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Comments
My 93 Legend did a little better, sometimes getting 27 or so on the highway. I have a 1999 Accord Coupe and get between 25 and 28 with it.
Take care.
Joe W.
I base that on what one can get a newer Legend for and the fact that even older RL are getting into the teens although they will have higher miles.
I know you are not trading it in, but you will get an idea what it's wholesale numbers are.
Is anyone else noticing bad FM reception on some stations? In Houston the following stations I listen to are below average : 88.7, 90.1 and 96.5. Southwest Acura says they cannot do anything about it. That kind of bothers me -- considering the fact that it is an luxury car.
I definitely notice that using the A/C in city has an effect.
As far as the radio reception is concerned an aftermarket installer told me that the antenna on the RL is an amplified antenna which increases volume on both good sound and radio noise. Combined with the higher quality Bose speakers we are likely hearing some noise that isn't detected on lesser quality systems. Other than changing out to an aftermarket tuner, it was recommended installing an outsided antenna (similar to a cell phone antenna) to the rear window and see if that improves reception. I didn't want to add an outside one, but if anyone does, let us know how it works out.
After driving the E320, I really missed the RL's low end torque and faster pickup. In terms of power, the E320 and Lexus GS300 feel much slower than the RL and one test drive will show this. Both are nice cars. If I had to chose again, regardless of price I would still go with the RL.
I'll have the admit the CL500, AMG E55 and CLK55 are just muscle cars. OMG, are they fast! :-)
Used my first tank of all town/city/suburb driving and am pleasantly surprised; at 1800 miles got almost 21 mpg. Next week we're taking a 1600 mile trip and I'll keep close track.
I found something I don't like about the car, at last ... the small gas tank. The empty light goes on almost exactly at 300 miles, an aggravation. But I really am glad the right mirror doesn't do that tilt thing ... I recall testing an older model (or perhaps it was a TL) that had it and it was a little disconcerting; in the driving I do I'm less likely to parallel park and more likely to back up for 50 or 100 feet, so it's more convenient to see where you're going rather than watch the curbing. This is obviously a matter of taste and driving circumstances.
Interesting: my dealer doesn't think that the expected '03 release of the V8 will bring an end to the RL as we know it. His reasoning: Acura has a strong, competitive offering at $20k (Integra; RSX); at $30k (T series); and there is no way they can offer a full-featured V8, especially with AWD (as rumored) for the same as the RL, thus bumping it up considerably, to say $50-55k. That leaves them empty from $30 -- $50k, missing a big chunk of market. His guess, therefore, is that they keep the RL and move upscale with the new one. It makes good common sense, but he also let me know that he has nothing from the factory to confirm this.
Take care.
Joe W.
One hint, from the owner's manual, is to use the A/C on the econ mode. So I leave it on full auto until I hear the fan speed diminish, then move it to the economy setting. I don't know if this is a real help or more psychological.
But if you don't start moving toward that 20 mpg. avg pretty soon, I'd ask for some help from the dealer. Given the sophistication of the design of these cars, no one short of the dealer would figure it out, and you certainly shouldn't have to "baby" the car to get 14.5 mpg!
Take care.
Joe W.
On occasion and out of necessity, I get trapped in the morning/afternoon traffic jams on our 604 sq. mile island (we have over 650,000 registered vehicles for 1M population), taking an hour or more to travel 20 miles to or from downtown Honolulu. Still manage over 19 mpg average and have gotten 21+ mpg at times. Fuel warning light comes on at around 290-300 miles with three gallons still in the tank as I rarely have to put in more than 15 gallons each fill-up. At $1.959 for premium, I've managed to avoid the $30.00 tariff ......... so far.
Great car, but got a little boring for me.
How does anybody get more than 16 in one of those?
OTOH, my 2001 Odyssey EX, also with a 3.5L/210 hp V-6, got 22+ mpg on the first run out of the gate. It's in the morning traffic on M-F, taking 45 minutes to cover 20 miles one-way.
Here are the numbers:
filled up six times, but never because we were empty, only wanted to take a break. Total distance, about 1400 miles. On the 600 miles out, I drove on cruise control and (to try for mileage) set it on 2500 rpm (just a bit under 70). I didn't like going slow, but I wanted to test this out! We had two adults on board, our suitcases in the rear seat, and a trunk full of heavy junk intended for family there. The first tank was 23.9, the second was 24.8, and the third (which included some city driving upon our arrival), was 23. While we were there the city driving averaged18. We filled up to leave and drove (with the trunk now empty) for 300 miles at 70 again and averaged 24.5.
Then I filled up and drove the last 313 miles -- or tried -- at 80, which is where I usually drive. Problem was, there was quite a bit of 70 mph traffic, so I kept bouncing back and forth and expected the mileage to drop quite a bit. But it only dipped a tenth, to 24.4.
I'm very pleased with the mileage and plan to *never* drive at 70 again:) My suggestion for all of those who are babying their cars and getting five or even ten miles less/gallon is to ask the dealer to at least try, real hard, for better results!
By the way, I filled up with 92 octane Sunoco in Ohio for $1.35/gallon. My gosh the dealers in NE are sticking it to us!
Take care.
Joe W.
Sometimes managers get a stick up their [non-permissible content removed] and think their time is too valuable to waste on low margin deals.
The RL is a fine car and is not experiencing high demand, I think you may be able to do better if you're willing to travel.
1) do some internet shopping: go to Gomez.com and pick out four or five web dealers who will give you prices.
2) take the best offer and shop it at other dealerships: "Can you beat this?"
3) take your best number back to the shop you want to deal with and ask them why you should buy from them, given that you can save so much by going elsewhere.
But I wouldn't pick a number out of thin air and try to bluff your way through -- they'll take it as a challenge and leave your head spinning.
If you have real numbers that are better than the one you have, and if your friend's a businessman, he would have done the same thing and will respect you for it. If you can't find a better deal in your area, then you'll know you did the best you could without traveling quite a bit.
Let us know how it goes!
Take care.
Joe W.
Your request is not unreasonable and the TMV price this site sounds a little high.
I just purchased a 2002 RL Navigation for $40759
I never went to a dealership. I just picked the 10 closest dealers to me and asked for their best price. The quotes came all over the board ranging from sticker to $40759
I agree with Jwilson1 shop around.
Good Luck
19645
worth a try.
Take care.
Joe W.
How did you do your last trip?
Thanks.
I remember about a few months back that when closing the trunk, the hook didn't line up exactly with the latch and it hit and bounced. This happened when my wife try to slam the trunk just because she is used to heavy trunk doors that require some effort. (Use to have an 3-door integra that had shocks which required some effort to close the trunk). I remember I did that initially too and got the same problem. (Not all the time. Maybe 10% of the time).
The RL trunk is extremely light and requires little effort to close. Now when I close the trunk, I hold the trunk door while closing and never had the latch miss afterwards.
I'm curious as to why my trunk latch doesn't catch on occasion when closing fast and letting it catch on its own. Needless to say, I didn't want to try to reproduce because it probably damages the latch. This may not be the same problem as #289 but its the only problem that I had come up with the trunk.
BTW Just drove a full tank of all city driving, much stop and go, with the A/C on full blast most of the time and averaged 17.6 MPG. '00 RL has 11K miles on it. You should see the MPG improve as the car breaks in.
32 lbs in rear
Car rides and handles like a dream,,,24 mpg,,,hiway
SM
I helped two people purchase 2002 RL's. Here is what they bought:
1.) 2002 3.5RL with Navigation, mud flaps, and oil change for life $40,000 + $700 for protection package (leather, dash, and paint protection)
2.) 2002 3.5RL without Nav, mud flaps, wheel locks, trunk mat, oil change for life $38460.
Is that what everyone is paying now? What did you pay?
Before the '02 it's my understanding that the recommended pressure was 28, correct? In '02 with the new suspension tune/tires the recommendation has gone up to 30.
Take care.
Joe W.
I traded in a 1995 Legend L sedan 4 door for $15,000 CDN ($9,750 US) and bought the car for $35,500 Cdn + trade or about $50,500 Cdn (this is about $32,825 US). The car had 6 km on it (4 miles). Getting paint/leather protection $399 CDN. Too bad you can't export the car to USA!!!
As for mileage, just completed a 6000 mile run to Canada and back. Because of business I kept precise records of mileage. I am pleased 23.7 miles per gallon...converted to canada would be about 28 mpg... RL is a great car and not a lot matches it dollar for dollar
I remember my Integra having the same problem in the past and I ended up replacing the brake pads. That helped but I could still feel a little bit (just slightly). Should have replaced the rotors too.
I would like to replace the pads and rotors with a new set. Does anyone recommend an aftermarket brand that uses cross drilled rotors. Do I need to be concerned about an aftermarket set affecting my ABS system?
The only ones that I've seen for a 99RL has been from http://www.comptechusa.com
thanks,