oarnura

Thanks for that informative post. My problem is slightly different. When I hit a sharp bump even slowly I can feel it quite a bit in the steering with a soft clunk. It doesn't feel like a worn bushing. Otherwise I get no drifting or problems in turns. What component would that be a symptom of? The car is a 98 with 84000 miles.

I just bought a 98 LS. I hear the 01-03 LS 430s are also very reliable. I test drove a 03 and it was nice but bit different than the LS400. I think a few things very probably improved with the 430s like the steering tilt motors.

The online version of CR, which I think is more current, doesn't. HYundai is down too but the Genesis sales are up. If it were a failure they wouldn't be selling so many. You said 300c and SRT. Those are the sportier versions of the 300. Most of the cars on your list don't offer a V8 in their price range. Like I said you are really comparing Apple's and Oranges. Sorry to disagree. I find it very hard to believe that if I lined up a 3 series, S80 and a Genesis, any one would sit in one and say they are comparable in anything other than price. Size, rear leg room and trunk space are in wildly different categories. I see the point you are trying to make. You and I buy cars on how they make us feel. I get that. However, most don't. Most people out there buy a car differently. I honestly don't think anyone finds a Camry desirable in the way you find an A4 desirable. The bottom line is a Genesis is a good car and offers good value. I may not be for you but that doesn't mean its not for others. The only argument you have made against the Geneis is why buy a Hyundai for 36-40K when you can buy other cars for that much that are not Hyundais.

Not they don't recommend the 300. Here is the summary from CRs website: "The Chrysler 300 wasn't a standout in our testing. The 300C was very quick, but fuel economy suffered even when cruising, despite the cylinder-deactivation system. Handling is sound but not exceptional. The ride in the Touring is supple and controlled, but the 300C is stiff. Interior materials are just acceptable in this class. The claustrophobic cabin and limited outward visibility are detractions. IIHS crash-test results were poor when tested without the optional side air bags. A long-wheelbase version is available. Reliability of the V8 has been average, but the car scores too low to be recommended." A Hyundai Azera, Sonata are recommended by CR. So you would pick a sports biased sedan over a purely luxury car. That is a very Apples to Oranges list. Different size classes, sports sedans, luxury sedans.. etc. Most people don't say I have price range I'll just pick which ever 4 door sedan fits. The bottom line is your biggest objection to the Genesis is the Hyundai badge. I already said earlier badge not withstanding the car offers a tremendous value. In october, Toyota sales: http://www.clublexus.com/index.php?option=...&Itemid=155 "The GS luxury sport sedan reported combined October sales of 819 units." http://au.sys-con.com/node/733951 "*GENESIS 1,121" up 8.9% since september Chrysler doesn't break out the 300's number with the higherend versions. The base 300 is 21K. So it is safe to say more of the base sedans are selling. Also these are 2008 models sales at deeply discounted prices. Sales are down 62% year over year. 300 3,415 8,923 -62% C-Class numbers are 4,595 down 39% YoY. http://www.autospies.com/news/Mercedes-Ben...own-34-3-36958/ In a terrible market, when sales of established badges are trending down the newly introduced Genesis' numbers are trending up. That doesn't mean much long term but it does show how people are perceiving the Genesis.

I agree. However, in today's economy cars residual value is fairly meaningless. I test drove a 2003 Ls430 50Kmiles Nav, Mark Levinson, Cooled seats, CPO before I bought my LS 400. The dealer was asking 26K. Last week I checked and they dropped the CPO and had it up for $18,900. It finally sold. I guarantee you a 2004 LS 430 won't fetch more than 15K trade-in. An LS in no 7-series or S-Class either. They all have their own driving characteristics that matter to their target market. Lexus is trying to make the LS a 7-Series but it is alienating its core market. Go read the complaints about the LS 460s ride quality from people that owned 400s and 430s. Pull up the specs on an LS 460 and GS and tell me that the Gensis isn't close. The Genesis' build quality is far better than Chrysler's. There is no real value proposition with the 300C. You get a lot more for your money with the Genesis compared to a 300C. Why do you think Hyundai is comparing it to the Chrysler? Chrysler might not even survive this down turn. They are already laying of 25% of their workforce. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/21/business/auto.php "As of July, Hyundai had 3.2 percent of the U.S. auto market, the world's largest, and Krafcik said that would grow this year as the company takes sales from rivals amid an ongoing slump. Hyundai now ranks as the seventh-best-selling auto brand in the U.S. market, ahead of Chrysler. Part of Hyundai's strategy is to reduce the share of American consumers who said they would never buy its cars, a category of consumers Krafcik called "active avoiders." Hyundai's own research shows that the share of U.S. car buyers who have ruled out Hyundai dropped to 39 percent this year, down from 54 percent in 2005." There just isn't enough data to validate that statement. BTW I am comparing a base GS to a loaded Genesis 4.6. Add Nav, Rear sunshade etc and you are looking at $5-6K more on the GS. So the difference comparably spec'ed is $16-$17K. So with even with your depreciation estimate you are ahead with a Genesis. The GS comes with 342 HP vs 375 for the Genesis. In reality Consumer Reports data shows that a Hyundai 2002-Present has had better than average reliability rating. Chrysler doesn't. Owner satisfaction survey's also rank Hyundai's much higher than Chrysler and fairly close to Toyotas. CR Owner Satisfaction survey (percentage surveyed) Small cars Toyota Corolla 74 . Toyota Yaris Hatchback* 73 . Toyota Yaris Sedan* 69 . Hyundai Elantra 68 . Family cars Toyota Camry 71 Hyundai Sonata 69 Chrysler Sebring Sedan 42 Median 69 Large Sedans Toyota Avalon 79 . Hyundai Azera 75 . Chrysler 300 (V8) 70 Chrysler 300 (V6) RWD 56 . I used to make fun of Hyundai but after having driven the new Elantra and talking to extremely satisfied customers, not to mention the raw data, I changed my opinion. The bottom line is there is a perception about Hyundai and when it is coupled with brand loyal hyperbole that exists on forums we get threads like this. I own a BMW and a Lexus and have owned a VW Jetta. I visit forums and see the same brand bashing going on. BMW/Mercedes owners bash the Japanese brands. The Japanese loyalists bash the German brands. I try and take an objective view. I think the Genesis is positioned right for the market. People are pinching pennies. I must admit that there is a good chance the Genesis might also fail miserably. We'll have to see.

That's the same value proposition the LS400 had when it first came out. Toyota was not a luxury brand and Lexus was just being announced and they had to compete with Jaguar, BMW and Mercedes. It was much cheaper and had more luxury features. The Genesis is slightly smaller than the LS 460. The 4.6 V8 gives it the same power as an LS 460. It costs 26K less fully loaded than the base LS. Compared to a GS 460 which is base $53K. It is a down right bargain fully loaded with nav and the 4.6 V8 it costs $41.8 K. So you get a car that drives like an LS is larger than the GS for cost of an ES 350. I think that is tremendous value. The Genesis also comes with a better warranty. Hyundai's have excellent reliability since 2004 on consumer reports. I have rented an 2007+ Elantra twice and it was very good. For people that don't shop for a badge it offers tremendous value.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2009-hyun...esis-46-review/ Truth about cars just gave the Genesis V8 a 5 star review. "If Lexus pursued perfection, Hyundai got the patent." "A car this affordable this good simply boggles the mind. But armchair analysts see the derivative sheetmetal and questionable Hyundai dealership experience going over as well as a !Removed! in church. Be that as it may, the Genesis 4.6 stands well on its merits. Its amazing that a country that had its first democratically-held election when Toyota was building a pseudo-autobahn now makes a luxury sedan that runs with the class leaders for a fraction of the price. The Hyundai Genesis 4.6 is the car Lexus made in 1989, and the one Detroit killed decades ago. "

The function button toggles between the mesage on the MID and the trip computer. It won't do anything if there is no message. It is for when the car warns you of something. Open the door and it should say Left Door Ajar or something like that. Then hit function it should now switch to trip computer and give you the mileage, range and so on. Press function again and it will show "Left door ajar". Also if you bought it from a Lexus dealer chances are they put you in the lexus database. Go to lexus.com and register as an owner. The site should pull up your cars info with just name and address. Once you have an account and your 1998 shows up you can look up a online (PDF) version of the manual. The site will also have whatever service history for the past 3 year s, I think. I just bought a 1998 and went through the same excercise. I did get the manual but was to lazy to walk out to the car.

My 1998 LS 400 has 81,850 miles on it (bought with 80,600 on the clock). I don't think the timing belt was changed on it. The stupid dealer won't tell me. I am going to get it done at 85K. Good thing I have a 6 month/6K warranty from them (Lexus dealer). So if it does go I'll make them pay for it after all the car was bought and serviced at the same dealership.

I think that's because Top Gear slammed the SC430 and said the Hyundai Tiburon was a better sports coupe. Richard Hammond did that review, BTW. The video has been removed from youtube.

He actually liked the New LS 460 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/j...icle1358270.ece "And yet, behind the almost impenetrable shield of buttonry beats the heart of a very satisfying car. What makes it work so well is that unlike Mercedes, Audi or BMW, Lexus has no sporting aspirations for the LS at all. Oh, it shifts, be in no doubt about that, but it is not supposed to be a driver’s car. And by taking that out of the mix they have been able to concentrate on making it, above all else, unbelievably comfortable and quiet. Really quiet. It may be a 4.6 litre V8 up there under the bonnet, but at tickover it barely makes a sound. Then there’s the suspension. Sadly, it’s made from air, which means it doesn’t work very well in normal mode, but put it in “comfort” and the leviathan just glides. The driver’s seat should be singled out for praise too. It’s like sitting on a sumo wrestler. Couple that to the gearbox, which changes so smoothly you cannot feel the shifts, and you have a car that can be compared to the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Except for the price, of course. At first the starting price of £57,000 appears to be a lot but a Mercedes S 500 with a similar spec will cost you about £13,000 more. There are a few drawbacks, though. Its thirst, for a kick-off, but also its looks. It is a very handsome car but the styling means you can’t smoke while driving. No, really. If you crack the window open a tad in most cars your ash is sucked outside. In the Lexus, it’s blown back in. This means you spend quite a lot of your time behind the wheel on fire, and that means you swerve about quite a lot as you try to put yourself out. And that means the LKA beeps furiously. Then there’s the boot lid. You press a button on the key fob and it opens automatically, at exactly the same speed America is moving away from Europe. If it’s raining this is extremely annoying. Hopefully this is an optional extra that you don’t have to have. But I can’t be sure because it’s almost certainly referred to in the press pack by a set of initials. LBJ? ACU? DDT? Who knows? The worst problem, though, is the interior. It’s a bit like an executive suite at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham. Very comfortable and graced with lots of features that make your stay more enjoyable. But it’s all a bit nasty, if you see what I mean — the half-timbered steering wheel especially. It sounds as if I don’t like this car and that’s not right. I do. In the olden days Lexi were bought only by northern businessmen who’d had a row at the lodge with the local Mercedes dealer. They were reliable, quiet and comfortable but utterly soulless. This new one, AFB. " There are other Lexus reviews from him on that site.

Top Gear is all about drivers cars and fun cars. Lexus makes great cars. The LS is a great, reliable, smooth luxury car but it is not fun to drive. Lexus has always failed to take on BMW, Mercedes and Audi in sports sedans. The 3 series and M3 are still the bench marks, where as the IS and IS-F have fallen short. Car reviewers always say Lexus is for people who hate driving. Every thing that makes driving fun is taken out of the LS, its for a different target group. My other car is a 3 series (wife drives it). The LS is a great highway cruiser but on the back roads it is the 325i for me any day. Clarkson might just hate it because some British colloquial reason like some politician or celeb owns one. May be he was trying to prove the the LS wasn't bullet proof! BTW Top Gear put the BMW 3 series in the uncool wall too.

I just got my car two weeks ago and am going through the same thing. :) I do feel vibrations on the shifter and steering at some RPMs. I was looking at the same things on all the forums. I realized that when I get my car in for my 90K service I'll have all the mounts and suspension components checked. Till then just drive it and enjoy it.

That's the tank average. I only flip to "current" mpg for amusement since it's all over the place especially with all of the hills we have here. Check for leaves/pine needles/etc. in between your radiator and ac condenser. They really like to hide there in my car. Once you get your car out on the interstate, I can't imagine you won't see great mileage like I'm getting as long as it doesn't need any maintinance. When I say 28+mpg, I'm not doing any stop-and-go driving at all. I fill the car with gas 15seconds from the interstate, set the cruise, and watch the tank average climb. I have been plagued by stop and go traffic. I did hit 26 mpg when I got on the highway 2-5 minutes after exiting a gas station.

Is the mpg rating the Current reading or Tank Average? My 98 LS' needle is usually a little higher than that and I am averaging 20.7 right now highway city mixes. I wasn't light on the throttle though, I just got the car and friends have been trying it out.