[Daryl]

Recently test drove a 2020 RLX Sport Hybrid. I think this is one severely underrated and overlooked car. The only real knock I could give it was the infotainment system, which looked about 15 years old. Otherwise the Krell sounded fabulous. The car was solid and quiet and incredibly powerful. Our tester was pewter with the Seacoast interior, and the colors were stunning.

At present I am waiting on a write up from the sales guy, but want to get feelers on what folks think these should go for. He did say Honda had $10k back on the car, but when they have that kind of incentive they usually want to start from MSRP, while I start from invoice. I think current invoice on the hybrid is around $58k, plus $10k off is $48k.

Are people getting lower offers than this when buying?

 

[mrgold35]

I didn't consider new because of the the RLX sport hybrid has remained unchanged since 2018. I found my red/ebony CPO 18 RLX hybrid with 7200 miles last December for $41,499 near Sacramento, CA (clear bra, all weather mats, trunk tray, window tint). Since being CPO, it has an extended factory warranty to 100,000 miles. It was +$2500 cheaper than my 2nd choice of dark gray/ebony CPO RLX hybrid with around the same mileage near Kansas City. It was a mini vacation for the wife and I to fly one-way from ABQ, NM, and drive back with the Sacramento RLX. I just couldn't find another red/ebony 18-20 RLX anywhere coast-to-coast at the time I was looking and that one happened to be the lowest priced CPO one. All other non-CPO RLXs had 25,000-35,000 miles and none were red/ebony (mostly black or white).

I would check out Autotrader just to see what other new/CPO/used 18-20 RLX hybrids are going for in a 8-12 hour driving radius (or +hour flight). Might find some good deals and/or your current dealership might toss in some extras to sell you the 2020 if they have some competition.

Blacked out the Chrome, painted the calipers black, removed rear badges, added rear spoiler+mud flaps, and added aftermarket rims.

 

[Daryl]

Yeah, I confess I was only considering CPO - at least until I heard about the $11k back (I was wrong on my original post, it's $11k back, not $10k).

A dealer in the area is willing to part at invoice minus the $11k, or $47,400.

On the flip side, I am weighing a 2018 a state over from me with 31k miles on it for $36k. That additional $11k goes a long way, but is it enough for two years old?

 

[mrgold35]

The issue I've had was availability in the color combo I wanted at the time I was ready to purchase. The RLX hybrids seemed to fall into 3 camps when I was looking:

• new on the lot for months
• lease returns with 25,000-35,000 miles
• new(ish) RLXs that never sold, low mileage, and used as loaners or sales manager personal daily drivers

I would look for the RLX in the color combo you like first since that is really the only option for the hybrid. Dealership should be willing to deal since the lockdown has hurt sales so much. You might extend your search to 1 -2 extra states over AND hit the Acura websites in those states just incase there are RLXs for sell are not posted on Autotrader.

 

[Daryl]

Thanks. Ironically my favorite combo was the new one I just drove: it's the pewter exterior with Seacoast interior. Doesn't stand out in pictures much, but in person it was just "wow!"

I am willing to be flexible on exterior colors, but wanted either the Seacoast or Espresso interior. I spend most of my time there, and found the black or stone interiors kind of dull.

The CPO I mentioned had Espresso interior, which I was OK with, but I just found out it was sold. They said a loaner car is coming on the market soon, but not sure how I feel about that.

 

[mrgold35]

My 08 RDX (177K) and 11 MDX (143K) were non-CPO lease returns with around 30k on the odo at time of purchase and I still have them today. My RLX hybrid was a low mileage trade-in that was converted into the sales manager's daily driver (probably because it wasn't selling). The only issues I've found was cosmetic with used/CPO vehicles (minor dents, hairline scratches, occasional smells or spots, rim curb rash, etc...). All Acura's can run perfectly fine on 87 octane if the loaner driver was being cheap. All Acura's are performance based and drive better the harder you push them (the RLX hybrid gets into the triple digits extremely quick for passing on 2 lane roads).

I wasn't planning on purchasing my RLX last December. My 06 TSX, 08 RDX, and 11 MDX were all getting close to 500,000 miles between them. I didn't want to pass up owning this vehicle since it looked like its days were numbered and might not be back for +5 years minimal. Not a lot of second choices out there from other manufactures with a powertrain this sophisticated that can go 150,000 to 200,000 miles with just routine maintenance. People will stop in their tracks and ask you about the RLX all the time. I've been complimented and ask "what kinda of car is that" about the RLX way more in the last 8 months than all my other Acura's combined since 2006.

 

[Daryl]

Thanks for all the info. I am still a bit torn: because dealers base resale prices on MSRP the brand new price I am getting now is way better than any 1-year old CPO, and only a few thousand more than 2018 CPOs with plenty of mileage. Of course 2018 is the first year for this redesign, so I don't go further back than that.

Tough decision...

 

[mrgold35]

My philosophy is an item is worth what you think its worth compared to whatever the list price. I would go for the RLX that will give you minimal regrets and years of enjoyment behind the wheel.

Good Luck with your search and purchase!

 

[llaramie]

Recently test drove a 2020 RLX Sport Hybrid. I think this is one severely underrated and overlooked car. The only real knock I could give it was the infotainment system, which looked about 15 years old. Otherwise the Krell sounded fabulous. The car was solid and quiet and incredibly powerful. Our tester was pewter with the Seacoast interior, and the colors were stunning.

At present I am waiting on a write up from the sales guy, but want to get feelers on what folks think these should go for. He did say Honda had $10k back on the car, but when they have that kind of incentive they usually want to start from MSRP, while I start from invoice. I think current invoice on the hybrid is around $58k, plus $10k off is $48k.

Are people getting lower offers than this when buying?

At monthend, i got 25% off list on the RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD -- they offered me $11,000 Mfg's dealer incentive rebate, plus another $4,750 discount on the $62,900 MSRP (15750 / 62900=25.04%).
I am very happy.

 

[Daryl]

I ended up buying the Sport Hybrid. Final price (before TTL) was invoice - $11k ($47.7k), plus high-wall winter mats and cargo net thrown in for free.

I am also happy - very happy. Wonderful car, awesome Krell audio, and even the most maligned feature (the outdated infotainment setup) isn't as bad as I set myself up to believe. Sure, the graphics are a little behind-the-times, and operation is a bit confusing at first, but it's easy to learn and the functionality is all there.

This one's a keeper, and being a Honda, hoping for 12 years with it (at which point I'll be 67 and retiring).

 

[mrgold35]

Congratulation!

We are both around the same age and I'm also expecting +10 years of +29 mpgs and 4.9 seconds of 0-60 times.

Since the RLX is discontinued, now would be the time for any accessories you are thinking about getting like rear spoiler, cargo mat, or spare tire kit. All those accessories will be gone forever in a few years.

I installed the spare tire kit at time of purchase and ended up getting a non-repairable pinch flat in the sidewall hitting a winter pothole two days later. Wasn't the best part of town to leave the RLX; but, I was on my way in 30 minutes with the spare. I'm glad I had the spare because it took Discount Tires over a week to order and schedule an install. Getting that flat pushed my decision to get aftermarket rims because it's extremely hard to find and expensive to replace one OEM rim if I bent/cracked one on the next pothole.