Having owned both I see no evidence that’s true.

 

I honestly wonder which would cost more to keep running (LS400 vs W126), assuming you have a creampuff example of each. Probably the Merc, but it's worth it for many.

I know it seems crazy now but Mercedes cars used to be insanely reliable... like Lexus. You got what you paid for.

Problem for them is Lexus came along, and Americans like good deals and great dealership experiences, neither of which you got with European cars especially Mercedes.

 

The old diesels etc were super reliable, but the gas versions really weren’t anywhere as reliable as an LS.

 

The six cylinders were. But yeah.

MB can make a V8 though.

 

If that were true the reliability of the LS wouldn’t have been such a huge selling point.

 

Try to buy OEM Lexus parts vs German OEM, it's very easy to buy the latter but with Lexus it's near impossible to figure out who actually makes the parts. You are forced to buy OE from dealers at 2-3x the cost....

 

It was because it was so reliable and cheap. For half the cost of an S-Class, literally.

 

I have bought OEM parts for both cars, Mercedes parts are way more expensive. Easy to buy OEM parts for Lexus online.

The reliability va the German cars alone was a huge selling point.

 

No you bought OE parts, OEM is the same exact part in the actual factory box vs the brand box. There is a massive difference there in price since you just don't have that option with Lexus....

LS460 control arms set for the front is $2000 or so for OE arms, a full set of Lemforder arms for the German flagship of your choice is $800 and they will still have your brands logo on the parts and a QR code etc.

Lexus is near impossible to determine who makes the parts so if you want to make sure you get OE quality you need to buy Lexus boxed parts or buy one of every single maker of that part and compare them all. I did that for suspension arms because I refused to accept that it's impossible to determine who makes the parts for Lexus. Motor mounts I had to buy Lexus boxed ones, for the German cars active mounts I found the actual maker so I avoided having to order from the usual online places. I couldn't get the W12 mounts directly as the factory only makes them for Audi/Bentley but they still were only $20 more a side vs the 460.

The Germans give you stickers and cast/molded in info on exact brand, factory, time of day, and part number to easily allow you to figure out where the part is from. Far easier to know you are buying the same as OE with no hoops to jump through.

 

Mercedes is notorious for requesting the original parts back from body shops when it comes to claim repairs …so there is very little refurbished or second hard parts that get on the market for many of MB components

 

I never said any BMW, Jag, Audi or anyone else European but Mercedes ever came close or equalled Lexus reliability wise.

Old BMWs were pretty good, however.

 

I have a Slovenian buddy and when I was traveling to see him, he arranged for me to stay at his friends’ house. They are also Slovenians and the guy loves V8s because they are basically prohibitively expensive to own in Europe. He has a 2011 Maserati coupe and as a daily, he just picked up a 1998 S500, which he and his wife use to commute. They took me to the airport in that car. It is so solid, tight, quiet, and buttery smooth. The car is a detail away from being minty. I’ll bet he’s done that by now.

 

Wow, so car enthusiast Europeans don't care about gas mileage either and like big engines just because... what a shock. (Not directed at you.)

Though yes, gas is much more expensive over there and also in many countries they tax you on displacement.

A mint 1998 S500 is a fabulous car. It's gonna potentially cost some $$ though. W140 is fantastic but there are more reliable Mercedes....

 

those are good ones though! it's the M113 n/a V8 and traditional, non-active suspension... it's just a C-class that uses more fuel and has more expensive brake rotors

the IS 500 is probably the closest thing to a modern interpretation of that car actually lol

 

Agreed. I would LOVE an IS500 but it's too small for my tastes.