LexusChris

iTrader: (1)

Up until recently , I have had the opportunity to drive different luxury car models from Acura to Lexus to BMW to etc. though I enjoy them all..but I realize my first liking of cars was back in the mid 1990s when these three cars were out they were like my favorite class of cars at the the time even at 10 11 years old , I found the Legend and GS300 attractive to me but then there was also the j30, now it has got me thinking which was your favorite back then if you had the opportunity to drive it new back then and why? I am just curious to see personal opinions about these Japanese midsize luxury cars rather than read from some online magazine article from back then. Thanks! I wish I could drive them new now or in excellent condition.

Some promo videos from back then.
Infiniti j30, Lexus GS300, Acura Legend,

JDR76

mikedozz

Black GS400, favorite car of all time, might buy one down the road since I never had the chance to own one, had 08GS, 13GS , 15GS, and 18GS.

Och

iTrader: (3)

I was young and couldn't afford any of these in the 90ies. I met my gf who later became my wife in 2002, and she drove a 1995 GS300 and so I joined this site shortly after. We've owned a few other Lexii after that as well.

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

The first "luxury" car I ever been in was my friend's dad's 1996 Infiniti I30 dark green metallic. They picked it up around 2001ish, great condition and they kept it to about 200k miles. I still remember how silky smooth those cars were. Just a great feeling, good size car. I find it much more attractive than a new Lexus ES or similar car. These new cars have zero character.

stasek

LeX2K

The GS puts those other cars to shame it's not even close.

UDel

The 2nd Gen Acura Legend was my favorite car out of those by far. It just looked so sleek with nice details, it was actually quicker then a LS400 and just about as roomy, it was more of a competitor to the LS in many ways. The Legend coupe was sexy, nicer in my opinion then the SC300, they are still sought after, especially 6 speed manuals.

I was never a fan of the original 1st Gen GS but loved the 2nd Gen GS400/430 so much I eventually got one and kept it a lot longer then I expected because I liked it so much and did not really find anything worthy of replacing it. The J30 was a interesting design, I first remember seeing one in my HS parking lot when I was overseas and liked the styling but it never took off, I sat in one and it was decent but very cramped in the rear, Japan got a version with 4.1 liter V8 which would have been really interesting but unfortunately the US only got the somewhat under powered 3.0 V6, a turbo V6 from the 300ZXtt would have been a cool option too. I was a bigger fan of the Infiniti Q45 at the time.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

After all these years I still lust over the 94-95 Acura Legend GS sedan with 6 Speed Manual.

Stewart350

I am right there with you. I have always loved the look of that car.

jrmckinley

Interesting thread topic - the 90's were such a strange time for just about everything.... watching a bit of that J30 video you posted genuinely made me LOL. I remember the J30 vividly - I always kind of liked that car but found the droopy rear to be a bit off-putting, but the J30 did look unique and interesting from different angles and it had a very nice interior. I remember when Nissan redid the Altima to make it look like a small version of the J30. I know it's not mid-sized, but I def liked the Q45 back in the day as well - I still remember my parents shopping for a car and it came down to the Legend, the Q45 and LS 400. Infiniti did a nice job with the interiors of their cars and I always liked the quartz clock in the center.

But, I have to agree with some others here on the Legend being the winner (especially the coupe with the manual transmission). The early GS didn't do much for me (the 2nd gen was a different story) so I'd have to crown the Legend as the winner of mid-size early 90's luxury.

LeX2K

FWD car can never be the winner when it aspires to be a sports car.

UDel

None of the cars that we are talking about are anywhere near a sports car, the Legend was actually a better drivers car then all of them, at their power levels it did not really matter whether they were FWD or RWD.

LeX2K

Of course it matters you can't toss a front wheel drive car around like a RWD and you certainly don't need huge power numbers to enjoy how a car handles. Ever driven a Toyota 86? Incredible handling probably the best I've driven and the car is quite slow.

UDel

Prelude, CRX, Integra(especially Type R, Euro Accord/TSX, 3rd Gen TL, Civic Si/Type R, Eclipse, Mazda 6, Focus ST, Rabbit GTI, Corrado, Audi TT, etc were/are much better handlers and drivers then any of these RWD cars we are talking about. Just because it is RWD does not mean it is suddenly a great handler and fun to drive, Town Cars, Grand Marquis, Caprices, S classes, Cressida's, LS400's, 929's Rolls Royce/Bentleys, etc were all RWD and poor handlers/not anywhere near as good drivers as many sporty FWD cars.