smooth1

Start with flowers first. I loved the 03-05 BMW model design. The headlights and body flow on that car are just beautiful. lexirx got a great deal on an (05?) X5 loaded, and he's lovin it. And as I already said, those were the best looking designs so far in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I like the current look, but I can't help but ooohh a little more over those. And I've always wished the interiors were a little more "Lexus" like, for the lack of being able to find a simpler description. If I were "up north", I think I would be doing or have done exactly what your trying to do here. One big capable and "luxo" SUV for the family and professional needs, and the "toy" car for all the other "needs." LOL! I do understand not wanting to give up a great running truck though. But it's not like you trading in reliability for looks, you actually trading up the ladder in both. Just take her car shopping with ya. ;) Once the bug bites theres only one cure for the fever.

LOL!! Whatcha ya gonna do? Right? S*** happens. Atleast it wasn't a whole new garage door and the entire top of the car!

When I take delivery on it,I'll post pics then. I guess until then you all will have to just speculate and ponder. LOL!! So, keep checking back for the dramatic conclusion folks....(But first a word from our sponsor.) Hahahaha.

NC, that's not a bad strategy at all. What year BMW are you looking at? Is it BMW 328 specifically? or the best bang for a price bracket?

Well, I finally decided. I have even already pulled the trigger. :)

Yeah, maybe that's a Florida thing. I see them on alot of Dodge Chargers and 300's too.

Then I don't quite understand your point. Since the ES is the only Lexus sedan you can buy with the same money a Genesis costs, then you're saying that the fact that the vehicle is a "Lexus" wins out over any other benefits the Genesis may have? I do agree, brand makes a difference, I don't know how big a difference it makes though at the $40k price point. People buy non-luxury branded cars all the time for $40k. I would miss owning a luxury branded car if I bought a Genesis I admit. Genesis was originally supposed to be its own marque with dealers, etc. Might have improved image, but would have also drastically increased cost... I see people replace the Hyundai emblems on their Genesis' all the time...they make a winged Genesis emblem... I've seen those to!!! LOL! Looks almost like a Bentley emblem. And they put those stupid plastic "air vent" stickers on the sides alot to.

Its hard to say. J Jones' may be describing "very hard" because it is unusual for him/her to have to apply more effort than usual. Your description of the same event may be significantly different ("weight of my foot"). Or maybe the difference is the sublte nuances of a vehicle build from the factory, where your brake pedal push rod may be adjusted to have more leverage than J Jones. On the same note it could be difference of the adjustment of the safety switch. I can only speculate on the cause, but the symptoms sound like a text book loss of vacuum. Regardless, 15-20 times is significant and I'm quite surprised. Were you pushing slowly all the way down until the stopping point and then fully releasing, or merely quick pumping? (I realize I may have used the wrong terminology above.) Full pushes, as far as the system pressure would allow. You can feel when the booster looses it's assistance, but I didn't really feel it prevented nor really offered any assistance for the first 2-3 inches of travel anyway.

Just to check my own curiosity, I went out to my car, pumped the brakes like 15 or 20 times, and yes, it got a bit firmer, but was still able to move the brake pedal about 2-3 inches with little more then the weight of my foot, and started the car with no problem. I did it several times with varying amounts of brake pumping and they all equalled the same result.

Go to a gym and start lifting some weights so you can easily press the brake pedal harder? Seriously, I've miss timed my foot getting to the brake pedal before I hit the start button a couple times, but that was just my own fault. Your saying you can't push the brake pedal to engage the safety switch and allow the starting sequence? Have you taken it in to the dealer and see what they had to say about it?

I'm not denying your point at all, in fact I mostly agree, but I guess I don't see Subaru as far down the ladder as you. The WRX, STI and Outback have been around for years and years on top of thier market. I know in the early 90's they didn't seem to offer any luxury items like leather, and dual zone a/c and what not, but they do now. And with thier Rally racing background, they really know how to build a tough vehicle. I do admit that I also like the "greener" production plant they have here in the US. I'm not saying I would buy one because of that, I have to like and live with the car, not the plant.

You know Blake, Acura makes a great product. I've owned a few Honda Accords and they were tanks with great gas mileage. I guess I owe it to them to atleast go and seriously look at one, but I will say ahead of time, it's that dang huge chrome smiley face in the front that really turns me off. If that's shallow and dumb, then well, ok, but it's what I see everytime I look at them. I just keep thinking with all the creative minds and modern contemporary designs to shoose from, that they thought this one was it? (head shakes in dissapointment.) I really liked the previous model TL, and if it wasn't for the power difference of the IS350, that car would have been a very very close second. But alas, it twas not to bee. So, I'll go and look at one and see if I can overcome it and get feedback from my wife as well.

LOL! So long as the oil changes have been done according to the schedule, it really doesn't matter if synthetic or dyno oil was used. And it's fine to change it over to sytnthetic now, in fact they have high mileage formula's available now just for your situation.For the diff, the manual calls for 80W-90 syntheic, but 75W-90 is fine, you can use Mobile 1, Amsoil, Toyota OEM or whatever brand you cherish. It's an easy diy, you only need a 10 mm allen and a 3/8's drive and socket, along with a small pump. Brake fluid is is brake fluid, DOT4, transmission fluid I would use Toyota ATF, but Amsoil ATF works just as well as I have expereience with that. (I only reccommend what I have used and know works.) Coolant is Toyota OEM as well. Spark plugs are Nippen Denso irridiums, I would stick with those, they are the best, and last for a stupid long time, like I would change them every 50k miles or so, but I know people who go alot longer than that with out issues. If you serach this forum, you'll see all these questions and answers all over the place. Along with a bunch of others. If you go to the top of this forum, you'll even see where you can download the owners manual for yourself and get all these answers along with everthing else you'll need to know about the IS. It's a great car by the way. For the money, it's a great buy.

Oh, yeah, I mean, Subaru wasn't even on our radar until I did some research and decided to go and take a look at one. Now I would say it's easily in my top 5, maybe top 3 when you consider price also.

I don't know, I'm not sooo surprised I guess. The LS is just an undeniable luxury car icon. Look at where that car came from. Here in America we tend to think of Lexus as a new car company which it is, but the car line up has been around for years and years. The LS has evolved from a very solid back ground. The Toyota Celsior is very well known in Europe and Asia as one of the best cars ever made......ever! In fact I just read an article about the best deal on wheels for under 10k is a 15 year old Toyota Celsior. (I hope the link works but here: Autospeed Magazine Even consumer reports says the Lexus LS is the most reliable car ever built. With so many publications and such a long history of reliability, I can easily see even European car buyers conceeding to the facts of the LS.

In the full size luxury car segment,the LS is without question the king in my book, without going off the deep end and spending 2 or even 3x more. Even with the new S class Mercedes coming out, I think I still like the LS better.

Ok, so I went and looked at a Subaru Outback, and not bad. Not bad at all. By design, it's a bit more utillitarian than luxury, but all in all pretty nice. I also took a closer look at the FX. Ok, it is pretty nice inside and it does drive very well, but (smirky headshake here) it just looks like a moon buggy or something. I just can't get next to it. And dang, their expensive! But unlike the Tahoe, I can reason the quality and refinement to justify the price tag.

The car itself has proven to be one of the best and most reliable mechanically Toyota/Lexus has made. But, with that said, any car that has that many miles on it, the reliablity and mechanical condition are much more dependant on the maintenance history and the care provided by the owners over the life of the car, and not so much about the car itself. Maintenance care costs are no more than you would spend on most other cars, and less than most luxury brand models. I would strongly reccommend having a Toyota/Lexus tech look at the car and not just a mechanic. As that car has been out now for quite a few years, and the 2JZ motors are almost a legend. So Toyota/Lexus techs will have alot of years of working and specifically focused training and know exactly what to look for and the wear points of the motor, chassis, and electronics.

WOW! I LOVE THIS CAR! DOES ANYONE KNOW WHO THIS IS? I'M NEW TO THIS CLUB. I JUST BOUGHT A IS250 6 MONTHS AGO, AND I REALLY LOVE MY CAR. UNTIL I SAW THIS ONE. IT'S PERFECT. NOT TOO MUCH AND VERY CLASSSY. ITS A 350? IM SOOOOOOO JEALOUS NOW. I CANT EVEN THINK OF WORDS THAT DO JUSTICE TO THE RIMS AND THE LOW STANCE OF THE CAR. WHAT KIND OF BRAKES ARE THOSE? IS THAT BLACK HARD TO KEEP CLEAN? HOW IS THE RIDE OF THE CAR? HOW DID YOU GET IT LOW LIKE THAT? SORRY FOR SO MANY QUESTIONS, BUT AROUND WHERE I LIVE, NO ONE HAS DONE ANYTHING LIKE THAT TO THIS CAR, SO I AM JUST WANTING TOKNOW IF I CAN DO SOME OF THESE THINGS TOO IF IT DOESNT COST TOO MUCH. DID IT COST ALOT? lol!! To explain justflyin83, typing in all caps is reserved for yelling and screaming on the boards. So, Welcome to the LOC. And as it was already pointed out, I really haven't done a whole lot to the car. There are some pretty extreme examples out there. But, I think what I have accomplished is to get a nice "custom" look and keep it real world usable without worry about scraping everywhere, and a crappy ride. The 350 is already fast enouph for a daily driver. I would say I put about $5-6k into it, with me doing the work. If you paying for labor it would probably be closer to $10k. as the suspension work can be pricey. But that's not including the audio work, LED mods, and a few other upgrades. My impression from your post is that your pretty young. Spend your money on school, and save the modding for later. Even with mild modding as I've done here, it does make maintaining the car a bit more work and a little more expensive. Something you should consider also.

LOL! I can just hear the response to that now. " Yeah, like I'm supposed to know to read that stupid piece of paper in the package! how come they didn't just spell it out and text it to me? They know I only ever read my phone while I drive!" LOL!!!!

I'm thinking that Toyota/Lexus agreed to the mat recall for acouple different reasons. One would be that it will keep the NHTSA happy that something was done, Two, it informs everyone by "suggestion" that this was just a floor mat incident, and not an issue with the make and build quality of Toyota/Lexus right away. And act as collateral damage control right away. No car mfgr can afford to lose sales right now. The authorities are going to spend weeks going over every inch of that car. When they finish and report thier final results is when we will know what happened here. And in the mean time we have this stupid floor mat recall that really doesn't make sense, but offers the dealerships some explaniation in the meantime to keep sales going. I do know this, I would really hate to be the owner of that dealership right now. The guilt alone I would feel would be horrible, and the lawsuits coming will keep Hammermill busy for years!

So, what do you guys think about a Subaru Outback station wagon? It looks a bit small, but, I haven't sat in one yet. They look bigger this year also. And I passed a Saab dealership and noticed they have an SUV sitting on the platform. Anyone know anything about Saab? I wonder what jet they stole parts off of to make that one?lol!!

Is this kind of like the "self healing" paint that BMW was trying to develop, or is this a completely different approach?

Ok, so I go and look at this Porsche Cayenne, and well,,,,,,no. Talk about crap gas mileage! he said if he drives it "easy" he can get about 15 mpg. with it, but when he drives it in town and uses the power it has, he gets about 12 mpg! Yeah, that's not gonna work. The inside was nice, but for as large a vehicle as it is, the driver and front passenger seats are tight. It's not until you turn your head and look back that you realize theres all this space back there, and the fact that it sits so much higher than a sports car, or any car for that matter. And while I sat there looking at it in his driveway I kept picturing it sitting in mine and well,,,it's just not that great a looking SUV/Crossover or whatever it is. I love the Porsche 911's, so you would think I would like it more, but I just don't. MAybe it would be different if gas mileage wasn't a concern, and I was buying a new Cayenne, and it was the 550 hp twin turbo version. lol!!! Personally, I think the whole SUV/crossover/ 500+ hp for a $100K plus is dumb. If you want that kind of power, and you have that kind of money to spend, then just get a dedicated sports/fun car and a seperate SUV/Crossover for when you need that. So the search is still on. I'm thinking about looking at the Nissan Murano this week, and the Cadillac SRX. @Kyle Petree: So, I ran this idea by the wife and well, she got kind of upset about me looking for another car for me again first. lol!! But once we get this situated, I may continue to pursue the LS for myself. I thought for sure all the LS 460's would be atleast around $65k+. $50K for an 08 LS460 with 18k miles on it is almost a no brainer! I wonder why the sudden lower prices on those? I still see them selling alot of places for alot more used. I wonder if some of the short term leases are ending and that maybe why?

This discussion is happening in another thread as well. So I'll ask the same thing here: