lexsee

hey everyone...

i have two cars i keep looking at getting...

a 95-?? lexus ls400

and...dont hate me...a 99 cadillac deville.

i dont know why i keep looking at the deville, i dont know what it is i like.

ive done sooo much research on both cars and everything reliablity wise points to the lexus.
by a big margin.
it seems the ls400 is literally one of if not the most reliable car in the world where as the deville seems to drink oil alomst as fast as gas!

i like LARGE sedans so i think thats where the love of the caddillac comes in.
also, i think the electronic "gizmos" are a cool/nice touch on the caddy.
but i liove the lexus from what ive herd it would be a smoother ride and quiter???
anyone drove both?

i can find devilles with only 25-35k miles, 99's for around 12k
where as 12k gets me a 96 or 97 ls400 with over70k miles.....what would you guys do???

thanks

lexsee

anyone with first hand experiance? thanks.

EXE.UCF10

iTrader: (3)

I've driven both a 2nd gen LS ('95-'97) and an '05 Deville (rental car), and to be frank with you, I will never own a Caddy (or want to drive one) ever again. Yes, the LS is more comfortable and more quiet as well. I thought that the bodyroll on my '91 LS (when it was stock) was bad, but the Caddy's was even worse....and on bumpy/wavy roads, forget about it....I thought I was going to get seasick. No offense, but what you consider "cool gizmos" in the caddy, I would call pretty useless options...on top of that, there's that plastic wood that looks "oh so real." The only positive aspects I liked about the Deville were the LED tail lights and the faster accelerating engine, but other than that, it wasn't a very pleasurable driving experience for the few weeks I had it.

Yes, my opinion is biased because I'm an LS owner, but if you test drove both cars, I' sure you'll understand what I'm talking about.

lexsee

thank you for your reply!

yeah im leaning to the ls400 for sure.
everything ive read about it has been positive!
and alot of what they say about the deville is negitive in the reliablty department.

if i can spring for a 98 ls400 that would be great. far better then 97 right?
new vvti engine and 5spd transmission. but the price bumps up alot.

would you guys say the ls is the quietest car?

denverdog

you will find the lexus to be more reliable, but the string that comes attached is that the ls is a one-of-a-kind toyota. the es has many common parts with the camry, so it is relatively cheap to repair, and can be done at many independent shops. the ls seems to have nothing in common with anything. and many items on it are quite outrageous. that classy progression of instrument cluster lights coming on looks great. the board that controls mine went out. dealer said $1,700 for the board, and a few hundred to put it in. i ended up getting a used instrument cluster off ebay for about $500. the air suspension is quite plush, but $4,000 to re-do. everything on this car is only made for this car.

on the plus side, the car is great to drive, the seats are very confortable (mine have nearly 200k on them, it has good power in the high end, is quiet as a tomb, keeps its value well, and is overall a great car. just read the independent reviews. if you want a real sports sedan, get a q45. those things go like rockets. but for a luxo-cruiser, get the ls.

other than cheaper parts and service, and a cheaper price, there is no reason to get the caddy. like rolls-royce says, the quality remains when the price is forgotten.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

one thing to note about this. Many of these problems don't appply to the later model cars (98-00 esp.)

My dad has a 00 with 70k on it and it is still rock steady.

KU Lex

I have a 94 Ls400 with 160K on it. Yes, alot of the parts are insanely expensive but they are also built to last forever without repair. I don't know what my car drove like for the first 150 thousand miles; but in considering how well it performs now, I don't know how it could be better. I also paid less than half of what you're looking to spend.
Also, the Lexus' look way more pimpin.

lexsee

the cadillac is much bigger, i will give it that. it seems like it anyway.
how much more are replacement parts for the ls then say, a deville?

JDMUSCLE

iTrader: (1)

hey man..i manage couple of restaurent parking lots locally....and believe me i have driven almost every deville in the north shore and almost every LS400.....devilles are good cars for the first year and a half, after that they totally suck, ls400 has more gizmos than a deville, no deville ever came with power headrests, power steat belt anchors etc etc.

lexsee

pdm, how much more quiet is the ls400 over the deville?
also, which rides smoother?

im leaning to a ls400 still.

GRAND_LS 4

iTrader: (2)

How about test driving them for yourself. Also, ask the guys at the cady forums, and see what they say. If their only response is the cady is better because the LS is "jap crap" like the usual domestic car forums, then the answer would be clear. Obviously if we drive LS's, we have made the choice NOT to buy a caddy. But sometimes it helps to get both sides, you might get some valid responses there as well.

lexsee

yeah i know all about ignorant close minded "buy only american" crap talk.....i belong to a mustang forum lol.

jz4203

I own a`96 LS400 with 162k miles and it drives great, plus being very quiet. I also own a `98 GS400 and love it even more (with 204k miles). They are expensive to fix, but are not in the repair shop often. The advantage of the`98 (to me) is the VSC, which is much better than traction control by itself. My problem with "gizmos" is that they break early and are very expensive to fix. If you want durability, go with the LS400. You will not be disappointed. I expect mine to make it easily into the 250k-300k miles range.

lexsee

thank you for your reply jz.

what is the cost to put hid lamps in the ls400? i would want to do that soon after the purchese.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

you could find a car with HID standard, they were available 98-00