Taking The Leap

[yellowlawn]

I sat in a 97 P Reg the other day at a local dealer and was suitably impressed. It had all the toys you would expect, but sitting there had a feeling not present in my BMW 728. However I have had my 728 for 4 years now and is beginning to let me down (130k). The thing is I don't want to trade in for a LS400 and end up jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Also the engine is a massive leap and I guess the fuel consumption is the same in reverse? Also I noticed the boot is smaller than my 728's?

Any advice would be appreciated?

[jamesholden]

130k is nothing for an LS400. According to Toyota your better getting as new with high mileage than old with low mileage, as LS's wear the miles extremely well. A car thats pounded the motorway all day long will have less wear on supension, gearbox, exhaust and steering than an older lower mileage town-pottered example.

As for fuel economy, it will be about the same if not better than your BMW. LS400s are very economical, its extremely easy to get 25MPG and over 30MPG is commonplace.

[maneesh]

first of all you're not comparing like with like, the 728i is the entry level 7 series, and yes, it's rather frugal for a luxury car, but the LS400 is only going to be a bit thirstier than the 728. If you compared the LS400 to the 740i, then the LS400 would be definitely more economical. The LS will be much more rapid than your 728 too.

second of all, the 7 series is like any other BMW aimed at pleasing the driver, the LS400 is all about pampering all the passengers. It's got smooth power, but it won't provide any driving thrills round bends like a 7 series would.

oh, and another thing, the LS is significantly quieter than the 7 series. I drove a 750i complete with the lovely V12 and double glazed windows, and you could hear a lot more in that car than a LS.

Yes, design of LS meant that boot is small for a luxury car. Corrected in LS430 (2000X and above).

Good Luck!

[Chris Skelton]

Well, I got two bass units from my Avantgarde Duos in the boot, which wouldn't fit the previous owners 728 boot.......

Other than that, DEFINITELY go for it, (or a 98-2000 Ser 4 ideally!) I had a BM 850 before,

Wouldn't go back!

This is my second LS; only changed up from Ser 3 to 4 cos of Traction control.

[Diapason]

Well, I got two bass units from my Avantgarde Duos in the boot,

Avantgarde Duos, eh? That's a quality speaker! Are you driving them with SETs?

Sorry for the thread hijack!

Si

[Steve]

go on make the leap :D You will be impressed!

Plus we have some great forums here and not fuill of kids with old 3 series. ;) So youll get some great advice!

[Alex JB]

Go for the LS, it's a fab cruiser.

I looked at the 728/735, the XJ8 4.0 and the S class all in the 3-3.5K range... I ended up getting much more car for less money with the LS.

Just bought discs and pads for the front, total of 80 quid... you'd pay more than that for 1 disk on the Jag, probably on the beemer too.

Chris is right too, go for higher miles and newer (providing good service history). :)

[Chris Skelton]

Well, I got two bass units from my Avantgarde Duos in the boot,

Avantgarde Duos, eh? That's a quality speaker! Are you driving them with SETs?

Sorry for the thread hijack!

Si

No. DNM Six Pack/Gem, plus non-digital filtered CD player and Rock LP player on occasion.

Had Klipschorns for 25 years so a bit Horn biased!

Even tried Sonic Impact -'Son of Sonic' -amp which is pretty good at ludicrous-low price! (But only with efficient speakers.

Now we HAVE hi-jacked the thread! B) B)

[IanCornwall]

I put my GS300 against my mates beemer 535, his was newer by 4 years and less mileage

We swapped cars and had a drive in each, his definately had better acceleration as his was a manual, but the ride was yuck and the comfort and smoothness was no contest against the Lexus

He didn't want his beemer back afterwards

I reckon if I had a 400 he would have locked himself in and refused to come out

[Kazi]

The 7 series are sweet cars mate! :D Any pics?

Check out the LS forums and you should get a good idea about the pros and cons etc etc..

Good luck with your decision!

[lutonmatt]

scrap the beemer and get a LS we have a 7series down at work looking at the heater and siting the the drivers seat is like seating on a bit of wood same as a clk that i had in early today it was like driving a mk2 fiesta then the LS

just go and buy it you will not be sorry

[maneesh]

scrap the beemer and get a LS we have a 7series down at work looking at the heater and siting the the drivers seat is like seating on a bit of wood same as a clk that i had in early today it was like driving a mk2 fiesta then the LS

just go and buy it you will not be sorry

hard seats are well known in german cars, particularly bmw and mercs. it might feel hard during a short journey, but they really show their benefit on a very long journey.

[yellowlawn]

I am swaying towards the LS. But now I want some honesty I want to hear some downsides. Particularly interested in servicing (Bimmer have the legendary Inspections 1&2 & Oil Service). Also day to day living. Me and the missus have a sandwich business so frequent trips to the C&C and Supermarkets are necessary.

[maneesh]

It's not a cheap motor to maintain properly (50k car brand new), but is probably cheaper to maintain than any German luxury car. Specialists in Lexus are hard to find compared to the abundance of BMW and Merc specialists. However, the LS is not a spaceship, so any honest and trustworthy mechanic will be able to service it.

As long as the LS has not been neglected or abused, it will not shock you with massive repair bills.

[IanCornwall]

I found a long time ago that it is not the cost of parts that matters, it is how often you need them

I have had many many cars over the years and was quite shocked at what Lexus wanted for their bits and pieces, but a bit of shopping around can save a fortune

But as they said, if Lexus relied on sales of spare parts to make a profit we would have gone bust and closed ages ago as they dont sell that many

If you want a big prestige car then none of them will give you dirt cheap motoring, if you want that get a Punto (surprisingly daughters X reg Punto for sale a bargain @ £1,200 ono)

Oil costs the same whether you put it in a beemer or a Lexus, just avoid high labour costs to get it there, any competent garage can do normal servicing to a car, when it is a specialised job then only the best garages will have the right equipment to make the job easy

Have you driven the LS ?

[yellowlawn]

So are there Independent Specialist like for Bimmers?

As for driving one, funny you should mention that. There isn't a single garage were you can actually test drive a car without being obliged to buy. It's all very well reading reports and articles but quite another to drive the thing. But in answer to your question, no I haven't and can't seem to get anywhere that will let me without pestering me to buy there and then.

[maneesh]

So are there Independent Specialist like for Bimmers?

As for driving one, funny you should mention that. There isn't a single garage were you can actually test drive a car without being obliged to buy. It's all very well reading reports and articles but quite another to drive the thing. But in answer to your question, no I haven't and can't seem to get anywhere that will let me without pestering me to buy there and then.

Yes, although the only two I know of that employ ex-Lexus technicians and have all the diagnostics are in the South East.

Sounds like you need to find some better dealers. I test drove an Audi S8 and a BMW 750i last year before buying the GS. I had no pressure on the Audi, and the on the BMW the guy even let me drive it for 20 odd miles, so I could see whether a 7 series was for me. He is proof that decent ppl exist in the motor trade.

[Rich_Bee]

At the end of the day if you ask the LOC brethren whether you should swap the bimma for the Lexus then they'll say yes. Much the same as if you asked the Audi forum whether you should shop it for an A8, they'll also say yes!

I think you need to go and have some test drives (as hard as that appears ) and choose which car best fits your needs be it comfort, sporting pretentions, space etc and then the other factors such as economy. Once you have decided the car you'll then need to spend time on the appropriate forum looking for information, pitfalls, servicing/maintenance info and maybe even a club members car which'll more likely than not have been looked after.

I suppose if you're already on here looking for info I reckon your mind is made up :D , start trawling the adds or ask on here if anyone has a decent one for sale :winky: You'll be grinning from ear to ear in no time.

[chrisfs]

start trawling the adds or ask on here if anyone has a decent one for sale

I'm not too sure of the forum rules but Rich Bee has given me a cue: my LS is for sale! Not that handy for Bolton though, I'm in Surrey . . .

Chris

[Chris Skelton]

I am swaying towards the LS. But now I want some honesty I want to hear some downsides. Particularly interested in servicing (Bimmer have the legendary Inspections 1&2 & Oil Service). Also day to day living. Me and the missus have a sandwich business so frequent trips to the C&C and Supermarkets are necessary.

As the owner of Bristol's oldest (and only!!!) Vegetarian Cafe/Take-away.(27 years and counting.).........the boot WILL hold lots! I've just returned from doing a spot of wholesaling, and was just thinking HOW LUCKY I AM!!!!! to be cruising so effortlessly and relaxedly in my LS (I normally use a Nissan S-Cargo...which I love also, but that's a WHOLE other reason!)

Downsides?

Well, you get a bit worried about all the other sods in supermarket car parks and try to park well away! (Though the plastic side-panels resist VERY well, as I've experienced! -Mondeo sideswiped the side panels. Result? Replacement side panels for me. Wrecked front end for him!!!!)

It must be hard to find that no-one is telling you horror stories! But.....we all love our (SO well-put-together) cars!

You won't regret it.

[Alex JB]

At the end of the day the LS is the best car Toyota have ever made... Some folks may be upset about calling their luxury cruiser a Toyota but let's face facts, Lexus was just made up to sell high end toyotas to the americans.

Toyota do many things that the others copy and are near/top of the jap car game, so what you actually get is the lower cost (not necessarily cheap as in poor quality) end of parts for service / replacements and if you can get them fitted by a locally you will be real happy.

(climb's off the automotive soap box) ;)

Is anyone near by that can take our Boulton friend out for a spin?

If youre in Leicester you can give me a call, my 1993 S1 is a bit of a tired old girl but smoother than my wife's 04 people pig.

[Chris Skelton]

I thought the same thing.

If he's ever in Bristol (just off M5!) then a spin in my ser 4 LS will do the trick!

It's the season for treating yourself, (unless you live in Darfur?) so.......

[yellowlawn]

Wow such generosity thankyou everyone, but a little bit of the secret is out. I have looked at the S Class - sparse interior (I like my toys) - never driven, the Audi A8 (something inside me says No) - never driven. The Jag (can only think of John Prescott) too old man'nish - have driven. BMW (not really again).

Although I do love my BMW, I have to admit I was a little afraid of sitting in the LS the other day. Afraid that my whole notion of reliability, luxury were the realms of the BMW\Merc domain. When I sat in the LS and turned the key, I got goose bumps on my arms. My first thought "wow, were in a different league here aren't we. I've driven a 740iL and that feels like my own car but with a bigger engine.

From my short experience with that LS I have to say one thing, and I noticed this when I drove in a GS300. They don't seem to do good quality dashboards, it looked plasticy. I know that's not everything, but I felt it stood out.

[maneesh]

Wow such generosity thankyou everyone, but a little bit of the secret is out. I have looked at the S Class - sparse interior (I like my toys) - never driven, the Audi A8 (something inside me says No) - never driven. The Jag (can only think of John Prescott) too old man'nish - have driven. BMW (not really again).

From my short experience with that LS I have to say one thing, and I noticed this when I drove in a GS300. They don't seem to do good quality dashboards, it looked plasticy. I know that's not everything, but I felt it stood out.

Go drive the Audi A8, it's a remarkably agile car, and quiet too. Errr, reliablity the realm of BMW and Merc, where have you been for the last 5 years? Look at the JD Power/Top Gear surveys. It's usually Lexus coming top!!!

Yes, dashboard does feel low rent compared to Merc/BMW, but the ergonomics are light years ahead. No fiddly little buttons, everything falls to hand brilliantly. Once you start living with a LS, you will find the ergonomics of other luxury cars to be a joke.

[IanCornwall]

I don't buy new cars, I think that you lose far to much money with it sitting on the drive so I buy nice second hand ones, like most people I guess

The one thing that turned me towards Lexus wasn't the new cars, it was the condition of the older ones, even ones that were described as rough were really in good nick compared to others

Yes beemers, mercs audi are nice cars new, there is no doubt about that

But look at them after they have done 130,000 miles

No contest the Lexus wins hands down

I would have no problem putting 95% of Lexus cars I have seen in a line, cover the number plates and mileage up and let anyone have a guess what age and mileage they are

I do honestly think that anyone who doesnt know a lexus would be many years and thousands of miles out in their guess

That is a true sign of quality