I went to my insurance company today to have my new RL added to my policy. The girl wanted to know what kind of car it was - I told her an 'Acura'. She said, yes, but who makes it. I told her Acura does. I said Acura is owned by Honda, so she writes Honda Acura. I asked do you write Toyota Lexus for Lexus owners. I told her Acura is a seperate division so she changed the name to Acura.

I think this is one of the problems that Acura has, but it doesn't bother me. I don't buy a car for name recognition, but some people do. I'd prefer that most people don't know I have a $50,000 car.

 

I think the girl just knew nothing about cars. Most people I know know what an Acura is and they're not car nuts like I am.

And like you said, sometimes its nice that people don't know what you have. Although I have a feeling quite a number of buyers in this price range want a car with more road presence, or just presence in general.

 

When I owned my '04 TL, I went to an office party and one of my co-workers said she saw me drive up in my gray Honda. I couldn't figure it out. Basically, the TL has standout styling and doesn't really look like anything in the Honda lineup, so I kept thinking about why someone would confuse the two. My theory is that the symbol for Honda and Acura are too similar. Toyota and Lexus have totally different symbols, which allows them to further differentiate the brands.

I also agree with you both re: not really wanting people to know I drive a $50k car. I owned an SC430 at one time and other drivers were downright rude when I was driving it. "Stealth luxury" is fine by me.

 

I too am a fan of "stealth luxury" which RL epitomizes. Only problem is when a close friend or family member has the nerve to ask how much, then you say, $50k and they drop jaw. Most people just do not get that the RL is as good or better car than the big name luxury brands so they just figure that you overpaid. You have to be secure in your values to spend this kind of money without getting the prestige.

 

I know what you mean. I started telling them "$30k." That's still more than my buddies are willing (or able) to pay for a car.

Add me to the list of "stealth luxury" guys. This RL fits my needs and wants very nicely in that respect.

 

I'm in the stealth luxury category as well.

When I got the Lexus IS300 back in June 2000 I had everyone checking the car out since at the time it was a new hot car....I didn't like the attention.

 

Excellent assessment, and very true.

 

I had a real struggle on this issue, thinking that I wanted that added recognition, a bit like "If I'm going to drop $50k on a car, I want people to know!" I started by shopping Jaguars. I drove a couple of used 2-3 year old used ones and was instantly cured - squeaks, rattles, water leak, and a feel not much better than my Chrysler 300M.

Ah, but then I made the mistake of stopping at the Acura dealership, got infected by the RL and I had to figure out what I really wanted. I am SO happy with my choice!

Ok, so I'll admit that my wife's car, a bright red 2002 Ford Thunderbird, satisfies my need for a head-turning car. It isn't near the car that my RL is, but it has its own special magic and appearance is a big part of that.

 

Perhaps you should consider a different agent? My State Farm agent only employs men and women, I've never had to deal with girls (or boys) nor would I want either to be handling something as important as my auto/home insurance.

As to your other point, I completely agree - I don't buy my vehicles out of any sense of perceived status/name recognition/what have you so I don't really care what other people think.

 

She was really a young woman, but at my age she seemed like a girl.

 

Hell, at MY age they almost ALL seem like girls.

 

I hear you. I alternate between my FX and my RL going back and forth to work, and although the FX consistently turns heads it is the RL that I look forward to driving.

Short story about being secure in one's values... One of my recent co-workers just retired at 47 years old. She and her husband are multi-millionaires. She is on her second MDX and thinks it is the greatest thing since sliced bread. When I had my SC430, she always said it was "too small and too flashy" for her! Just goes to show you, some of the wealthiest people are some of the most conservative in their purchases. For them, it's not about image or the

 

what pisses me off is how people who are older than me (i'm 24) call me nuts and crazy for buying this car because it's worth more than 2 of their cars combined. so what if i drive a nice car, yea my last car was nice too ('04 TL), but if i can afford this and i want it, why not get it? it' snot my fault they aren't financially responsible to afford something like this and enjoy it like i do.
i don't even tell people how much it is, if they really want to know, they can go look it up on the internet or something. i've seen quite a few jawas drop because of this car (due to price or the fact that it's the hottest car out there).

 

You know, I don't even think about name recognition because I have cars with name recognition. Trust me that status crap don't mean nothing when you have to bring the car in for service all the time. I really like this car because of all the technology and features. The ride and feel are on par compared to those status symbols.
My family knows that I look for cars that perform, have great resale value and stay out of the shop. You can beleive that my friends are looking at the RL because they understand that I am anal about having to go in the shop. Many people are surprised when I say yeah the RL does that but my Porsche and SL dont do that. In fact, my neighbor acroos the street has an '03 RL and shouted out that he was coming over this week to check it out. I told him just let me know and I will give him the key!

 

That is a reason I love my 04 RL ! Most folks say "who is that made by" ???? I never knew Acura made that...... Love the exclusiveness every day that goes by............