hey everyone, im new here and have been looking into getting a used RL or TL.. my main concern is reliability, and since ill be moving to michigan somewhat soon, i was wondering if anyone had experience w/ these cars in serious winters.. i wont be driving too much, so i wasnt terribly concerned abt the snow, but if it's a major problem for these cars, i was also thinking of looking into some AWD SUV's like an '04 MDX or '02 4Runner.. one thing that's attractive abt the RL is its price-- a 2004 RL w/ equal mileage is approx. the same price as a 2004 TL.. im guessing the RL's steep depreciation is b/c they just dont sell well?.. i dont mind so much that they may be a bit slow in comparison to the TL, b/c neither of those are going to feel as fast as the Trans Am I have now .. i plan on leaving the TA in TX b/c i think it'd be impractical to take that to michigan... im also looking for a change-- a noiseless ride w/ a good bit of luxury would be nice.. the fact that the RL is not a dime a dozen is big plus.. i also like the old bodystyle.. the TL is clearly the more popular pick, and i feel it speaks for itself.. ive def. been a fan ever since they revamped it for '04.. again, my main concern is reliability, and both the RL and TL seem to be equally reliable based on reviews i've seen.. thought id come here for some more input... thanks in advance!

 

If its between the 04 TL and 04 RL, i'd say TL. Much faster, fuel efficient car with all the tech goodies. The 2004 RL is more of an older man's car (no offense). If it was between an 04 TL and an 05 RL, i'd say RL, SHAWD kick butt.

 

04 TL man....that year RL is sooo dated.

 

suprising as this may be coming from a TL owner....go with the RL more luxurious, AWD for those michigan winters and more then enough power to keep you happy

 

He is looking at a 1G RL that did not have AWD i believe.

 

Lol....This was EXACTLY what I was going to say on this thread when I saw the title. 3G TL FTW!

 

If it was an 06 RL I'd say no contest. The 04 is the 1st gen...blah! The 05 is the first year model of the 2nd gen and they had a lot of problems that got worked out in 06. The 2nd gen RL is definitely a sweet car I used to be really envious of my dad's ride, but now that I got my 08 TL-S he is the one envious of my ride I'd say either look for an 06 RL or an 05 TL...my general rule of thumb is to stay away from a car the first year model that it is out. Good luck

 

surprisingly, i actually like the RL's first gen look more than the curvy shape it has now ..the only thing that concerns me a bit about the TL is that its built in ohio as opposed to japan.. ive heard things about the fit & finish not being as consistent as it is on the RL.. and also that the reliability in general may suffer a bit in comparison to the RL.. is this something i need to worry about?.. i went the website below to get some reliability rankings and RL and TL both rank 2 and 3 (for luxury cars), respectively, so that makes me feel better about the TL:

http://www.autooninfo.net/Reliabilit...caleLuxury.htm

i do agree the first gen RL looks a bit like an old-man's car, and being that im only 24, id probably look a bit out of place in it.. i like how the TL's look and drive, however, sometimes i feel like i see them too much on the road.. it'd be nice to have something unique for a change.. does the TL's ESL surround sound audio beat out the Bose in the '04 RL?.. i still have yet to test drive a first gen RL.. i need to do that soon!.. thanks again for the responses.. please keep them coming!

 

my mistake i for some reason thought 04 RL was the 2nd gen

 

since im buying used im hoping to drive this car 100K+...here's one review i was looking at that kinda scared me:

http://www99.epinions.com/content_365120097924

i hope this car isn't just built to last through a leasing period and then crap out.. this is just one case so im not too worried, but have any of you experienced major problems before 80-100K?.. i havent heard too many complaints about the first-gen RL, specifically the '04, but then again not many ppl bought them so not as much feedback..

 

I would not trust any of those reviews after reading this one

http://www.epinions.com/content_160460148356

04 Type S? no such beast

 

lol yea i saw that.. seemed pretty bogus.. you guys have any testimonies regarding the TL holding up well to 80-100K and beyond (as in no major problems)? ..how do the first-gen RL's hold up at this mileage?.. whenever i think of the first-gen RL's, i compare them to the Legends as far as reliability goes.. that safe to assume or no?.. the bread/butter of the acura/honda line cars are built here, so can anyone offer a comparison, based on personal experience, b/w the cars built in japan and ones built here?(i figure someone out there owns both a first-gen RL and third-gen TL! ).. thanks again for the input