no hard feeling man, there is a reason why i am driving a lexus very true, i still agree that mb and bimmer cars aren't that excellent to begin with in terms of quality and details

 

If we are going the consumer reports route, let's not forget about that little circle that shows satisfaction. Here BMWs tend to equal or surpass Lexus vehicles.

As a former 540 owner I can tell you that my 540 was more satisfying than my GS430 (just like Consumer Reports says). It cost a bunch more too

 

Good point. Am I "satisfied" with my GS? Probably. Am I a little bored with it? Probably yes as well. I gave up thinking that the next car I buy would be the last one I would buy a long time ago. But in the current market, all things considered, the GS does so many things right at a very competitive price that it is no wonder I have two of them in the garage (still have a hard time believing that with no preconditions at all, mywife came home with her own GS).

So what's on the horizon that comes to mind for replacement. The new E? Doesn't quite do it for me. The new 5? Have to see once it gets here. A 7? Maybe but I have been down that route before. A8? An awful lot of money to have those nagging doubts about how much time you will spend in the service department and that depreciation is steep for a big sticker. The new GS? Have to wait and see but I have to see the price relative to the content and what shape it takes.

Gee, I guess I am more satisfied with the GS than I thought. GS's?

 

Agree. Right now, there is just nothing out there. I wouldn't buy the new E500 cause it is a first year German car (talk to a 97 540 owner some day... oh boy). Same thing with a 745 The fact that I could afford neither of those cars aside

I really liked the A6 4.2 and if it cost the same as the GS430 I would have gone that route. Check that, it does cost the same, but it depreciates faster and didn't have as good of a money factor so it was leasing out at $150 more per month than the GS430. That heated steering wheel sure was sweet however. I didn't like the 2.7T. Too much turbo lag and the looks of the car just didn't do it for me (the fender flairs on the 4.2 make the car). The 2.7T was leasing out the same as the GS.

My top three choices were
1. GS430
2. G35
3. Honda Accord EX

Yep - the new Accord was on my list. So much car for the money (and it came in a nice blue too). I really liked the G35 as well but due to the Motor Trend car of the year thing they were not dealing or offering any special lease rates. So my $54K GS leased out at $140 more per month than the $36K G35 I was considering. Had to do it. Just had to. Damn Lexus December to Remember event.