RL to TL
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 72
Likes: 1
From: san diego, ca
The only issue with the RL--aside from its sluggishness--was its resale value. I was going to sell my 04 MT for a new RL; I even had the dealer in Riverside accepting $39k sale price. I have no idea why the RL's resale values suffer in comparison to the TL. Last month I had a guy ready to buy my car for $26000; I bought it 3 years ago for 34,500; that means my retained 75% of its value.
By the way, Neuronbob, your silver TL is/was beautiful.
By the way, Neuronbob, your silver TL is/was beautiful.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 216
Likes: 1
From: Folsom, CA
I took a hard look at the RL vs TL before we bought our TL. It was a tough decision. There were some features in the RL that I really liked, but I preferred the styling of the TL over the RL. The RL looks good, but it is a bit conservative for my tastes, and I really don't like the front end styling. The headlights just look strange to me.
The bottom line for us was that we simply could not justify spending an extra $10k+ for the RL, especially when the TL was already such a great car for the money and had far more luxury in it than any car we ever bought before. The TL also gets better gas mileage, while feeling MORE snappier on the throttle than the RL. And while the RL has things like SH-AWD, directional headlights, etc., these extra mechanical items DO require maintenance and do break down eventually, so you have to balance features with maintenance costs IMO.
We don't live where it snows, we don't take corners at high speed, so it was also very hard to justify the performance benefits of SH-AWD.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a gadget freak, and the RL is sweet. But my practical side made me choose the TL, and after a year and a half of owning it, I'm still awed every time I get behind the wheel :-)
The bottom line for us was that we simply could not justify spending an extra $10k+ for the RL, especially when the TL was already such a great car for the money and had far more luxury in it than any car we ever bought before. The TL also gets better gas mileage, while feeling MORE snappier on the throttle than the RL. And while the RL has things like SH-AWD, directional headlights, etc., these extra mechanical items DO require maintenance and do break down eventually, so you have to balance features with maintenance costs IMO.
We don't live where it snows, we don't take corners at high speed, so it was also very hard to justify the performance benefits of SH-AWD.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a gadget freak, and the RL is sweet. But my practical side made me choose the TL, and after a year and a half of owning it, I'm still awed every time I get behind the wheel :-)