scoobdude

Hi,

I've never owned either a lexus or an infiniti before so i'm pretty new to this luxury car game. I currently own a 2007 Subaru Legacy GT that will go away as soon as I chose between the 2. I realize i'll be taking a hit on the performance side with either car versus my legacy, but i'm getting older and its a hit that i'm willing to take. But basically what i'm looking for is comparisons of reliability, luxury, performance and overall quality. I've done alot of google searching about the 2 and i've test drove both but i'm still torn.

The M45 has 85k on it and feels like it has 20k, smooth ride, decent power, and nav! Seat could be more comfy, but way better than my legacy. The steering felt numb, but thats expected in a luxury car I suppose. The performance of the stock suspension wasnt as bad as i thought it would be (i had really low expectations) but it needs alot of help the body roll was terrible and i would not drive this car at speed thru a corner with any kind of confidence, but alas thats not what its made for. Overall its worth the 10k asking price in my mind.

The GS400 is rated at 300hp, but i feel thats underrated from what my butt dyno tells me. The V8 is smooth, the acceleration is pretty good for a big car. I could get spoiled with all this NA power, i'm used to waiting for a turbo to spool. The luxury in this 12 year old lexus is amazing. I barely heard the car and it has 115k on it. No rattles, none of the trim is comming apart, all the buttons work. I had a toyota before and i know they are quality but this lexus is a proper showing of what longevity is all about. But the suspension is worse than the M45's. Body Roll, squat, diving you name it, this car does it. But once again.... this isnt what the car is made for. Overall its also worth the 10k asking price.

So i've come here to the experts..... what are your thoughts. Anything i'm not considering? Thanks in advance.

werewolf

Get the GS so I can buy the Infiniti

Seriously, if they're the same price, get the car that is 5 years newer. The infiniti will lag the Lexus in overall refinement and MPG will be terrible (I think it uses the big Titan v8 engine) but you will get a cabin from the 2000s.

You're shopping big luxury cars with v8s. Chances are the suspension will always disappoint due to body weight (try BMW if you can do car repairs)

roccyGs400

iTrader: (11)

I was looking at the m45 and i ended up choosing my gs400 even though its a 10 year old car it still runs like its brand new, I love every time i drive my car. Go with the GS

scoobdude

Yeah it seems a bit strange that i'd consider cars that are 5 years apart in model years, but that gs400 is an incredible car even with 30k more miles. I still consider it well within the M45's range overall. I did consider a 1999 BMW 540i, but after i did some research on reliability i quickly took that off the table, i'm not too fond of spending thousands on sensor replacements and the cooling issues have me a bit worried. Also, im considering the aftermarket for both of these vehicles and the GS aftermarket is way more plentiful and cost effective than the M45. And i'm not too worried about MPG's as my legacy gets about 14mpg overall, either one would be an improvement.

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

Hands down the GS. Nissans are a PITA to work on compared to a Lexus.

Agent0024

iTrader: (4)

I would rather take the M45.

rogers2

I know you didn't ask this but if I was you I wouldn't get either car. I would probaly get my money right and then step up to a luxury vehicle at least 2006 - above.

scoobdude

Alas, that sounds really really tempting. But that would defeat half of the purpose of the switch.... i dont want a car payment.

Hypebeast

iTrader: (1)

How many miles on the GS?

I'd go M45 in a heartbeat.

scoobdude

115k on the GS

85K on the M45

Gennady7

iTrader: (4)

Coming from a Maxima, I purchased a GS300 roughly 3 years ago. The Maxima was 3 years old when bought and it really was a Pain in the ***. I must of replaced every part on that car and it was no where near what I wanted. The GS300, well I put roughly 50k miles on the car, drove it, abused it. The only thing that I ever had to do on the car was replace 1 O2 sensor, change the brakes and oil. Thats 50K miles, and the car has way over 100 at this point. You can not in any way compare a Lexus to an Infiniti. Its like comparing a Ferrari to a Honda in my eyes.

I don't care how cheap you can get a G37/M37 right now, prices have been dropping so fast that you can get a fully loaded G37 in New York right now with 0 down and 320 a month, and thats FULLLY loaded. These cars are worth 40k+ new? In 3 years they will be selling for 10-12k. A GS400 might still cost you more (being over 11 years old).

Just my 2 cents. I hate nissan, infiniti and all their other garbage.

KA8

iTrader: (1)

M45 all the way.

GS4_Fiend

iTrader: (22)

M45 doesn't look nice. The tail lights are gigantic. G35 looks better.

scoobdude

I thought when i got in here all i'd see is GS400>M45, but thats not the case at all. I have to applaude this community for its unbias commentary.

BTW if it helps any, the purpose of this vehicle is to start a budget minded VIP (Bippu) build. I dont know if i'm going air suspension or not yet, but its gonna be wide, low, and a certified stunner. So if one car is harder to build up this way then the other that would be some worth while information!

Once again thanks for the 2 cents guys!

ekc

iTrader: (6)

I would go for the M45 just because of how rare the Y34 is. But I have to agree that the refinement, reliability and residual value won't match the GS400.

Is your LGT a sedan or wagon?

edit:
Given that you wanted to go VIP, Y34 is definitely the way to go because of the rare factor. There are lots of JDM kits available.