I really like the 330i. That car is hot. Or a rx 330 hybrid would be sweet. The gas mileage in that thing is great I hear. My wife got rid of her TL and we got an 06 mdx touring with nav and love it. Do you like the Z at all. I think that is one of the best looking cars on the outside but am not crazy about the interior.

 

I like the Z, not the interior, but it is too low for me to use it in the winter with snow.

The RX400h is a good car, but I know we wouldn't keep it long enough for it to be worth the savings in gas.

 

Yea forgot about your location. Even in northern va the zs can suck in the winter. You always see a poor guy or girl trying to get up a hill. Forgot that the 300 is called a 400h. It was out of our price range but I love all the lexus Rxs. The fit and finish even the leather is awsome.You might laugh at this but have you drove a new style legacy. Does it come in manual. That thing looks sweet and gets good write ups I think?

 

VW Golf R32?

http://www.channel4.com/4car/road-te.../golf/r32.html

 

I looked at the Lexus SUV a couple of weeks ago, but can't get too excited about a utility vehicle, no matter how nice it is. I don't want everybody to ride with me at lunch! The RL pretty well fits the bill for what I want in a vehicle...a relatively smallish (but not too much so), stylish and competent sedan. The IS350 I saw in the showroom seemed rather small...they only had one, and it was sold, therefore locked.

I know you're wanting AWD, but what about a Lexus GS430? I haven't priced one out, but figure that trading my RL would put me right back where I was financially when I purchased the RL in June...that is to say, owing the same or more by opting for a Lexus tricked out similar to the RL...and being philosophical regarding the financial loss with trading so soon.

 

Well - I really want somethign smaller. Actually I have a decent deal with the dealer here... invoice on the RX330 AND the IS350 at 2k off, but it is red and I didn't really want red. That is all they have and all they can get for a couple months.

 

...thought I'd mention something in the disclaimers at the back of the GS catalog...

"Tires fitted with 17 or 18 inch wheels are expected to experience greater tire wear than conventional tires. Tire life may be substantially less than 20,000 miles (GS300) or 15,000 miles (GS430), depending on driving conditions."

Also: on the GS430...""pad life may be less than 20,000 miles, and brake rotor life may be less than 50,000 miles depending on driving conditions."

Oouuch$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!

Heh.

 

Whats wrong with an MDX - best family vehicle I've ever owned.

 

Oh, nothing wrong with the MDX. My comment was more that he would be happy if I got any other Acura

The MDX is actually very nice and a pretty good bargain. I can't wait to see what it looks like when re-designed next year

 

What was the deal on the RX330? What were they going to offer for the RL? TIA

 

Didn't talk to them about the RL. I plan on selling it privately.

The RX330 originally was 40,5xx. Came down to 39,500.

 

I've read that Infiniti is updating the G35 for 2007. Not sure if the coupe is being intro'd before the sedan or not. I'm thinking about getting an RL myself, but kind of want to wait to see what the Infiniti refresh is like. I think it is obvious that they'll update the looks...I'm more interested in an engine update to get the MPG up and perhaps increase performance and refinement. Perhaps that is wishfull thinking.

Anyway, thought I'd mention the 2007 G35 just in case you feel like waiting a few more months...

 

Well, I put a deposit down on an IS350. I was offered 36,500 for trade-in on the RL. But, I will try to sell it before taking delivery of the IS350. He originally said he could only get a red IS350, but I don't like the red so my other two choices he said he was going to find for me (blue or silver with black interior)

 

How much is an IS350 going for?

 

I guess most people are getting generally sticker price...with a few as high as 2k off. I got 2k off my IS350 and sticker on the RX330. We are also trading in our lease on our old RX300.

 

You have no issues going from AWD to RWD? I guess the RX330 will be used a lot in the winter.

 

I was concerned about RWD, but I will put snow tires on and with VDIM I will be fine. RX330 isn't for me. I can drive it, but she will drive it almost always.

 

I have also put my RL for sale! Let's see if we get lucky!

 

I would go for the IS350 hands down . Back in October, I place an order for Lexus IS350 w/ Navigation / Mark Levinson / and Sports Package. I then canceled it because I couldn’t wait another 4 to 5 months for the special order and plus the 2005 Acura RL were going for $41,500. I’ve driven the IS350 3 times, and all 3 times I have a blast. It’s VERY quick. If it weren’t for the long wait, I would probably be driving the IS350. VP911, how did you get them to knock off $2000 on the IS350? Is the deal only for certain packages: Luxury Package / Nav / Mark Levinson? Or because of your lease renewal?

 

Glad to hear you would have bought it also I got 2k off because I was getting the RX330 at the same time. He would have given it to me for any of the IS350s they had or they could get. Also because they are trying to hit high numbers for the end of the year. I picked up the RX330 earlier today and it looks great

 

Vik, When you originally bought the RL, did you make a conscious decision to sacrifice sportiness for comfort? I've read a few posts where owners explain that they've become bored driving the RL and are looking for more of a driving experience.

IS 350

(Nice looking car but seems too small for me. I'm going to check one out next week to satisfy my curiosity.)

Thanks.

Mod edit: vp911. fixed URL.

 

Not really. My decision at the time was rushed and heavily influenced by safety features. The TL accident occured and then I was scrambling to get a new car and I realized how important the crash test ratings were to me. I saw the RL named as one of the three safest vehicles ever built and I jumped on it.

 

I went from an RSX Type-S to a 3G 6MT TL under similar circumstances. Car totalled, I was rushing to get a new one, and a used TL just came in off a lease meeting my exact specifications so I jumped on it. Although I really like the TL, I miss my RSX. It was the first car I owned that I really loved. It took me six months to decide on getting it.

 

What you need is a SECOND car Sit on the RL and spend your money on a real sportscar. You can pick up a used Z06 with all the neato gadgets and more power then you'll know what to do with for 29-35K!

Sedans are cool and all, but they aren't sportscars. I pretty much treat my RL like a taxi: I use it to haul people and stuff. I drive it daily in Manhattan (where I live) without worrying about it. The poor torque and mediocre power don't bother me, and I have no plans to mod my car. Why? Because I have a big silver Corvette money pit sitting in the garage. When it's nice out I can take that car out put all 400rwhp down to the pavement and scare the crap out of myself.

Don't go back into some boring SUV or sedan, get something with balls!

-N

 

Too late. I dropped the RL off to the transport company earlier today.

 

How much did you end up getting for the RL? How did you sell it? Just wondering, I am not thinking of selling my.

 

All things taken into account $39,400 with warranty reimbursement. I am satisfied. Although, a lot of people have called me since the sale - I am almost starting to get the feeling I could have gotten more with so many people asking. cars.com and autotrader.com were where all the leads came from. Funny thing, I got a notice from acura about a product improvement - tire valve cap replacements. I will drop those in the mail so the buyer can replace those.

 

What is a "warranty reimbursement"? You got a pro-rated refund of unused warranty? The buyer didn't want the extended coverage...isn't it transferable?

 

It looks like you got a fair price. When is the IS350 arriving? When you were selling your car on cars.com etc…. hopefully the cashiers check did not bounce back. My friend was selling his car and he got at least 3 fake cashiers checks via mail. It was not pretty!
Good luck to you with your new purchase! Let us know when you will be trading your IS350 for “Unnamed (Acura) Sports Car” ~$40-50k price range, sub NSX. Just kidding!

 

It is transferable - but the buyer did not want it.

 

A Honda dealer ended up buying the RL. I am not worried about payment, there was a $1,000 deposit check that will clear next week (I called the bank to verify) the remaining money was sent via a wire transfer - so the vast majority of the money is in my posession.

 

Also, I don't plan on trading in again for 3 years. Let's see if I can do it. People are already placing bets that I will go through 2 more cars in the next 18 months.

 

Maybe by then (3 years) a new RL V-8 will be available.

Good luck! Let us know if IS350 satisfies all your expectations.

 

You stated that you want a very safe car and that's why you got the RL. How does the IS350 rate in crash test ratings and how does it compare to the RL?

 

No crash test ratings for the IS yet. I make the assumption it will be safe as Lexus has done a good job in the past with their safety ratings. E.g. the IS has knee airbags for both driver and pass. Hopefully I will never have to find out how safe it is.

 

wow vik you got an IS350? do post pics and lt us know what options you went with

 

It won't be here till probably the end of the month, unfortunately. When I get it, I will post pics. I am scrambling to find a cheap POS car to drive for the next month. I would rather buy something for 2-3k instead of paying 800 for a rental car for a month. This way, if anything were to happen to either of our cars, we could still have something to drive in the future. Suggestions for this are welcome.

Options ontop of the base IS350:
Luxury package which includes:
18" wheels
HID + Adaptive headlights
Heated/Ventilated seats
Wood interior (I wanted the aluminum, but it doesn't come with the package)
Power tilt/telescoping wheel
Driver AND passenger memory seats
Illuminated door sills
Power rear sunshade
Rear sensing wipers
Intuitive front and rear park assist
Navi (of course)
Mark levinson audio system with dvd/cd changer
dvd-audio and dvd-video
Preferred accessory pacakge
All weather mats
rear lip spoiler

 

Your IS sound like a pretty interesting auto............what was the damage (cost) on that nicely packaged vechile?

 

Vik, if you buy yourself an old used Civic Si, you can have a blast driving it for the month, it will be decent in the snow and it should be really easy to sell once your IS arrives.

 

Sticker is $45k. I will get 2k off.