I'm looking into replacing my car soon, and I'm looking for some advice.
My budget lowered a bit, so I'm looking at older and higher mileage than I originally intended.
I've looked into the models online, checking out reviews and forums, but I'm wondering if anyone here has personal knowledge or experience with these.
There's a lot of info on the cars when they were new, but there's considerably less readily available info on long-term ownership.

I want to know things like:

• What might be too many miles for these cars?
• Are any of these known to be problematic cars?
• What are some likely repairs I would be making?
• Is ownership and upkeep unreasonably expensive for any of these?

The mileage ranges from about 90k to 130k, most of them around 100k-115k.

Cars in question are mid to late 90s:

• Acura RL
  
• BMW 740i/L
  
• Infiniti Q45
  
• Lexus LS400

Also, if there is anything I'm overlooking, please let me know.
I've heard a lot of bad things about 90s Mercedes, so I've turned a blind eye to those listings. Should I reconsider?

 

LS 400...Always wanted one of those. I hear they're solid and for a v8 gas mileage isnt too bad. I've never owned one personally but I hear the 740's had alot of electrical/sensor issues. I would stay away from those

 

If you look at a 740 look for 97 and later.
My dad's 98 is pretty much perfect at 190k miles, but it takes quite a bit of work to keep it that way.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3027/...6ab88a579f.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3002/...e697c369c4.jpg
And I think those two things were just in the last 6 months. We have to replace bits of the front suspension regularly to keep it from making any popping sounds and I can replace the window regulators in about a half hour now, but other than that it's a great car. It would be quite expensive for my dad if we didn't do the work on it. I love to borrow his car, but I continue to own my 2.2cl for a reason.

 

stay away from the bimmer.. rest are good to go

stapler provided a perfect example..

 

Blower motor and Valley pan?

 

My owned a preowned 92 LS400...they got in like 95 or 96 I want to say.

It was a great car, its the car I learned to drive on. While man "enthusiasts" like to bash on it because its not the sportiest of cars...I loved the smooth power delivery and comfort.

I think by the time my mom got rid of it...she had owned it for 8 or so years. The AC compressor went, and my father made the case to lexus that was not normal for the age/mileage of the car and they replaced it for half the cost of labor. And the LEDs in the instrument cluster were starting to go..the main LCD in the center stack was dying as well.

I dont forsee all these as being REAL issues, or something that a known problem. But some simple research can reveal it either way.

 

Defintely go japanese if you're getting something high mileage. A high mileage BMW out of warranty scares the bejeezus outta me....

 

All models you have narrowed down are good candidate (well may be except the bimmer). However at that age and milage it will also come down a lot to how well the car has been maintained and what services have been performed and how much TLC it needs. Model wise the top picks of course would be the the LS and RL, with probably LS scoring above RL in a lot of field, However a RL with good service history probably will be a much better buy than a neglected LS and vice versa. So altough you have narrowed down to a model, you would have to evaluate each car to see whether you want to make an offer and how much to offer.

p.S> I recently got a 2000 3.5RL And I paid a little more than the statistical figure I had in mind for the car, due to the fact that all major items were done 15K ago so I was all set for next 45K, plus I got a decent amount of service history of the car.

From my research I saw the RL & the LS pretty much last upto 250K with dilligent & minor maintainance. Didn't research the infiniti so don't know.

 

Get a LS400, those cars are bulletproof. I know many people that have them and they last a very long time with much less maintenance than BMW 7 series. BUT if you do get the 7, make sure you go 97 and up, they put the 4.4l in 1997 versus the 4.0 in 95-96; BIG difference.

I personally love the 98-00 LS400 body style. They look classy and up to date with options, and they come with HID's. Also nakamichi sound is a huge plus; probably the best sound system I've ever had (in my 99 GS400)

As far as the Q45 goes; that engine actually is known to burn some oil. I'm a fan of the car itself but I wouldn't want to deal with a cloud of smoke every time I start it.

I would go with either the RL or the LS; I like the LS better IMO because of the RWD and V8 but reliability wise, both would be better than the 7series and the Q.

 

Lexus LS400

Always wanted a 90's one. Just too much $.

 

The later model RL's have the most comfortable seats i've ever sat in

 

RL should be the choice.

The LS may be a good car but they can be expensive to fix if things break. I heard a caller on one of Pat Goss's shows (of Motorweek) say that his timing belt broke and that the damage done was enough to declare the engine a total loss.

He was quoted (now mind you this is probably 5 years ago talking about a '98 LS) $23k for a new engine and labor. Goss agreed saying the cheapest at the time he had seen was $18k just for the engine.

 

Not going to disagree that a lexus might be more to fix in some cases...but a timing snapping...unless that was a horrendous mishap...sounds like the owner didnt pay attention to services since this is the case with any car that has a timing belt go on them.

 

1990-1997 LS400's are non-interference engines meaning if the timing belt were to snap, it would not hurt the engine.

Couldn't agree more with Sarlacc; the guy should have done the timing belt service on time...there's a reason why they say to do it at 90K (although I did it at 108K on my GS400)

 

RL FTW! or if u don't mind something a tad older, get yourself a 6spd 94/95 Legend GS.

There's a guy on the Legend forum with almost 350k on his original motor/trans/clutch!/Headgaskets

if u take care of any car right they'll last forever, especially a honda.

 

This is all basically what I've been thinking. I've always heard the LS400 is bulletproof, and I love the look of them. My friend was looking at getting one and he said it rode beautifully. They are the most expensive though, for similar years and mileage. But I'm sure that's for a good reason.
I always liked the look of the RL, and I feel good that it's a Honda.
A friend of mine (huge BMW guy) suggested the 740, and I thought they looked gorgeous and well-equipped. But I have an unshakable fear of BMW, so I was trying to see if there was any reason to really consider it.
I've heard nothing but great things about the Q45, but I, nor no one I know, knows anything about them personally.
Thanks for all the input, keep it coming.

 

Yes on the blower motor.
Sort of on the valley pan. I only replaced the valley pan because all the other stuff was out of the way. The fix was actually for vacuum leaks that developed after a BMW dealer replaced the oil separator valve when our family was on a road trip. It was also nice to find that he had hacked a couple wires and used butt connectors to re-attach them instead of getting under the car and unplugging the sensors. He was hurrying to finish for the weekend and we were hurrying to get on with the rest of the trip, so it's kind of understandable.

 

60-80K dollar vehicles parts are priced when the car is new. The price of the parts are proportional to the price of the car. As that 80K dollar car starts to sell for 20K, it doesn't mean the parts will start to cost less.

Unfortunately I've seen plenty of guys cut those wires when they do valve covers. Its shoddy work and only takes a little longer to unplug everything.

 

Have you considered the E34 5-Series. They look pretty good, maybe an alternative to the 7-series if you want to stick with bimmer.

Anyone know their reliability?

 

The RL and the LS are both good choices, as they probably suffered less abuse than the BMW. Those in the 1998 - 2001 era are owned by aging guys that drove them as executive luxo-boats. Not abusive. Just use some common sense (12K mi a year or less, all repair/service records, less owners the better, etc...). You'll find a good one.

 

I don't see the LS being more to fix than the RL. Either way if you go to the dealer you will pay around $100 an hour or if you take it to a small shop it'll be the same shop working on both cars....parts should be similarly priced as well.

 

i'd go with a RL

 

You can probably get a 04-06 5 Series or 04-06 LS400-430 for cheap these days. My next car maybe a 05-06 5 Series. Just wait for it.

 

For sure! You can find a 04-05 LS for under $20K these days...These luxury sedan V8s are sitting around on lots collecting dust.

 

Well my budget is in the area of 7k (down from 10k)
This 20k talk is bananas.

 

^^^Well then honestly the cars you are researching are out of your means. With such a modest budget you need to be looking at Civics/Corollas etc. Luxury cars have alot of crap that can go wrong and when they do you're looking at big $. Not a smart move if you have limited means....

 

Well I have a list of over 20 cars from that list that are within my budget.
And I am accounting for spare money for repairs and such, so I'm not putting myself right at the edge.
There are plenty to choose from around the 7k mark, I'm not worried about that.
I'm just checking to see if anyone has some info that I will find useful.
I don't want to buy something, run into issues, and then have everyone tell me, "Of course, all those cars have that problem," or something along those lines.

 

If the Lexus wasn't on that list, I'd say RL. But given the two, LS > RL any day.

 

Did you consider the Infiniti I30/J30 (not sure which letter it was called) from the late 90s. It basically is a decked up Maxima.

 

Go for a used mid 90's Acura Legend GS...A LEGEND NEVER DIES!!!

 

I'd go with a 1st generation 3.2 TL instead of a Legend unless you're mechanically inclined. They're more reliable and don't have as many issues with blown head gaskets. In addition, the interior holds up better and not just because its newer. The dash is one giant piece unlike the Legends for example. The stereo is easier to replace and mod. Its also quieter and lighter than the Legend.

Overall, I'd say get an '02 - '04 RL. The suspension is meant for the autobahn and has virtually no body roll compared to the previous RL's. Steering has much better feel too. In addition you get 15 more hp.

You can grab an '02 for the low teens these days easily.

 

Legends never die, they just get BHG's

 

I would say RL as well. Or the I30.

 

I would go with the LS or RL. Solid cars.

Stay away from the 90-93 Q45's, tons of overall problems, trans problems. My buddy had one, also had the transmission problems.