lou_RENAMED

^^^^ thanks for your post jriga..they are always welcomed and very informative even if they are biased

jriga

Just to add to this as well - my father fell in love with the SC430 about a year ago... so he leased one last fall finally... although I've only driven it once I was very bored with the throttle response and unimpressed by the acceleration or braking or handling. Nice finish, great sounds sytem, etc...

But a G35 Coupe, with it's V6, would SUCK the paint off that V8 SC.

And to add a rant : Lexus doesn't clearcoat their black cars - so my IS300 looked like pure $hit 1 year after delivery... and I take care of my cars. No amount of buffing brings the shine back - the dealer has been detailing my car every 6mos for free - simply because they told me the paint would be gorgeous and it just isn't.

lou_RENAMED

damn so lexus isnt all that after all....Thanks

phil2

:wackit::wackit::wackit::wackit::wackit::wackit:

jriga

They're all that, but not as all that as some other brands right now...

You know who is really surprising me? Mazda. The RX8 is underpowered, and not selling well. That car could have been HUGE for them. But they couldn't just throw in a 300hp V6 and hit a homerun - no they had to put in their funky-ass rotary.

Why? OK!! We know!! You can build a whole new type of engine! Great. Now put 2 turbos on the car so these G35 Coupes and Honda Civics quit whipping you butt! Give the car some balls, man! Let it flex! Oh well, I shouldn't be surprised by Ford I guess.

F23A4

The RX8 has a myriad of reasons why they dont sell. But mostly:
a) The ECU problem and subsequent poor MPG
b) The maintenance reputation of previous rotary Mazdas ($$$)
c) Styling (people either love it or hate it)
d) Performance doesnt outperform the late RX7

That said, IMO Ford will not manufacture a sports coupe that could cannibalize Mustang sales. But an NA 300hp V6 (or even high boosted 4 cyl, a la SRT4) would've been great.

Scrib

No clear coat???

Why would they do something like that???

Linner

My favorite car co is lexus, I want to get a gs400 sometime soon once im done paying off the cls, but also beemer is on the top of my list also

Nashua_Night_Hawk

Maybe the next Supra is NOT boring

ferizzo

personally I think as far as lux, reliability, and solidness you can't beat a Lex. I think Honda/Acura and Nissan/Infiniti lean more towards sport than Lexus with h/a in the middle (I think nissan/infiniti offer more sport than either of the two jap companies). I think my sister's RX300 with almost thrice the mileage as my TLS feels more luxurious and solid. What holds h/a back is it needs a V8 or at least offer more RWD or AWD vehicles. They have the technology. Lexus needs more sport (lux is far beyond the other two and above bmw). n/i needs more lux.

jriga

Unsure?? A guy I worked with says starting in 2004 they now clear coat all the colors... including black.

If you check my window sticker, it sure doesn't list clearcoated paint - but on my coworkers silver one, CLEARCOAT.

BS. :o

And did I mention $89.95 for a friggin oil change? What a rip. This will be my last Lexus for awhile - they need to inject some performance into their rides.

If I was driving something fast and fun, I'd stomache the cost of service - but $90 for oil on a car that gets outrun by kids in Civics with a set of pipes is not cool.

Maximized

I would agree with those who said that Lexus makes a boring product. The LS and GS I drove had a very numb feel to them. The steering wasn't weighted properly and the suspension was tuned too softly, but hey it's a luxury car. Lexus is a great car, but IMO I still think they arent as nice as their german conterparts.

03typeS6spd

I must add one final

i think lou's freakin benz is hot as hell, in fact if they still made it in the 430 form i think i would have to give up the cl-s for a benz... i have driven the 320 slk and slk 32 amg, and they have some balls compared anything lexus i have driven...

that being said i think the sc430 looks like complete ass, the interior may be nice with the top down in terms or style, but i never liked the outside (then the solara upgraded, furthering my distaste for the sc and the solara), and the stock wheels on those things are garbage, i would rather see steelies on there...

its only saving grace is the fact that its convertible, stretch the thing out like the old sc 300 and 400s and i would be singing a different tune, but if anything take the new slk 32 or the damn porsche and get some performance out of it at least for 60K

jriga

Maximized

The thing about Mercedes is that their quality has gone down the shitter. Lexus quality is much better as is there service department.

Chaptorial

I love the current gen GS. Car looks great inside and out.

vinarnold

gs does look nice very plain interior but the new ones are sick...

cmark

IMO the SC430 is

many better ways to spend that kind of money

vinarnold

cmark i would not buy a lexus if i had to there a lot of nice cars out there.

1SICKLEX

Lexus sold 264,000 cars and trucks for some reason last year. I figure they know a lil more than Acura (clearly) on what luxury is and what luxury car buyers want. Only a few of us mod our cars and we don't dictate what a car company will sell. There are too few of us.

power3dfx

lexus rules. <------ if i could make that period larger i would!
comparing my gs4 to the tls, i would say acura needs to catch up. the 04 tl though does come very close.
i would bet the gs would outlast just about any other car on the road in terms of drivetrain. its just that reliable

phil2

i can think of so many other cars for that kinda chip...here is one for example.....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...&category=6313

SilverBullet_RENAMED

Yes and no. For resale yes. For performance and sportyness, no.

If you want all 3, G35. Has the best resale value of any car right now, and has sport, and luxury, and 2nd best rated service.

Sarlacc

Its all based on opinion, thats why you have your choice of car makers.

personally, being in family that is on their 3rd lexus...I love them, their quality, engines, service, standards. all top notch.

But at my age, and driving desires right now, there are other cars better suited to my tastes. But i would never rule out buying one.

heyitsme

I don't really like any of the current Lexus lineup, too mainstream, not enough style. The 05 Gs looks nice and the concepts they have shown seem to show a new road which is good.

darrinb

i loved it before i ever drove one, now they dont interest me at all ever since i have driven one, cant go with those seats after the cl-s seats

1SICKLEX

darrinb, I do like the CL-S seats a bunch. Very comfy once your not CrazySellouts size.

lou_RENAMED

Guys without the IS300 and ES330 their lineup is pretty good....and I doubt anybody can say anything negative about their interior

LS 430 is one of the most praised luxury car in the market and doesnt look bad at all exterior and interior




the GS430 is still hot and thats why Nissan tried to copy their style with the Maxima...not only that but the new one is




the Sc430 is a great looking car IMO and the interior is pretty luxurious



and the RX330 has the nicest interior of them all...look how comfortable the seats look

goldmember

Sorry, as much of a living-room-on-wheels as the LS430 is (before my dad got his S500, we looked at that)... the exterior styling can NOT beat the current gen S-class/7 series, it's major competitors.


vs.



And I'm not commenting on anything else, since this argument/question is going to evolve into 10+ pages of virtual puke.

1SICKLEX

Goldmember, styling is all opinion. IMO, the new 7 is horrendous and I'd rather the plain LS than the ugly 7. The S may be the best looking large luxo sedan ever. Looks beuatiful still.

And you will notice people that buy those cars prefer a living room on wheels than a 2 1/2 ton sporty car (since the LS is the best selling in class with 1 version).

F23A4

During my prolonged test drive of the 2k4 TL, I actually drove IT to Lexus and checked out the GS430. My take: If I could package of my living room (leather furniture) into a car, it would be the GS430. I like my living room but, I dont want to drive around in it. The TL is def more my speed. (literally) And with that $53G sticker price (no Navi and 16" wheels), it doesnt work for me.

As far as the competition factor, the GS430 really has no direct Acura competitor and its market competition is the Infiniti M45 and Caddy STS.

The TL competes with the ES330 (which has NOTHING on the 2k4 TL or TL-S, at all!!! <---- if I can make that bigger I would!!) and Infiniti I35 (w/sport pkg).

just my $.02

randomwalk101

Yeah Acura is the best until your tranny goes BOOM!

lou_RENAMED

that has been a lesson learned

the MDX has the odossey tranny which is proven

havent heard anything about the rsx or the tsx


and the new tl I doubt they would do the same mistake again

and the RL never had a problem

to sum it up that tranny fiasco is behind acura right now

dgracer

For some of their cars maybe. In terms of quality and resale, no doubt, but look at what a GS costs, 40k, for 215hp in the gs300 and for a 6 year old design? How is that better bang for the buck then say, a TL or a G35? Yes it is rwd but so is the Infiniti. Es330 makes less power than an Accord and costs almost 40k also. Drive wheels wouldnt really factor in for bang for the buck in my view. For me it would be power (Bang) and quality and resale.

I chose the CL over the BMW for bang for the buck even though I preferred the handling of the rwd Bimmer. I just couldnt get excited over the $8k premium.

JarodL

id take a comparable bmw or mb model anyday over a lexus, there nice cars, but there is no sport or performance to them. what lexus competes with the M5 and E55, the GS430? thats a joke. What about the S600 or 750, with BMW new M6 and the SL55, I wouldnt take a SC430, hell id take an M3 vert or CLK55 vert over the Sc anyday. Lexus is a nice car, for old people. Come on lou, all the time weve talked about cars, I would have thought some of my influence would have rubbed off. Keep your car unless your going to a porsche, M5 (old or new upcoming one) or new E55

lou_RENAMED

yea but did you ever compared at where you are with your cl and where you would of been with the BMW

if yours is a 2002 cL-S with what mileage check KBB and also for a 2002 BMW 330 with same mileage and see where you lost more money.

SilverBullet_RENAMED

Wrong. The MDX and Ody trannys are blowing up left and right as well. Read their forums. My Mechanic friend that works at Acura says they are also.

lou_RENAMED

:o excuse my ignorance

1SICKLEX

Not everyone thinks in terms of 0-60. The GS is built to a much higher standard than those 2. The G35 and TL are great cars for the money but the GS 300 is a great car for a lil more money.Well, Car and Driver did have the GS 430 in it's comparison stat sheet (with the M5/XJ-R) when they tested the E55. I think that says a lot about the GS 430. It was not last in any category but acceleration. Not bad for a car not tuned to compete with AMG/M/R. I always state, AMG/M ownsz any Lexus but non AMG/M models don't.

vinarnold

not really i think the gs300 isnt worth much its slow and boring inside gs 430 is awesome.