Hey guys, its about time for me to say farewell to my 03 CLS. I really like the GS300-430 from the late 90's but Im not sure of the workmanship. The toyota's seem to run forever like the Honda's but does that same quality transfer over to the Lexus division for those years?

Also, I may be getting a great job soon but it'll be a 30 mile commute each way. Im looking for something cheap and reliable to use as a daily driver. The Lexus may not be that car. If you guys could lead me in the right direction I'd greatly appreciate. Im looking for all of the wisdom I can get.

Cars Im looking into.

1. Used/new Camry
2. Used Civic
3. New GTI
4. Used Lexus

 

Isnt an 03 cls cheap and reliable?

 

Not when you're nearing 100k miles and you're on your 4 transmission and its currently dying. I've been reading that people are hit or miss in getting dealers to honor the extension past 100k miles. I live in Baltimore, if you can point me in the right direction then I'll consider keeping this car.

 

Hm yea i kinda forgot about the horrible transmission. Sorry, dont know much about baltimore, however if anything a used civic would probably be your best bet. They are reliable and cheap if anything ever goes on it.

 

Thnx. Yeah Im just doing a 1 step back, 2 steps forward type of deal. I want a daily beater and then Ill lease something that I wont need to drive everyday.

 

Late 90's Lexus ES. Great cars, nice and reliable... and you still get a little bit of luxury. Perfect for commuting and not that expensive...

 

or you could buy my 97 TL, heh. that's never had one single problem and it's got over 135k miles.

 

A Camry is also a good way to go. Our beater is my wife's old Camry. Thing is a 1994 with almost 200k miles. It's needed some work over the years, but over the last 2 years or so it has been running like a charm...

 

Pretty sure the late 90's GS is very reliable. The 6 cyl is the 2jz motor (which we all know is very reliable) and the 8 cyl is the same as the one in the LS of the time (also very reliable).

The car will be cheap if you know how to do some things yourself and are a good bargain hunter.

 

I have a 99 GS400. Just passed the 100K mark, and as far as quality, the car feels newer and rides better than the CL-S did with 40k miles. Just make sure that it had the 90K mile service done (close to $1000)

 

Guys, thanks for the great replies.

I really want the Lex because I dont want to rid myself of the luxury the CLS gave me. Do you guys honestly feel that I could rack up 200k on a Lex? If not, I may just get a camry.

The purpose of my next purpose is to give myself a beater so when I get a BMW, Lex, or Infiniti I wont have to drive it everyday.

 

I honestly think you could rack up 200k on a CL-S.

And Tischer Acura in Laurel should be good about replacing the transmission beyond 100k miles.

 

i'd go with the used camry or lexus (you should be find with a late 90's gs or even es).

i know it's not one of your listed options, but how about a used maxima? i know many people with older maximas (95-03) and they're still running well at over 100+ miles.

 

I love Tischer, I have one tranny swapped there and they were great. Is this something I can ask them beforehand? I'll give them a call and see where they stand. You were the person who tipped me off to Tischer and I know you basically lived there. lol. I'm afraid that they may all of a sudden alter their stance on swapping after 100k.

I love my CLS but I'm scared of getting screwed. I kinda feel like I want to rid myself of the headache/worry.


I've heard the customer service is trash. Thats why I live in baltimore yet I drive all the way to tischer acura for service.

 

I would call and talk to someone in management. Explain to them that you are considering selling your Acura because you are afraid after you hit 100k miles your won't be protected by the transmission warranty.

 

Thanks for the advice, Ill be sure to do that.

 

Lexus have always known for its quality and reliability.

 

As long as you follow the regular maintnance, then yes. There is a guy who drove over 250,000 miles with a 00 GS4 without replacing anything major, and he eneded up selling it for $10K.

 

used infiniti i30/35 make a great beater.... pretty reasonable priced and ultra reliable.. and as luxurious as any other late model high end vehicle

 

id stay with the CL if i were you

 

Guys, another question. I test drove the GTI and it was a blast to drive. It seemed like a solid car. My question is, how long do VW's usually last. Could I expect a GTI to last as long as a civic or camry? I think the turbo may be an issue way down the line.

 

GTI wont be as reliable as a civic or camry. If you want a car reliable like the CLS then stick with the japanese.

New GTI is pretty expensive too, you have a lot of options in that price range in terms of other cars. How about the civic SI, fun and reliable.

 

Stick with the Camry or Lexus if you want something that can go forever. Heck, you'd be better off sticking with your CL then getting a GTI...

 

I actually like the new civic, but my g/f just purchased one Saturday.....
I can't drive the same car as my g/f. LOL

The GTI and the Civic feel different, I tend to like how the GTI felt over the civc. Thats just in my limited time with both.....

Decisions, decisions.....

 

How much you looking to spend?

If i wanted a fun and reliable car for the price of the GTI, i would get a Legacy GT.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...000&cardist=54

 

Those Lexus's will run til the doors come off. They are very reliable. A frined of mine had one with over 200K on the odometer.

I think you will be OK with an older Maxima as well. You can pick up a used 2001 or so for next to nothing and they will last a while. I had over 180K on my 95 Maxima when I sold it. Never had any serious issues with it. And I really never had to deal with Nissan service since they are easy to fix for most mechanics.

 

I owned a Forester, is it pretty similiar in how it drives? Also, how do the Subarus hold up past 100k?

 

The older Lexus's are holding their value very well. They're still going for close to 20k at Carmax.

 

Not sure, I never drove the Forester but i would guess the Legacy GT is much sportier.

Im picky when it comes to the fun factor and i had a blast in the GT and the WRX TR.
I have no experience with the reliablity, i just base it off the JD power charts. Subrau is ranked pretty high on it.

 

You know your car best. Getting into a new car is ALWAYS a crap shoot when buying used. Lexus may have great quality, but you have no idea how well the car was cared for. What's worst case scenario you have to buy a new tranny on the CL. God knows what you might have to shell out buying someone else's used car.

 

I want to keep my CLS but how many trannys will I have to put into this thing? They die every 20k or so... , Im just sick of it. Tired of the clunking, the downshifting, the car going into neutral on its own and having to reengage the transmission.... Everything except the transmission has been exceptionally great, except the sunroof rattle. lol

 

How much worse can it get than KNOWING that you will have to get a new transmission.

 

Older Camrys yep. Don't buy a new 07+ with worse Transmission problems than Honda had.

 

WOW!!! I was NOT aware of that. Thanks for the heads up.