Milla...

Yeah you read right I'm thinking of doing it, do flame, I expect it. Anywho I'm just getting bored with my LS, I'm starting to fine myself in my GS and LX more and more. I guess I'm not attracted to the car as much as I use to be I don't know I just got the thing early last year and already I grow tired of it i suppose its mainly due to the amount of time I spend in the car. I could just kick myself for feeling this way so soon I'm not one to be fickle with my cars, but its just something about the styling, I just don't get excited when I look at it anymore I think its the conservative approach Lexus takes with the LS that got me wanting to change now. A close relative of mine has that new A8 and whenever I get in it its like wow something about the arrangement of the interior the coziness just connects with me, I fell in love with the thing. I know reliability on these are questionable but I really don't care everything is a compromise even more so with cars, oh and I'm not buy it I'll be leasing. I've always had Lexus (92, 95, 98, 03 LS's) so I figure its time to step out of the box. Yeah salt and pepper is a season you can never go wrong with but I can use a little Basil on my automotive dish now. Besides not every Tom, **** and Harry has one (LS's are somewhat common in LA) along with half of my friends. I just thought I share this with you, I figure for a reaction in the end I'm not going to fool myself here, or maybe deep down inside I'm looking for someone to talk me out of it because all I've ever known since 92' was Lexus and I feel like a kid just turning 18 and getting ready to move out of the house.

Horta

Hey don't feel bad you are a true Lexus customer with all those years owned. I too like the A8. The interior is very nice and is the only one to compare with the LS430. Just consider dealer service. I go to JM Lexus and they spoil me absolutely rotten. How does your Lexus dealer treat you and how will the Audi dealer treat you?

So I say go for it! You need a change, if you've lost the passion for your car its time. The thing is we ALL know you'll be back. Something somewhere will happen with the Audi and you will be back to a LS soon enough. Probably when the All new '06 comes out.

So go explore you crazy 18 year old, then when your ready come back home.

Jerry

Milla...

Haha thank you for understanding, Lexus dealers spoil me absolutely rotten, (maybe due to my gender) but I've gotten all of my Lexus products from the same dealer (except the LX ) so I'm sure that has a whole lot to do with it. Yeah I'm sure that I may come back to the LS after a while. I do still have the others so I'm not totally jumping ship, I own the LX (bought from a friend) My lease ends in June on the GS after which I'll buy out right so those two will be in my life for a good number of years yet.

SharpLS-96

I would say go for it if like to see the Audi sitting in the dealership getting serviced more then the comfort of your garage and driving it.

As far as styling goes the A8 is gorgeous so I understand you wanting a change but the reliability sucks.

dseag2

Jerry, you are so right about dealer service. I've purchased 3 Lexuses from JM Lexus, and you just can't beat their service.

Milla, there's no way I'd flame you because I was also attracted to Audi. In fact, I owned a '99 SC300 and an '01 GS300 before trading for an Audi A6 4.2. I felt the Lexuses (Lexi?) were pretty boring in comparison, and I was in love with the Audi interior design, the V-8 power, and the instrumentation (loved the red lights). I was in love with everything except the dealer service and the squealy brakes.

Let me explain the dealer service. I'll try to be brief...
Got a flat tire, had to order another one from Germany, sat in the waiting room for service and was told after 1 1/2 hours that the parts dept. had lost the tire. Fortunately, they had one car in the lot that had the same tire and they replaced it with that one. Replacing the tire and changing the oil took 3 1/2 hours, the car was returned dirtier than before (wheels were now dirty from rotating) and the cashier lost the keys. The service technician and cashier were running around the dealership trying to find my keys.

Service was so bad the dealership offered me a 4-hour detailing free of charge. I accepted and asked them if I could have a loaner car during that period and the service manager said "no problem". When I checked the car in, no one knew about the loaner. The technician ended up giving me the keys to his A4 and saying, "This is the car I use to drive to work. Please be sure to bring it back with a full tank." This is the way you treat someone who pays $53k for a car? I think not.

There were other minor stories about oil changes taking 3 hours and hearing the service department on the line with customers whose cars had been in the shop for days saying "we're sorry it's taking so long but we're one of only 3 Audi dealerships in So. Florida so we're busy", but I won't bore you.

I'd like to think the service issues were isolated to Champion Porsche/Audi (one of the largest dealerships in the country), but I don't think so. I received a call from Audi of America at approx. 4,000 miles saying they understood I had taken the car in several times for problems with the guages and wanted to make sure things had been fixed to my satisfaction. I'd never even taken the car in for service! Each time they called to follow up after that they asked me if I was satisfied with the service on my "A4". They didn't even know which car I owned!

The squealy brakes were just a nuisance, but it did become embarassing when friends rode in the car and asked, "are those your brakes?" The service department said it was perfectly normal due to the metallic pads and that there was nothing they could do about it. (FYI, the squeal started at 5,000 miles.) In all fairness to Audi, there were no other problems during my ownership.

Long story short... after 8 months and 11,000 miles, I went running back to Lexus, took a $13k loss on the car (didn't care) and purchased an SC430. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I've since traded the SC430 for a GS300SD (I get bored just like you), but I have learned to think a long time before leaving Lexus again. The A6 4.2 was probably the most perfect all-around car I've owned, but the service after the sale was far from it. I now own an Infiniti as well and am pretty satisfied with the car and service. Still, Lexus is difficult to beat.

usermel

I can relate to you Milla I was in your shoes 2 years ago. I left Mercedes for lexus after initially leaving lexus for mercedes. I needed a change and got bored with lexus and had a disagreement with the general manager to top it of. After the disagreement over the price he would sell me the LS430 for I was emotional and one of my friends had an S500. So i went down the street to mercedes and got a new S430. When i first got it I loved it, but after a while the things I took for granted in lexus started to show. Within 6 months I traded the S430 for a ML500. The S430 had me at the dealer with a number of problems. So i said hay they treat me nice her at phillips mercedes so i can buy one more time and see how it works out. The ML500 had just as many problems, all together the 2 cars had 15 pblems that had me at the dealer. Im telling you this to say its your choice to buy an A8, but you said yourself you know that there are some reliability issues with Audi. How you feel Milla is how i feel at times when I see my friend who has an S500, and an SL500. Also I have friends who own Bentleys, BMW's etc. They all have one thing in common with each other, there always at the dealership for service and Im not. Your right Milla the LS430 can bore you with styling its not as flashy as the others, so if you need some change go for it . Hay you still have your GS and LX and Audi8 will go good with them. Good Luck I hope it works out and your happy.

theRain04

Do it, Milla !
The A8L is an amazing car. It has everything. It's probably not as reliable as an LS, but it is still built VERY well. Plus, not too many people own them, so you will enjoy an "exclusive" ride along with all those features, performance, luxury, style, etc etc. Good luck with your decision, but i think if you have the money, you should go for it !

ultra63

If history is a guide the audi 8 will depreciate much faster than the ls430. A used audi is a better finacial move but their reliability is unacceptable in most consumer reports.

bluestar

My boss owned an A8 (leased) which he traded in for a 2003 A6 4.2. Drive what you like. Maybe you'll be lucky the Audi won't have any problems whatsoever. Looks like dealership service is an issue, so shop wisely. May be best to buy a slightly used to let someone else take the depreciation. But, you'll probably be leasing which won't matter.

Good luck and let us know what you decide....

azari

Many car magazines use the word "sleek" to describe the design the cars they're reviweing. I personally think that if there is one car company that puts out "sleek" designs, it would have to be Audi, and their new A8 is just that to the fullest extent. Audi has some great designers, and their desgins appeal to a wide range of people. There is just something about how seamlessly the lines blend together to create a very very eye-appealing and attractive design, and as I said, Audi has been a master of that. The new A8 is just incredible design wise. The interior is also great, but I still would much prefer the LS430's interior styling to that of the Audi's. And, as everyone else said, reliability is going to be an issue, more so than the lexus.

But sleek to the truest meaning of the word.

LS430inTX

Hmmm. I think I started to suffer the Lexus Boredom syndrome a few months ago after only owning my Ls430 since last August. I love the car but it was my only car (and therefore my daily driver). It's easy to get complacent and take the car for granted rather than appreciating it's unique qualities on a daily basis. It's just not a "daily driver" type of car. So I bought a small pickup last month to be my daily driver and only drive the LS on the weekends. Boy what a difference. I have renewed appreciation for the LS and get the same feeling now when I first drove it off the lot.

The LS is rather conservative and bland and I can understand wanting a car with a little more pizzaz. But, at least for my personality, my paticular truck is the perfect compliment to my LS. Each vehicle makes me appreciate the special qualities of the other.

Sal Collaziano

Why not just modify the exterior? There's plenty you can do to make the car look unique while still remaining classy...

Milla...

Wow guys thanks for the replies, very honest I appreciate it, thank you. I'm going to go ahead and get the A8L, I'll be leasing so hopfully I wont have very many issues. I don't know how many Audi dealerships are in the LA area hopfully plenty so that I wont have to spend 3hrs for an oil change. I think I'm going to do this in June, I simply have too many things on my plate right now. As far as service goes I think I'll try and do what my Aunt did when she bought her BMW, she had a supplemental written agreement with the dealer that if for whatever reason her car was to break down and she needed a loaner she would always get 7 series no matter what, one Hour is the most she will ever wait for her car after which they're to give her the loaner. There were some other things I can't remember that wasen't their policy that she got them to signed off on of course after some back and forth. My aunt is a real real snob but she paid all cash and got every option possible so she had some real bargaining power. I doubt Audi will sign anything like that for a customer whose leasing . They'd probably laugh at me.

I thought about doing something to the exterior of the car to add some flare, but after seeing some of the done up ones here I think that it will be a bit much for my taste for an LS430 although it looks good, besides I'm about to do some wheels and suspension on the GS soon which I think is more appropriate for all that fun stuff. So I figure I'd go with the Audi and by the time I turn it in Lexus should have a new LS to get and I'll probably get that, that is if the world hasen't come to an end yet.

BrickHead

A8 is a great choice. I sat in the A8 at the Washington car show and fell in love with it. I think the A8 has the best interior (sporty and elegant at the same time) IMHO. The rear legroom reminds me of a limo.
However, i am not sure about its exterior. The many cladding and trim peices make the car look almost busy. Also, the A8 weighs over 4400 lbs. It packs 340 hp but is slower than LS430, 745i, and S500. Consumer reports stated the A8 doesn't ride as comfortably as the LS430 or the S class. You probably already know all this. Anyway, I am excited for you. Post some pics of that gorgeous interior sometime. Enjoy it!

stanatl

You should drive whatever vehicle makes you happy. If that's an A8 then go for it. Just be fully aware that Audi dealerships are nothing like Lexus. Be very careful in selecting one.

I had a loaded 2001 A6 4.2 before my LS (and after my '98 GS 400) and I can tell you that I had nothing but problems with the car and Audi service. I had issues with the dirvers seat rocking, fuel gauge, radio, brakes squealing, seat heaters, etc. The problem wasn't so much the issues I had, because almost every car (including Lexus) has something but the way Audi service dealt with them. Very seldom, if ever, was aything repaired right the first time. Many times what I heard was that the problem was "typical and normal". My experience was that Audi was a "wanna be" Volkswagon. In fact, my dealership seviced both Audi's and VW's in the same area with the same techs. The only difference was the price charged. In addition, many times I would wind up with a VW Jetta for a loaner. They absolutely did not use Audi's for loaners.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.