner. In my case, the car was babied its entire life and the previous owner took pride in the car. I had and still have no issues with the high mileage after driving/seeing the car.

911Joe

I bought my 06' a month ago with 95k on the odometer for $16k. Higher than some of the posts I see, but the car was in better shape overall than lower mileage RL's I saw and drove. The interior looks incredible. Plus, the Carbon Gray/Black Leather combo was hard to find with the wood wheel and shifter. It's a PAX car, but the tires are brand new and should last me a few years. The owner also just had all four rotors installed with new pads (cross-drilled/slotted). Getting 105k service done for $700 with water pump and plugs included from an independent Honda mechanic who opened his own shop. Next step for me is to see if he has any input or suggestions on the darn drivetrain (subtle) whine. So far, I prefer this over my 04' RL. Over the next year, I'll see if I like it as much as my 07' G35 sedan. Bottom line, worry less about the mileage and more on it's overall history and especially current condition.

onyxkat

I bought my FL 2005 from Automation.com in July with 54k for 20,300 It was shipped from Sanford FL to Saint Joseph Mi I love it Ask for Smitty at Courtesy Acura which is part of Automation.com

onyxkat

Sorry it should be Autonation.com

oo7spy

^^^Just to let you know, you are able to edit posts within 15 min of posting.

OP, I agree with others here that high miles should not be a factor. The 40k mi isn't worth $4k, but the absence of an accident is. You will find a lot of RLs that range from 50k to 100k and are all within $1000 of each other. To be honest, that '06 for $15.5k sounds like your best find yet, pending a good inspection.

Dharv88 RL

^^^ I've only seen 2 Rl's that i would have been interested in. That 06 was 1 of them but had a sale pending so the search had to continue. Im going to look at this one tomorrow morning. And if it goes well i wont let this one slip away. Its a 05 with 78k, 2 previous owners 1st was from mass and leased the car for 50k, 2nd was from ct who owned the car for the last 28k. Car has good service records and no accidents. Its Tan/Tan so im not to sure how i feel about that. But i cant have everything i want i guess lol. Let me know what you guys think and let me know what color it is. Thanks

Dharv88 RL

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oo7spy

You still haven't posted any pics. If you can't see them in the post window, you won't see them in the thread. Right click the picture, copy location, click the yellow mountain and sun icon, and paste the url there.

What is the price on the '05? Have you read about the issues here and know what to look for? I am skeptical of leases as I feel the leaser could car less about what happens to the car after X-thousand miles and therefore doesn't take care of it. Like not red lining it during the break-in period, etc.

BrasiliaFlyer

I have an '05 RL I just started trying to sell. 39k miles, Carbon Grey on black. Literally as close to perfect condition as you could ever hope to get in a used car. Asking $20.5k; PM me if interested. In Utah.

oo7spy

Not trying to kill your chances of selling, but have you ever had an A/C issue, differential whine, or propeller shaft whir? Does your FM radio gain static noise when the rear defroster is on?

BrasiliaFlyer

Not to my knowledge. AC is cold. As far as noises go, I've never heard anything out of the ordinary. What's the whine and whir noise?

oo7spy

Here is a great write up about both.

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-rl-2005-2012-76/002-propeller-shaft-whine-differential-whir-754805/

Dharv88 RL

oo7spy^^^^^ Hopefully the picture posting works better this time. After looking at the last 05 it was clear that both fenders were painted by a terrible body shop as the paint had orange peel all around the edges and was fading. Even though the car fax didnt state a accident and the seller wasnt budging on price it wasnt worth it to me. So tomorrow ill be looking at another 05 with 79k for $16,000. Car was owned in jersey its whole life by 1 owner.

Dharv88 RL

My hunt for a RL still continues. I'm going to look at a 05 RL today with 93,000 miles. They asking price is $13,000. I got him down to $12,000 and I'm gonna try for $11,500. Is that a good price for the miles?

neuronbob

$11.5k would be a good deal for the miles. Go for it!

Lewis978

I bought my 05 white RL 4/2/11 in NY with 79k with a warranty for 15k at a dealership. The car runs perfect I pump 93 gas every time I fill up. The RL has 88k on it now I'm storing it away for the winter.