One of my chores this morning was to stop by my body shop to get a quote and get on their schedule to re-spray the hood on my LS430. (About $500 since they previously matched the paint two years ago and probably don't have to blend the fenders.) While the son was inspecting the hood, his mom drove in with a fairly new Buick LaCrosse. While she was writing up my work order, I asked her what happened to her beautiful LS400. Her face turned sad and she told me about how it developed an oil leak that would have cost $2500 to repair. She traded it in for the LaCrosse and absolutely hates it due to the poor design and workmanship. She cited an example of having to constantly reposition the door trim that works loose and interferes with opening and closing the door. She wants another Lexus in the worst way. I mentioned that I had been considering selling my LS430 and she made me promise to call her if I have that thought ever again.

 

She probably would have been happier if she coughed up the 2500 but that is a lot. Oh well if you get rid of your beauty you'll feel the same way. These ls series cars really changed the game.

 

I always wanted an LS, but for one reason or another (mostly cost related) never came to get one. Then with bad economy and LS selling at clearance prices in 2008, I finally snagged one.
I got it for love of the vehicle, but now I love it for the ride, luxury, and of course reliability. Is the LS the best 'handling' from a test track prospective, in it's class ? Definitely not. Is it the most luxurious? Depends on your definition of luxury. It's not the best in any particular one category, but the sum of it's parts makes it a great package.

 

its about comfort ... there are MANY better handling luxury sedans, but NONE are as comfortable to just sit in as an LS.

The other luxury cars, Jaguars, Mercedes, BMWs and I like the 4 door Panamerica, but I dont like headaches, and being honest, I am not trying to impress anyone, so I enjoy my wealth in a conservative, understated way.

 

i absolutely love my LS430 3+ years on and this is the first time in my life i've had a car this long and not wanted to get rid of it,, don't get me wrong i still want a second vehicle pretty bad at times, but i just can't seem to get up the strength to sell it

on coilovers, low pro tires, and the stiffer sway bar i fell like my LS is handling like a champ for its size and i love driving it every chance i get. when i sold my gs400 all i wanted was a larger newer better version and when i got the LS430 i was happy but felt like it lacked in a lot of ways,, today i feel like i've finally achieved the newer better gs400 with my LS presently the way it is.

 

I think I am a pretty refined driver. I raced a lot of cars for over 15 years, started in carting as a kid, and My LS is the best car I have ever owned. I have had lots of cars over the years, everything from a lotus turbo esprite to s500

The double wishbones in the front and the back on this car are the best I have seen in relation to handling the weight comfortably.

I have always thought the LS was a mis-understood car. Its truely about the ride and materials. I like this car much better than an s class, which would be my second choice. I don't understand lowering the LS, but to each his own. I can understand if you want to make lowriders out of cars that use struts. I just think you are truely missing features a double wishbone can offer.

Hands down this is the best daily driver and you get the reliability of a tank to boot

 

wow, i wont ever buy a new GM car. i love how the lacrosse commercials take jabs at lexus & acura too. trying to say their car is just as good as these. my wife pointed out that those cars fully loaded are only about $3000 (maybe $4000) cheaper than a lexus....so why not pay the difference to get the better car. (isn't it like $1000 is only like $20 more a month on a car payment?

we had a brand new chevy impala come into my shop with only 17,000 miles on it. i drove it around to bring it into a bay for the tech & the front end sounded like it was going to fall apart. all sorts of knocking when i drove over a couple bumps. GM's new cars are poorly built IMO.

 

I came to this conclusion in the late 70s and it was reinforced with company cars and Avis rentals throughout the 80s and 90s. As my dad was a GM retiree, I eventually went back and bought a number of GM trucks which I generally found to be OK. In a weak moment, I bought an 04 Cadillac CTS which only had a few issues. I guess that was my lucky Caddy, because the 06 SRX and 91 Allante I had after that both spent a lot of time in the shop. When I was recently shopping for a truck, I found that the quality of GM trucks has appeared to fall to the same low level as their cars. Alas, despite my screen, it is very unlikely I will ever own another Cadillac or other GM product.

 

i definitely have to agree on the GM trucks. i used to have a 95 K1500 which was comfortable as hell, but of course had you normal intake manifold gasket leak that all the 5.7's have, lol. my brother has a 2004 yukon denali that has been pretty good to him.

 

caddy owner, both my caddies cost me about 600 to 800 a month to service once they were out of waranty. i just expected it over the 10 years or so i had the caddies both cars had different issues but the total was really that high and i was really a fool that wanted to "buy american"

 

My dad has a Cadillac STS right now and it has 65k miles with only one problem that the dealer fixed. The cadillac dealers are resembling Lexus and he was very happy with the service throughout. He owned two Hummer H2's prior that never had any problems either

 

I usually get bored of my cars within a yr and end up getting something else, but I'm planning to keep the 430 for a while. I just don't really see anything else out there that (realistically as a full time student) I would want more. My favorite thing about the car is how it feels like it was carved out of one big lump of steel, very solid. Acceleration is pretty decent considering it was never designed for that sort of thing.

+1 on GM cars being badly built. Had a DTS as a rental (the current version) with literally 5 mi on the odo. Car had already developed numerous squeaks/rattles. Ride was pretty bad too: wallowed over smoother roads and slammed over harsh pavement.

 

two LS's and a 450LX and I just think they look, feel and are the best cars/4wd's made. I still own all three of them, though I'm going to sell my '92 pearl white LS400 in the spring.

They are just classy rides. Safe. Head turners. Like few others. And they perform as well as they look.

Thanks to sites like this, the upkeep on them can be about equal to most any other car a person might own.

And that means we can drive around in the best cars made and yet do not always have to pay a premium for the honor.

 

I've thought about buying an LS several times. I love driving my uncle's LS400, it still drives as smooth as the day it rolled of the lot in 1990. Only problem with it was a power steering leak, which is quite common from what I understand. It has 230k + miles. The suspension is sagging though, as nothing in the suspension has been replaced. He's planning on selling it though, what a shame. I'd buy it, but I'm looking for an ES, or a newer LS.