BlackUltra

Yep, love the experience so far even without the convertible because it is so hot here. Kinda hard getting in and out even with the automatic steering wheel raising. Similar to my 1996 Corvette. Don't have the Neck Air Curtain in the 2007, must have come out later. By the way, how tall are you as I read where the SL was designed for sub six footers. I have shrunk to about 5' 10" from 5' 11" so I'm OK. Ha, Ha.

KA8

iTrader: (1)

Here's our experience. Back in 06 we had c230 sport sedan. It was a nice car, fun to drive but it had some issues so sold it and told ourselves no more benz. Lexus cars are nice, comfortable, and reliable so we thought what more do we need? This is the reason why we bought our 05 es330 with 45k miles on it. At the same time I had sc400 for the reasons mentioned above. BUT we found out these cars are extremely boring to the point I would get sleepy while driving. So the difference is the driving experience. With our Benz it's fun to drive and there's something about the Benz that brought us back to it. Of course there are some cons to owning a Benz, learn to like your SA at the dealer, you're going to be visiting him more frequently. Always avoid first yr model of any Benz and don't forget the warranty.

sojah

iTrader: (1)

wow, best comment i have read in a long time. i will make sure to read those damn fine print stipulations more carefully in the future or if i ever buy a korean car,, might be a while before that happens though.

i'ma stay far away from hyundai at least until they have a proven track record of more than 2 years. maybe once they hit their 20 year mark or reliability i will start to gain interest.

hyundai has had 2 good years and it looks like toyota/ lex has had 2 bad years and everyone is ready to jump ship already¿¿¿

didn't mean it in a negative way, just a figurative sort of way,,,

BlackUltra

I don't think anyone is jumping ship, just postponing their next Lexus buy a bit.

Jabberwock

Sojah - Agree
I'm not gonna be driving a Hyundai for a while. I am old enough to remember the Hyundai brand when it built cars that were world class hunks of *%^$. It will take a few more years to get that memory out of my head. I know they supposedly make high quality cars now but for me it will be a few more years.

lnguyenh

Either you were kidding or you should do some serious homework.

Didn't you say you had paid only $12K for your ls430?

lnguyenh

Neck Air Curtain didn't apply to R230 until 2009 model. It's normal that you feel "shrunk" since you are coming from the LS430 but over time you will adjust to it.

The check engine light would probably be nothing serious. You can buy a OBD II scanner and hook it up to your 38 pin connector to check and clear the codes from time to time.

Taking into account the reliablility, the SL is still far more fun to drive than the LS. I have owned the SL for over 14 years (there was a 2.5 year period I'd owned two of them) and vowed to have a SL for the rest of my life, if possible.

Try the AMGs and you will be hooked. I know this is the LS forum and most will bash the MB but let's be adults about it :-)

BTW, good luck with your 'check engine'. Hope you get your car fixed soon.

AlexusAnja

Not true. The LS430 is the only Japanese car I've owned that continues to roll once you let go of the gas. Kind of "hard" to drive at first as all Japanese cars I've owned prior all started engine braking once you take your foot off the gas. Makes me have to use the 430's brakes more than I usually do.

It's definitely a cruiser and floats like a caddy....

AlexusAnja

I think the refinement of Lexus to the point of being bubbly makes people equate the comfort to boredom, while the harshness of the German vehicles (because they're tuned that way) is equated to excitement.

It's like saying sitting on your Italian sofa watching a 70" flatpanel TV is boring, but sitting on a lazy boy watching porno on a 20" tube TV during an earthquake is exciting. Yes, both are true from a certain point of view, but they're different situations.

sojah

iTrader: (1)

my previous 99 gs400 was the first car i owned that gave me this feeling, and i had owned a 90 eclipse, 2000 eclipse, 9? honda integra, 95 nissan (infiniti) gloria (m35), 99 grand cherokee, 0? neon (beater), 99 gs400, 04 xcion xa, 05 ls430 UL. all in 12 years time and the lex was the first car i had to try to get used to this on. i'm fine now obviously but when i drive something else for a week or when i don't drive my lex for a week or two (has only happened like 4 times in 4 years) then i am constantly hitting my brakes and tailgating closer than i am used to when i go back to the lex. kinda weird but hey its a cruiser and works well if you know how to work it i always just thought this was a big sedan thing but i don't recall exactly if my 95 nissan gloria did this or not.

PRSUIT460

iTrader: (3)

The difference between Lexus and other car manufacturers is Lexus puts out a recall to fix the problem if there is one and in most cases before incidents occur. Other manufacturers do not do that.

AlexusAnja

This is a general statement, not necessarily true especially with the floor mats. It was an issue that was lingering for a while and Lexus/Toyota did not issue a recall until several accidents and atleast one death as a result.

I do think Toyota does a better job than others, but they've also done very bad PR moves of recent. What is their total recall numbers? Something like 10M vehicles...

TJW98LS

iTrader: (1)

The SL550 is a nice car.

The CLS hasn't given us much trouble, but maybe the AMG version is built better? The Car has leaked oil, but that's because someone at the dealer didn't put the right plug on.

sojah

iTrader: (1)

is there any actual truth in that the amg's are better built than the non amg's... i guess its essentially the same car just with some performance or exterior add on pieces so i think i just answered my own question.

but i will own one one day (amg/black/brabus)

lnguyenh

Don't know how truth it is but they are hand-built "one-man-one-engine"

http://www.mercedes-amg.com/?lang=us...an--one-engine