Operation replace the 4GS...or don't...the search begins
03-17-15, 08:29 PM
#1
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Operation replace the 4GS...or don't...the search begins
Well...I've arrived at the back part of my 4GS lease, I have ~7 months to go. I have enjoyed the 4GS immensely, I can safely say that its been my favorite car out of all the cars I've had. I continue to enjoy it and find myself not anticipating the end of the lease like I typically do. This is the point where I typically trade out of a car...I don't feel the usual need to do that.
The car looks, rides and drives pretty much like brand new. The clear bra I had put on the front of the car has kept the front looking pristine, will always do that from now on, but I'll do the whole hood and fenders. Flaxen leather is still in great shape inside. Really a great car.
So, over the next few months I will begin my exhaustive search for a replacement for the car. I tend to drive a LOT of stuff, and really take my time deciding what I want. I'll be updating this thread as I go giving my thoughts on competitors and how they stack up against my 4GS, and I welcome input and suggestions, other members thoughts on cars that I've driven and considered. My hopes would be that the moderators would leave this here in the 4GS forum and not move it to Car Chat, because I think at the end this will be a great resource for people shopping for a 4GS to see directly how these competitors compare.
In the end...I may wind up in a refreshed 2016 GS, or I may wind up buying mine out. The drawbacks to doing that are the tax implications since I write off a vehicle for business, and the buyout at $34.5k not being a tremendous deal. But, I like the car so much I may just do that, we'll see. I may also wind up extending this lease to see other competitors that may not be available before the end of November, such as the refreshed MB E Class.
Like last time, I do have a desire to move outside the Lexus brand because I've been a Lexus driver for so long.
So in short, here are the cars I'm going to be considering and my initial thoughts on each. Many of them I drove before I got the GS, and have been redone or refreshed.
Lateral Move:
2016 Refresh 4GS: Not a lot to say, it'll all depend on how the new front end looks on the non-F car.
2016 Audi A6: This was a car that I liked tremendously in 2012, better in some ways than the GS. Downside for me was the less impressive interior and very poor leases. The 2016 refresh looks to have sharpened up the exterior which I already love, and addressed some of my concerns with the interior with leather upgrades, upgrade multi-contour seat packages, ambient LED lighting etc. I've noticed Audi has started advertising A6 leases, so maybe the lease terms are better. We'll see.
2015/2016 BMW 535i: Wasn't overly impressed with the car in 2012, and they are everywhere. The refresh has helped some of my issues about the spartan interior with nappa upgrades. Good leases, and built in maintenance is a huge plus for leasing.
2015/2016 Cadillac CTS: Wasn't tremendously impressed with this car when I drove it after it came out. Its been slightly re-tweaked so we will see. My wife insists if I got a Cadillac she will never ride in it. This may be a plus
2015/2016 Hyundai Genesis: This is a car that I like very much, pretty much everything about it other than the fact that its a non-luxury brand. Whether or not I could come to grips with that is a question, the value proposition vs the competition is significant.
2015/2016 Infiniti Q70L: I love the idea of this car, one of my gripes about the GS is its smallish backseat. I drove it a while back though and was unimpressed, its a good looking car but inside and out it lacks the attention to detail of its competitors.
2017(?) MB E Class: I won't consider the outgoing E Class, but I'm very interested to see the new model.
Move up:
2015/2016 Lexus LS460: This is a car that I've always wanted, ever since my Dad's LS's back 10-15 years ago. At this stage in my life with the new twins and all I'm not keen on taking a huge payment jump, but deals are huge on LS460s and if I can get one to lease less than $900 a month, I might have to do it.
2016 Hyundai Equus: New Equus is coming, but the Equus is the big flagship car I like at a GS price which I like. Same badge issue as with the Genesis though.
Wildcard:
2015/2016 BMW X5: I've helped a couple friends buy/lease X5s this year and I really like the vehicle. With us perhaps trading the Jeep on a van down the road, something like an X5 is attractive because it keeps the SUV in the family but leaves me a carlike vehicle to drive every day. Downside is leases aren't great.
2015/2016 Honda Odyssey: Gulp. So far the Jeep is working fine, but if that changes I may wind up trading the GS on an Odyssey and driving the Jeep for a year or so and delaying my search. Keep your fingers crossed that doesn't happen.
So, give me your thoughts and comments and watch this space because I'm going to start driving stuff extensively and will report back my thoughts, and specifically how they compare to the GS.
The car looks, rides and drives pretty much like brand new. The clear bra I had put on the front of the car has kept the front looking pristine, will always do that from now on, but I'll do the whole hood and fenders. Flaxen leather is still in great shape inside. Really a great car.
So, over the next few months I will begin my exhaustive search for a replacement for the car. I tend to drive a LOT of stuff, and really take my time deciding what I want. I'll be updating this thread as I go giving my thoughts on competitors and how they stack up against my 4GS, and I welcome input and suggestions, other members thoughts on cars that I've driven and considered. My hopes would be that the moderators would leave this here in the 4GS forum and not move it to Car Chat, because I think at the end this will be a great resource for people shopping for a 4GS to see directly how these competitors compare.
In the end...I may wind up in a refreshed 2016 GS, or I may wind up buying mine out. The drawbacks to doing that are the tax implications since I write off a vehicle for business, and the buyout at $34.5k not being a tremendous deal. But, I like the car so much I may just do that, we'll see. I may also wind up extending this lease to see other competitors that may not be available before the end of November, such as the refreshed MB E Class.
Like last time, I do have a desire to move outside the Lexus brand because I've been a Lexus driver for so long.
So in short, here are the cars I'm going to be considering and my initial thoughts on each. Many of them I drove before I got the GS, and have been redone or refreshed.
Lateral Move:
2016 Refresh 4GS: Not a lot to say, it'll all depend on how the new front end looks on the non-F car.
2016 Audi A6: This was a car that I liked tremendously in 2012, better in some ways than the GS. Downside for me was the less impressive interior and very poor leases. The 2016 refresh looks to have sharpened up the exterior which I already love, and addressed some of my concerns with the interior with leather upgrades, upgrade multi-contour seat packages, ambient LED lighting etc. I've noticed Audi has started advertising A6 leases, so maybe the lease terms are better. We'll see.
2015/2016 BMW 535i: Wasn't overly impressed with the car in 2012, and they are everywhere. The refresh has helped some of my issues about the spartan interior with nappa upgrades. Good leases, and built in maintenance is a huge plus for leasing.
2015/2016 Cadillac CTS: Wasn't tremendously impressed with this car when I drove it after it came out. Its been slightly re-tweaked so we will see. My wife insists if I got a Cadillac she will never ride in it. This may be a plus
2015/2016 Hyundai Genesis: This is a car that I like very much, pretty much everything about it other than the fact that its a non-luxury brand. Whether or not I could come to grips with that is a question, the value proposition vs the competition is significant.
2015/2016 Infiniti Q70L: I love the idea of this car, one of my gripes about the GS is its smallish backseat. I drove it a while back though and was unimpressed, its a good looking car but inside and out it lacks the attention to detail of its competitors.
2017(?) MB E Class: I won't consider the outgoing E Class, but I'm very interested to see the new model.
Move up:
2015/2016 Lexus LS460: This is a car that I've always wanted, ever since my Dad's LS's back 10-15 years ago. At this stage in my life with the new twins and all I'm not keen on taking a huge payment jump, but deals are huge on LS460s and if I can get one to lease less than $900 a month, I might have to do it.
2016 Hyundai Equus: New Equus is coming, but the Equus is the big flagship car I like at a GS price which I like. Same badge issue as with the Genesis though.
Wildcard:
2015/2016 BMW X5: I've helped a couple friends buy/lease X5s this year and I really like the vehicle. With us perhaps trading the Jeep on a van down the road, something like an X5 is attractive because it keeps the SUV in the family but leaves me a carlike vehicle to drive every day. Downside is leases aren't great.
2015/2016 Honda Odyssey: Gulp. So far the Jeep is working fine, but if that changes I may wind up trading the GS on an Odyssey and driving the Jeep for a year or so and delaying my search. Keep your fingers crossed that doesn't happen.
So, give me your thoughts and comments and watch this space because I'm going to start driving stuff extensively and will report back my thoughts, and specifically how they compare to the GS.
Last edited by SW17LS; 03-17-15 at 08:32 PM.
03-17-15, 08:39 PM
#2
Lexus Test Driver
U would be better off with the LS 460.
When I get the cash to back me up I'll make the jump too!
When I get the cash to back me up I'll make the jump too!
03-17-15, 08:47 PM
#3
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
I would be better off LOL, but while adjusting to two new mouths to feed, $1,200 health insurance premiums, $700 a month worth of formula, wanting to buy a bigger house....not really the time to be spending $1,100 a month to lease an LS lol
03-17-15, 09:13 PM
#4
no matter what, buying out the gs will NOT be my choice. if anything just go lease the 2016 gs. write off, newer style, newer tech, etc....
ls460 is a great upgrade and good for lease write off but then it's likely the last year of this generation. probably not a big impact since you are leasing but still....
out of your lease, i probably would consider the new e class or 5
ls460 is a great upgrade and good for lease write off but then it's likely the last year of this generation. probably not a big impact since you are leasing but still....
out of your lease, i probably would consider the new e class or 5
03-17-15, 10:06 PM
#5
Lexus Champion
Gen-e-sis! Gen-e-sis! 
The Genesis catches my eye every time I see one. Just that H badge. And I'm far from a brand snob... It would be great if you could get a dealer to allow you a weekend long test drive. That or find a rental company that rents out genesis'. It'd make for a fine comparo before you buy. 
The Genesis catches my eye every time I see one. Just that H badge. And I'm far from a brand snob... It would be great if you could get a dealer to allow you a weekend long test drive. That or find a rental company that rents out genesis'. It'd make for a fine comparo before you buy.
03-17-15, 11:18 PM
#6
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Initial thought was if the 3GS is so great then the LS460 must be GREAT thinking the LS is a improved upscale version of the GS. Very wrong. It's far more accurate to say the LS is an improved upscale version of the ES. I purchased a ES for my MIL so I know that car well.
Best way to describe the LS is it's a Swiss army knife. Does many things but not 1 single thing exceedingly well. It's not THAT quiet, it's not THAT smooth, it's not THAT powerful and it doesn't handle well. The car was soulless and mediocre compared to the 3GS. Hated it so much I got rid of it after 10 months and took a huge hit. The 4GS is a far better car.
@ the OP, if you want something incredible test drive a M3 or M4. I just picked one up and gave my 2014 4GS F sport to my son. People laugh because I'm driving the smaller 3/4 series BMW and he's driving the equivalent of a 5 series but I LOVE the car. It's an absolute beast but smooth and comfortable. I'm going to install a JB4 which will bring RWHP up to 525-550 which is close to 600hp at the crank!
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03-18-15, 02:31 AM
#8
Lexus Test Driver
All I can say is good luck. It sounds like OP has a lot of thinking to do. I don't think you have to go with an SUV, unless you really want to. I really liked the A6 (3.0T w/black optics pkg) but lease deals suck horribly. Never considered the 5 series. I'm personally not a brand snob I just liked the Cabernet, adaptive suspension (fascinates me) and the F Sport pkg otherwise I would have got another Kia Optima. I'd probably really rather be driving an SUV personally. X5 Sport Activity (or whatever the trim level is that they're calling it these days) but that's outta my budget and lease deals suck on them too. Maybe the new RX will be exciting! Or the NX??
03-18-15, 03:17 AM
#9
I have just one word for you.....Audi. I think you know my story. I won't be going back to BMW. We love our GS, but for me the Audi exceeds my expectations from a pure driving standpoint.
03-18-15, 06:36 AM
#10
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Initial thought was if the 3GS is so great then the LS460 must be GREAT thinking the LS is a improved upscale version of the GS. Very wrong. It's far more accurate to say the LS is an improved upscale version of the ES. I purchased a ES for my MIL so I know that car well.
@ the OP, if you want something incredible test drive a M3 or M4. I just picked one up and gave my 2014 4GS F sport to my son. People laugh because I'm driving the smaller 3/4 series BMW and he's driving the equivalent of a 5 series but I LOVE the car. It's an absolute beast but smooth and comfortable. I'm going to install a JB4 which will bring RWHP up to 525-550 which is close to 600hp at the crank!
Originally Posted by yardie876
Gen-e-sis! Gen-e-sis!
Originally Posted by sick21
I don't think you have to go with an SUV, unless you really want to.
Originally Posted by jjscsix
I have just one word for you.....Audi
03-18-15, 07:47 AM
#11
Lexus Test Driver
I don't think Steve is looking for a high performance sports car, more like a family hauler that's why I mentioned the LS.
But I do agree that the LS is more on the comfort side, even in Sport+ mode it floats.
But I do agree that the LS is more on the comfort side, even in Sport+ mode it floats.
03-18-15, 08:17 AM
#12
Buy your GS and depreciate it for tax purposes.
03-18-15, 09:03 AM
#15
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Drove an A6 before getting my FSport...excellent drivers car, but I felt like I was sitting in the Volkswagen CC I was getting out of. Audi does not do a good job distinguishing their interiors from VW and that was my turn off. Never have been a fan of BMW's so I've completely dropped owning German (unless an R8 works it's way into the garage). My M37 is very comfortable and smooth, but the overall feel is much looser than the GS. A 60k mile difference probably has a lot to do with that, but I still don't remember it feeling as tight as the GS.