Will B.

Bull. Pulled from consumer reports 2003 LS430 (should be similar to 2001) 0-60 - 7.1s 1/4 mi - 15.6s Avoidance Maneuver - 49mph 60-0 - 134ft 2001 330i (should be similar to 2003) 0-60 - 6.6s 1/4 mi - 15.1s Avoidance - 55.5 mph 60-0 - 131ft The Lexus has a lot of things going for it, but let's be realistic - it's not the same class of car as the 3-series, which makes this an individual choice more than anything. Can't go wrong either way.

I bought my '04 LS when last year when I was 29, and I would have bought a 335i if it were cheaper. I took a bit of heckling about driving an old man's car, but most are impressed with it when they actually ride in it. That being said, it's now about 16 months later and my sister just bought a 328i. I feel real cramped in her car - I've grown accustomed to the bigger LS and don't think I will ever feel "right' in a small car again. Who knows though - I'm really tempted by the mid-sized Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan hybrids :) Drive them both and go with which one you like more. The BMW will cost more for routine maintenance - you'll run through tires and brakes more often since it's a sports car. Both cars are fairly reliable assuming they were properly cared for - any advantage the Lexus has is likely washed out by the age difference.

Ultimately, it will come down to personal preference, but although I didn't really mention it before, the tech has advanced quite a bit in the last five - six years in GPS. A new $350 Garmin (nuvi 885t) has all of the following features: - Voice activated (i.e. fully controllable by your voice commands) - text to speech - MSN Direct - Bluetooth, MP3, etc. - Junction view (shows you which lane to be in) - Speed limit indicators for most streets - Ability to record where you parked so you can carry it with you to find your car - 6 million POIs That being said, back on topic, both of the OPs choices have NAV so it's kind of a moot point. If I had built in NAV already, then I'd probably just pony up for new maps just to keep one less device in my car.

I'm not talking about the technology itself being dated, but the maps installed on a 2004 would be pretty dated. Updating the maps is not cheap. For me, I just get a new Garmin every couple of years to keep the latest maps and better and better tech. It's definitely not as nice as an in dash Nav, but it's not something I will care about fixing if it breaks, and (probably more importantly) not something I use very often.

I too went for a Base model for similar reasons - no need for 5 year old navigation, and prefer parking sensors to backup cameras. On topic, I'd definitely go with the 04 if I were in your shoes.

Mine vary their swing based on how fast the air is blowing. If at full blast, they don't swing at all, and if it's at one or two "bars", then it swings the whole length. Somewhere in between, and it swings about 33-50% of it's range. I'm not sure if this is actually related to the speed of the blower or just the auto climate control (i.e. when it's on full blast, it's because the car is hot, not because I set it to wind gale setting).

Depending on condition, you might be able to get about $22k for it.

Well, I'll chime in. $29k seems too high. How long do you plan on keeping the vehicle? If very short, go with the 2006 for the lesser depreciation. If you are going to have it for a while, go with whichever one you like more, even if it's for a very minor reason. '05 & '06 are basically the same car.

Are you sayng when your car is off that the mirror folds in, and you want it to stay folded in while driving? I can't imagine why you would want that, but as far as I know you can't fold in only the passenger side mirror. You can both drivers and passengers always out, both always in, and automatically folding in and out like you have it now.

Hi All, I just signed up for Lexus' website where you can register your VIN and see your service history. For my car, the service history has a gap from when it has it's complimentary 1000 mi service to when it was in for the CPO refurbishing. Is this normal? Since it's a 2004, I wanted to see if the recalls were taken care of - I assume so, but thought it was strange it doesn't show up in the Lexus online system. Should the recalls show up?

The only major auto manufacturer who has had a bigger sales drop than Toyota has been Chrysler. Only Honda is struggling less than most.

I wouldn't rule out an 04 either - it's basically the same car as 05-06.

You definitely need to be in Manumatic mode to have a shot, but the LS430 can go (especially the 04-06 with the six speed). If you aren't confident in manumatic, then you can switch the transmission mode to PWR which is better than the default ETC. You won't mistake yourself for being in a 335 or anything, but you'll still surprise a lot of kids in your "old person's car" :) And, to everyone else, I wouldn't knock the Accord too much - the new ones are definitely quick and unless you are doing a couple mile drag race, you should lose every time. Most of my street racing is done in the first 500 feet or so. Ah, just talking about it makes me miss my SVT Mustang.

Go with an 04 or 05 - they both can be had in the low 20's nowadays.

No, it's true. I go to gas stations all the time checking out those rich people getting their premium fuel. Yesterday I was lucky enough to even get a photo of me taken with one! SCORE! I agree with you on all points :) You get LS for the value, with the exception of maybe the LS600h. That one you get for the !Removed! enhancement.

The Ininiti dealer I visited offered CPO on their cars for $850. When my dad bought his Accord, the dealership would knock about $700 off the car if they dropped the CPO coverage. That gives you an idea of how much the cost is to the dealership.

Restor, check page 222 - 224 of your manual - it details how to register and erase the key memory.

I think he's talking about using memory to set the mirror position, and then changing the mirror position. If you have your keys set up to the memory settings, the next time you use your keys the memory settings will take effect again.

That is how it works in my LS430.

You can configure the memory buttons to react to the keys - no need to actually hit the buttons. Have your set of keys set to memory 1 and her set to memory 2 and the car should adjust the seats to however you like. At least, I think that's how it works - I'm the only driver in mine so I don't think I've actually tested it.

Check out this thread. There are plenty of other posts on this topic if you use the search function. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...c=52650&hl=

My LS is a 2004 and, unless things have changed in between these years, no Navigation means you have the most basic model. The car will be boring in every sense of the word - both in a good and bad way, as others have posted. No real maintenance issues, no little things you have to figure out (i.e., when you first sit inside, you probably can already work everything), but will never be mistaken for a sports car. Make sure that you have tires that "fit" the car - mine came with "performance" tires (purchased CPO last year) that transmit way more noise into the cabin that I'd like, but what can you do? My tires are Goodyear ResponseEdge with Kevlar - supposedly quiet, but I wouldn't pitch them as such. One major plus (to me) about the basic model is that it has parking sensors rather than a backup camera. This is definitely a personal preference, but I have found the sensors to be more useful than the camera, although I couldn't tell you why. All in all, I'm pretty agnostic about my ride, so I'll just highlight a few of my pro's and con's after a year of owning a LS430 - comments with the word "surprising" are relative as our expectations may differ: Pros: - Very good drive train - the engine is smooth, powerful, and well matched to the transmission. - Everything "just works" - Surprisingly small turning radius - Blocks out most outside noise very well - Interior is incredibly comfortable and well put together Cons: - A surprising amount of noise can travel through the bottom of the vehicle - especially through the tires. This might be alleviated some with different tires - maybe someone else can comment. - Suspension is not as great as some reviewers make it seem. The times I get that "driving on glass" feeling are few and far between; again, since I'm in the minority, this might be due to the tires - Suspension handles big bumps amazingly well, and small bumps surprisingly poorly. - The cooled seats don't really work all that well - if your backside is hot, the cooled seats will only make them slightly less hot. Huge Con (for me) - Lexus CPO warranty is non-transferrable. This was not pointed out to me before I bought the car (yes, it was in writing, but I didn't catch it until a couple days later). Since you plan on keeping your vehicle for a while and you haven't mentioned CPO at all, I'm guessing it's not an issue for you.

Every car I've ever driven has done this - it takes time to heat up air. If you leave the climate control set to auto, it will not blow out air until it is heated. I prefer this to being blasted with cold air, so I leave mine to auto.

I've tried setting more force when using the PB and it seems that maybe it worked. I'm pushing it for a good 7 or 8 clicks though - I don't know if it's possible to push it too hard. At any rate, I'm not sure if that fixes it - I'll report back if it does. I'm pretty sure it's the brakes though - I briefly hear a similar sound occasionally when I release the service brakes.

Newer cars tend to have better safety features - I think the side curtain airbags were introduced in 2001. Also, the parking assist was added, which has been very useful for me.