[23109VC]

Originally Posted by vath2001

Pretty. I test drove the older version RL (before the SHAWD) and I was not impressed. I felt my TL was a better ride with more power.

I don't know about extending the warranty.... I mean it is a Honda. Have you had problems with the MDX?

as far as the warranty I bought - the car was a CPO - so it comes with one year of the b umper to bumper being extended, and the standard 6yr /72k powertrain is extended to 7 yr / 100k. all these dates are from the "in service" date, which for me, was from June of 2006 as that's when my car was first sold.

I paid an extra $950 to extend the "bumper to bumper" full coverage. the dealer called it a "wrap" warranty. given my in service date, I was going to have TWO years of total bumper to bumper / free roadside assitance, and FOUR years on teh powertrain when I bought the car as CPO. My $950 got the bumper to bumper portion to extend another two full years. so I have FOUR years of bumper to bumper/powertrain. if during those last two years I don' thave $950 in misc expenses that are NON powertrain items - then I wasted money, if I do, I win. For me, it was peace of mind, and for $950 rolled into my loan, it was worth it.

I passed on any warranty on the boxster as it was going to be like $5000 for anything worth buying. too much o na car I only paid $13k for that i'd only drive 3-5k/year.

spending only $950 to extend full bumper to bumper coverage TWO more years, on a car that cost me almost $30k, that will be daily driven and get mor eusage, seemed like a fair gamble. it may or may not pay off - I am fully aware of that - but I'm one of those peole that will pay for peace of mind as long as it's not a rip off.... so for me, it was worth it.

It really is a nice ride. the AWD is amazing. the car weighs 4000 lbs and if you put it into a tight turn, the FASTER you go the better it takes the turn! as the AWD only works when you are under power - you have to drive it different than a normal car. while normal people brake as they go into a turn, then somewhat coast while in the turn or only applying modest power - in this car you should approach the turn and then give gas as you go into it... weird sensation of the car rotating through the turn....I had a 2008 TL as a loaner for two full days recently when they installed my RL's spoiler, and no question, the RL handles better. the TL "feels" like it's sportier b/c it's sprung stiffer and has a bit less body roll, but in turns, it understeers. the RL, feels softer, but once in a turn, it hunkers down and just holds it's line, no understeer...very confidence inspiring.

The luxury stuff you get on this car is great, especially in light of the cost...

xenon lights. outside light *swivels* as you turn to light up the turn! i originally thought this was kind of gimmicky, but now that I've had it at night, I like it. it really does assist you seeing what is coming up as you take a turn.

sunshades built into rear passenger doors, and a rear power sunshade that extends/retracts via a button near the sunroof. cool! literally...

navigation standard. the Acura nav systems are nice. After having the integrated nav in my MDX, I've come to really apprciate it. the add on units like tomtom/garmin are nice, but having it integrated into the car is nice. you can be on a raodtrip, kids are screaming for french fries, hit a button, say "find nearest fast food" and the car, within seconds, will tell you where they are all located based on proximity. you can then map a route via the nav. if you need to cal, the phone numbers are all in the nav and you can call it and take the call via the integrated BT phone system... slick slick slick. the nav has real time traffic in it too. ever drive through LA? nuff said.

tons of voice controls for literally everything. some of this IS kinda gimmicky. I don't need to say "set temperature 70 degrees".... I can just push the button... but you can literally do almost anything wtih voice commands...

heated seats - dual settings. new 09/10 RLs ahve cooled seats too... but they cost $50k+...

leather is really soft - it's better than what goes into a TL or MDX.

the headrests adjust/split open and are super soft. almost like a pillow. this is the most "relaxing" car to drive that I've ever owned.

it's VERY VERY quiet inside. the combination of the quietness, the seats, the headrests, and the stereo make it a very nice work commuter and cruising car.

bose sond system, lots of speakes, sub, center channel, surround sound

rear doors open to 90 degrees! super wide! if you have kids, rear seat access is awesome as door opens so wide

front calipers are multipiston brembos

SH-AWD! to get an AWD system in a comparble car like E350 or 5 series would have put me WAY over the $26,500 price point for a 2006 CPO car with under 30k.

door handles illuminate inside and out. so insid the car there is a little blue LED inside the interior door pull. on the outside door pulls, as you walk up to the car in the dark, if you unlock the car via the fob, the LEDs inside the door pull illuminate and the door handles light up.. not a necessity, just cool. if it wer edark you know exactly where to put your hand, and it just looks cool.

lots of little LEDs inside car..overhead near the sunroof, in the footwells, in teh door pockets, inside the interior door handles...soft blue LEDs...very nice looking

the keyless entry is cool too. you don't have to use it, you can lock/unlock with a fob if you want, but you can jus walk up the the car an dkeep the fob in your pocket, and grab the handle and the car knows you are there and unlocks for you. when you leave, close the door and touch the little button on the outside of the door handle and it locks itself. you start the car by turning an ignition switch, but it's just a handle you twist..no need to put a key inside anything. sounds like a gimmick, but it's really nice, you get used to it fast. not having to pull the key in/out of pocket and put it in the dash is nice.

I could go on. there are a ton of little things the car does that are just neat. You can tell I'm very taken with it....