I love my RL's visibility, how solid it is over rough patches, the 'heavy' feel it has on the freeway and of course, how quiet it is. Oh and it has a great stereo (which I have tastefully improved)

What a great freeway car

Lets hear what you have to say!

 

I agreed with you on the RL's viability and my sister 09 camry has the worst visibility so far lol. What I hate about this car is the gas mileage, just ridiculous for v6 only with 210hp.

 

It's a heavy car (3900+ pounds) with torque equipped with a 4 speed auto

On the other hand, i rarely have to downshift to 3rd even in the mountain passes. But yes, a manual transmission like the Legend's 6 speed would have been nice and I'm sure high 20's would have been possible. I get 25 mpg on a good day.

 

The buttery smoothness, quietness (especially since my fun car is a S2000) and it's classic understated looks from all angles.

 

If it was a 5-speed auto trans, I'd agree that it's a good hwy cruiser. I just wish the RPM's would be lower in the 75-80mph range, it would really help with fuel economy. 19mpg for the past few months has been a little ridiculous. I may as well have gotten an MDX for the space and I'd be getting the same mileage. Hoping I get back to the 21-23 range when the weather clears up.


What do I like most about the RL? The exclusiveness. I like the fact that I can go days without seeing another 1st gen RL out there. It's something I've liked about most cars I've owned.

I also like the stock BOSE stereo. The only car prior to this that I didn't do anything to the stereo in was my 1999 Lexus GS400 which had Nakamichi sound.

The reliability is a huge thing for me. I like owning a car that just needs oil changes for the most part. I got the RL right after about $3K in service work so it's been very worry free for the 19K miles I've put on it so far

 

I concur. The other thing I really-really-really like is the comfortability if this thing. It just feels so damn good.

 

I would agree if I was like 3" shorter... my damn knee is always in the dash

 

I agree. The last time I saw a 1G RL was 3 weeks ago. And the last time I saw a black one was back in December. We only have 7 RLs up for sale on autotrader in our state from 96-04. And I've never seen a 03-04 RL in person. Mine looks like the only one in the area, since I cheated with the clear tails Exclusive for sure!

 

1st gen RLs are all over the northwest and northeast. Interesting.

 

They are very rare up here. 2nd gen as well.

There are a lot of 3G TL's though.

 

Major dislike:
-horrible mpg (15 cities/21 highways/17 combined)

Likes:
-great highway cruiser (heavy car) but yet with a bit of sportiness when needed
-excellent visibility for someone who is only 5'5"
-dash layout is easy and simple to use and understand
-classic styling and exclusivity (only 2 RLs in a 10 mile radius where I live)
-that "thug" sound when closing the doors
-interior material quality is one of the best i've seen

 

actually, one of the things i don't like about the RL is the stock Bose system. it has the nice tweeter and midrange for classic and soft songs but no bass whatsoever for songs with bass. my old '95 Legend has better sounding bass with a perfect blend of tweeters/midrange. but the best stock bose system i've heard was my '93 Accord SE. that old clunker has awesome bass and a nice midrange.

 

The stock speakers and amp are fine in my opinion but a new headunit fixes the bass, it stays tight and can kick hard if you ask it to.

 

After the BOSE I had in my Mazda 6, this sounds great. Trust me.

 

then that wouldn't be stock anymore. plus, the bose system is a pain to work with.

compared to Nissans and Mazdas, it's quite good but quite bad compared to the older Legends.

 

Plug and play for me

 

I don't want to do anything after market. I want stock so people don't get tempted. My parking structure at work isn't the best.

 

PNP as in just taking out your Bose headunit and put in an aftermarket one? no slicing, bypassing, adding anything? and the speakers and amp....? still Bose or aftermarket? you gotta tell me how you did it then since we have the same car...i want to upgrade!

 

I bought a Kenwood x994 headunit and an adapter harness that allows you to keep the stock amplifier.

Here is what I got: http://www.pac-audio.com/productDeta...&CategoryID=26

 

I love the clean lines and classic styling. I love the armrest on the door where my elbow rests, it is so cushy.

When i think about how old this car is, i notice the chunkyness of the car and don't think about the age then.

I love how solid of a car it is. I had a 2000 that i got rid of to get a cheaper car, and that car i really missed and this was the 1st time i bought an identical car.

I wish i could get more than 19-20 mpg but i didn't buy this thing for fuel mileage.

 

I love how reliable it is. It used to be quiet for me, until i started messing with the sound system, but I can fix that with some nice deadener. I love the looks of it as well and there arent that many around here. I also love my heated seats. It makes the world of difference here in the winter.

I hate the gas mileage though, and the fact its a 4000lb car that is RWD and powered by a v6.

 

You know it's FWD, right?

 

Shh.. maybe he got that prototype that was RWD with a V8 and just has a 3.5 cover on the engine.

 

Key Ken, how you manage to get 25 mpg on this car! I got 17/19 which is really bad. I think is my driving habit I need to red line it every day I planning to change the spark plugs soon. Can I use NGK IX Iridium in this car, does it matter Iridium or Platinum?

 

You aren't going to get 25mpg if you red line your car.

In the summer, I get 23ish. I have gotten close to 25 if I don't go over 70mph and do mostly hwy driving.

I rarely go over 3K rpm's..

 

I'm always over 3k rpm. On the highway i think that's where i sit at. I normally do 75-85.

 

I would if I ever drove the car on weekends. Usually we take the Scion everywhere.

It's hard to get over 75 during rush hour.

 

I live in Oregon where the speed limit is 65 mph and heavily enforced. The back roads are 55 mph.

 

I like the classic lines of it. Its somehing that no matter how old it gets will still look good.

I avg around 18/19 mpg. When my wifes drives it thats usually more like 17/18. Only way to get around that might be to purchase some lightweight rims with tires that are slightly larger than oem combos. That will essentually lengthen your gearing and se you at lower rpms. Unfortunaely I have no idea how that would affect the vsa system.


I like people ask what it is, and take second looks at it. Everyime we go out my kids are like," Look dad there staring at your car again!" lol

 

Wow did i really say that? Of course I know its FWD, i had to replace the stupid half shafts when I got the car lol. Fail on my part

 

I swapped a LS1 into it

 

it actually a front wheel drive vehicle

 

i like the smoothness of the drive, i really dont care about the fuel bc every time i drive it im redlining it from first to second to third etc. the one thing i hat is that the double din dash kit for the car is $250. crazy

 

one day i left my rl at the shop getting remote starter upgrade, so i was driving my friends mitsubishi 3000, my kids were in the back complaining about the ride comfort and they are only 3 and 4. lol

 

1. Sleek elegant Classy look
2. Solid built vehicle
3. 100% Japan made
4. Quite in the cabin
5. 04 Stereo
6. 04 Navi
7. Reliabililty
8. 04 consumer report ratings (All 5) "bullet proof"
9. Excellent Air conditioning system
10. 04 thick leather seats
11.exclusive model (people have asked me what kind of BMW or MB it was....LOL) now that's exclusive....
12. I've yet to bring it back to the dealership in 7 years of ownership (bought brand spanking new with only 5 miles on the odo.....
13. Fine REAL wood dash

 

+1

I love how many people think I drive a benz. The 03-04 clear tails help with this considerably, as does the chrome trim.

It helps that our cars are black on black, the way real S class benz's are supposed to be

 

I don't have an RL but got its sibling, the TL.

When I see second gen Legend coupe and 1st gen RL (99-04) I almost break my neck staring at it. Even stock sticks out from rest of traffic like nothing else. Would like to buy one some day and ONLY in white.

 

Do you want mine?

 

I also like the understated appearance, fit and finnish is amazing, seats are great with quality leather, very qiuet, heavy feel on the road, nice power, bumped tire pressure to 34psi so little firmer ride, bose sound is great, one thing I wish the steering wheel was a little more substantial, its a little thin feeling, but thats about all I would change

 

After driving a rental truck (2011 dodge dakota with 104 miles on it) for 4 weeks/2100 mi, I definitely have a newfound appreciation for this car. It's got absolutely great visibility from every angle (but bubble mirrors on the sides still help), it looks wonderful, it rides smooth, and after 212,000 miles its interior is holding up spectacularly and the engine is still going. And the brakes! my rental had discs up front/drums in the rear and I guess I didn't realize how bad they were till i got my car back today. my brake pedal feels nice and solid; there's a lot of feel and no excess squishyness. and it feels like they're acting on the wheels right away, whereas on the truck i had to push the pedal in an inch or so before i felt like it was actually doing something; just instills a lot more confidence. The sound quality in this car is awesome, too. Upon plugging my ipod into the truck it sounded like the cabin was filled with mud; even my fiancee's 97 saturn sounds better than the dodge. also, our crusie control system and the light/turn signal/windshield washer stems are easy to use and feel well built (though this is the same setup as is in all hondas). The dodge's cruise control has to be turned on every time you turn the vehicle on, then there's another button to actually set it, but there's no light to tell you you're in cruise, only that the cruise control system is powered. and in the acura you can gently push in the pedal and feel clearly where the throttle is at so when you cancel the cruise you can stay going at the same speed if desired. the seats are incredibly comfortable too. only complaint i have is what bg24 mentioned; the steering wheel is a little thin.

Not so exclusive here in Baltimore; they're all over the place (just as it should be; it's a great car that everyone should have)