2004 TL vs. 2004 RL

[Roland]

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 depreciate so quickly only b/c they 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!

[Ballinger]

You can get the 05 & 06 RL's with the SH-AWD system and more bells & whistles than you can imagine, for under $25k as an Acura Certified right now. You might do well to bump your model year up one and score the nice AWD...same for MDX: '05 is the SH-AWD start.

[Spade]

yeh, if traction in snow is what you need then get the newer RL.

I've lost traction on a rainy day with the 1997 RL with casual driving from a stop