Acura RL

wing5nut

jwilson1...thanks for the pointers! The current lease support on the RL has a money factor of .0005, or roughly 1.2%. When I compare that to the rate from my credit union, it's like getting a $5100+ discount. But knowing the dealer invoice, it seems like there is still room to save a few bucks. I think I may take your suggestion and test the waters at the $39.5 mark.

wing5nut

goral

Just remember one thing - even though RLs are great cars, they depreciate like crazy! You are getting a lot of car for $40K, but unfortunately a market for used RLs is very soft. In a year, the car will be worth ~$30K or so... That's depraciation of ~$10K!!!
My '96 RL Premium w/ 87K miles is worth only ~$11-$12K wholesale That's a territory of couple year old Civic!

wing5nut

Good point...that's why I have decided to lease my next vehicle, rather than purchase. I have to admit that I don't understand why the RL depreciates so quickly. Is demand for this car that weak?

wing5nut

goral

In my opinion, people who want "pure luxury", look at the offerings w/ V8 engines and the value shoppers go with cars like TL, I30/35, ES300 (which offer "almost" the same luxury, are quicker, and cost less). I am generally against leasing (and buying new for that matter:) ), but in case of cars like RL, Saabs, Jaguars, etc, leasing is MUCH better.

mdrohan

hi, i currently have a '99 rl, which i can get out of the lease in january if i get another acura, but i'm not sure if i want to. I love my rl, it has been very good to me with no problems, but i want something different, and was hoping they would've redesigned it by now, or for the '02 model year. Does anyone know when acura is expected to introduce the redesign?

jorge00

Right to the point -- '01 RL/9K miles. Sometimes when quickly braking, the rear of the car will dance or pull to the right (pass. side) a bit then quickly straighten up. It feels like the rear brakes aren't applying same pressure at same time on initial braking. Doesn't always happen so I'm sure the service tech won't experience it when I have the car serviced. :-) Thoughts about the cause? Note that I have disengaged the trac/stab control and it still happens. Have others experienced the same? Thanks.

Have noticed lots of talk about prices. Leased mine 3/01 for 1.5K down, no sec dep and 15K/yr for $502/39 mths. Best I could do shopping dealers in VA/NC area.

nicke1

I bought my first Acura, after having suffered with a BMW (BMtroubleyou) and my wife's constantly in the shop E Class, after reading the book the Millionaire Next Door. A used Acura was one of the most popular cars owned by these Millionaires. They are great cars, but not recognized by the general public as such and therefore depreciate quickly. That means great deals on great cars for a 2 year old off lease RL. So the advise I have is lease new or buy used.

jwilson1

The most frequently discussed date I've heard for the redesign is for model year '03 -- but when that might be is anyone's guess (Acura has released cars at least from March -- October), and the factory is significantly mum on the subject to my knowledge. Stay tuned.

Take care.
Joe W.

prophet2

I'll check out the V-8 RL when it comes out, but defer buying until I see how it fares with depreciation. My '96 is purring along at 53K, 16K wonderful miles since I bought it 11 months ago. I may keep it another 3-4 years, then start looking for a pre-owned '03. I expect my mileage to slow down a bit after I get a P/U truck to replace the old Legend that got "totalled" in early August.

nicke1

I noticed that the paint on my front bumper on my 96 RL is PEELING!. Not caused by a scratch or hit, but just peeling in two or three places. Anyone else have this problem and if so what is Acura's position regarding repair. I'd like to have as much info as possible before I approach the dealer. Also the black trim/seal at base of rear window is peeling off. I feel like I'm driving a banana with all this peeling going on. Thanks Nick

l943973

I don't think there were any recalls for paint problems. I would check out a good body shop. I had to do some repair work on my RL and I took it to a recommended Acura shop in MD. Wow, they did an awesome job with the paint and offered a lifetime warranty on the paint if covered by your insurance company.

The touch up bottle they gave me was exact with my current paint. I ditched my touch up kit I got from the dealership. The color wasn't exact because my paint color had changed by then.

The place is called Autobody Dimensions in Gaithersburg MD.

skimmel

Doesn't look to me like the 2002 RL (or any other acura for that matter) has head airbags for either front or rear passengers. Is there a reason that Acura has not instituted this in their cars when others have them (e.g., toyota camry, etc)?

cavman2x

I am in the early stages of getting a new car. I am really impressed by the 02 RL. I have checked it out at a local dealer and just touched on the $$ issue. I live in Northern NJ and was wondering what kind of deals everyone is getting. I am leaning twords a lease if the deal is right. I currently drive a 98 Q45 (love it)that is off lease in 12-01. Any info would be greatly appreciated in regards to dealership/ownership experience. TIA G

jwilson1

I think you're headed in the right direction. I'm sure your dealer made sure you knew about the supported lease now available: $2900 for first pay in my area, 499 for 39 mos., 12k/yr. It's a fine automobile. You can get better cars, in fact much better cars, but you have to pay much, much more money and this has everything that most people of open mind would want.

On finances, I suggest looking at the option of taking the supported deal but paying nothing down. Depending on your local/state taxes, that leaves your first payment at 1900 or less and raised my payment to 544, taxes included. (I hate cap cost reductions and the risk exposure they provide the driver.)

Good luck. Enjoy.

hunter001

My feeling about the RL is that, if you intend to keep the car for 10 years, and you are able to resist the temptation to go for a newer car after 2-3 years, then go for it. If you intend to change your car after 3-4 years, then the RL is not for you, since it will have depreciated so much, that you certainly will not like it.

If on the other hand, you are satisfied with the power that the RL has and wish to continue driving the car for a long time (> 10 years ?), then the RL is the perfect car for you, since it is guaranteed to be almost problem free till the end of eternity, lack of power/brand cache notwithstanding.

just my 2c

Later...AH

wheels4me

would this be a good 3 yr old used car to buy?
Are they dependable or do they need to be repaired
often?

jwilson1

They are a wonderful 3-yr-old car to buy because of their features, classic style, quality and reliability. Personally, I'd want a certified one, but that's for sure a personal issue.

I chose to lease my '02 rather than keep it for the car's life, because I've kept every car I've owned for many years in order to avoid depreciation. Now I'm at the point where I can pretty much get what I want (within reason) and have decided to enjoy my ride and the new toys, rather than sitting in traffic and wondering how nice it would be .... etc. while I look at all the new rides around me. In addition, there are a lot of cars out there I want to try (including, perhaps, the V8 version of the RL when it's available), and I look forward to going back to the buffet table in another three years.

But if the question is long-term cost, then hunter is certainly correct. A lease is an extravagance. But if that is your choice the current RL lease is excellent.

Add to that that I've always paid cash, so the $40k I would have spent on the RL is currently earning interest that will reduce the cost of the lease considerably (because I'm earning more than the lease mf is costing).

But even with that factor the car is costing over double what its cost would be if I were holding it for 10 or more years.

Life is short enough, and I probably have time to drive about 6 more leases before I get a used Corolla and start to hope no one takes my license away.

Take care.
Joe W.

sky33

I've seen a few RL's and they seem to be pretty nice cars. I had been looking at the TL-S which has the horse power and many nice features. While looking at the TL-S the saleman wanted to show me the RL. I think it seems to be a great value but I wonder why it depreciates so much? I noticed on this board that someone bought a new RL for 32.5K a while back. This was due to the dealer needing to get rid of old RL's. For that price the RL would be a great value. I wonder if they'll be that cheap when the re-designed RL comes out.

jwilson1

They're that cheap sometimes at the end of each year. But mostly such cars are demos or dealer cars with nearly "used" mileage on them. Last year, for example, SRP was something like 42630 and invoice was 37758 (I'm doing these by memory, so if I'm wrong please tolerate) and, in the last several months, a 3000 dealer cash support program went into effect, taking the invoice effectively down to $34800. It was not at all unusual to find a perfectly good car for 35000 or 35500, but these were usually cars in unpopular colors and you needed to get pretty lucky to find a popular color around. One at $32 or so is to be expected with the mileage added on, but -- as you know -- no dealer is going to lose money on purpose.

So far as depreciation goes, it is true for several reasons, especially vs. the TL-S which is so very popular right now. The first is that the RL is not very popular as a mass vehicle. Another is that Honda doesn't advertise it. And of course almost every large luxury vehicle made in the over $40k market depreciates heavily: Jaguar XJ and Infiniti Q45 are among the most notorious, but you could include the 740iL, the MB E series, and especially Cadillacs and Lincolns. Out of all of these, by the way, the RL is reliable. Its depreciation is a reason it is such a terrific used buy.

Take care.
Joe W.

merc1

All this talk...I just want to see the thing! Gee whiz. Is it a go for New York or what?

M

prophet2

I picked up my Pearl White '96 3.5RL a year ago for $20K. Low miles (36K), immaculate condition, new tires (Turanzas). Maintenance has been limited to the normal service items, with front brake pads at 45K the only extra cost repair. Driving it has been a wonderful experience. Beats the '00 Accord EX-L V-6 I was considering @$23K ($24.4K OTD).

They're not that easy to find here. I was lucky because I have friends in the business who tipped me off on it. There's a private party unit in the paper ('98 model) asking $27.8K. He'll have to come down on that one.

ajulius

Hello. I am interested in a used Acura 3.5RL. I was looking at edmunds to see the differences between the model years and features. Are there any significant upgrades or differences between the used model year which would lead to a much different vehicle? Im curious if anyone has driven an older RL vs a newer one and has any experiences to report? The older the year RL I get, the lower the cost. Yet Im debating which features that were added really make a noticeable difference in the vehicle or if its something I can do without.

prophet2

Honda takes a conservative approach at improving their vehicles and the RL has been no exception since its 1996 introduction. Changes have been subtle, ranging from suspension adjustments in 1998 to firm-up ride characteristics to heavier brake rotors, horsepower increase to 225, making floor mats standard, different style wheels, and other light exterior changes.

Some features are convenience items, others are engineering. My '96 is well-equipped and handles nicely. Even though I wouldn't mind some of the "improved" handling characteristics, it's almost unnoticable. There are front-wheel vibrations at speeds over 65 mph on concrete roadways (none on asphalt) which tire balancing does not seem to cure. Anyone else with this problem? Is this absent from later models?

wheels4me

shopping for a 1998 rl. my husband said he was
surprised at the amount of noise you can hear
in the car cabin. I don't know if it was just
this one car. Maybe he is spoiled by driving
toyotas for so long. They seem to have a quiet
ride. The used car prices they offer for the rl
can't be beat. the lexus' barely depreciate
at all so you don't get as much for your money.

hunter001

Actually, right before the 2002 model year, you could get any BRAND-NEW Non-navigation 2001 Acura RL pretty much anywhere in the country for about 32 - 32.5K. These were NOT demo cars, nor did they have any extra miles on them, as you seem to suggest. I know this because a couple of my friends bought RLs at that time. This was due to a factory incentive from Acura (of about 6000 dollars ??) to move these slow selling units. I definitely sympathize with the poor souls who paid a lot more before the incentives came out. If someone has paid more that 32K or so at that time, then those dealers who sold those cars have made a big killing.

Also, the above mentioned incentives did not apply to the 3.2TL, which were in high demand all through its current iteration. The previous model 3.2TL (prior to 1999 model year) was a total failure and needed generous incentives to move them, similar to the ones needed by the current 3.5RL at the end of the 2001 model year. These incentives do not bode well for the future re-sale of the car. So if you intend to keep this car for a long time ( >10 years, when re-sale of the car does not matter at all), then I am all for it, since the build quality of the car is EXCELLENT and the reliability should be stellar too.

Later...AH

hawkeye12

I am interested in 02RL special lease. Edmunds.com lists $499/month-39month for a RL with navigation system. My dealer indicates it is for RL without navigation. I checked Acura website, it doesn't say, or I failed to find it. I really appreciate if anyone can verify this. Thanks for help.

tgif888

Go to eacura.com and click on the current offers. And you click on the RL's terms, it'll say which model is available.

jwilson1

Very interesting. Thanks for the clarificaition. Here in the NE you needed to call around even to find a RL available. Because I was looking, I tried to stay in touch, and here in the Boston area of the five dealers I contacted (a couple of weeks after the $3000 support was offered) there were 4 cars that weren't demos, etc. I got tighter from there and of course there was no further support offered. Perhaps Honda added to the pot in your region if Acuras are even less popular there -- where are you?

Take care.
Joe W.

dave512513

I came across dealernet.com when I was looking for my 2000 RL last December. It has the inventories of most of the Acura dealers. It isn't quite realtime or 100% accurate, but I found it was pretty close. It also usually gives the color and the VIN#. From the VIN#, you can tell if it is a NAV or Non-NAV. The NAV models have 966 in the middle of the VIN# and the non_NAV models have 965.

wreck5

Hi, I am considering purchasing a used RL (nice cars). Can anyone give advice on what a good price would be for a 2000 with navigation, less than 10,000 mi? Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks.