LifeWithLoopy

Well, you may just have to get an LX, if you cant find an LS sans the sunroof. Either that, or a Suburban (I have some considerably tall family members, who will only own Suburbans).

I do hope that the photo is a bit extreme. The new 7 series is a homely car. Looks like a blob, I doubt that Lexus could "out ugly" the 7. Too bad that Lexus has not gotten to the point, to where they can use a hood ornament. I just cant see a Lexus emblum, standing proudly, on the end of a hood. Maybe because it looks too much like Toyotas. For some reason, I just really like the look of a hood ornament. It is like a "finishing touch." I like the "heavy" look that the LS has now. I hope that it does carry over into the next one. And SURELY, Lexus would not DARE put in some silly "one knob, controls the whole car" type thing. Perhaps, they could think of a stylish way, to use a column mounted shifter. To free up acres of console space. This is the ONE wise thing, that BMW did. Except, use the normal shift pattern, i.e. Move the leaver all the way up, for park. Rather then a button for park (that doesnt fit with me, for some reason). I heard somewhere, that Lexus was thinking about a V-12. Dont you know, that it would probably be the smoothest engine, in any car made now.

Jaguars are beautiful, timeless, automobiles. Supposedly, now that they have ditched Lucas electrical systems, they are pretty reliable cars. But, I still would trust the Lexus more. The ML 320 is built in Birmingham, Alabama. Supposedly, Lexus will dump the Land Cruiser based LX470, in favor of a Sequoia based SUV. I wander how that would go over. I really dont see a need to get rid of the LX. It has been here a while, and is still a very pretty car, with an interior that puts most other cars, and trucks, to shame. The difference between the Mercedes, and BMW, is the service. With the Mercedes, we would have to make ourselves at home, in the waiting room, for a few hours. With the BMW, the come out, pick up the car, and drop off a rental, FREE OF CHARGE.

Mercedes quality is iffy, as is BMW. We have owned a '94 E320, and it was an excellent car, and we did our very own rear impact crash test (which is why we dont have the car now). We had a '98 ML320, and it was an absolutely terrible car. If it could go wrong, it did. My father now, has a 2004 BMW M3, and really does love it, because of the way it drives. He purchased it on a Friday. The next day, he played his usual day of golf, and of course, spread the word, about his beloved addition to the family (that car takes priority over me). A few of his golf buddies gathered around to hear it start. He put the clutch in, and turned the key, and guess what? NOTHING HAPPENED. Tried to jump start it, NOTHING. So, he had his 1 day old car, dragged into the shop. This was just the precursor to the issues with the Cruise Control, and other features. Quite pitiful, for a $55,000 car. He has been through Porsches, Corvettes, and along with all of them, owned a Chevy Suburban (or truck). The most reliable of all of them? The '96, and the '00 Suburbans. Both went to 140,000 without any issues. Mercedes is never stepping foot in the house again, and probably not BMW either. We also have an Infiniti FX35 at this time (Homely little car). It is 2 years old, the service is TERRIBLE, and it is full of rattles. The moral of this story? More expensive (i.e. lots of flash) doesnt mean that you are getting a good car. (Granted, the Burbs were cheapest up front, but we did fork over $60 per week in gas) We know multiple people with Lexi. They have owned Lexus for years, and will continue to own them. And if image is what you are looking for, go buy a Jag.