SLegacy99

You would.

jwong77

amazing how even back in Acura's heyday, their top of line model was considered competition for BMW and Lexus's entry level models.

On a separate note, that infiniti j30 had a great interior, but the exterior is atrocious.

Diemellz

those words stay with Lexus in every comparo...

i think the J30 was ahead of its time, overall it was an damed good car, followed by the Legend and ES

Fizzboy7

WOW! I totally remember reading that article a million times. I just got my driver's license and my car interest was going 200 mph. I even remember reading it during a raging snow storm while up at Mammoth during Spring Break.
My mom ended up with the Legend, but the 929 was considered very closely. I think both cars were ahead of their time. It's weird to see what has aged fast and what has not. The J30 interior is a nice design even by today's standard.
Thanks so much for the memories! I think out of every comparison article I've ever read word for word, that one was probably the most useful at that time.

Vladi

Diamante has the most luxurios appointed and looking interior, dare to say ahead of its time. Yet they were complaining about too many ***** and switches, something that we will see in most upscale future Benzes, BMWs to come

I think Mistu tried to pull off Genesis but market was just not ready

DustinV

I agree. The Diamante was and still is a very unique design that for its time was very good-looking in my opinion. Even the successor model looked quite handsome (though not as handsome as the original).

1QWKGS4

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for bring back this article. My parent's grocery getter is a '92 Diamante - We still have since 1992! It still runs and has 120K miles on it..~! The car was pretty luxurious (it has leather seats, electronically adjustable euro-tuned suspension, magnesium wheels) 202HP in 1992 wasn't that bad in those days..

Faymester

10 cars in and around the $30k price point. I'm tempted to say there were probably only 10 cars elibible for this comparo.

Still neat though.

SLegacy99

Mmmmm, my roomate (Bboarder) hates it when we compare his white Legend with Beige running boards with the ES300 that has the same paint scheme. This article I am sure ruffled his feathers....but it made me grin from ear to ear

LexFather

I also was a huge fan of the Diamante. That model and the one after. I thought it had great looks in and out and a good engine. However it couldn't outshine anything here and even if its on par with the Acura/Lexus,well people bought the Acura/Lexus. I remember driving it and thinking of the ES the whole time.

I have great experience and admiration for the 929 as my family had a 92 and 95, loaded same color. Yes, it handles horrid and a couple times it scared me. However the RWD made it fun to drive and it helped teach me about RWD. The interior was different and built well and there was a ton of space inside. I think its the best looking here and has aged greatly. Like the Mitsu it is missing the badge.

I was a fan of the Pontiac at the time and this was before I knew they fell apart after a few years of ownership. I liked the look and colorstyle wheels and the interior appealed to me at the time I remember it being fast but the steering was from another planet. It was a big car as well.

The Legend is a Legend. As far as I am concerned its still the best Acura ever made. They took the Accord styling, enlarged it and made it timeless and it looks EXPENSIVE, like a RWD car. Real wood, quality leather and switches of high quality. A solid engine and ride and tons of space. Quiet and comfy and built to a high standard. Truly a great car. I enjoyed every drive and every ride in one.

The J30 was a big miss to me. The styling was just awful yet the knock-off Altima made it work and was much better received. The interior was well built but I do remember that awful brown and it was smallish inside. The RWD layout was nice and power was decent but it didn't blow me away, nor the brand at the time. To me Acura/Lexus were better. At the time I was loyal to Nissan way more than Toyota but the brand did nothing for me then. Sad. I should be driving an Infiniti.

The 3 at the time was a lot smaller and a lot less luxurious than those Japanese cars but whooped it in speed real and perceived and sport. Not even close. I even remember the 318 hanging with more powerful V-6 cars. I remember squeezing in it but overall it felt like a coupe. Everything was where it was but the black interior was very spartan. Styling to me was crisp and tidy and still is to this day. Got to love short overhangs.

(the Volvo/Audi are left out as I had no interest then and now)

Ahhh the ES 300, my first Lexus. I still remember loving the exterior especially the front end with the quad headlights in a shapely cover (something BMW does now) and how the C-pillar flowed in the rear. I remember it having a small wheelbase yet the interior wasn't to small (but smaller than the LEgend/Diamante/929). The real wood looked great, the fit and finish was better than anything and the gauges and console were out of this world at the time. The framless windows added to spaciousness and a feeling of sport. Handling was fine but no 3 series, I remember the big 15/65/195 tires at the time!!

Ahhh it is wasn't for that car there is a good chance I wouldn't be here.