GSLEX0586

iTrader: (1)

OK i either need members to grab me by the nuts with a lexus anchor or push me to Germany on a road to happiness....


Simply put:

I bought my loaded 06 GS300 roughly a year ago for $24k OTD slightly modded 60k on the odo. i'm at 95k a year later and although i haven't lost the love for my Lexus...I took notice of the 07 S550's being fairly cheap now. Keep in mind this is a $100k+ car now sitting in the mid 30 range now.

So here I am weighing out if its worth it:

-22/30 EPA vs 16/24 EPA :/
-V8 vs V6 = more costs come maintenance time (BUT i do all my own work minus internal engine work) but i dont care abou the add'l power.
-Benz interior is a LOT more roomy with better touches than the lexus.
-Its a S class benz...period.
-Fairly "cheap" to upgrade to a far higher class of a vehicle.

My biggest concern is that while my lexus is at 95k, it runs like its at 15k. I dont want to give up my lexus and a year later my S550 starts running like a 95 S class benz.

what do you guys think? this WILL be my daily driver 4 days out of the week

tbilisi79

550 is a beast. Id love a S550 sport one myself and I was looking at them when I was shopping around.
But know one thing, parts and maintenance is very expensive. repairs easily go into thousands.
Each corner has a hydraulic strut, when they fail they are 1000 ea peace at least. In other words make sure you get a factory warranty or a car that comes with it.
Do not expect reliability of you Lexus in any way.

Ap1_Alan

iTrader: (1)

You put 35k miles on your car in a year? I'd look for a used LS460

GSLEX0586

iTrader: (1)

being my DD, i would obviously need it to be up and running 90% of the time, not vice versa. I mean...is it THAT bad as many people make it seem? My gf's entire family have BMWs and she, herself has 240k on her odo with almost 0 issues so im testing the myth of benzes and crappy reliability

TWong350

iTrader: (8)

+1

Additionally, there's likely a reason why they are going for mid 30's now. $70k drop is HUGE. I say no way.

GSLEX0586

iTrader: (1)

luxury cars, especially MB have been known to depreciate badly...its not a honda or toyota

Brabusx2

oh my god... my entire family all own european cars, until i decide to do something different and go for Lexus, Mercedes are now pretty reliable now days with their engine and tranny but other than that their minor problem is still a night mare and costly to fix, all of sudden u get a CEL pop up found out your fuel pump fail or just stupid sensor which cost $400 to fix because the part is hard to get to, get warranty if you could save you lot of trouble and money, there is a reason why they are so cheap... my dad just sold his 18years old W140 for $900 with 36,000km on the clock

GSLEX0586

iTrader: (1)

so with an extended warranty, should i pull the trigger?

Brabusx2

make sure that exteneded warranty is (BUMPER TO BUMPER)

beware of some third party scammer warranty that won't repair your car with OEM part but generic.... and also, they will just insist lot of stuff they don't cover...

my G35 window regulator gave out, that extended warranty only cover window motor, but not regulator, my seat control stop working, they only cover seat motor, but not seat control switch, my fuel gauge is never accurate, they do cover fuel system but not fuel sensor just lot of BS and watched my $2k down the drain + another 1.5k in repair for nothing. finally my G35 steering rack appear to be worn, they replace it with generic one and the car felt like ****, so got really sick of the car and i traded it in for a brand new RX450h

tbilisi79

Only MB Factory or extended warranty. And do Sell right before it expires.

EN_VY

S class is a boss car. I've always wanted one, but maintenance scares me.

06ausiecar

Lexus to Benz is a big step. Lexus you'll have more worry free road time for sure. And the Benz myth is kinda and I mean kinda not true. My uncle has been with Benz since the mid 90's and it's been hit or miss. My brother In law just bought his 2003 s500 and with 103000 miles it literally looks and feels brand new. You take great care of it it will take good care of you. It's not like a Toyota though that if you take good care of it it'll take great care to you. Plus I hate the air suspension plus it's many tantrums. They are nice cars though, it would just take a lot for me to buy one. Benz for some reason still has more wow factor than Lexus. If you don't mind being 110% on maintance and have the wallet to be a benz man (after purchase) I say go for it and hope you get a good one. Don't go Audi!! Lol BMW is the same way and I'm a BMW owner and fan and will tell you to buy a Toyota. They are cool vehicles but with German attitudes.

charmz

There is not much more boss you can get as a daily driver sedan then a s class...
For roughly $35k for a '07 your getting ALOT of car!

CLS is nice too but the new body style just came out and i think that means the s class body is changing too?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

you are exactly telling my story

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/car...07-ls460l.html

i didn't exactly compare my s550 to my gs350, because they aren't even on the same league. i am not saying s550 is better in everything, i am saying they are very different. you can read my review to understand more

one thing about the s550 that i still don't like is the attention -- too much. keep that in mind. otherwise the s550 is one hell of a car

cls is nice but honestly it is a pretty big gap between cls and s. the mb does depreciate a lot, like you said in the 30s range. a ls460l (apple to apple) can have for around 40 now, so also only a tad more.

now the reliability / quality over 100k miles? that's definitely something to think about. mine is 50k, but i am not sure if i will keep it till 100k

tbilisi79

S550 Sport is one of the best looking sedans from outside.

But jesus, what a disaster of an interior. Dash is ugly, possibly one of the worst ever in any car. Shifter on the steering column need I say more.

I owned a 94 S500 and I loved it, still miss it. Just not missing dealing with repairs, I have more important things to spend my money on.

So if Lexus is missing that prestige power, I can live with out it. My 430 does good by me.