vas25tl

Had no idea. I don't think I've been in my back seat.

Ken1997TL

I've never sat in the back seat either. Come to think of it, I don't think I've sait in the front passenger seat either except maybe to clean out the glovebox

vas25tl

I've definitely been in the passenger seat.

When we go out, the wife drives home

ryk

Y'all are gonna LOL at me and disown me from az... I never even knew the front headrests tilt till I read hatch's post.

R_R4

Really? I thought the back seat was the reason people bought large cars like the RL. Gives you more room to..... (let your imaginations run wild) Leather cleans up real easy too

vas25tl

Maybe I'm getting old but I'd rather be at home for those extracurricular activities.

OLD_HATCH

Lol
You know what I don't think its listed in the owners manual either? The front seats are but I don't think the rears are.

Everyone go play with your rear headrests and find out

ryk

The lady I bought the car from didn't know that the center armrest has a secondary storage area. I didn't know either... till last week.
I'm guessing it was closed sooooo long that the magnet formed one helluva bond cuz it was hard as hell to open.
I've had the car over a year and I'm still learning things.

khughes44

Hi Guys. Can I join you for T&C? I just bought a '99 RL with 129000 km (about 80,000 miles.) Runs great and its a joy to drive. My regular car is an '08 Mitsubishi Eclipse. It's lowered and goes like heck, but it can be a bone shaker. In comparison, the RL feels like a living room on wheels.

Lots of good info in this forum. I appreciate the enthusiasm you guys have for your cars. I've liked the Acuras for a long time. I had an '88 Integra which I bought new, and '91 Integra, and several Accords, an Odyssey and a Pilot since then. All have been great. Best of all is my Dad's '92 Legend Coupe. He replaced an '87 Legend Coupe with it and my Mum is still driving it today. 19 years of flawless performance. Regular maintenance and a couple sets of tires have been her only expenses.

khughes44

I am also looking at this one to replace my Eclipse. Only 50k miles...

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/va...333209737.html

Thoughts?

ellover009

Just save your pennies and get yourself a 2nd gen.

khughes44

Really? I am also looking at an '05 RL, 50K miles. Cost is 20K but it is in super condition, AWD etc. I've hear great thing about the 1st gen., not so much about 2nd.

ellover009

06 rl if you can find one cheap enough. Heard stories about the 05 and the propeller shaft and some other things. Improvements in 2nd gen can be shawd for bad weather handling, nice nav screen and some other nice things. The 04 rl is nice but it just feels like it's too much money for a car that's too similar to the first rl that came out 15 yrs ago, I know they improved some things but in the end it's still the soul of the same front heavy fwd vehicle. If it was closer to 12K and lower I can see it working. Then again it's all perceived value, I always hated how the ls430 had similar fuel economy yet they had a v8.

R_R4

So I just finished my last uni exam for the term yesterday (corporate finance).

I havn't worked on my car since December

Today I'm using that 3M headlight restore kit (using my drill) on the headlights and foglights to get rid of the haze and to restore the clarity.

My car has 183K highway miles, and those headlights really give it away.

Here's a tutorial for a '99 RL that I found online. BIG difference. Like new

http://www.jonathanbull.com/2010/03/...storation.html








Wish me luck

ryk

Good luck! And thanks for the tutorial. I might just have to give it a shot.

vas25tl

That looks great!


Well, the RL is officially for sale on Craigslist. I am going to look at a one owner 2005 Lexus ES330 with nav tomorrow. The deal is to good to pass up and it's regular gas and gets 29 on the hwy.

I might give the Lexus to the wife and I'll drive our Scion (After I put a roof rack and 19" TRD wheels on it). I don't know yet.

OLD_HATCH

I know what you mean. This 18mpg is killing me. I've never gotten higher tthan 23 highway and that was doing 65-70 or so. The wife's 4 cyl Accord is a lifesaaver. Still gets 30some MPG highway.

vas25tl

That's pretty much my biggest problem. I'm also at 147K miles, I feel that if I go over the 150 mark, I'll have to keep it longer.

The ES has 90K miles on it, one owner, all maintenance has been done at the Lexus dealer and you know only old people drive those things.

Kind of like our RL's. That's what makes it such a great used purchase

Ken1997TL

I haven't driven the RL much lately

I might have to sell it. Only 64xxx miles.

vas25tl

Selling it due to not driving it?

The battery died in the TL and the drive shaft needs to be replaced...I think it's coming close to an end....259K miles right now

OLD_HATCH

I'm not much of a new car man myself. Its paid for and I rather pay a couple hundread a month on upkeep than being stuck on payments.

vas25tl

I'm the same way but I also never have a car longer than a year....the RL has been around for 15 months. The payment is going to be so small on the Lexus, the gas $ alone will make up for it.

Ken1997TL

True, I needed the extra practicality though. The wagon offers plenty of that plus luxury/fun to drive factor.

As for the RL, whoever buys it will get a low mileage and reliable car in immaculate shape. A pity the seats don't fold down though.. My wife doesn't want it and still drives her TL while I put together an original Mini. Might be another six months before I get it finished.

onebadna1nsx

Awww everyone's moving away from RL ownership.... I may also because i'm looking at an Elise right now. I feel ya guys on the gas :/

I miss my RL though, been a few days in the shop after getting hit and runn-ed.

R_R4

I support the upgrade to the ES. They are just as smooth as the RL out on the open road. Actually, my buddy took for for a drive when he got his mid October last year..... a week and a half later and I had my RL in the driveway and said goodbye Accord! LOL

I miss the gas mileage, but it's nice having a car that's easy enough to do maintenance on yourself. But then, so is the lexus.

I pose as a 03-04 RL with my red clear tails. If I could find a 03-04 lexus anything for what I paid for my RL, I'd probably take it too.

I've been running on midgrade these days, and fill up on premium every 2 tankfuls. I've noticed no change in MPG, as I never take the car above 3K rpm. I'd never fill regular in it though.

GL with the Lexus man, they're built well, and were made in Japan in '05, if my memory serves me correctly.

vas25tl

How is the new TSX wagon? I sat in it at the auto show and I am a big fan..

sdwtchlvr

Yeah, the MPG on the doesn't really make sense as the other makes in the same class with V8 engines get similar or better mileage. BUT, nothing beats the bang for the buck of the RL. If I were to pick up a 2002 LS430, I'd be spending $15k vs the $5k for my RL. I will own a LS someday as I love those cars but until I can afford to pay cash for it, my RL will do just fine. Great comfy car!

Ken1997TL

Loving it! Feel free to ask specific questions.

Fun to drive (feels exactly like the sedan) great gas mileage, the sound system is amazing. Better than the 2nd gen RL or 3rd gen TL in my opinion. It is just as quiet as the RL and I think it rides a little smoother. Firm but keeps the major bumps isolated.

vas25tl

From what I've read/researched, you shouldn't fill up with mid grade as it's not commonly used like 87 or premium. Often times, the gas in the tanks will be much older which could in turn have an effect on your MPG's and overall performance.

They are made in Japan That's why I'm looking at it.

I agree that the RL is a great bang for the buck but I wouldn't necessarily compare it to a LS430. I have looked at 01-04 LS430's previously and the cars aren't in the same segment. The Lexus is RWD, V8, larger, smoother and more comfortable than the RL. You get what you pay for

I really want to go test drive one. How do you feel about the size of the trunk/hatchback? I feel like it's much larger than other wagons out there and should do well in this segment.

I just love how it looks. I've been waiting for it to come to the US.





I'm selling the RL tomorrow morning and will be left vehicle less. This should be an interesting week, I hope to find a car soon. May look at the ES330 tonight if it will finally be at the dealership.

Ken1997TL

The trunk area is huge with those seats folded down. My wife and I did an Ikea run, put two bookshelves that were just under 6 feet long in the back and drove 300 miles. We got just over 31 mpg on that trip which has mountain passes for half of that distance. The car was stable and even fun to drive with all that junk in the back.

vas25tl

That's awesome.

I want 31mpg

vas25tl

The Lexus is finally available to look at. I'm leaving work at 3:30. I hope everything works out so I can pick it up by Wednesday evening.

I just can never get to my tire guy with my Scion to get the snow tires off. I finally took it to work today with the tires and now have to do something else.

OLD_HATCH

so did you sell the RL?

vas25tl

Well I still have it but I am meeting the buyer at my bank tomorrow morning to do the paperwork and take the monies


Then I will walk my ass to work

vas25tl

Well I looked at the ES330 last night.... I did not like how it drove at all. The RL is a much better vehicle and I can't find anything else that really interests me.

I feel terrible but I had to tell my buyer that I can't sell him my car. I have decided I will keep it for a while. It's paid off and in great condition. Getting into it after the ES330 made me realize how good of a car it really is and how great it's been. I'm going to do some maintenance on it and keep driving it.

Need to change the transmission fluid and get my struts looked at, otherwise it doesn't need anything.

Just for fun, here are some pics from my listings. I can't believe how well the interior has held up after 9 years and 147K miles.

silver3.5

That's one clean and problem free car. Glad you decided to keep it. The ES330 is too bland and boring on the road; I like the ES350's body a little bit more.

Ken1997TL

The ES3xx is just about the most boring vehicle to drive. It has the isolated feel of yesterday's Buicks.

vas25tl

The es330 is definitely a boring car, but hey, the RL isn't quite that exciting either.

I was just really surprised at the quality of the ride. The RL is much smoother and more comfortable.

There were a few things that the Lexus caught my eye with:

Mark Levinson sound
Navigation system
Gas mileage
Reliability
Price

I was disappointed by ML sound, the GS430 I had as a demo a few years ago was much better and the GS400 I had with Nakamichi was leaps above the the ES330.

I can live without GPS so it's not a deal breaker - that was a plus more for resale

Gas mileage - whatever

The RL is just as reliable

Overall it's not a bad car but felt cheap compared to the RL. Cheap as in the drive, not the quality of the interior, that I liked. I'm also a tall guy and the Lexus felt smaller. And I HATED the fact that the cd changer was in the center council. What a waste of space.

I like ES350's better too but this one was $11,500 which I thought was an excellent price for the vehicle but it doesn't feel like a car that's worth 2x more than my current RL.

R_R4

Amen to that. Glad you kept it.

OLD_HATCH

didnt want to say I told you so.........

lol