Herein lies the problem. It's certainly stiffer but not necessarily better handling. You feel all the bumps because the car is not soaking up all of the small-med oscillations but at the same time, the car is so soft that it has too much body roll or lean. I agree with what you are saying though, I definitely prefer a slightly stiffer ride vs a ride that is too plush.

 

I was simply comparing it to the Gen2 stock GS. Compared to the Gen2, the stock Gen3 GS handles decidedly better, even with all that body roll. The Gen3 doesn't float at all, while the Gen2 floated AND had lots of body roll. And the Gen3 steering is better than Gen2 too.

Yes, young people and car enthusiasts prefer the stiffer ride...older people probably don't. And let's face it, the elders typically are the target market for a $60,000 luxury sedan.

 

Its not the dealerships...they are quite good on average....its when you have a warranty or customer service issue and need assistance or repair approval from Honda corporate....they are the rudest crudest people who will tell you anything and everything to get out of doing anything for you. Don't believe me....give them a call.

 

My Mom purchased a Honda Accord new 8 years ago and there are no service issues because there are no service appts other than oil changes.........Period. We did change the battery and air cleaner.

 

That's disappointing to hear about the GS2. I have never driven one but always assumed it was a sportier car than you described. The best way to describe the GS3 is to say that the springs and shocks (valving, gas pressure etc) are not a good match. Thinking along those lines, I wonder if the Tanabe NF210s and a set of larger sway bars would improve the handling issue. Lower center of gravity, slightly stiffer springs, and better body roll control. It could be a winning combination.

 

Im about to return my leased 04 Accord and couldnt disagree more. I feel guilty getting a GS and handing in my accord. Never one problem with that car except when squireels were living in my engine eating wires. Honda replaced it all for free rather quickly.

 

Bet money it was a decision made by the dealer....not Honda corporate.

 

To address 2thfixr's sugestion, I'm not a suspension guru but I'm highly confident that beefing up the sway bars would bring the body roll down to acceptable levels.

I havn't driven the 3GS, even a 2Gs for that matter, but is the handling so bad that old timers are jumping ship on it in droves?

 

Is the adaptive suspension ever ordered on the 350 or is it a 450 standard and 430 option? Does this system remedy the concerns posted on this board?

 

Look what I found! Some evidence??? Just as I was looking around at some vehicles for descriptions on why the owner is selling...I come across the following:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2006-...QQcmdZViewItem

I noticed it has exceptionally low miles so especially wanted to see what the deal was on it. Plus the price is good. Read the description....need I say more? There seem to be Lexus buybacks on the slightly used 3GS market. I wonder how many of these units have been bought back, "repaired", and then re-sold.

 

I can always find something wrong with "every" car I have owned. To me there is no perfect car, just cars that I use for awhile then trade them in for something better.

I agree with Robert mostly when he was giving his list of cars that he would prefer. Although personally I don't like the CLS, I love the CL, I just need a 4 door and the CLS or the E would be what I would consider for the size I would prefer. The S is just to boaty for my personal tastes at the moment. Maybe for the next one...

I am never satisfied. I have already started looking around at just to get ideas<< for what I might want next. Keep the 450h? or jsut trade it in for something better?.... no time soon, just pondering the ideas for now.

 

That is right down the street from me!

- I would suspect that the early 2006 models had some problems that Lexus has since corrected. This is the main reason I do not buy a Model in its first year of production. We used to have a saying in the software business also. Don't ever take a release ending in 1 or A or 0 - It's got bugs in it!

 

so you're saying my new computer with Vista is going to be a pain in the ***?..... ha ha, ya I know, lots of compatability issues.

 

Well, I'm not going to touch Vista with a 10 foot pole for a couple years!

 

You may be on to something here. I recently bought a used 06 that was built in Feb of 2006. I guess this would make it a late 06. Since reading this board, I've been trying to determine if I can make my dash rattle or squeak. Train tracks, expansion joints, hot or cold weather....silent. Could it be something that was resolved in subsequent manufacturing runs of the 06 model?

Are there any other "late" 06's out there that are rattling?

Thanks!