thinkin

There is no way that's remotely accurate. The LS430 is quite light given its size.

LS430forMe

The curb weight is 300lb more, at 4,300 lbs.

Still a nice car though...

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/2003/.../exterior.html

Marklouis

^^^

I guess I stand corrected! thanks for the heads up fellas.

schwuller

i personally don't like the idea of an S class as a 'going out car.' a 4 door businessman's sedan? a going out car? that's what the SL or the CLK or even the CLS are for. i had a 6.9 that i loved and bought a brand new e class a few years ago (sold). for a big fast sedan, which is what this is, i think the Lexus does it better, if you have to actually live with the car. now if you are talking about an SL versus a Lexus SC430 well that's a greyhound-to-pig comparison. The LS is a better put together, more reliable and more trustworthy vehicle than this particular generation S class was. The S class for a serious DIYer like me is not a horrible proposition by any means. But why? The LS is just as good, albeit less sporty and certainly less powerful but close enough and so much more dependable and so much better built. I would look at the SL because there you are getting something for your extra trouble! you are getting a truly sporty car, better styling, an altogether sexier proposition in exchange for your extra maintenance an less reliable systems. if you go S class, for your extra trouble$ you are getting...just another used 4 door sedan.
changing the subject slightly, do the math on these AMG handbuilt engines. do you know how many engines AMG claims to hand-build for themselves and Pagani? do the numbers and you might come to the conclusion that their definition of 'hand built' might not be what we have in mind when we hear that term!
is this generation S class a more engaging drive than an LS430? you bet it is...when it's running properly. is it better enough that i would consider this generation S class over an LS430? no way on earth. does it have enough extra panache or badge value that i would accept the extra maintenance over an LS? nope. mercedes dealer experience versus lexus dealer experience? no contest (not that you'd be using the dealer).
this car is a used luxury 4 door businessman's sedan, that's all it is, and for me that generation Lexus does that dance a lot better than that generation S class. AMG or not.
want a going out car? get an SL or a Boxster and experience real driving dynamics.
think of it this way: the original owner purchased a hot rod executive limo and enjoyed it under warranty, then sold it on. that's the way you do this type of car. same for a bmw 7 series. now all it is is a used premium german sedan that's out of warranty. if it was 1993, that's a fair bet. but since around 1998 the germans don't play that game as well as they used to. used premium luxury sedan out of warranty? lexus rules that roost!

JLAWS

Well written. A used Benz out of warranty is too scary for me to own. I have a mortgage now so the LS430 was a no brainer. My 1st Ls430 gave me zero problems 6 years ago. My friend bought it and had no problems for the 3 year he owned it. So I chose to buy another LS430 over a boring fairly new car.

warminwisc

I have 130 k on my LS and not one single problem, not one. I really do not need a car to be a money pit . I have far to many toys that qualify for that.

yangins

Nice amg. I would love to get an E63 one day.

CelsiorAUS

Thanks guys now im actually thinking about that bloddy srt8 chrokee lol. luckily they are still 38k for an 06 model

while browsing str8 check out what we pay for one of these lol

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/...ode%20matchany

CarGuy89

WOW!!!! You can get one of those SRT8 Challengers here for $40-50k brand new.

schwuller

SRT8 as a fun going out car. let's see....
sexy sports coupe body: check.
possible future classic: check.
fun to drive: check.
all the modern safety and luxury electronics: check.
expensive-to-repair mechanicals and electronics nearing the end of their life: nope.
can i have a ride? lol
it's a murderer's car! i love it. in california i see quite a lot of them, and the car has real presence on the road. i have an older corvette and along with this dodge and a used viper, they're some the best american cars since the muscle car era.

BNR34

iTrader: (1)

The good old reliable but boring vs. exciting but full of hassle and high repair cost debate.

I have the reliable but boring now because I am trying to save money and don't want any hassle.

But in the future when I saved up a chunk of money, I am going for bling.

For me though, it must have a tons of bling for me to give up the Lexus hassle free reliability. For me, they are 2011+ Bentley Mulsanne and Ferrari 458

The only AMGs that got enough bling for me is the SLS and SLR.

CarGuy89

For a cheap low maintenance fun car, I am really feeling the new Mustang GT with 412 hp and at a reasonable pricetag of $30k. I would love to have one as a weekend joyride later on.

BNR34

iTrader: (1)

It is a really fast fun car, but I really can't stand the interior. Especially for us who are used to highend Lexus interior!