Anyone have one? I wanted one years back and then kind of forgot about them once I saw the LS400's. I saw one the other day and man did it look good. I think the LS400 has aged better but the RL was still a sharp looking car and it must be 10 plus years old now.
My neighbor has one, sharp looking car. He has some aftermarket 17" wheels on it as well. Sort of "beige" for my tastes though.
I drove one to Pittsburgh once. 
Never particularly exciting to me, but a well-balanced sort of a cruiser with Honda reliability.
RL's are a great long term car as long as fuel economy and driving dynamics aren't your priority. It truly is a better built, Japanese FWD Town Car. Comfortable, durable, capable as a long distance hauler. Expect high teens in hte city, mid 20's on the highway.
Also keep in mind, these are Japanese built cars and there is NO Honda here in the states built on the same platform so all the parts are expensive. Maintain one, and 300k miles is the norm. Go cheap, and you'll throw it away at 150k.
Common issues are headgaskets at 100-150k. EGR ports clog (disassemble the intake, don't bother buying a valve), Main relay goes bad at random, upper ball joints on the front (aftermarket parts call for TL upper arms and they don't fit). Rest of the car is solid.
These are longitudinal FWD as well right?
Correct. The rear of the trans is less than 3' from being RWD, then they run the power all the way up the side of the trans to a diff bolted to the passenger side of the block, run one axle through the oil pan, the other out the right side of the diff.
If it's anything like my Legend was, I agree with Bob that parts are expensive. And the Legend was a nightmare to work on, unlike other Honda's I've owned.
I've never driven one, but always thought about them. I think I get hung up on the FWD platform - to me a big luxury cruiser should be RWD. But then I should drive one before making that judgement.
I was surprised that they don't get any better gas mileage than an LS400 - in fact it's 1mpg worse on the highway. But the buy-in is lower; the RL for whatever reason has not held its value as well as the LS400/LS430. You can get a 2001 RL for ~$5000 without even trying but a 2001 LS430 would be tough to find in good shape for that price.
bravenrace wrote: If it's anything like my Legend was, I agree with Bob that parts are expensive. And the Legend was a nightmare to work on, unlike other Honda's I've owned.
Nightmare might be a little harsh, but it is a completely different vehicle. It shares absolutely nothing with any other Honda.
In reply to Bobzilla:
My Legend absolutely was a nightmare. The RL may be different.
my uncle bought a new one in the late 90's. it now has 250k on it and they keep it around for a spare vehicle, and is still a nice-ish car. couldn't say what all he's had to do to it over the years, but he drives higher end Hyundai's now, fwiw.
dculberson wrote: I've never driven one, but always thought about them. I think I get hung up on the FWD platform - to me a big luxury cruiser should be RWD. But then I should drive one before making that judgement.
The efficiency of a RWD car with the driving dynamics of a FWD car. Win win!!!
ProDarwin wrote: The efficiency of a RWD car with the driving dynamics of a FWD car. Win win!!!
LOL
Srsly though, the cost to replace an oil pan gasket is staggering. You'll just put down cardboard on the garage floor and top it up from time to time.
conesare2seconds wrote:ProDarwin wrote: The efficiency of a RWD car with the driving dynamics of a FWD car. Win win!!!LOL Srsly though, the cost to replace an oil pan gasket is staggering. You'll just put down cardboard on the garage floor and top it up from time to time.
Yep, there is no gasket, the price is ALL labor. Cradle, exhaust, diff, rack all have to come out to replace it.
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