Need Advice Moving From Bmw To Lexus

[porsche911targa]

I cruise different forums often. So I went to the Bimmer forums and thought I would share this:

Bimmer Forums

Notice the thread titles." My engine is Toast! ", " Help me stop the brake rattles ", and " Pics of burnt out winddhield washer pumps". "Metallic rattle!", and "My suspension is shot after one year?".

Ahh yes, the mighty BMW.....it's just another car.

But then I found this little nugget! B)

2JZ swap into BMW 528i

And this isn't the first case of this happening. HHmmm, I guess I'll have to look around our forum to see about the BMW engines swaps into Lexus models......

Obviously, you are getting defensive with my previous statement, "I did some research and I have found that no car is infallible, even the mighty Lexus." I did not come here to bash or be bashed. I do not consider BMW a mighty car, but before doing my research I honestly considered Lexus to be a mighty car, from what the perception was. After running into sites such as this: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/lexus.html I realized that there is no such a thing as a "mighty" car and that basically you can pick any model from the lowest of Yugo to the highest of Rolls Royce and you will always find mechanical problems across the line, so for you to go out of the way to find problems with BMWs was a little vengeful and not in line with my meek request. I found dozens more links bashing Lexus, Toyota, BMW, Honda, Acura, etc., so I guess ultimately it all comes down to what you, as the driver, look for in a car whether it'd be power, handling, style, electronic toys, and the likes, but my research threw the whole quality thing out the window as ALL makes seem to have their share of problems.

Sorry that I did not find your choice of automobile interesting enough for my driving tastes, but please come down from your high pedestal because you, too, are driving metal, plastic, glass, and rubber, just like the rest of the automotive world. In 11 years, besides brakes and oil changes, I had a window regulator and heat blower motor fail on a '94 325i at age 11 with 130K miles on the clock, and a seat heater element and a little exterior plastic trim falling off after striking it with a snow showel (accidentally, of course) on a '02 325i at age 6 at 99K miles. Yeah, sound like real lemons to me, right?

As for your little nugget, as a car person you should know that there are people out there that enjoy the challenge of swapping engines anywhere from lawn-mower engines to jet engines. You will see a lot more powerful engines transplanted into BMWs than any other car make because BMWs have the superior chassis and handling (stock) that is required to handle such swaps and in many cases they are better suited than the original cars the engines came from. If it is any consolation, I found a link where a guy transplanted a Chevy engine into a Lexus. Go ahead, google it.

Anyway, I am done with this thread as it seems that this is becoming a "pi#@ing contest." Guess what? ALL cars break down and ALL cars suck at some point(especially with age and/or high mileage), regardless of brand. I made my choice based on my driving style and I thank all who made helpful contributions and I also congratulate you all for your choice as it is the choice that made you happy and being happy is what it's all about.

Joe

[bartkat]

Sait-on jamais

[SW03ES]

Joe,

Its a Lexus forum, post on a BMW forum that you found their product wanting and will buy something else and see the response you get. Nobody here has been rude or uncivil...except you.

If anybody here has started a "*BLEEP*ing contest" and needs to come down from their "high horse" its you, knock it off.

[knspgh1121]

Hi,

I have both an IS 250 AWD ' 08 and a BMW 335 XI ' 08. In my opinion, they are absoutely different cars, and if you are thinking of one over an other it is not a fair compairson. I honestly am suprised how different the two cars are. Here are my compairsons:

Interior

IS - Really nice leather, the black interior is very rich looking and feels so smooth. The BMW 335 interior leather is hard, and the head rests are very uncomfortable, but the seats are very supportive. The IS is a little smaller in the back seat while the BMW has a decent back seat. The NAV system on the IS is a disappointment. The positioning is very bad, if you have the sun roof open the sun blocks out the screen, there is no interface for the IPOD where you can load your playlists on to the screen and control the IPOD, my IPHONE doesn't load the phone book, and the system doesn't let you control anything while you are driving unless you use the steering wheel controls. The Nav on the B is much more intuitive and easier to use. You can navigate on the fly as you are driving where in the IS you can't put in an address unless you are stopped. The I Drive is easier to use than the touch screen, because of the many options that you can control, that the IS only the dealer can set.

Styling

I think the IS has better styling and design inside and out.

Power,

The 335 Kicks the IS's A#$. The Twin Turbo of the 335 is really awesome, and the IS feels very underpowered. If Lexus would have put another 50 HP in the 250 it would be a great car. I always say put the 335 engine and the electronics in the IS and you would have the perfect car.

The 335 takes a lot more to drive than the IS. IS is very smooth and supple, while you have to work with the 335 but it is a lot of fun.

Finally attention,

Everyone says that they don't buy the cars for the attention but honestly we do like the looks... The IS garners many more looks from everyone, girls and guys alike. I am 30 and thought the 335 would get more attention but the IS really wins in the attention category. People who know what the 335 is and how fast it is look and like it, but the general public seem to like looking at the IS more.

I hope this helps, from someone who compairs every day which one to drive to work

Keith

Greetings, estimeed Lexus owners,

As you can imagine from my handle name, I am a big fan of German cars. I have owned a Porsche 911, an Audi 100S (blah!), and two BMW 325I's. I have been a BMW owner for the past 11 years and I am now looking into the possibility of getting a 2007, 328xi. Despite what people have read, my Bimmers have been rather reliable with the occasional electrical failures (window regulator, seat heater, heat blower motor, etc.) that I would think would be pretty normal failures in just about any make of car, especially with the extreme temperatures (hot and cold) that we experience in the Northeast.

The two things that really bother me about the newer BMW's are the run-flat tires and no oil dipstick. The other thing that bothers me is BMW's assertion that the transmissions come with "life-time" fluid. I think that is BS and I change the fluid every 30 or 40K.

Anyway, the reason why I am here is, please tell me why I should switch to Lexus. I come here in good faith and am genuinely interested in hearing some informed comments. I plan to test drive both the IS and ES Lexus series. I have already driven the 328xi and it is just an incredible ride.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards,

Joe

[knspgh1121]

On the idrive there is a setting for the oil level and it shows the level. Very hard to get use to. Also you have to add a quart every 3k miles (but they forget to tell you that when you pick it up)

How do you check your oil if there is no dipstick?

[SW03ES]

You have to add a quart of oil every 3k miles in a brand new car? Thats ridiculous....

there is no interface for the IPOD where you can load your playlists on to the screen and control the IPOD

Lexus makes an iPod kit...

[mr_raider]

Hi,

I have both an IS 250 AWD ' 08 and a BMW 335 XI ' 08. In my opinion, they are absoutely different cars, and if you are thinking of one over an other it is not a fair compairson. I honestly am suprised how different the two cars are.

Indeed. The 335xi should be compared to the is350, not the is250. Remember that when the g35 first came it, it stomped all over the old 330i at lower price point, then the is350 followed suit. BMWs response was run back to the drawing board, and the best they could do was slap a poorly cooled turbo on the engine. I'm waiting for the next gen G or IS, they will probably leap ahead of them again.

Have nothing against BMW, they do a got job, but give credit where it's due. The Japanese are on BMWs a** like a lawnmower on grass.

[knspgh1121]

I agree, but even then the cars are completely different, and the compairson is not apples to apples. If the IS350 came in AWD then it would be a better compairson. We travel between Pgh and Cleveland and that is essential to have. We were talking last night about how with a bigger engine/w AWD and the removal of the nannies on the nav system and some ipod tweeks, it would be the perfect car, and crush the 335. When we go out local we always take the IS, and mainly use the 335 for the commute and anything that is more Highway. So my opinion to the poster is that it depends on what you are looking for with the car, and not to compair the IS and BMW. They are so different that he might make the wrong choice based on a brand compairson.

I hope we get a more powerful engine, I will trade the '08 IS on that in a minute and then have the perfect car.

Hi,

I have both an IS 250 AWD ' 08 and a BMW 335 XI ' 08. In my opinion, they are absoutely different cars, and if you are thinking of one over an other it is not a fair compairson. I honestly am suprised how different the two cars are.

Indeed. The 335xi should be compared to the is350, not the is250. Remember that when the g35 first came it, it stomped all over the old 330i at lower price point, then the is350 followed suit. BMWs response was run back to the drawing board, and the best they could do was slap a poorly cooled turbo on the engine. I'm waiting for the next gen G or IS, they will probably leap ahead of them again.

Have nothing against BMW, they do a got job, but give credit where it's due. The Japanese are on BMWs a** like a lawnmower on grass.

[mr_raider]

Don't look now, but Nissan's lineup in '09 is going to be killer:

http://www.automobilemag.com/new_and_futur...edan/index.html

[knspgh1121]

Their interiors are still pretty weak, but Lexus needs to do something about the power band to keep up. The ISF is still out of range when you can get a g37x with 328hp for 38k

Don't look now, but Nissan's lineup in '09 is going to be killer:

http://www.automobilemag.com/new_and_futur...edan/index.html

[mr_raider]

Their interiors are still pretty weak, but Lexus needs to do something about the power band to keep up. The ISF is still out of range when you can get a g37x with 328hp for 38k

Don't look now, but Nissan's lineup in '09 is going to be killer:

http://www.automobilemag.com/new_and_futur...edan/index.html

And they are getting the damn convertible first! Kudos to Nissan. Time for Toyota to get up off it's a**.

[SW03ES]

Their interiors are still pretty weak, but Lexus needs to do something about the power band to keep up. The ISF is still out of range when you can get a g37x with 328hp for 38k

Have you driven one lately? I drove the new Murano and the interior was top notch. Well put together, better materials than an 07+ES or an IS IMHO. I was very impressed.