[QUOTE]Originally posted by RRocket
[B]Thought that would catch everyone's eye!! At any rate I've posted earlier about deciding between a GS400 and a Jaguar XJR to replace my high mileage (160,000) Lincoln Mark VIII. I think I'm going the GS route. 95% sure at this point. I REALLY like the forged bits in the GS400 engine. This engine will handle nitrous or a blower no problem. It is a stout and VERY reliable piece.

First off that ford modular engine is junk ,a lincoln is junk ..........I had a 89LSC with the 5.0HO and that is the last of the good engines ford made.....it had a few goodies on it a I never got beat by a 4.6 mark .....both of these cars were cheaply made( thats why their not made any more) and they have a low top speed...the air suspension stinks......The new LS what a Joke one year old and you can be one for half price.........I Think With All Your Knowledge You Should Stick With Your Ford...........Next you will tell use how great the SHO Taurus was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!And the Pinto!

 

The Mark VIII's aren't all that bad, i like em personally, and RRocket was clearly able to make some serious improvements to that engine

Woah there.... he's trying to provide some thoughtful insight (and he did) and you just started bashing him and everything he's worked on... It's not like he's coming on here to trash Lexus and talk about how much better Ford is

 

1996 Car of the Year E-class
1997 Car of the Year 5-series
1998 Car of the Year GS series

Those cars deserved it every year, redefining luxury and sport. Since then, the award is nutty, except the worthy G35.

 

ahhh, import car of the year. To tell you the truth, I didn't even know they had that!

Those imports actually are respectable - however, MT's formula is flawed - the car of the year can only be a new car. On some years, there aren't very many new cars (take 1982 when the K cars won - I think they were up against each other). Why can't the car of the year be an existing car? That would prevent them from picking pieces of crap (IMHO) as they have done in the past. Personally, I like the way C&D does it much better.

Doug

 

True and they got rid of Import Car of the Year. All cars compete now against one another. Car and Driver's method is better ,and in 1998 and 1999 the GS was a 10 best winner!!!

 

Whoa nelly! Mr. Lexkost, there's no need to get ugly. The original poster clearly stated that he had almost decided that his next car would be a GS. Why bash him? That's a great choice, IMO. He also added a little insight as to his previous car. Obviously his Mark VIII was not that big a POS or he would have said it was (if you have a crappy car and are shopping or about to buy another one....you bash your old one if for no other reason than to justify buying a new one. ). It's not right to jump on him and say that Ford's are this or that...he didn't say Ford was better than Lexus. That would be blasphemy . He simply stated that his Mark VIII was stout and he had been happy with it. Nothing wrong with that.

Instead of giving him info that makes him realize he's smart for choosing a Lexus over the other contenders, you bash him. That aint cool.

 

The original poster stated in the first post, that he only titled it that to get INTEREST from members to chime in and give him some ideas on improving the 1/4 mile times of the GS, no need to BASH him.

As far as the GS goes, I think a very good point was made earlier, the car was introduced in 1997!!!! (fall) take any other car that was introduced in 1997 and pit it against all the cars on the market today and see how it fares!! The GS's overall design, interior amenities, etc have all held up VERY well. Not to mention the fact that it reliably does sub 6 sec 0-60 times.

There are people on this board that have close to 100k on their GSs and thrash them and the car is still rock solid dependable. I love M/Bs but even the owners will tell you the reliability is horrible. Imagine the feeling of bringing your new 90k E55 home, showing it off to everyone and then telling them all its in the shop the next week. It happens!! As stated a LOVE the E55, and Benzes in general, but I love reliability more.

For those that compare the TL to a GS its just not the same, forget performance, forget looks, forget interior, lets talk RESALE VALUE!!! Lets see if a TL can maintain 40-45% of its value 5 yrs after its on the market (98 GS4s still go for 20-23k).

Thats my story and i'm stickin to it!

 

I have 116,000+ miles, my car is very modded and it runs like new. I tackle the roads, go to the track, dyno my car. Even VVTi is impressed with how well my car has held up. Lexus are simply the best built cars today. You can be 0-60 1 second quicker, that is fine, you can offer 900 shades of leather, that is fine, you can have a 10x9 badge on your car, that is fine, I know my car's role and it fits it perfectly.

Besides, if u REALLY want to be faster, you can.
Supercharger
Twin Turbo
or for GS 300s
Turbo
Supra engine,
V300 engine

It's that simple

 

As I posted earlier, I have (2) TLs in my family. - my mother's 99 and my wife's 00. Both are in great condition and have had absolutely no problems. Great car for the money and IMO, a better value than the ES, certainly more powerful and quicker.

I own (2) Lexus - one a 99 LX470 and a 98 GS400. Both are great vehicles but IMO, somewhat overpriced. Still, I bought both of them because I feel they are at or near the top of the list in their respective classes.

Now, back to the point several people have made regarding the TL. I could buy a fully loaded TL from 1999 - 2003 including NAV for about $30K brand new. I compared the two we own to the ES300 and made my choice. The ES' at the time where about $4K more and didn't compare performance wise. The GS300 was 10K more and IMO, a better car than the TL but outside what we wanted to spend. The V6 Camry was out of the race.

I am not a proponent of FWD for me but I am for my family as it affords better traction in wet weather than RWD cars. Having said that, I prefer my family in the safest mode of transportation possible. I am not saying they are not good drivers; what I am saying is I would prefer to be driving the TL over my GS in the snow. Obviously , I would be in LX470 in the snow but....

As far as holding its value, the TL has done extremely well. In fact, Honda/Acura has done better than Lexus. The trade in values of the TL and MDX are higher than the LX and GS. For example, I paid less than 50% of what my 98 GS400 with 54K cost new (46-50K). I was offered less than 50% on my 99 LX470 with 41K on it. My mother was offered 61% on her 99 TL. All of the vehicels are in excellent condition. Look at the resale values on the TL and MDX and I think you'll see that they are in fact holding there values better than our Lexus'.

In either case, I like both - Lexus and Acura. Do I like the TL over the GS, no way. For the money, yes. Do I like the TL over the ES, yes. Everyday and twice on Saturday. IMO, the ES is a dressed up Camry. The new generation is so much nicer than the old generation but I have friends who chose to buy a fully loaded Camry over the 8K more ES. I guess the Toyota dealers where wiling to deal more than the Lexus dealers. Go figure.....

By the way, the 99-2003 TLs were designed to compete with the ES of the same time period.

 

When did I say that I was a nice guy?.............I'am a smart a$$....... just ask my wife?

 

As Neil pointed out, the TLs trash the GS for resale value. At one point they were leasing at a 65% residual for a 36 month lease.

 

Let's not forget that residuals can be inflated by manufacturers, who in the interest of trying to move a slow selling automobile, temporarily pad the residual value of a car in order to lower the monthly lease payments. This is done by way of the car makers' own auto financial companies that advertise heavily tweaked leasing terms when a manufacturer would want to move certain models rapidly out the dealers doors.

Most car makers give a manufacturer's discount or cash rebate in the beginning of the term and this is the more common route to entice buyers- mostly doemstic car buyers. The more discreet companies simply increase the residual value in order to lower the monthly lease- another way to entice buyers- usually targeted at import car buyers. It is not a secret anymore that the TL was not a big marketing success for Honda, thus, the hyped residuals of the recent past.

 

You are kidding right? The 99 and higher TL was a HUGE success for Honda/Accura. That 65% was in the beginning when the car was going for sticker. In fact, up until mid 2001 most dealers sold the thing for sticker. I pretty sure the TL was the segment leader in terms of sales.

But as for subsidized residuals, how do you think I got the lease payment so low on my GS?

 

But since you hate the steering, hate the handling, and seem to hate many things about the GS, I'm not sure you got a good deal.

 

low blow bit!