saleem

Hi Guys, I have been a long time lurker on this board and love Lexus cars. Unfortunately I have never owned a Lexus, I have driven many Lexus models in the past, currently I own a 2009 Mazda 6 sport its not the one found in the American market, I have the "atenza" model which is made in Japan. Plain and simple the car sucks, I'm having lots of issues with the car now and want to replace it with either of the two models I mentioned in the title. I want a sporty car with enough ooomph to keep me excited, but ride quality, comfort and reliability are my three main priorities. What do you guys suggest ? what are the service costs of owning a high end lexus ? is it expensive to maintain a Lexus with lets say around 90-100k miles ? I will be hitting up some used car dealers and checking out some Lexus cars tomorrow. Oh, I'm currently residing in Dubai., I would be really thankful on any suggestions you guys can give

rominl

iTrader: (4)

90-100k is not high miles on lexus imho, these cars can go for a long time

but your criteria is very conflicting. if you want ride quality and comfort, then you give up sportiness. can't have both.

the two cars you looking at are extremely different too. ls430 is all about comfort and isolating yourself from the road / outside. it has the v8 punch, but forget about sportiness and fun, it has next to none. is350 is very fast and very sporty, but ride is noticeably worse.

reliability, both are good, build quality the is350 can't touch the ls430 (one of the best built lexus all time imho). for ls430, if you worry about reliability, don't get the UL which has the air suspension, when those go out (matter of time) it gets expensive

dmvp29

The LS430 and IS350 offer two completely different experiences. The LS430 is generally considered to be one of the most well built executive luxury sedans on earth. It's incredibly quiet on the inside. There aren't any nagging creaks or rattles. It has more than adequate power but I'd hardly call it sporty. And obviously being a bigger car it won't offer you the same kind of handling as a mazda 6 sport.

The IS350 has great acceleration but it suffers from little things like creaks or rattles. In principle these issues could be easily solved if you could accurately pinpoint the source, remove the dash, and just stuff it with copious amounts of padding. The IS350 has a great interior for an entry level luxury sedan but obviously it doesn't quite compare to the LS430. In order to coax the best acceleration out of the IS350, you generally need to turn the traction control completely off. In order to turn the traction control completely off for the 2006 model, you need to input a series of "commands" via the brake pedal and parking brake (colloquially termed the "pedal dance").

The 2007+ models of the IS350 simply have a button that you can press and hold for 5 seconds to turn the traction control off. The IS350's acceleration with traction control on can be bogged down to as slow as 0 to 60 in 6.1 seconds. With traction control off and a clean launch you can get as low as 0 to 60 in 4.9 seconds. Magazines like Edmunds have reported as much as a .9 second increase in 0 to 60 with traction control on so it's kind of a big deal.

saleem

Thanks guys for your Input, It seems I would probably enjoy the IS350 more, I drove it a few times at a taste of Lexus event back in 2006 in the Chicago area, it was very exhilarating. I'm just concerned on the service and upkeep costs since I'm planning on keeping the car for at least 4-5 years. Recently I have dumped close to 3000 dollars on my Mazda 6 in repairs/maintenance costs. All sorts of lights were flashing on the dash, Check engine, airbag light would flash randomly, door light would also randomly flash. The dealer really screwed me on the costs of repair for the car and the transmission is getting a bit weird now on the car, I feel a bit of jerking in first gear when the car is driven to work in the morning. It has made it to about 187500 kilometers in five years, which is around 118000 miles. I got the car brand new in September of 2008 in Dubai. I'm just really disappointed in this Mazda as I thought since its a Japanese made car I expected almost a Lexus like quality from it. But its not even close, it looks nice but its more like owning a BMW at the end of the day with a huge repair bill.

dmvp29

If you plan on keeping it for 4 or 5 years I suggest looking at the 2007 or 2008. As with any car, the reliability improves with model year. The 2006 IS350 by and large very reliable but it'll be a 12 year old car by the time you're done with it.

I have a 2009 IS350 that I bought brand new and I plan on keeping it for 15-20 years. It's been completely trouble free for me 85K miles in with the exception of occasional creaks and rattles.

saleem

Here in Dubai the Lexus IS350 was never sold by the official importer. Most of the IS350's are imported from the US by used car dealers or private owners. The IS300 is what we get here in Dubai, which I believe is not direct injected, its a 3 liter V6 variant in the 2IS body. I really don't like the performance of the IS300, the old 2JZ I thought was a better engine in the 1IS, having driven a few. I have seen some IS350's here in Dubai but they are a rare commodity but the LS on the other hand is in abundance as its a very popular car to own and sells very well here. Let's hope I can find a well maintained IS350.

incyphe

If ride comfort and reliability are big concern, it's not a bad idea to look into 2005 LS430. It's the best, and the last good, old-school Lexus made.

Any new Lexus engineered after mid to late 2000, you will see a noticeable change in quality, including 2006 IS models, which also happens to be the first model year for an IS.

yowps3

The LS430 is a limo. Where as the IS350 is a sports sedan. Massive difference.

dmvp29

Yeah my dad has an LS460 and the ride difference is night an day, although I'm not going to lie sometimes I enjoy the experience of driving the LS460 over my IS350 even though it's quite a bit bulkier and unwieldy. The interior is much more plush and it simply commands more presence on the road.

Kira X

iTrader: (24)

The LS430 is a way better car than the IS and I'm a big IS350 fan. I currently own an 05 LS430 and it's leagues above the IS and even the GS in some aspects. I drove an 06 IS250 and liked it but it was cheap looking, had a small interior, and it the ride quality was alright compared to my LS430. I would still buy an IS because I like the car but the LS is superior in almost every way. The IS will probably handle better and it's way more sporty though.

Go for the LS!

Justin2JZ

Bro. Just get a 07-08 GS350. Same motor as the IS350 but a lil more lux but still kind of sporty.

saleem

Guys, If I'm looking at getting a Lexus with around 90-100 thousand miles, lets say either a LS/GS/IS, what are some of the things I should be concerned about as in, maintenance, the cost of repairs, I know Lexus are solid cars but as far as maintenance is concerned, I don't want to be bombarded with repairs for engine mounts and transmission mounts, bushings etc all at once, since cars with high miles tend to have issues. My Mazda 6 has been a real nightmare, its currently at the dealer undergoing extensive maintenance/repairs. Never in my life will I ever buy a Mazda unless its a Miata.

yowps3

I think about the only thing to look out for in the LS430 is the timing belt.

Coconut

Both are excellent choices. IS350 if you're young or young at heart. LS430 if want a super plush comfortable ride.

Personally, I'd go for the LS430. It's arguably the best built and smoothest riding Lexus ever made.

mmarshall

Agreed on both counts. The LS430 was a superb car.

2006, BTW, was the first year for the 2Gen IS, not the original IS300, which debuted in 2001.