LexusLooker Posted February 11, 2005 Author Posted February 11, 2005 Matthew, you were definitely right! Lots of good input from all of you. Thanks for the "bad" news too, lkirchner. You've had some really cool Benzes. SW03ES, thanks for the detailed comparison - I appreciate that. It took me a minute to figure out a couple of references to "CL". Like you said, similar threads on that site. If I went with 430, why did you recommend the 04? Are there bugs in the 01-03 that needed working out? 01 is more in my price range. Bruce, that had to be a disappointment to get rid of the E500. That's a wonderful driving car. I have a friend with one, and he had it in the shop a bunch in the first couple of months, but I think it's better now. And for you 80s (126) and 90s (140) MB lovers, I had a 126 and it was wonderful but as I said earlier, somewhat costly. Another friend has a 140 (the LS430 has similar styling) that he loves, but he spends thousands every year on it. His A/C evaporator went out again. That's $4K a pop. They tear out the entire dash to do it. the 12 cylinders are worse with dual everything. But the car drives wonderfully - if the LS drives anything close to it, I'm sold. If you follow the 140 boards, every one of them says "it's killing me financially but I wouldn't drive anything else". I had a few free minutes yesterday and I stopped by one of the dealers here. They had about 10 430s and one 400. I only sat in one 430 and one 400. Both very nice. I agree that the 430 seat is firmer but by no means hard. They ARE big cars inside. I swear I wiped up all the drool. Thanks for all your great guidance and stories. James
SW03ES Posted February 11, 2005 Posted February 11, 2005 As a matter of fact I just drove an LS430 with the Modern Luxury package today while I was waiting for a ding to be removed from my car. Definately my next car... No real reason to go with an 04 vs an 01-03 except that I think the styling is much better. The 04 has the addition of a 6 speed auto with a manumatic shift mode also but thats about all. I'd do an 02 if you can simply because its best to avoid the first model year of a design.
LexusLooker Posted February 11, 2005 Author Posted February 11, 2005 No real reason to go with an 04 vs an 01-03 except that I think the styling is much better. The 04 has the addition of a 6 speed auto with a manumatic shift mode also but thats about all. I'd do an 02 if you can simply because its best to avoid the first model year of a design. ← Yikes, I'm embarassed. I thought the 01-05 were the same design (Gen 4 as I'm hearing them called?). I need to get my eyes checked. I'm not worth of owning a Lexus if I can't tell an 03 from an 04! I've always been able to pick out subtle differences in cars, so I need to brush up on the details. Thanks for the info!!
SW03ES Posted February 11, 2005 Posted February 11, 2005 Its entirely possible you just havent seen a lot of 04s. They don't sell a lot of LS430s... I'll get you pics.
SW03ES Posted February 11, 2005 Posted February 11, 2005 This is a 2004/2005 This is an 01-03 Basically the difference is in the front and rear clips and the wheels. The 01-03 is a little softer looking and the 04-05 is sharper and more aggressive.
Messerchmidt Posted February 12, 2005 Posted February 12, 2005 I still think MB has better handeling then Lexus (toyota-lexota), MB are fantasic cars, but too expensive to repair. If I pay a d*ck and a bone for a car, it better NOT give me any problems. The old mercedes turbo diesels founded the legend of a indestructable mercedes, however the new ones leave a lot to be desired in that area. If you buy a new MB, it drops like a rock b/c they are so problematic after 2-4 years. a 4 year old e320 can eat 4,000$ per year in repairs, its like WTF!?? If you get the LS430, its a different kind of luxury then MB, super quiet inside of the car, smoother ride,etc The major selling poitn of Lexus is that the cars are reliable. you can drive a LS430 for 5 years and not have a single problem as long as you take care of it. Once they get old, they are like all other cars. A problem here, a $$$ repair there. They are just not nearly as bad as an old BMW or MB. I would say get the Lexus, it is your best bet. The new Accura RL is also a great car. It is inbetween an E and S class.
GSsoldier Posted February 12, 2005 Posted February 12, 2005 I'm 6-1 and feel at the max for the LS..........my head is within 1" of the ceiling hehe im 6'2 and i tried spiking my hair (well over 4 inches school rally felt the need for crazyness) and my hair didnt fit within the car still i love this car more then my friends benz E class 1993 his has mad rust everywhere and isnt nicely covered like the lex
SW03ES Posted February 12, 2005 Posted February 12, 2005 Eh the RL's got nothing on the LS, its nice but not in the same class. FWD biased AWD, V6, smaller, less affluent looking (doesn't even look like a luxury car IMHO).
LexusLooker Posted February 12, 2005 Author Posted February 12, 2005 SW03ES, thanks a millon for the pics - I appreciate your efforts. There is a clear difference, particularly in the front. I stopped at another dealer on the way to work this morning and could even tell the difference in the taillights as I walked behind several of them. Ironically, the dealer is the same one I bought my first Benz from, used, when the dealership opened in about '89 when Lexus was just coming out. The benz was a trade in on one of the first Lexus in Dallas. Full circle, huh? I asked one of my coworkers with a 92/93 LS how she likes it. It's starting to be a trend. 20 minutes later, she finished gushing - ha ha. Her husband until recently worked at a dealership here, he's a car nut, and she offered to let me talk cars with him. Pretty cool.
90LS400Lexus Posted February 13, 2005 Posted February 13, 2005 The newest Acura RL appears to be a smaller car, especially when compared to the older RL, but from what I understand, it is about as large. It just appears to be smaller. You are right though- it seems as if they are in a different class. Acura really needs to come up with a large, RWD, V8 sedan. At least the new Rl does have a 300HP V6- which I think is pretty impressive. I agree with you that the newest RL does not really have a luxury car appearance, but rather a sports car. The 1996-2004 RL however, did look much more like a luxury car however. Also, I think I remember reading somewhere, where the 1996-2000 Acura RL is heavier than the 1996-2000 Lexus LS400, despite the LS having a V8. I will have to check this out though. Thanks for mentioning it. This got me to thinking about the new 2005 Acura RL and went to the MSN autos to read the review. Seems like it has some interesting features- such as the "no key" entry. All the driver has to do is touch the door handle and it recognizes the driver and unlocks. Does the LS430 have this yet? I am not sure. It also states that the RL is the first car in North America to put real-time traffic information about construction zones, congestion and crashes on the navigation system map. The system uses XM NavTraffic and is available for freeways in 20 major metro areas including Los Angeles, New York City and Chicago. Also too it says that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the 2005 Acura RL is only the third vehicle in the history of the agency's crash testing program to achieve the top rating of five stars for rollover and for all seating positions in frontal and side impact crash tests. Incase anyone is interested- here is the MSN report on the new Acura RL. http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/job.aspx...=Acura&model=RL Eh the RL's got nothing on the LS, its nice but not in the same class. FWD biased AWD, V6, smaller, less affluent looking (doesn't even look like a luxury car IMHO). ←
SW03ES Posted February 13, 2005 Posted February 13, 2005 Yeah the RL has lots of features no question, but like Cadillac learned gizmos don't make luxury cars. You've got to have the look and the engineering there first. The RL looks like an Accord, I've not been with one person that would classify it as a luxury car when looking at it, thats a serious problem for Acura. The no key entry is cool, but the LS has that, the new Avalon is going to have that, the Prius has that, the new GS is going to have that...
90LS400Lexus Posted February 13, 2005 Posted February 13, 2005 I was unaware that any of the Toyotas or Lexus had already had the "no key" feature. Interesting. I agree that the newest RL looks much like the TL, or even the Accord for that matter. That is what made the 1st generation RL (introduced in 1996) so great, is that it looked nothing like a 1996-1997, or even 1998-2002 Accord. it definitely had more of a luxury car look to it. I have read the rumor somewhere that Honda is developing a V8 engine, that will go into an even larger Acura sedan- possibly a rear wheel drive to compete with the LS430. Just a rumor though.
SW03ES Posted February 13, 2005 Posted February 13, 2005 Yeah its called smart entry, the current LS430 has it now. Its on the Prius and the new Avalon, Infiniti has it too. BMW on the 6 and 7 series. I believe Audi does. Cadillac has it on the new STS. The pioneer of this technology is Mercedes and they call it Keyless Go, they've had it 3-4 years. You don't need the key to start the car either, it recognizes the key and the engine is started with a button while the keys are still in your pocket. I think its the best feature to come out on a car in a long time, I love it. I hate having to fumble for the keys to get back into my Lexus when I've been driving the Prius.
lkirchner Posted February 14, 2005 Posted February 14, 2005 I converted back to Mercedes. Here is my new toy.
SW03ES Posted February 14, 2005 Posted February 14, 2005 Nice, what is that a Honda? LOL kidding, from another thread we were talking in ;) Trade the SC on it?
Wilfred Posted February 14, 2005 Posted February 14, 2005 Ikirchner what type merc is that? SL or SLK?
lkirchner Posted February 14, 2005 Posted February 14, 2005 Ikirchner what type merc is that? SL or SLK? ← It is an SL 55 AMG. While the profile is similar in the small picture, in real life there is no mistaking between the 2. One dead give away are the 295-30-19, the other is the overall size and then there is the un-mistakable sound of the 493 horsepower engine at idle, start up and especially at full throttle.
vcv10guy Posted February 15, 2005 Posted February 15, 2005 Nice, what is that a Honda?LOL kidding, from another thread we were talking in ;) Trade the SC on it? ← LOL... Very nice looking MB. Enjoy your new car. :D
lkirchner Posted February 15, 2005 Posted February 15, 2005 Did you just get it? Beautiful machine! ← I just got it last weekend. Probably sleep in the garage again tonight with the pulse seats on.
FlintUltra Posted February 15, 2005 Posted February 15, 2005 Oh Yeah - I'd go back to MB for one of those. Sweet ride - congrats! Bruce
LexusLooker Posted February 15, 2005 Author Posted February 15, 2005 Congratulations, lkirchner. What a beautiful ride. I saw one at the dealer when I was checking on my sick baby. It was idling in the semi-enclosed service drive. I've never heard such a silent yet powerful rumble from a car as I walked towards it from the rear. As I walked past it, the engine itself was just sort of hissing quietly. Then the guy drove it up a steep ramp to the parking garage kinda fast. My gosh that sound is seductive. Obvioulsy very muscular sounding, yet extremely refined. Enjoy it!!
lkirchner Posted February 15, 2005 Posted February 15, 2005 Nice, I'd love to see more pics. ← More pics at dawn on a gloomy Sacramento day.
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