Acura RL Purchase & Maintenance Advice

First post for me to this group. My wife's 91 Accord Wagon Ex with
215k miles is probably going to be totaled due to an accident that
crushed the lower PS qtr panel, doors, and front fender ($5k damage by
appraiser). Thank God, my family came out of it without a scratch.

I am looking at buying a auctioned 2000 Acura RL with 46,000 miles, as
a replacement. It sounds like a good deal at $18k, but the carfax
report shows it spent it's life in New York state, so immediately I'm
thinking rust ptroblems. Is this car better about rust resistance than
my old Honda. Should this be an issue in the decision?

How easy/hard are the Acura RLs for a home mechanic to work on? I did
most of the maintenance on the Accord and just replaced the
distributor, ignitor, coil, brake master cylinder, oil pump O ring,
and axles. I only have 2 dealers within 50 miles of me, so it won't go
to the dealer shop unless its a last resort. I'm also thinking about
getting the Acura Certified Used Car extra warranty for this car.

Thanks,
Gregg 91 Accord Wagon-wrecked 92 & 66 Toyota Land Cruiser