Hey all,

I'm looking to trade in my current car (07 Civic SI) for a much smoother, luxurious car. Over the years, upgrades to my car have made it very uncomfortable and potentially unreliable. I drive 3-400 miles a day for work, so I want something quiet and SMOOTH. I'm hearing that in terms of comfort and interior quality, the RL just can't be beat.

I found a used one around here, 05 with 130k miles on it, for 12.5 at a dealership. They just replaced the timing belt and say it's in excellent condition (of course).

Right now, my car is dead reliable. Other than normal maintenance, I have yet to have a problem with it. So, I'm a little leery of getting into a higher end car with 130k miles on it. I drive a lot for work, so reliability is crucial. I've been reading some pretty high praises about the RL's reliability, which is what is steering me towards that car over other comparable ones. Are there any common issues I should look for? Is repair work for this car as expensive as I'd imagine a 50k car is? My father used to own a BMW and the work on that car was brutal, and that's not entirely something I want to walk myself into. I plan on having it inspected by a shop, but I like to look for things myself as well.

 

I'd say mechanical very sound with exception of propellor shaft issue as reported in forum.
Risk is electronics.
Speaking from original owner 2005 RL with 150K miles

 

That price is too high for those miles. You can get one with 60-70K miles for around $16K if you look.

 

My 05 is valued at 11.4 so 12.5 seems like there could be some negotiating room.

There are some quirks with the 05, so make sure the head light flicker and other things mentioned here have been addressed.

Try to get an extended warranty, if they offer one at 130k, included.

 

if reliability is ultra important, why not buy a less expensive car with low miles.. like a newer civic?

I would think you coudl find something less luxurious than an RL, like a TSX, TL, Accord, Civic - that would be super reliable..but have less miles on it.. wtih a warranty?

what is your budget? what are your needs? do you need the luxury of an RL or woudl be be content with a reliable economical car like a Civic?

but, if you like/want the RL.. there are plenty of people on this forum who have well over 100k miles and report the car as being very reliable.

 

^^^ LOL he just said he travels 3-400 miles per DAY and wants some extra comfortable. i don't think 3-400 miles a day in a civic is very comfortable. The TL would even get a little harsh with 3-400 miles per day.

OP the RL is great but like others have said the propeller shaft is what you should worry about mechanically. Gas isnt all that great either, but its not horrible

 

I'd stay away from an 05. There are some very annoying issues that were solved in later cars.

In addition, with driving 300-400 miles per day (that's virtually the entire workday, I'd suspect that you also want something with a bit better gas mileage.

Me? I'd be looking at a TSX/TL/Accord instead of an 05 RL.

 

Other than the door handle, there is not one issue that an 05 has which will leave you stranded.

Nothing about a TL/TSX/Accord is smoother than a civic.

 

Yep, bingo ^^. I do a lot of driving The civic ain't cutting it in terms of comfort and whatnot. I don't 'need' luxury, it's a commodity, so certainly not something I need. I just want to park my fat butt in a comfortable car and enjoy it

I've driven a newer accord, and to be perfectly honest, they're about as comfortable as a Civic. It's a bit disheartening. The only real reason I even started looking at the RL was because I saw how nasty depreciation is on them. I never expected to see a 50k car going for ~11-12 grand. Then again, 130k miles / 7 years is a good amount of time, so maybe that's not too bad. Anyways, I drove in the RL, and it was easily the most comfortable car I've ever driven. Right now, that's what I'm all about. I may cross-shop TLs and TSX's as well and see how nice they are, but I don't really want to leave the Honda family because of reliability concerns.

My work pays gas, so as long as I can squeeze out ~18-20 mpg on that front, I'm covered. I'd prefer it be higher as anything over that is extra money that I get to pocket, but I'd be content with something around there.

Also, the RL I'm looking at is actually $13,500 Hopefully they're a good amount of wiggle room in that price

 

Also, my budget is about 30k before I need to finance, but I'd rather be able to pay the car outright in full and have plenty of cash to spare in case of emergencies. So, 10-15k is about what I'm looking to spend. I suppose I might go 17/18 if I saw something I really wanted, but that's about as far as I'd go

 

^^^
Very sound financial plan. There is some room for wiggle room on your price.

As far as reliability, as long as you are aware of the 2005 issues, none of which will leave you stranded, you should be OK. Highway mileage is quite good if you don't have a lead foot. In my RL, I got up to 29 mpg a couple of times. I take it most of your miles are highway miles, in which case the RL is not that bad on gas.