I love my LS430 2006, 116,000 miles...Very comfortable, huge trunks and excellent condition.
That being said I'm dreaming about getting a newer car, used but newer year. Looking for input as to positives and/or negatives for each.
Wondering if service would be more expensive on a Mercedes?
I see Mercedes is AWD vs Rear wheel drive, that seems an advantage to me. My car is terrible in the snow, although I rarely drive in the snow...

Thanks for your opinions. Was also going to look at BMW but my friend said that car is all plastic now.

Djs123

 

About the only way to not get bled dry by a Mercedes or BMW is to have one ONLY when it's covered by a factory warranty. Take a look at the various forums for those makes.

Lexus makes a fine AWD car in this class called the LS 460. 2013 and newer models are well regarded and seem to have far fewer issues than the 2007 to 2012 models.

 

Djs123...................Sorry to say but a precedent has been set and you have already been spoiled to the max! Once you go to any European car, Benz, Bmw, or Audi (although Audi has improved leaps and bounds above the rest). plan on having a forever factory warranty or you can be bled dry. I sold cars for over 30 years and I can say even to this day.....Asian cars and especially the LS430, RX350 and most Toyotas, are bulletproof for the most part. Funny thing is that those that have owned Mercedes and then come to Lexus are amazed of the reliability and don't miss going to the dealership regularly for problems. If you are planning on keeping any Benz long term then unless you can find a long term warranty or a super reasonable Indy shop, I'd be cautious. Good luck regardless of what you decide. Please keep the forum informed.

 

Or, lease a car since this might be your first foray into the New World.

 

Good suggestion....and one way to afford the enormous and inflated prices of today's cars.

 

i kinda went through this. let me give you an example i tried to show my wife (see my signature below).....

parts for an oil change on the Lexus about $25-30.......parts for an oil change on her new to her truck about $100-120.

i had an E36 M3 back in the day. had an exhaust leak. normally a gasket might be $2-5....this one gasket was $10. to me, just seems european cars are always more expensive all the way around.

 

Newer car = more expensive insurance and larger hit on depreciation value.
European car = more expensive parts, and more often the need to be serviced compare to Japanese car.

Having said that, life is too short. You should do whatever that makes you happy as long as you can afford it.

 

Drove the new LS500, S550,
S63 AMG, BMW 750i , while awesome cars, none had the good old quality of the LS430, I was shocked to
see the new LS500 with its 'un-smooth' V6 and run flat tires, its a nice sedan but not luxurious at all, I am waiting for the new A7 , see how that one drive.
Get one only under warranty.

 

I would have to disagree, it's this type of thinking, in conjunction with Consumer Reports putting my car on the most unreliable and avoid lists, that got me to buy a 7/100 factory extended warranty through BMW. I had nothing break under the warranty. It expired in 2013, which is almost 5 years ago. BMW 335i purchased new in Dec. 2006 as a 2007 model. So in that time, the only thing that broke was the ABS/DSC which is also common to BMW motorcycles. That's in 12 years of ownership. Yes, it's a $4,200 job at a dealer, but I DIY'd for under $500. If I had the tools and software already, which I now do, it would have cost under $250. So imho summarily saying you can't own a German car out of warranty is inaccurate, and what the mfg. wants you to believe, so you buy extended warranties which are huge profit centers.

Not everybody is a Doug Demuro where they buy a warranty for 3k and get 18k of service out of it. Plus he's on youtube and that's for show if you ask me. How often do you meet people who brag about how many things have broken on their car in a short time? Under normal circumstances, it makes one look foolish. But that's youtube.

Very few people would prefer a Lexus to a BMW or Mercedes, it's about compromise. But if you DIY your repairs? The community and enthusiasm is so large, you can no different than Lexus, perform repairs at a fraction of the dealer's price.

What I would do is keep the LS430, it's reliable, then buy the German car you want. At this point, a LS430 has to be < 10,000, so why not keep it? If you need this 10,000 to apply towards the German car, then maybe it's not a good decision. But if you can keep the LS as a beater? Why not?

 

Check out an A8, A7, Porsche Cayenne other Porshes with the TDI motor. They come with a long real good warrantee under the Dieselgate settlement to 120 k and the TDI motor is nice. It covers alot of stuff not rotors or springs etc but alot of items. They have depreciated pretty good now.

 

I have a 014 Touareg exec TDI with 57k on it no problems so far.

 

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...ckType=listing

 

Absolutely true. My dad has been a MB fan for 25 years and has had more problems and taken his cars to the dealership far more often than I've EVER had to open a tool box to work on my LS's. His 2011 C300 has been back for the same charging problem 4 times now. I keep telling him I'll look at it, but he insists the dealership take care of it.. I can't change an 85 year old mind...

As was stated, the Op has been driving the best vehicle out there and now he wants to move into a German mark.. Prepare the wallet...


FWIW, many of us use winter tires which vastly improves the driving characteristics of the LS in the snow.

 

Just because one can DIY the repair, in my book, does not means it is ok to have a car that is not reliable. I DIY pretty much everything to save money and I do enjoy it. It is a change of pace from sitting in front of computer all day, but I do have a limited time to be working on cars. Even if I have unlimited amount of time to work on my cars, I would not buy an unreliable car just because I can fix it. Been there... done that... and not going to repeat that mistake. That is why I am driving Japanese made car - currently Toyota and Lexus. When Mercedes, BMW etc can beat Japanese made car in term of reliability, count me in as the first to jump ship. I have no brand loyalty. Yes, I prefer the handling of 5 series than LS, but I rather be driving the car than working to fix it.

Just for discussion sake re: reliability, I had a 95 Avalon. We had it from 1999-2018 ~240K miles. Beside wearable items (brake pads, struts, tires) and fluids (oil, coolants) it only need 1 radiator and 2 timing belts. I am sure it will drive many more years and miles, but it lacks safety features like side impact airbags, so we let it go.

 

Thank you all for your input, it's been very useful I really do love my Lexus and feel it's got a few good years left in it. I hear they run til 250,000 and I only have 116,000. I googled an article about service costs for vehicles. Based on this, I think I will stay with Lexus. I am not a DIY and like to keep my cars forever.
That being said, (based on a suggestion here) maybe I'll rent or lease another luxury car short term from time to time so I can see what the differences are.
Here's the article I referred to: (It was written in 2016)
As always, thanks to those on the list. Always learn so much.Which Car Brands Cost the Most to Maintain?Based on estimates of total car maintenance over 10 yearsRankCar BrandCost1BMW$17,8002Mercedes-Benz$12,9003Cadillac$12,5004Volvo$12,5005Audi$12,4006Saturn$12,4007Mercury$12,0008Pontiac$11,8009Chrysler$10,60010Dodge$10,60011Acura$9,80012Infiniti$9,30013Ford$9,10014Kia$8,80015Land Rover$8,80016Chevrolet$8,80017Buick$8,60018Jeep$8,30019Subaru$8,20020Hyundai$8,20021GMC$7,80022Volkswagen$7,80023Nissan$7,60024Mazda$7,50025Mini$7,50026Mitsubishi$7,40027Honda$7,20028Lexus$7,00029Scion$6,40030Toyota$5,500