Hey guys!
Right now, I drive an 1992 Audi 100s (my first car) that I purchased last summer. I bought that Audi and I've put a lot into it but haven't gotten a lot in return. I've spent double on it to try and get it up to par... New Power Steering Pump, New Rotors/Pads, Cooling Fan, Complete Tune-Up, Using Good Oil, giving it only Mobil Premium Fuel, and I've spent an additional small fortune buying a lot of little things (handles, lights, instrument cluster, etc). Compared to when I first got it, the car is awesome, runs fairly smooth and all...but chronic electrical problems, a wacky a/c, and new problems that seem to prop up everytime I think it's finally going normal have got me thinking selling my Audi and switching to another car. All I knew was that I wanted to stay in luxury car field (i'm spoiled with leather, heated seats, sunroof, etc), would not plague me with mechanical/electrical problems, better head room (I'm 6'2"), and had the same MPG as my Audi or better. After doing some research I found that highly regarded brands like Mercedes, Audi (newer), BMW and Saab had their fair share of electrical and mechanical problems. So after talking to a friend, he directed me to look at the Japanese Luxury brands of Acura, Infinti and Lexus. The RL and Q45 caught my eye but they had their own little history of problems. However, as soon as I glanced upon the LS400, I fell in love and all the research I've done on this car has pointed to it being BadAss. It even has a Consumer Guide rating of Best Buy. The record was pretty flawless compared to the other Luxury makes. And I was pleasantly surprised that LS400's V8 gave 19/26 MPG compared to my Audi's V6 giving 17/24.
So I'm looking to get into an 2nd Generation LS400 (95-97) in the coming months and I was wondering what you experienced owners can tell me what to watch out for and what features are a must. My only concern is that I live in MA and will travel frequently to Upstate NY (where I go to college) and if you haven't heard, it snows quite a bit in these areas. Will there be a huge detriment, if any, because the Lexus is RWD? I know it's said that RWD cars don't perform as well as FWD drive cars in the snow but will traction control make up the difference? The Audi was only FWD and it did pretty well in the snow. And just for reference, I'm an extra careful driver during harsh weather and only plan on using that Lexus power during the good times.
Also, should I expect repair costs to be around the same as an Audi or less expensive or even more?
So yeah, thanks for reading and I hope you all can leave me some love and advice. :D