wcoy

Well I really really love my RL but I'm missing having a stick more. I'm willing to give up some luxury for the ability to row my own and a much quicker car. Car and Driver has the 6MT at 5.2 to 60! Of course you cannot find these anywhere around Cleveland. I found one in California with 7k miles that I may have them ship to me if the price is right. Selling the RL may prove difficult private party and I don't have any patience.

Has anyone traded in their 06 RL with around 64k miles lately? If so how much can I expect to get.

The TL that I found is Mayan Bronze Metallic with Umber interior, my wife calls the interior color diarrhea. It has the factory 19" wheels with Michelin Pilot PS2's which I want; though I've heard the ride can be a bit firm. Has anyone here driven one? I may have to buy the car without even driving one because the closest one to me is 4 hours away and it's new with the 18" wheels and all season tires.

037

I was offered 26k for my 09 RL CMBS with 54,000 by the dealer (the game started at $23,500).

neuronbob

If you haven't already, you might try posting this in the 4G TL section to get comments from those who actually own the 6MT TL. Kudos to you for considering driving a manual car in Cleveland traffic on a daily basis.

plastikman

When I still had my 06 RL, they offered me 20k and it only had 32000 miles on it. Btw that was only a few weeks ago. Good Luck !

wcoy

I was hoping to get 18. I work from home so I never sit in traffic or I may not be doing this. Will keep you guys updated.

wcoy

Well I'm doing it, I'm driving down to Bowling Green Kentucky tomorrow to trade-in my car and pick up a 2010 TL SH-AWD 6MT w/HPT package, hilariously long name. I have had a luxuriously great time with the RL but hey I'm only 30 and I can give up the sunshades, wood, adaptive headlights ect...for a much faster ride with a manual tranny.

Here is a link to the car that I'm getting. http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...r_id=301100844

And here is a picture of another TL with the beak painted the exact way I'm going to have mine done. I have an appointment at the body shop on Friday to have it done.

oo7spy

Halos? Is that aftermarket? The fogs look modded too since they are on w/ no low beam.

Zelaya

iTrader: (1)

Wow, you're moving fast. Congratualtions in advance for your new TL. I'm sure you will have fun with manual transmission, just be careful for speeding traps. lol. Saw the pictures on link you provided and the interior is sick! specially in black.

wcoy

Yeah that car looks like it has halos and yellow fogs. Not gonna mess with halos but I did order xenonmatch fogs from Hoen last night. Hope I can still hang around here a bit from time to time.

That's what the V1 is for!

I'm bummed that they don't make a CAI for the TL, might try and have dealer mod my CAI from the RL to fit. I don't want to get SRI as TL memebers have said it hurts their low end torque because of heat soak.

S2K_MoZo

Congratulations dude. I am jealous now..lol
I'd love to own SH-AWD in 6-speed

23109VC

Cool!

So what are they giving you for your RL on the trade in?

wcoy

Can't wait! 18K.

23109VC

that's not a bad deal...did they give you a good deal on teh new one? if you don't mind sharing, let us know what they sold you the new one for...

I'd be tempted to get a 6 spd TL myself... you know that is going to be a fun car... the only time you'll regret it is if/when you get stuck in traffic...otherwise it will be a lot more fun to drive.

i used to have an S60R with a 6 speed manual and I never got sick of shifting... it was a blast.

was your suspension stock or did you upgrade yours with aspec or H&Rs???

once you have it and have some seat time - post up your thoughts/observations on what you like about the new car, what you miss from the RL, etc.

thanks.

miner

Good trade in - for my '06 last Jul with 72000 I got $17,800 towards my current 2010 RL. Have fun with the TL. We expect a comparo when you have time.

wcoy

I think I got a good deal based on all the research I have been doing, $33,500. It has a few more miles than I would have liked but there were only two TL manuals with the HPT package in the whole US, slim pickings.

Since I work from home I rarely sit in traffic so that's good.

Stock suspension, I'm gonna miss her

I will post thoughts on Friday, going to be about 13hrs of driving tomorrow there and back so I'll be beat.

oo7spy

It took me 13 hrs to get home with mine and worth every mile! Good luck; watch out for the other guy!

rlx015

Definitely nice and good choice... Congrats!
Also good news on the trade-in value... I have similar and now I see I got definitely good deal on my RL

wcoy

Wow much faster than RL and sticks like glue. Seats and ELS stereo rock, transmission is a gem too, very happy. Will post pics tomorrow, long day.

23109VC

so it sounds like you are happy with the change.. or shoudl I call it an "upgrade"...

congrats. I'm dying to read a more detailed and lengthy comparo!

miner

What route did you take from Cleveland to BG, KY? Geez, that had to be a 900 mile round trip. Glad you enjoyed to drive.

sleepinxlionhart

I had a stick shift before the RL, and I have to say, I really miss driving MT cars. I wish Honda would make something along the lines of the STi/Evo but more luxurious, since they do have the AWD system to back it up, and the racing heritage.

wcoy, is that an OEM decklid spoiler on your RL? Just wondering because it looks like it extends more onto the decklid than other RL spoilers I've seen on here.

wcoy

Yes it was an OEM spoiler. Sorry on vacation this comi g week so I wont have any pics or thoughts till after. It's at the body shop while I'm gone getting the beak painted so I will post some at the beginning of next week.

neuronbob

Congrats on the new TL.

2x6spds

I traded my 2005 RL for a 2009 Acura TL tech package. The RL was my first automatic in a bit more than 20 years. I didn't appreciate the RL until I got rid of it.

The RL had the most comfortable automobile seats I've ever even sat in. The TL's are also very good, but the head rests are not adjustable and they push the occupant's head forward. The wood trim on the RL is a thing of beauty. The TL has faux aluminum trim. It's OK.

The reason I bailed on my RL was gas mileage. I was averaging 13-14 mpg. I average about 20+ in the TL and have averaged 29.7 mpg on a 120 mile trip to Palm Springs.

The RL is a powerful car, with smooth and powerful acceleration, but the FWD TL feels much quicker.

The RL's handling was wonderful, especially for such a big, heavy car. SH AWD really works. The TL feels much lighter on its feet without the AWD, and its handling is superb, FWD notwithstanding.

I saw a thread about a fella here who had Shane and the guys over at Autowave put a supercharger on his RL. I'd like a ride in that RL. Autowave did some work on my 93 Legend LS 6 speed coupe and S2000. They specialize in Honda performance and do a great job. I don't work for them. Hi there Shane.

Looking back, I can say that the RL was the most luxurious car I've ever owned. It was a perfect match for the little black/black 2000 S2000 in the garage.

My wish list for the RL would be:
1. manual transmission option
2. DSG twin clutch 7 speed transmission
3. 360 HP 3.8 liter DOHC V6 (with an 8000 rpm redline) or
4. 400 HP 3.8 liter supercharged V6 as an alternative to everyone elses V8s.
5. Throttle blipper for the automatic.
6. Go back to the 2005 styling, maybe with a bit of stretch for more back seat leg room
7. Lowered sport suspension option.
8. More wood. It's drop dead beautiful.

I know all these qualities would work against its luxury profile, but I'd love to see Honda's flagship sedan's performance somewhere between the BMW 5 series and the M5.

Enjoy your RLs fellas. They're great cars.

BTW, I thought the chrome beak on the TL was hideous when I first got the car. I almost had it painted like in the picture on top. I went on and on at an Acura owners clinic about how ugly the front end was. Funny, now, I love the look of the front end, and regret that Acura toned it down.

oo7spy

13-14 MPGs is probably an issue with the car. The MPG specs for the 3.5 '09 Base TL and 3.5 '05 RL are the same. That is god-awful especially if your are averaging 20 now. I have always averaged 19+ on suburban slow routes with lights and 21+ on highways/urban, and I have a heavy foot. I can easily average 27+ with pure highway driving.

The TL feels quicker because 1) it weighs 200 lbs less and 2) FWD has 10-15% less loss in the drive train vs. SH-AWD for the same engine.

For the 5-series comparison, I think the RL is supposed to be competing with the 7-series in Acura's mind. I know they have failed miserably. I think a great solution would be a maxed out V8 RL to compete with a 7-series, and a TL with current RL interior to compete with the 5-series.

I assume you got a manual TL? Enjoy it, I would love have a 6-MT.

neuronbob

6MT is only available on the SH-AWD TL, and that combination didn't appear until 2010 MY.

ichi d

someone should do a 6MT swap on their RL and be the first. lol