neuronbob

OK, as you may know from my recent posts, I'm considering upgrading to an RL from my 2004 TL with 55.8k miles on it. I love my TL very much and I have no specific issues with it. In fact, I've kept it a year longer than I have kept my cars recently (3 years).

However, the siren call of that temptation for other cars is calling again. I was tempted last year to bite on either the RL or M35x but ultimately held off. I've had my eye on the RL this year particularly because of near-perfect circumstances:

a) the changeover to separate trim levels for 2007 promises to get rid of the inexpensive fully loaded RL
b) I can get it for far less than when it was released. This is probably the best time to get an RL, ever, since its release.
c) Even though I KNEW Acura wouldn't refresh the TL with AWD, I hoped anyway and was a bit disappointed that it didn't happen. AWD would be helpful as I have to drive to the hospital whether it's snowed 12" or is sunny outisde.

It's too bad so few people see the potential of this car, and that Acura fails in its job marketing the car.

So I test drove one a couple of weeks ago and was properly impressed with everything except the lack of sporty feel, which is what I'd miss the most from my TL, and led me to post on the TL side about how much I love my TL. That put me on the fence about the RL, but then again I was exhausted that day from work, and my salesman looked equally exhausted. So I tried again today, well-rested, on my day off. Even my salesman, who's sold me two other Acuras, seemed more relaxed today.

Exterior--I like the sporty look of the TL, AND the refined look of the RL. to both. Whoever said the RL looked like an Accord was on crack. I've seen pics of the A-Spec and frankly the lines of the non-A-Spec RL are cleaner.

Interior--I drove a blue/parchment car the first time, and a WDP/parchment car the second time. The interior is well-laid out, but more cluttered than the TL. The TL has larger buttons, laid out logically. The RL has lots of small buttons that get a little lost in the silver trim. Even so, within a few minutes, I had figured out the major buttons' locations well enough that I could almost use them blind.

I thought I would miss the touchscreen navi on the TL. However, I was able to master the knob quickly. During the first test drive, I spent little time playing with it and didn't like it. This time, I spent a few minutes playing with it and it seems pretty intuitive, though not as easy to use as a touchscreen navi. I guess most of you simply get used to it.

The leather used on the seats is of much higher quality than in the TL, and the seats are softer. The seats also hold less well in the turns, but then this is a luxury sedan. I like the power release for the rear seat headrests. Perfect for after the in-laws have been in the car.

Since I have a baby, LATCH is important, and the location in the rear seats is ideal. I'll need to use a seat protector to protect the seat from the car seat base we use, since it'll be there full time. The rear side shades and the powered rear window shade are perfect for protecting my baby while he's in the car, and protecting the leather when I'm not in the car.

The TPMS monitor is a nice addition that I don't have in my 2004 TL.

The rear seat room is slightly more than in the TL. This will be welcome news to my in-laws, who are accustomed to having to ask me to move my seat forward a little bit. With the front seat all the way back (that's how long my legs are ), I can sit comfortably in the back seat of the RL, but am a bit cramped in the TL.

I didn't pay attention to the audio system, and I will trust those who left the TL for the RL in their impressions. As long as XM works, I don't care, that's what I listen to 95% of the time.

On the roadWhat I found is that for such a heavy car, it handles VERY well. In the turns, the RL actually wins as there is really very little understeer, and I suspect that understeer is built in to avoid people taking the car to the limit. SH-AWD is definitely the shiznit. The ride is unexpectedly firm for a luxury car, and seems a bit softer, yet more composed than the stock TL. It's not as isolated from the road as I would expect for a luxury car. I'm sure that with the A-Spec suspension I will get more road feeling than without.

You do feel the heaviness of the car, just not as much as expected. Again, SH-AWD is the shiznit. The Michies that come with the car are not too bad but don't stick to the road in the turns that well. I hope they don't last long as I would upgrade to higher-performance tires ASAP, or change them right away and save the Michies for the winter.

The sound of the engine at acceleration is distant but has a similar, though deeper growl compared to the TL. Once you get past 4k RPM, you get a similar push in the seat of your pants to the TL, but before that, you hardly feel the acceleration. Who cares that the TL gets to 60 mph almost a full second faster than the RL? There's more than enough power to pass when you need it.

ConclusionSo overall, the RL is a different beast from the TL (DUH!), but it is enjoyable. I can engage in either refined or sporty driving in this car. The interior, while more cluttered, looks to be of higher quality than the TL. In addition, I don't read many posts about rattles or other issues with the 2006 RL. I'm not sure whether it reflects the lack of sales or the fact that people are too busy driving their reliable RLs to post here.

I'm shocked such a nice car isn't selling well. I hinted at the price I'm looking for ($41-41.5k ) and recieved preliminary positive affirmation from the salesman. If I can pull off something under $42k, I will likely have an RL at the end of the month. If not....the TL is an awesome car, and I probably just wait another two years to see what Acura's going to do with the 4G TL. I'm sure they won't disappoint!

Comments?

Touge

Nice review, I've only had mine a week, but absolutely love this car. I don't think you will be disappointed. Overall build quality and materials used on this car on another level vs the TL.

Don't worry about the buttons as alot of the stuff is done by voice commands once you get used to it. The handling is very impressive for a car of this size, likely due to the aluminum suspension, subframes and sh-awd. I was shocked to learn that the trunk and even the fenders are aluminum on this car. You really get alot for your money.

jcb-memphis

Hi.

I have the "base" RL 2006 with a-spec suspension and 18" black chrome (the less shiny by far) a-spec wheels. I put Pirelli Pzero Nero M&S tires on it. Its handling is actually better than my old 2005 Audi S4....a lot more controlled in the curves. Road feel is amazing. Probably better than BMW with the suspension upgrade and tire upgrade. Really.

The Audi weighed 3800 # and this car is 4000#. Not that different. Other than torque differences, this bests the Audi in every way, and it doesn't attract attention. Gas mileage is almost 60% better to boot....getting important these days.

I got Lakeshore silver....absolutely amazing color...purple/silver. Strangers come up of all ages and races and say "wow." It is just an amazing color. Blue is cool too. I just wanted a car that did not show dirt "that" much, so black was out and blue is a close dirt shower in my opinion.

Good luck.

JB

vishnus11

FANTASTIC Review. Very objetive and you share many of my sentiments about the RL such as:

- Marketing is the primary reason the car is not selling as well as Acura would like.

- The 3.5V6 is more than upto the task of motivating the car. Who CARES if its 0.2 seconds slower than xxxx. If you want power buy a sports car, or buy one of the the V8 sports sedans ala M45/550i. For a V6, its great. I personally found it to be a very smooth, powerful motor.

- If you think Accord = RL, then you=on crack. It looks very classy and understated .

Btw Neuronbob, any thoughts/comments on the steering feel in the RL. THis is one area that I thought the RL seemed to lack when compared to other Acuras like the TL. Steering seemed a bit numb and when going over some poor roads, I seem to remember there being a lot of kick back in the steering. Eager to hear what you thought.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Great review, neuronbob.

Glad you enjoyed the car. Hope everything works out for you and you'll be driving one by the end of the month. I love the RL that my parents have and I am looking forward to driving it again when I go home this Christmas.

jcb-memphis

Clarification: I just got my 2006 RL about a week ago too. 41,800 before the suspension. I think the suspension upgrade was the best $ ever spent by me on car stuff....went from Buick to Bimmer. Really. I moved out of a 2005.5 B7 Audi S4 MT6. 15mpg....numb, but tons of torque..all gears all day.

Good luck..see my post above. Great car, likely bulletproof. If there were problems, Acura would not have put the SH-AWD on the RDX. I suspect all Acuras will get SH-AWD in time.

JB

lsbuffs

As a former 2004TL owner, I certainly agree with your comparison. I think the TL is a fine car and there are many things I miss about it. (e.g. although hard to clean, I much preferred the dashboard in the TL)

I would just add that while the Michelins are light years ahead of the Crapstones we got with the TL, IMHO they're not well suited for winter driving. While the SH-AWD will get you around moving forward, I wasn't happy with the tire performance stopping on icy streets. With as heavy as the car is, I decided to go with a winter tire (Dunlop Wintersport M3s, which I'm very happy with)

Good luck with the new purchase. I know you're going to pull the trigger soon and will be happy with your choice. You'll miss some things about the TL, but will enjoy the RL, especially as the flakes start to fly.

neuronbob

Ah, yes, the Bull$hitstone Terroranzas (Bridgestone Turanzas). Those were the worst feature of the otherwise excellent TL, and they crapped out on me at less than 10k miles (they were hydroplaning in moderate rain). I was one of the first to report on the issue after the 3G TL came out, and the multiple complaints led Acura to put Michies on at least the 2005 navi model and so on. They were the worst tires I ever had the displeasure to own. Acura dropped the ball on that, but my early-build TL has otherwise been a joy to own.

Thanks for the replies so far, I've been admiring the RL from afar since it came out two years ago. And don't forget, who cares whether or not it's selling? OK, I do since it's leading to my considering the RL . Just enjoy your car!

jhr3uva90

Excellent review! Coincidentally, I took my 2005 RL to Serramonte Acura for a 15,000 mile oil change (I drove the RL from Northern VA to San Francisco, CA back in mid-July). They gave me a 2006 TL with navigation to drive while waiting for my car. You're right, they are two VERY different cars, and anyone who cannot understand why there is such a difference in price has never driven both cars. In fact the TL to me seems like a radical departure from the previous-generation TL. Here are some random observations.

* The dashboard layout of the TL with navigation system is much more cluttered than the layout of the TL without the system. I guess adding the screen meant they had to put the remaining buttons wherever they could fit them.

* I know the RL and TL have basically the same automatic transmission, but I believe they are programmed differently. I stepped on the gas in the TL while driving at speed on I-280N, and the transmission immediately downshifted. I tried the same move in the same place in the RL later that day, and the RL tried to speed up without changing gears, and then it changed gears. The RL's approach made the car accelerate in a smoother fashion, but the TL's acceleration felt faster because the transmission changed gears sooner.

* Speaking of interstate driving, the TL is most definitely louder than the RL. I could hear noticeable wind noise in the TL while driving at 60 mph, but I didn't hear any noise coming from the RL on the same road at the same speed. Maybe the 2007 TL will be quieter; I heard that it will have Active Noise Cancellation like the RL.

* The TL is nimble, but torque steer is still a problem. I heard Acura added some new gadgetry to the 2006 TL to mitigate the infamous torque steer problem, and apparently it helps. However, I still noticed the TL fighting me for control under hard acceleration, especially while turning. The crappy tires on the TL didn't help. Of course, the RL didn't have the torque steer problem, although the RL's standard tires aren't exactly wonderful, either.

- I actually like the touch screen on the TL's navigation system. However, voice recognition should render the touch screen vs. big knob debate almost moot.

- Why doesn't the TL have a telescoping steering wheel?

- I could tell they made a few shortcuts with the TL to keep the price down. The leather in the TL feels like vinyl compared to the leather in the RL. Also, the surfaces on the inside of the TL felt a bit cheaper, and the interior design seemed more gimmicky.

- The TL feels like a well-built American car, which is basically what it is. Roll up the driver's side window on the TL and then try it on the RL, and you will know exactly what I mean.

- The TL's slightly smaller size was beneficial when it was time for me to parallel park in San Francisco. Nice!

- Overall, the TL felt like a Volkswagen. That's not a bad thing, considering how impressive the Jetta and Passat are. The RL, on the other hand, feels more like a Lexus. In fact, i think the RL is the most Lexus-like car Acura makes, and you all know how I believe the RL would sell much better if it had a Lexus badge.

kenny5

Bob, I live near Gotham, and when I shopped the RL v TL two weeks ago, the dealer offered 41.5 for the RL and 32k for the TL. I end up with the TL because my wife insisted that I should save 10k, even though I can afford the RL as well.

The RL is really nice, particularly its interior layout and workmanship quality (made in Japan). It is more quiet on the road (as compared with the TL) though a bit slower on the get go due to its heft. If you don't have an insistent wife (like mine), you may well want to spring for the RL, especially in light of the deep discount you are getting (vs 2007 pricing).

If your dealership provides good post-sale service (vs other Acura dealerships I know that only give marginal service), the incremental expenditure is a worthy upgrade.

Mike_TX

NOT a debate at all, but some observations from the "other side":

I have to say the RL's cluttered dash - well, especially the center stack - has been a turnoff for me. The TL, OTOH, seems completely logical and well-organized to me. When I test-drove both cars back-to-back, that was immediately apparent ... I seemed to know right where everything was on the TL, but I couldn't seem to find anything on the RL's console/center stack! I was driving along, with my finger waving around in the air, until the salesman would say "Over there on the lower left".

You're definitely right on this. The shift algorithm for the RL is much more laid-back, and that probably contributes more to the somewhat lazy response so many people talk about. The RL's 290hp could really be put to better use if the car just had a more aggressive shift map.

I agree, except for the wind noise (which my TL doesn't have). But I don't know how much is noise cancellation and how much is just addtional sound deadening materials.

Funny, after 4,000 miles I haven't noticed torque steer in my '06 TL. Not nearly like my '04 Maxima (although it never really bothered me in the Maxima, and was a fair tradeoff for the extra oomph). BTW, the gagetry to reduce the torque steer was implemented on the 6spd manual, and it amounts to cutting the throttle if the ECU detects torque steer. No change on the AT versions.

As for the tires, the TL w/Nav has Michelin Pilot MXM4's, which I think pretty highly of myself. I've had them as OEM on a couple of BMW 540i's, and they always performed well for me.

Wow. I just came from an '06 Infiniti M45, which has excellent voice recognition, and I still think the touchscreen Nav is lightyears ahead of ANY VR. Just my opinion, I guess.


It does.

No question they cut some corners in the TL. There is a $12,000 difference in MSRP's between the two cars.

Build quality is undoubtedly the issue with the TL. I have been pretty damn disappointed with the rattles, squeaks and other noises in my new TL. The '04 Maxima I mentioned before was tight as a drum up to the day I traded it at 43,000 miles. Why an Acura can't be put together well is beyond me.

Again, not debating - just expressing opinions - but as a several-time Lexus owner, I can't put the RL in the Lexus leagues. Even the IS350 I own now is well ahead of the RL's I've driven, both in terms of driving dynamics and build/materials quality.

I find myself in NeuronBob's shoes in a way. I've read everything I can on the RL and have driven them, and I've tried to like it well enough to buy one. But I'm having a little trouble getting there. For me, it still comes down to performance.

Many of you shrug that off, insisting it's not important to have that few tenths getting to 60mph. But I strenuously disagree, since that extra power delivery makes a car feel livelier, more nimble, lighter on its feet, and just more fun to drive. If you feel you are kind of mumbling to yourself "Come on, come on ... " as you accelerate onto a busy freeway ramp in a given car, that car feels sluggish, lacking in energy, heavy, bigger than it is. You feel like you are pushing the car, rather than the car anticipating your needs and springing to the occasion.

MY IS350 is a good example. While it's not a big car, it absolutely feels like a two-seater when I'm driving it. I get out and look back at it and say to myself, "That thing sure is bigger than it feels. When I drive an RL, I say, "That thing sure feels bigger than it is."

But, again like NeuronBob, I'm still drawn to the RL. Go figger.
.
.

neuronbob

Interesting comments, Mike_TX. I continue to be drawn to the RL even though as a TL driver for the last five years, maybe I shouldn't be. The latter part of your post hits the nail on the head and describes a big reason I'm on the fence about this purchase. I LOVE the luxury and tech of the RL, the slightly bigger rear seat, and most of the ride. It accelerates nicely as I described above, but not like the TL, which accelerates like a bat out of He11 because of the more aggressive shiftmap.

This brings up a question. Like most ATs, the RL's is adaptive, is it not? Will it not adapt to MY aggressive shifts after a while? There is NO way to judge that on a test drive as the tranny takes days to adjust. What do current owners have to say about that?

kenny5, my dealer provides excellent service--I had never had a car serviced at a dealer prior to my purchasing an Acura (the RL would be my third) and they do a reasonably good job. I plan to use this as a negotiating point as over the last five years I have spent thousands on service, including installation of my various mods.

jhr, to the TL's credit, I don't hear that much wind noise except on windy days. The torque steer is noticeable but is not too bad. As Mike says, the 6MT has a limited slip differential to limit torque steer, but this is not available on the 5AT. Even so, I noted NO torque steer on the RL.

pimpin-tl

Mike, you recently posted a post about not having any rattles. My TL has NONE and it has 4k of miles. I have seen your post on other sites and you are way too critical about stuff.

And a FYI, Every Nissan we have owned including Infiniti had more rattles/noises than this Acura we got or the Toyota. We have owned way way too many Nissan/Infiniti vehicles ourselves. hehe.

Ernie Golfs

I own an 05 RL and a new 06 TL w/navi. I bought the TL a month ago.

The RL has about 13k and runs great. No problems, no squeaks, and no rattles. Only normal maintenance. I agree it doesn't perform like the TL but I didn't buy it for that. The technology in this car is great. I'm still finding little things I didn't know it has. It is great for cruising and an occasional windy road. I don't expect it to be a Porche.

As for the TL, I love it. 1500 miles and no rattles. I drove it on a very bad windy road today. It performed very well. It took some bad bumps and stuck like glue to this road. No rattles from the bumps. Transmission shifted well in manual mode. I drove several cars before buying this second Acura. One was the IS 350 Mike. As for your comment "it feels like a two seater", it is. If you put two adults in the front seat over 5' 6", you can't get anyone in the back seat. The IS 350 is too small inside for me and I'm 5' 6'' tall.

In my opinion, it's hard to compare the TL to the RL. While they are a lot alike, they'er very different in many ways. I haven't the time or the space to list them. Look, I'm no expert but I've owned a lot of cars in my life. Lexus, Infinity, BMW, Mercedes and Acura all build very good autos. I'm at a point in my life that I could afford a lot of their models. I purchased Acura because of the value for the dollar. I'm not going to piss away my money on a BMW, Mercedes, or Lexus just to keep up with the Joneses.

No regrets here. My wife and I love our Acuras.

gbriank

pimpin-tl:

My TL was rattle-free up to about seven or eight thousand miles. After that, they began creeping up. Mostly from the dashboar and the center stack, but had some popping noises eminating from the headliner.

As for the RL, i've got nearly fifteen thousand mines and not one squeak or rattle. I'm not sure if this could be related to the dampened suspension (significantly more isolated than the TL), better parts quality or Japanese built....anywhoo, just my two cents....

jftjr

Once you get used to the voice recognition in the RL, you won't ever use the knob.

Really, it's that good, and it's much better than the Infiniti or Lexus systems in terms of control.

The difference is the RL's system recognizes state, city, and street names.... for example, I have a friend who lives in Hockessin, Delaware (ho-kess-en) on a street that's similarly difficult to pronounce... and the RL recognizes it straight away.

No spelling is involved -- so it's much, much, faster than either a touch screen or the knob. Push the button on the wheel, speak, and it's done.

My clients who have Mercedes and Lexus are very, very jealous when they see the RL system in action....

jcb-memphis

If only my PC speech system were this good...really, and I have Dragon 9....

I second jftjr. And I am at week 3.


JB

lumpulus

I have to add 2¢ on this car....

One day when I was getting my 05 RSC Type S serviced I sat in an 06 RL in the showroom at me local Acura dealer(Clair Acura in East Walpole, Ma) I'm 6'8" and weigh ~250, and this car fit me like a glove. At the time, I notes the price and thought "someday"

Fast forward a year, and I was in the market for a new vehicle with AWD. I was looking at the new RDX until two things happened;

1) My g/f went me to test drive the RDX, fell in love with it, and is picking hers up this week.

2) I was gven a deal on a non tech 06 RL I couldn't refuse.

Now that I've had the car for over a month now, here are my observations.

The NAV system is just about perfect, and would be if you could search for a waypoint by LAT/LONG coordinates as an option. We found a great BBQ place with just the address, and it was spot on.

Honda/Acura needs to change their OEM tire supplier from Michelin to Dunlop. I've never had a Michelin tire I liked on ANY of the 2 Hondas and six Acuras I've had since 1984. they are NOISEY, and horrible in wet conditions.

The transmission shifts too slow in both Manual and Auto mode. Of course I realize I'm spoiled rotten coming from the RSX/Type S PERFECT 6- speed manual gearbox.

The sound system is really nice, but the XM reception could be better, but I LOVE the RT Traffic updates living in Metro Boston.

Lastly, I've never heard a rattle or squeek in any Honda/Acura product I've had.

Rob L

The RL is easily in Lexus area in terms of quality. As a Lexus fanboy and having mad experience with most of the models (as in owning or driving them for more than 4 minutes) I can say the RL could easily be a Lexus model. It's flat out superior to the new GS in terms of build/material quality and in many areas it offers better materials than the LS430.

The new IS is nice but it isn't in the RL's league in terms of this area....and I was ready to upgrade to the new IS from the RL when the current IS came out last year but drove one and realized it wasnt worth it.

The only car Lexus makes that betters the RL in this "quality" area is the LS although I have not been in the new ES so maybe it does as well. Oh and maybe SC430.

Acura hit a homerun with this car in so mnay areas and it is one of the better overall packages you can get. Shame people choose to ignore it.

jhr3uva90

I really wish Acura knew how to market this car. I really think Acura chooses to ignore the RL because they had little influence over how it was designed or engineered. I'm sure they will push the new TL Type S instead.

By the way, am I the only one who notices the torque steer and squealing tires on the TL? Do I just drive like a crazy person?

vishnus11

Glad to see that I'm not the only one who feels this way - was starting to think I was on crack

The RL is a fine car. But the marketing folks at Acura need to be shot - thats a no brainer. Acura was the first Japanese luxury brand in the States, and yet somehow, the marketing types managed to screw up to where in the mid and late 90s people felt that Acura = bigger Honda. Thankfully, thanks to hot sedans like the TSX and TL, Acura is gaining in appeal and image everyday.

The RL is great. I don't know of a car in that price range that has CMBS, and other such great features. In fact, we've pretty much decided that the next car in the family with be a RL with Tech and A-SPEC

jhr3uva90

Unfortunatley, being first doesn't mean a whole lot. Does anyone remember the first company to sell televisions? What about the first company to offer a commercial web browser? Acura is still playing catch up when it comes to luxury-vehicle marketing. The fact that there were many "regular" folks who had no idea the Legend was an Acura hurt the overall brand. The fact that Acura sold a $20,000 RSX until this year also hurt the overall brand. And I am still not convinced that Acura knows how to market a car in the RL's price. For example, why did it take until the 3 year of a product cycle for Acura to offer the navigation system as an option, instead of throwing everything into the RL and charging $50K?

The RL is an excellent car, it just happens to be marketed by the wrong company. Maybe Acura should stick to selling SUVs in the $30K - $44K range and call it a day.

jftjr

Unfortunately, I don't think you can get the A-Spec package on a Tech package car.....

Mike_TX

Pimp, I didn't have any rattles in my TL for the first 500 miles or so, but they've come out of the woodwork now, especially following the road trip we just completed. I'm glad your TL doesn't, but that doesn't change the fact mine does. I have posted many times about the fact my Maxima had no rattles after 40,000+ miles, so maybe you saw one of those posts.

I'm way too critical about stuff? Gee. Sorry to offend thee. I'm a borderline perfectionist, Pimp, and I guess I just expect more of "stuff" than you do. For example, many, many people on the TL forums just shrug and grin and say they just ignore their rattles. Huh? Pay 30-something thousand dollars for a car and just accept that it will rattle? That's pretty sad. There is NO excuse for a $30,000 car in the 21st Century to have rattles ... especially rattles that were there 3 years ago in the first ones off the assembly line. It's called "Fix it, dammit!"

I've had only one Nissan, and that was my '04 Maxima. Maybe I was lucky, but it was golden. Maybe you were unlucky with yours.

BTW, I started my post by saying I wasn't debating, just commenting from the other side of the issue. Are you making it a debate? If we just all sit around patting each other on the back and congratulating ourselves on how smart we are for getting the car we got, the forums wouldn't be worth reading. Only by being a little critical can we learn to deal with any issues our cars have.
.
.

neuronbob

Umm, yes. Not to mention, whatever TL you drove probably had stock tires, rather than the aftermarkets most of us TL enthusiasts switch to shortly after purchase.

And Mike and Pimpintl, I just wanted comments, no heated debates about Nissans/Infinitis here unless you want to comment on the M35 .

Mike_TX

LOL. Actually, Bob, I had an '06 M45 for the last 15 months, but I got rid of it. Since that's off-topic, I won't go into why.
.
.

neuronbob

I've gotten several quotes in Ohio and western Pennsylvania. The best is $42.5k, the worst is $46k. Would you guys consider $42.5k a good deal? I am thinking of asking for the iPod integration and pro pack to be included at that price. Yes, I know, niggling points when we're getting such a good deal, but what do you all think?

Thank you! Almost ready to make a deal...as long as I can get a decent trade value on my TL...and please no lectures about "sell it yourself", I simply don't have time to do that working 12 hours daily, and with a new baby at home.

jftjr

It sounds like you have a lot on your plate, and you're reaching the point of diminishing returns. 42.5 isn't a great deal, but it isn't a bad one, either. If you knock yourself out and beat the dealer up you might get another $2500 off. Personally, I'd show them some better deals, and then push hard to make it up in your trade in value. I mean, if they won't give you another $2000 off on the car side, they might give you another $2000 on your trade.

Look at it this way, if you leave $1500 on the table it's $35 a month or so.... is it really worth your time and effort for less than the price of a tank of gas?

The alternative would be to order the car from someplace farther East or North, then take delivery out of state.... but that's just a hassle.

Touge

neuronbob, that's not a bad price, but you can def do better. Put each dealer up against each other.

BallsOfSteel

I just got a quote from a dealership in South Jersey:

RL Trim Level-------------Full MSRP--------------------Internet Price
RL V6---------------------$49,915.00--------------------$40,249.00
RL V6 with CMBS/PAX-$53,715.00--------------------$43,515.00

Great Prices.

neuronbob

Jeez. Maybe it's time to take a road trip to the East Coast. There's not as much competition among Acura dealers here in the Midwest/Great Lakes as there is on the Coasts. I don't expect to pay $40k for the RL. I'll consider myself lucky to get $41.5k aorund here.

Even so, I'm sure I can talk the price below $42k, or, failing that, get a better price on trading my TL. If I can't make it work locally, I've still got my TL and I can actually make the trip to the NYC area (6 hour drive). After all, one of the primary reasons I'm considering the RL is because this excellent car is more accessible than it had been. I can afford MSRP, but why should I pay that when no one else is?

I'm waiting until either the end of this month, or the end of October, to make my move.

gbriank

If they won't drop the price, force the dealer into adding accessories. I did. Got everything except the kitchen sink (aka the A-Spec rims).

kenny5

Bob, did you try an internet website (hate to mention its name because I am not sure if I comply with forum rules) called carsdirect.com? Type in your zip code and it generally gives you a fairly good price - though not necessarily the best or lowest price.

vishnus11

sorry to semi-hijack but CRAP!

Is it because the PAX tires don't come in A-SPEC rim size?

neuronbob

That's where I got my Internet quotes from. It gave me a price higher than the lowest bid I solicited (the $42.5k above).

I am still thinking about pulling the trigger VERY soon. A measure of how serious I am is that I actually paid for a seven-day membership at Galves to get a true value on my TL for trade-in (as opposed to the overestimates that Edmunds provides; KBB seems to be close to Galves).

alintin

lol Upgrade it to an 1200 W system. Could get you deaf for good.