When did YOU first fall for the Lexus name? Why? What happened? What were you driving BEFORE you had your first Lexus?

im only 18, first car was a 99 audi a6, 4 or 5 months after i got my car my brother started to work at lexus, and every sence then ive just loved em, he had me sit in a LS430, most comfortable car ever, so i traded in my audi 3 months later for a 2000 es300 but paid 8k on top of the audi, by 22 23 hopfully ill have the LS430 :)

I first fell for Lexus in the early 90's. My parents all had Toyotas and I knew they were very reliable cars. My first vehicle was a 1985 Toyota pickup truck. My second vehicle was a 1993 Toyota 4Runner then I got my first Lexus which was a 1996 ES 300 and I still have it to this day. She's got over 290K miles on her and she still runs great. I want to sell it and upgrade to the newer ES 350 but I want to see how far I can take her. I also read all the problems with the new ES 350 so I'll wait a few more years till it's all ironed out...

1) Owned an S2000
2) Needed a backseat and 4 doors
3) Sold S2000
4) Bought IS250
[9 months pass]
5) Sold IS250 because the excessive rev hang, horrible throttle lag, and shuddering clutch made driving about as much fun as a freezing cold enema
6) Bought a Civic Si Sedan, and all is well with the world again

We also own an ES330, which, despite the list of problems we've had with it, is still a damn fine vehicle, and a bargain in its category. It's not fun to drive at all, but it's executed so well (well, let's not discuss the throttle response, transmission mappings, or fuel economy...) that I can't help but enjoy owning the car.

My car ownership history:

'89 Camry: my first car, in which I've owned since '96. That car is my "lucky" car; I used it for college and travelled across country in it. It currently has 245k miles, and has been a faithful addition in our family garage.

'04 Solara: my first brand new car purchase. I bought it without knowing anything about cars at the time, so I went for something simple with a little more room and sportiness. I would have kept it, until I found out about the upcoming...

'06 IS350: second brand new car purchase. I did a lot of research before getting this car, and actually Special Ordered it to my specifications. This is the perfect car for me for now. I love my IS.

'07 LS460L: so this was a splurge purchase. My biggest concern with the IS was size. It's a great car to thrash around as a daily commuter, but definately was too cramped for friends when travelling on the weekends. The LS was someone else's Special Order, but they changed their mind after a month of ownership (dunno why, but it worked for me), so I jumped on it when I found out that it was selling a little under invoice with only 800 miles on it.



Other than these cars, my sister owns an '04 GS300 and my brother owns a '07 ES350. I helped them in their decicion making when they were looking for a nice ride. Can you tell we all love Lexus? :D

My IS is my first car, and of course my first Lexus.

Prior to my purchase, I looked at its competitors such as the BMW 328i, Infiniti G35, and the Nissan 350Z.

However, after months of research, I found out many truths about these models.

The BMW, or should I say ALL BMW's seem to suffer a lack in reliability.

Plus, it lacked many technological features that their Japanese counterparts had.

Speaking of Japanese counterparts, Infiniti and Nissan had the fancy gizmos, but also had quality issues like their German counterparts.

Now, all that was left was the Lexus IS. It had everything I wanted.

In its class, it was the most luxurious, had the most gadgets, and it had decent performance.

Plus, at $33,300 OTD with all the stuff I got?

As Marlon Brando would say, it's was an offer that I couldn't refuse.

as a family we've had:
'88 Camry LE 4cyl (retired at 260k mi.) (learned to drive on this :))
'91 Camry LE 4cyl (given away then sold with ~150k mi.)
'95 Lexus LS400 (destroyed by an '00 Tundra at 135k mi.) (mine :sad:)

and we currently have:
'99 Lexus LS400 (mine w/mods :D)
'00 Lexus LS400
'01 Toyota Sienna XLE V6

Another Toyota Family Here!
89 Camry v6
95 es300 ----> mines:D
97 Camry V6
99 Camry V6 XLE
2003 es300
2004 Tacoma Prerunner --> Mines :D
2006 Sienna

lets see..

'95 toyota camry coupe, it had quite a bit miles on it. sold after the timing belt snapped and replaced.

'?? mazda b2200 truck. that is where i learned how to drive manual.

'98 chrysler town & country awd 3.8L. That car was not fun to drive at all, and had quiet a bit of problems. nevertheless, the car made it to 300k miles and it is still running strong after i sold it to another guy.

'96 toyota camry sedan - bought from cousin after accident. repaired it, and sold it within 2-3 months to Paul Van Valkenburgh (famous auto racing engineer). He was nice enough to drive me back to my graduation after i helped him drive the car down to OC area. Last time I checked he sold the Stingray and is still driving the Camry.

'00 toyota corolla ve (3spd auto). that car was not fun to drive at all either. went through a lot of unfortunate dings and bumps from people all over the place, and it was also cursed. sold it after my 18th bday.

and now..

'01 lexus gs 300. it feels underpowered and unsporty sometimes, but overall it's a great daily driver.

91 Corolla (fun lil beater).. totalled.. some fat chick hit it..

92 Sc400 (hella fun beater.. ok not beater but yea..) still here =]

My dream first car was an IS300 when I was about 14 then the IS350 came and thats when I was able to drive legally. Tada.

I was driving my 01 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo (600rwhp) to a GMC dealership and saw a used 1993 Lexus GS300 on the lot (it was 4 years old). I test drove it and fell in love!.. I was surprised by how many people noticed the car, how smooth it drove, how good the OEM stereo sounded, and how comfy it was. I got a really good deal on it.

When I bought that car it had 62,000 miles on it. I traded it in 1.75 years later and it had 175,000 miles on it! Yeah, more than 100k in 1 year! You know how many problems I had with the car during that period?? NONE...not 1 single problem! Crazy huh? Once while I was driving the car out of town the tire blew when I hit something in the road. The car had 140k miles on it (almost 70k miles OUT OF WARRANTY). I used the Lexus Link phone in the car and it connected directly to Lexus Customer Service. They paid to have the car towed, tire AND wheel replaced, Hotel stay, AND sent a care package to my house when I returned home!

I was hooked!

I traded that car in for a 1995 Lexus SC400 that the Toyota dealership had. That car was awesome! it was fast, smooth, and VERY VERY reliable. The only issue that car had was the alternator went out at 120k miles and cost me $175 to replace. Once, I took it to my Parents house in Charlotte, NC (9 hours from my house at the time). Since owning the car I had never taken it to an actual Lexus dealership. While in Charlotte I decided to take it by and let them check it out. They were AWESOME! when we arrived they met me at the car and asked what I needed done. I told them to check the car out and do a basic service. The put me in a BRAND NEW Lexus Loaner for the WEEKEND!!! When I came back to pick up my car they had done over $900 worth of services to my car and charged me $40!...

WOW, I was blown away!

I traded that car in for that last Lexus I had, a 1997 Lexus SC300 (newer body style with OEM bodykit and nicer front and rear end). I bought the car with 67,000 miles. That was the best car I EVER owned! I had it for 4.5 years and sold it to a guy in LA last month with 123,000 miles NO service problems for $10,000.00.... I loved that car...


Back in August of 2006 I actually purchased a Chevy 2500HD Crewcab truck. It was nice but sucked gas like a hooker! I had to get rid of it. I happened to see the X-Type listed in the paper at the BMW dealership. They had it listed for $16,999. It was a nice car but hard to work from due to it being a 5spd. Plus, the rubbing problems I had after installing wheels DROVE ME CRAZY!!.. Oh yeah, when the passenger side door STOPPED opening from the outside, that REALLY pissed me off. I had to lube the hinge one a month to solve the problem. And I didn't want to spend anymore money upgrading the stereo just to sound as good as most cars factory systems.

Moving on though......

I went to the Mercedes dealership to see if I could trade the Jag in for a 2005 E500 Benz they had listed...To make a LONG story short, I will NEVER go to a MB dealership again after being treated so bad and the sales rep consistently trying to sell me into a car I didn’t want!

When I found that Lexus of San Antonio had several LS430s for sale I inquired online. To make this story short they gave me $5000 MORE than Mercedes was willing to. They reduced the price of the LS by $3000. They DELIVERED THE CAR 2.5 hours and picked up the Jag (sight UNSEEN) AT NO CHARGE!!!!

PLUS they gave me a bottle of wine and a care package!! ALL THIS FOR PURCHASING A PRE-OWNED CAR!!! WOW!

I needed a replacement car because my previous car was totaled. I bought into the lexus reliability hype. Unfortunately, the car left me stranded 2 weeks after. Not to mention, I had to do plenty of repairs to keep the car running. Mind you the car was maintained by the dealer throughout its life. My first and last lexus :(

I needed a replacement car because my previous car was totaled. I bought into the lexus reliability hype. Unfortunately, the car left me stranded 2 weeks after. Not to mention, I had to do plenty of repairs to keep the car running. Mind you the car was maintained by the dealer throughout its life. My first and last lexus :(

What year was the car? What kind of miles did it have? Did you know how all the previous owns drove the car?

It could have been maintained by Lexus BUT that doesn't mean that the previous owned actually repaired anything BEFORE the parts broke.

What I'm trying to say is that the only way to have a truely problem free experience is to do preventative maintainance. Taking it to a Lexus dealership to get parts repaired do not prevent old parts from breaking.

It's not "Lexus reliability HYPE" it's "Lexus's are truely reliable but owners may take that saying TOO far".

I’m not going to lie, my 95 SC400 I had gave me some VERY strange and VERY expensive problems. It broke down on me 3 or 4 times. BUT I didn’t blame Lexus or the Car, I blame the previous owner for not doing preventative maintenance when needed.

If you are talking about your ES300, you must also relize that this car is the most "Toyota" based Lexus made (other than the LX470). It is a very reliable car but based very much off of the Camry platform. Not a bad thing, actually a good thing because Camrys have always been known for their quality.

I think you just got a hard driven car that didn't have all it's preventative work done.

1990 Toyota Corolla LE - Super White 040 - The vehicle that was passed down to me, my first pride and joy. A vehicle I literally grew up in. Was purchased new by my family in 1990 in the Bay Area. I remember the day we went to Concord Toyota to pick it out. We spent most of the day test driving other cars and we couldn't exactly pin point this exact color combination, White with Gray. After hours of walking the lot, low and behold, this was hidden in the back. I learned how to drive in this car and kept it all the way through college. I miss this car especially the gas mileage!

1995 Toyota Avalon XLS - Diamond White Pearl 051 - Another vehicle that was passed down to me, lots of power, great on gas, drove it cross country to Texas and numerous trips to NorCal, San Diego and Las Vegas. Too many of my friends always made me drive due to the great interior size and comfort. I was tired of driving an old man's car, especially during my college years.

http://members.aol.com/flipside909/Flipside909avalon.jpg


1999 Toyota Solara SE V6 - Diamond White Pearl 051 - One of my favorite cars, rare v6 5 speed manual w/leather, was inspired by the original TRD Solara package and TRD Solara Pace cars once used in the PPG Cart Series. This was a purchase from a good friend who had to move out of the country. It was spur of the moment. I loved to drive it around and modded it to set it apart from the common. Got tired of driving manual in my commute. This car took me through the remainder of my undergrad studies into my first real fulltime job. Like the Avalon, this car appealed to an older demographic. Regardless I enjoyed driving it.

http://sr1.clublexus.com/gallery/data//500/605Flipside909Solara.jpg


2004 Lexus IS300 - Millenium Silver Metallic 1C0 - First new car purchase (Longo Lexus 9/17/03) just a year after graduating college on top of being my first Lexus purchase. I opted w/the E-shift version...but originally wanted Crystal White w/Black interior. Since the last 3 cars were white, I was in a pickle between choosing a different color, either MSM and GGP. After over an hour of debating, I went with the MSM being a lighter color, easier to maintain. I currently have over 100k miles and has been through 3 different looks since I bought it. I loved this car when it first came into existence in early 1999-2000. At time time of the purchase I wanted a GS originally but I still wanted to have fun driving car. The Solara despite the suspension mods was not as fun to drive. With many of my friends that already had this car (this is some but not limited to r.maestas, silveraltezza and ggp4me), they were big influences in making my decision to purchase it. I've loved the Lexus brand since it's inception in 1989 with the first LS400 and ES250. Don't get me wrong, I love this car, but it's about time to move onto something different.

http://chrispoblete.com/gallery/albums/SCMAMC/IMG_8873.sized.jpg

0???? Hmmmmm.

Coming from a history of Toyotas...all of them have been trouble free since day one. None of these cars have ever left me stranded. All have been taken over 100k miles without a hitch.

My first car. 1997 Camry V6 LE. Basically I was 15 and I told my dad that I wanted the new camry that was coming out. So I kept leaving brochures all over the house that I kept ordering from online. On October 22, 1996, I got my Camry. It had a few modifications to it.

http://chrispoblete.com/car.jpg

So, after I finished nursing school, I was talking to Ryan (Flipside909) what car I should get. I really wanted to get an '06 GS300 AWD. But then Ryan said, wait until the new IS comes out. After that, I was looking at the pics and everything of the new IS and I decided that I really wanted one. So July of 2005 I put my desposit one one, then on October 20, 2005 I bought my IS350.

http://chrispoblete.com/050807/050807_04.jpg

What year was the car? What kind of miles did it have? Did you know how all the previous owns drove the car?

It could have been maintained by Lexus BUT that doesn't mean that the previous owned actually repaired anything BEFORE the parts broke.

What I'm trying to say is that the only way to have a truely problem free experience is to do preventative maintainance. Taking it to a Lexus dealership to get parts repaired do not prevent old parts from breaking.

iven car that didn't have all it's preventative work done.

i have a 1999 GS400. I bought it with 125k miles last year. The previous owner did mostly highway mileage. I know how the car was driven because I knew the prevous owners:p. The likelihood of of him driving the car hard was as good as finding a grandma racing at every street light.

The car was maintained by the dealer. Every single oil change was done at 4000 miles with mobil 1 oil. Every fluid on the car was done on time. There was not a single thing missing as far as preventative maintenance.

What left me stranded was the starter, which is known to die for the 98-00 models. It was raining hard that weekend and I had no where to go except stay in my car and wait until a family member came to pick me up. The previous owner had no control over Lexus' starter quality.

Perhaps my car doesn't like me :(. My previous 1992 Acura legend ran on oil and fuel. Never did I experience any problem, even with hard beating. I have better experience with Honda products than Toyota.. My GS isn't a bad car, it's just not the most reliable I've had. :sad:

I first fell in love in 1996 when my dad bought his LS400.

The REAL fever hit me in Fall of 1997 when the new GS400 came out in all the magazine reviews. I told myself that one day - that car would be mine!

i had a '05 g35x, but it was a lease, so we decided to take it back since im already 10k over mileage
...and instead of getting a new '07 g35x...we decided on awd is250...since my mom has a rx400h and i enjoy driving that, i figured eh why not.
now i love my car :D

I bought my first car a few months after graduating from college. It was a 1985 Toyota Corolla GT-S. I loved the car so much that I still have it after 13 years. The full restoration of this car is about 75% complete and I owe my brother, SoCalSC4, a debt of gratitude for his hard work on this car and for sourcing parts.

The main limitation with the Corolla is that it is not a great car to take company out for a drive in. It is noisy and cramped inside. I started looking for a more suitable car for company in 2001.

I was looking at firt gen GS300s because I wanted a decent-sized sedan with leather interior, power everything, and something with more than a 4 cylinder engine. I also wanted it to be quiet and smooth. I looked at about 5 cars and they were all scruffy examples which had been subjected to hard use or abuse during their lives.

I tried to test drive a 93 LS400, but it was stuck in park. The guy later called back and said he just had to turn the wheels all the way to the left lock and then he got it out of park. I didn't call him back.

I almost bought a 94 E420 Benz until I found out it failed its CPO inspection due to coolant in one of the cylinders. Blown headgasket at 74K miles? No thanks.

I was about to give up and I even test drove the V6 and four banger Altimas when I found an autotrader ad for a 94 GS300 with 59K miles. I went and tesst drove the car. It was very clean. I agreed to buy it that day and picked it up a few days later.

I said I would not fall in love with the first gen. I told myself I would have the car for 3 years and then get something else. I said I would not get emotionally attached to the car.

I picked it up on a Tuesday morning and, before I had even driven the car 40 miles, I was hooked. I love the styling. I love how quiet and smooth it is. It smells nice inside and is very pleasant to drive.

Sure, it's a little sluggish off the line, but it is a great car for road trips. Five years later, I still have the car and still enjoy it very much. It has 151K miles on it now. It needed a starter a few years ago, but aside from that, it only has required routine maintenance. Great car! I will buy another Lexus based on this car.

Hi ! I am new to the forum, and might as well share my Lexus story. Here it goes:

I was on vacation in 2003 in Dubai and i saw the SC430 on the street. I was blown away by it! I was planning to get a new car anyways so when i got back home, i started to do detective work on how can i get a Lexus since there was no dealer in my country back then. I was a bit disapointed when i found that i could only purchase and service the car at an authorized dealer. The closest one to me was at the time Lexus of Vienna. :sad: So at the begining of 2004 when i decided to purchase a new car, i almost bought the SL500 ( mind you the Lexus SC430 in my country at that time costed around 115k USD) but fortunately i read in a local car magazine Lexus would come to my country in 2005! So i decided i would buy the car from Vienna and have it serviced here when the delaership would open. I waited for about 5 months for my car to be delivered as the only cars in stock in Austria and Germany at the time were a black/saddle and a red/white. If was going to pay 115k for it i wanted it built to my specs. So i got a gold/white car after 5 months of waiting. I've had the car since august 2004 and i am quite pleased with it. I have had other cars in the meanwhile, but i could never get rid of the SC as i put a lot of passion into getting one...

I also enjoy the exclusivity here. There are tons of SL's or 6 series but only very few SC's

Hi ! I am new to the forum, and might as well share my Lexus story. Here it goes:

I was on vacation in 2003 in Dubai and i saw the SC430 on the street. I was blown away by it! I was planning to get a new car anyways so when i got back home, i started to do detective work on how can i get a Lexus since there was no dealer in my country back then. I was a bit disapointed when i found that i could only purchase and service the car at an authorized dealer. The closest one to me was at the time Lexus of Vienna. :sad: So at the begining of 2004 when i decided to purchase a new car, i almost bought the SL500 ( mind you the Lexus SC430 in my country at that time costed around 115k USD) but fortunately i read in a local car magazine Lexus would come to my country in 2005! So i decided i would buy the car from Vienna and have it serviced here when the delaership would open. I waited for about 5 months for my car to be delivered as the only cars in stock in Austria and Germany at the time were a black/saddle and a red/white. If was going to pay 115k for it i wanted it built to my specs. So i got a gold/white car after 5 months of waiting. I've had the car since august 2004 and i am quite pleased with it. I have had other cars in the meanwhile, but i could never get rid of the SC as i put a lot of passion into getting one...

I also enjoy the exclusivity here. There are tons of SL's or 6 series but only very few SC's
Wow! What a great story. :thumbup:

Welcome to the Club and I hope you enjoy that SC430 more than any of those "common" SLs... :D

Great stories guys! :thumbup:

We've been a Toyota family from early on.

'68 Corona that went well over 240K miles. It was stolen in '83.
'78 Corona and it had ~220K when mom got T-boned one morning.
'80 Celica with 135K which I still have but it is in storage.
'85 Cressida 180K miles

It was no difficult task that when another car came due, it would be a Toyota. I wanted RWD and the only choices in my mind were BMW, MB, Infinity or Lexus. Past experience with Toyota made it simple.

I wanted a '98-99 GS3 because of the the inline 6 but the $$ numbers didn't work with what was on the lot. The previous day there was a '99 GS4 but by the time I got home and called back, about 20 minutes later, it had been sold.

Returning 2 days later, we were looking at more GS3's and again the $$ weren't to my liking. While pondering the financial situation we wandered over to the LS's and after she sat in this one...that was it. No research on them whatsoever but she had an ear to ear grin. "I like this one!" That was it. ;)

She said same for the LS460 so I know what is to come.

Wow! What a great story. :thumbup:

Welcome to the Club and I hope you enjoy that SC430 more than any of those "common" SLs... :D

I actually do :) Also i like when people stop and ask me about the car since there are very very few in my country and in Europe in general. It actually draws attention. It's different for you guys in the US i believe. There are lots of SC's in the US aren't there?

I actually do :) Also i like when people stop and ask me about the car since there are very very few in my country and in Europe in general. It actually draws attention. It's different for you guys in the US i believe. There are lots of SC's in the US aren't there?
Lots in warm metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles and Miami.

Otherwise, it's not that prevalent because of price and functionality.

well umm my dads first car was a celica, then he got another. then in the phillipines he got a landcrusier. when he came bac from the philipines, he bought a few audis, a mb, a bmw and a porsche. after that, he bought his es and while he was at the dealer getting an oil change with my mom, the looked around for a rx, but my mom saw an lx and she rly wante it. my dad was pissed, but he bought it for her anyways. so now we r just a happy family with 2 lexus' :)

I grew up overseas and all the Lexus models here were Toyota where I grew up. I was shocked and dissapointed when I came to the states and realized the 6cyl SC's and GS's didn't have the TT stock motor that the Soarer and Aristo did. I always liked the SC/Soarer growing up and I eventually got 1 about 3.5 yrs ago. I have a Matrix as my daily beater but will be getting rid of that for a IS SportCross soon. I have a thing for Wagons and Coupes what can I say lol......

My sister and mom had a 92 ES300. Decent car but I already had a 91 Acura Legend Coupe which I thought was a much better car so I didn't think much about Lexus yet. When it came for me to get a newer car, I looked at the SC300/400, but being that I already had a Legend Coupe, the Lexus just felt numb and floaty too me so I bought another 95 Legend Coupe LS, then later a 6-Speed version. In the mean time my sister got rid of her 92 ES300 and bought a 99 ES300. Much better car than the old rebadge Camry. Also, some of my friend's started getting the 2nd Gen GS which really opened my eyes, You can say for me the GS400 made me a believer. After I sold the Legend I had an E36 BMW. That car was a lot of fun. Even though it had much less power than that GS400 my friends starting owning, it was still a much better drivers car and more enjoyable at the time.

Then my wife got pregnant. The E36 was getting up there in miles and I didn't want her to get stranded in the BMW even though nothing went wrong with it yet. I couldn't take the change of having a pregnant wife stuck somewhere on the side of the road, so I went straight to the Lexus dealer to trade it in on a new 04 RX330 in April 2003. We were one of the first on the Island to own one. Keept. Since then I also gave the SC400 a try, but still wasn't quite the car for me, got myself an ES300 for a daily drive, but gave that car to my mom when her 92 fanally blew a head gasket, bought a 99 LS400 with 47K miles earlier this year. Great car and I would keep this car for a while, but it is too large for my wife and she wanted a smaller car to drive to I'm selling that and got another BMW 330i. My next Lexus I think will be a GS460 if/when it comes out. Possibly a 09 RX350 if I like the redesign. I don't care for SUVs, but my wife like it and she liked her RX330 so if she wants one we might get one.

Other than that, for me my eye always wonders. I keep maybe 5 manufacturers in sight. Right now they are Lexus, Acura, Infiniti, and BMW and right now Audi because of the A5. From those picks I just buy whichever car fits my wants and needs at the time.

I was always a nissan guy, so was my family.

1st car- 1990 Nissan Pathfinder (family has owned 5+ pathfinders)
Learned to drive on this, and i loved the room.

2nd car- 1985 Toyota Cressida (i loved this car, 230k miles strong)

3rd car- 1989 Nissan 240sx (got it as a birthday gift, only reason i got rid of the cressida)

4th car- 2002 Nissan Maxima (my favorite car, smooth, and good power, not to mention it was my first "new car" and tons of money and mods done to it) (family has owned about 10+ maximas)

5th car- 1993 Lexus SC400 (had to sell the max to pay bills. Was looking to get into a 2 door rwd coupe again, but 240sx prices were so inflated that i decided to look elsewhere)

I think when i was younger, 12-13 my sister had a lexus as a rental. I remember jumping in it thinking wow this car is really nice. Dont remember what is was since I wasnt really into cars as a kid. Then I remember seeing the IS300 and thinking how I liked it luxury/sportiness. When I was 18 I was gonna buy a car but didnt want to spend a lot of money and the IS300's were still going for 20-25 used and was disappointed so I just bought my dads 00 Grand am Gt. I liked the car except it had a problem with the oil/coolant and didnt want to spend the money to fix it. Sold the car last year to my boys girl before I left overseas. When I heard a new IS was coming out I jumped all over it. kept up to date on it as much as I could. I have no bills whatsoever so when I went home on leave two months ago I decided to lease a IS250. Sad part is I still havent driven it. Ill be home soon to finally drive MY car. Leasing was the better option considering Ill be redeploying again in a year. Thats my story and I love my Lexus!


michael

It was back in 97 when I saw a black GS300 T3 in the dealer showroom.

Around maybe 10 years before I was born, my dad had a Pontiac(model unknown,probably sold).

1991 - he got a Toyota Land Cruiser.
1992 - Mother got a Honda Accord Sedan, then 4 years later she got a 1996 LS400. Which is where I started liking the style:thumbup:.
1998 - My dad sold his Toyota and bought a LX470:eek2:, still reminded me of the Toyota, only nicer inside. Around the same time I saw the new GS and liked it:thumbup:, then the down the line when the IS came out, I liked it even more:D.
2006 - I got the LS400 (I was amazed at how well the car was running, it was ultra smooth), my mother got the RX400h and my dad traded his LX470 for a Toyota Tundra SR5.
2007 - I got my IS350 then got into an accident a month later:egads:. On the fence about keeping the IS or picking up a car with AWD :uh:.

LS400 is right now the oldest car in the stable. Nearing 12 years old and less than 100k on the clock. Still runs smoothly:woot:.
RX400h runs well, theres just a insufferable rattle in the rear center armrest. Lexus can't seem to fix it:mad:.
Tundra has practically past the off road test. Went through mud, dirt, sand, water and floods, heavy payloads on the bed, up to Canada and down as far as North Carolina. Engine light has been on for around 4 months now. Engine still running.

I traded a black 1998 4wd Yukon (REALLY slick truck with black pushbar on front, 15% tint w suicide strip, was like new) for a black SC400 at a local lot. That was my first Lexus and led me to me others. I still own one of everything else though.... gotta have variety :)

well. we started out as american car owners to the bone, until we finally got screwed one too many times.

my husband was driving a 94 saturn sl1 back in 2000, the timing chain guide decided to snap, and bashed up the head in a bad way. he decided to buy a new head and such to fix it, but after all that the oil pump crapped out on him less than a week later, seized the engine.

his parents felt bad for him and gave him the 88 camry they had sitting at home unused. (rather embarrassing... after all we are both very proudly independent folks who work to earn what we have.) after tinkering a bit with it he loved it instantly. he decided to hell with saturns, he wanted to fix toyotas for a living.

meanwhile i was driving my old POS 90 buick century (which lived until early 2005/140k miles)... and i couldn't understand why on earth he liked this strange foreign silly looking car. well, when the buick started its final decline he had a job at the local toyota dealer fixing their cars and loved them to death. the diagnostic freak in him hated that it was 80% maintenance work and 10% fixing people's modding screwups and fixing problems caused by people too lazy to do the required maintenance. but this said wonderful things about the cars though so we bought an 05 prius back in march 05
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q175/blueblewaway/prius/DSC00212.jpg

around then we finally admitted the 88 camry was so rusted out from up-north winters that it probably wasn't safe. junked it at over 250k miles still running great but the body was too rough.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q175/blueblewaway/miscellaneous/HPIM1031.jpg

bought an 87 instead and drove it for what must have been a year. (first one was dark blue, second one light blue)
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q175/blueblewaway/miscellaneous/HPIM0521.jpg

found an opportunity we couldn't pass up though back in august 06, an 89 camry le v6 that needed a couple parts and the owner was sick of the maintenance costs. we bought it for $900, sold the old 87 camry for i think $800.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q175/blueblewaway/miscellaneous/HPIM1498.jpg

stuck all the required parts into it, and decided this one was a keeper. we were going to run it to the ground, so we did ANY AND ALL maintenance on it. we were totally set. about a month later someone smashed it in a hit and run when we made the mistake of parking it on the street. :egads:
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q175/blueblewaway/poor%20camry/DSC00609.jpg

it wasn't drivable, the frame was toast, but we had a good engine... :sad: so we figured we'd find another 87-91 camry v6 to drop the engine and trans into... no such luck. they were all insanely expensive, even with bad engines and transmissions! we weren't about to go paying $1000 for a car that needed a damn engine. hadn't given much thought to lexus since they only made the es250 in 90-91 and they were highly rare, but i sorta kept an eye out. so eventually we ran into this 90 es250 on ebay that needed an engine. and it was on the other end of our state. we got it home the day before our anniversary. happy anniversary, honey, here's a car you're about to stick a ton of time into....
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q175/blueblewaway/poor%20camry/DSC00784.jpg

and then we swapped in our engine and trans from the camry (http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=290797) and now we're doing the suspension and some other stuff. (http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=299143) today it runs like a dream, he just got the struts and springs and such in there and took it for a drive. we're nearly done with everything it needs, it's truly a great car. needs a little TLC on the paint (clay job and a couple coats of zaino should do it) but mechanically just about perfect.

that's our lexus story. total random (bad, then good, in a way) luck.

O man, im definitely not gonna forget the day my dad got his first LX470 back in '98. I was away with the rest of the family in Dominican Republic for a few weeks, and when we arrive back in NY, I see this very sexy LX waiting for us in the airport with my dad in the drivers seat. I jump in the back seat and see it had a TV and all that, I was going crazy. Mind you, I was only 11.

Immediately i fell in love with Lexus. When I saw the IS a couple years later, i was completely obsessed with the car, and I swore that car was going to be my first. Luckily right when I was about to buy my first car, the new one came out and i just had to do it.

**First car not counting a 1996 S500 handed down

1990 Toyota Corolla LE - Super White 040 - The vehicle that was passed down to me, my first pride and joy. A vehicle I literally grew up in. Was purchased new by my family in 1990 in the Bay Area. I remember the day we went to Concord Toyota to pick it out. We spent most of the day test driving other cars and we couldn't exactly pin point this exact color combination, White with Gray. After hours of walking the lot, low and behold, this was hidden in the back. I learned how to drive in this car and kept it all the way through college. I miss this car especially the gas mileage!

1995 Toyota Avalon XLS - Diamond White Pearl 051 - Another vehicle that was passed down to me, lots of power, great on gas, drove it cross country to Texas and numerous trips to NorCal, San Diego and Las Vegas. Too many of my friends always made me drive due to the great interior size and comfort. I was tired of driving an old man's car, especially during my college years.

http://members.aol.com/flipside909/Flipside909avalon.jpg


1999 Toyota Solara SE V6 - Diamond White Pearl 051 - One of my favorite cars, rare v6 5 speed manual w/leather, was inspired by the original TRD Solara package and TRD Solara Pace cars once used in the PPG Cart Series. This was a purchase from a good friend who had to move out of the country. It was spur of the moment. I loved to drive it around and modded it to set it apart from the common. Got tired of driving manual in my commute. This car took me through the remainder of my undergrad studies into my first real fulltime job. Like the Avalon, this car appealed to an older demographic. Regardless I enjoyed driving it.

http://sr1.clublexus.com/gallery/data//500/605Flipside909Solara.jpg


2004 Lexus IS300 - Millenium Silver Metallic 1C0 - First new car purchase (Longo Lexus 9/17/03) just a year after graduating college on top of being my first Lexus purchase. I opted w/the E-shift version...but originally wanted Crystal White w/Black interior. Since the last 3 cars were white, I was in a pickle between choosing a different color, either MSM and GGP. After over an hour of debating, I went with the MSM being a lighter color, easier to maintain. I currently have over 100k miles and has been through 3 different looks since I bought it. I loved this car when it first came into existence in early 1999-2000. At time time of the purchase I wanted a GS originally but I still wanted to have fun driving car. The Solara despite the suspension mods was not as fun to drive. With many of my friends that already had this car (this is some but not limited to r.maestas, silveraltezza and ggp4me), they were big influences in making my decision to purchase it. I've loved the Lexus brand since it's inception in 1989 with the first LS400 and ES250. Don't get me wrong, I love this car, but it's about time to move onto something different.

http://chrispoblete.com/gallery/albums/SCMAMC/IMG_8873.sized.jpg

0???? Hmmmmm.

Coming from a history of Toyotas...all of them have been trouble free since day one. None of these cars have ever left me stranded. All have been taken over 100k miles without a hitch.

Okay...so to continue on with the tradition, on 8/25/07 I picked up this.... :D

2007 Lexus GS350 - Starfire Pearl 077

http://www.flipside909.com/gallery/albums/GS350/IMG_0220.sized.jpg

1997-2000
Drove a 86 Prelude Si 2.0 - awesome car but suspension parts eventually rusted together and my dad made me get rid of it. Plus it had problems with head gasket beforehand and was never right after that. (damn sister ruined it when she drove it arghh!! heh)

1999-2001
Drove a 88 Accord DX H/B 5spd - car I learned how to drive stick on.. great car on gas and utility with the hatchback.. used it for college and work eventually spun a bearing at around 196k miles revving it too long too fast in 3rd gear. It still ran though but couldn't count on it (stupid me i would probably still have it)

2001-2007
Drove a 93 Camry XLE V6 - this was my baby for the longest time and 184k miles.. lot of vacations and memories.. the car my 2 kids rode in after they were born. Sold this car for $2000 and got this

2007
1999 LS400 64k miles - my personal dream car I always wanted a LS since I got the camry and my dad and mom owned a camry at the same time as my 93. Even married with two kids got rid of the credit card debt and was able to pick one up for 17k in "almost" perfect condition for 64k miles.

:woot:

Wow someone dug this up, guess i'll put in my 2 cents:

I was living in the japan durring the mid-90's when Lexus came out/started to become popular in the states. Lexus is just a marketing gimmick imo. After all most taxi's in japan then were/maybe still are toyota crowns... So to see ppl going ga-ga over a taxi... well... hey w/e foats your boat right? Imagine seeing ppl in japan going ga-ga over a town car or caprice... *chuckle*

First off........ Great thread and I'm glad someone brought it back to life 'cause I missed it first time around.

This SC is my first and only Lexus (so far). I'm still in love, just like day one. My previous whip before this was a Range Rover. All I can say is, night and day. Still a RR fan though. I remember seeing the LS heavy on the street when I was a kid. The First GS was in a lot of Hip Hop videos so that also caught my eye. But what did it for me was, while I was going thru problems with my Range, my friend had a 2nd gen GS300. He would constantly try to persuade me to switch over to the world of Lexus. He'd brag about the easy maintenance. Mercedes allure with Toyota reliability.

But when he copped a White SC430 that was it for me. The first time I borrowed it, I knew I needed this car. It killed me to turn over his keys to him.I knew it was time for me to have an L on my grille. My last name being Lawrence was a plus.:D So as you guys see the rest was history. Now my girl wants a GX, so hopefully thats next.

I had an '01 IS300 as my first Lexus. I fell in love with the IS after spending a good chunk of my life playing the first Granturismo on the PSX. Before the IS, I drove an 1990 Toyota Celica a good 160k miles before sending it to it's grave. Since then, I've also gone through an '02 RX300. Aside from the LS600h, I'm not really interested in Lexus' current lineup. The Germans on the other hand...

Link/Thread HERE... (http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=230487&highlight=lexus+crazy)


So this is what MIDLIFE CRISIS feels like eh???

It all started back in August 31 2005 when I walked in a Lexus dealer to test drive a used 2001 GS300....Thread Here (http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=177068)

http://www.clublexus.com/gallery/data/500/medium/01SilverGS300.jpg

After a couple of months, I decided to buy the Vertex Kit for it (which I still have BTW :rolleyes: ) and had plans to fix her up with some rims/tires and stereo...then I would get AIR RUNNER to lower the car. But then I had a small Buyer's Remorse (http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=199914&page=2&pp=15) and was looking for more power.. :p

After a couple of "searches", I learned that instead of buying the AIR RUNNERS for about $5K + install, I could get an LS430 ULTRA with STOCK AIR SUSPENSION and spend $700.00 for a controller AND I'll get the "more power" bug fixed!...Great Idea! The SEARCH Begins (http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=206093)

I went through a bit of STRESS (http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207209) trying to locate my PERFECT LS430 ULTRA with ALL the goodies and Air Suspension.

This lead to more searching including OUT OF STATE purchase..Until I found the ONE I wanted..a BLACK on BLACK LS430 ULTRA , but the problem was it was over 2000 Miles away! :eek2:

I figured it's a LEXUS and it will ride comfortably and what a way to get to know the car then DRIVING IT long distance!..So I bought a plane ticket and flew to IL to take delivery of my new LS430.. MY JOURNEY HERE (http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=208196) On March 26, 2006 I got her home..

Pics Below:
NOSE SHOT!
http://www.clublexus.com/gallery/data/500/medium/LS430_Front2.jpg

All is great and fantastic..no issues, it was the color I want and the package/option I want.

I bought the Air Suspension Controller, installed it and loved it.......

UNTIL LAST WEEK....

I decided that I really want to fix a car up nicely and get it into car shows..6 weeks ago I bought a complete lip kit for my 01 LS and wheels/tires..the wheels and tires came and they look awesome on the car specially lowered..very exciting! Can't wait for the lip kit to arrive..YAY!

last week, the kit came!... 2 HUGE BOXES with Japanese letters and stickers on the boxes! Like a 3 year old on Christmas morning, I go TEARING UP the boxes while wiping the drools off my face...TADA!!!! There they are, the beatiful lip kit all smelling new, in bubble wrap and taped securely.

I take the kit out of the boxes and Low and Behold.... after over 4 weeks of anticipation and picturing my car on the showroom floors in 3 weeks...the kit they sent me was NOT ofr my model year..instead, they send me a 2004+ kit :mad: !!! WHY ME!

Not willing to wait another 4-6 weeks for a replacement, I go and search the web for a car that will fit this kit and make use of my Air Suspension controllers AND the rims/tires...

So 2 days ago (Saturday), I took a trip 95 miles away to look at a 2004 LS Ultra just to get the run around and insulted by a smartass, Australian accent bloke sales manager!

With much dissapointment, I started my way home..but the gas light came on, so I got off the freeway to look for a gas station. Since I set-up my NAV to display Lexus Dealers in the area, I see a little icon less than 1 mile from the gas station...It was Lexus of Glendale! I decided that I'll look around their showroom to see what they had...and THERE SHE WAS!!!

BLACK ON BLACK 04 LS430 ULTRA CPO car staring at me as I pass her by... I sat inside and she STILL smells brand new..like a fresh Chamois at Pep Boys...

A Mr. Richard Park (God bless this awesome salesman for his patience and courteous nature) asked me how I was doing and if I liked the car I was looking at. This guy deserves a BONUS for being able to handle a "GRINDER" like me :p

3 hours later..I took her out of the showroom!

Here she is!!!
http://www.clublexus.com/gallery/data/500/04_Ultra_Showroom2.jpg

Looks tooo pretty!!
http://www.clublexus.com/gallery/data/500/04_Ultra_Showroom.jpg

Ready for me to take her home....
http://www.clublexus.com/gallery/data/500/04_Ultra.jpg


BUT WAIT!!!

The ordeal is NOT OVER.... now my Air Controller Harness do NOT fit ...

The Saga continues..................................


Thanks for reading!

Mike

Also, I had an 01 GS430 Since October of last year till I traded her in for a 2007 Tundra on July 27, 2007...


Mike

Link/Thread HERE... (http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=230487&highlight=lexus+crazy)




Also, I had an 01 GS430 Since October of last year till I traded her in for a 2007 Tundra on July 27, 2007...


Mike

I could never get enough of this story.:)

-99 Nissan Altima (Apr 2005-Nov 14 2005)
First car. I skipped my final rehersal for HS graduation to get my driver's license. Prior to license, I got into a front end collision while on my permit Apr 05. I swear the car came outta nowhere lol. Anyway, I got the license in June, then in November I took the car into a telephone pole at 65mph. The only thing I did to the car was (2) MB quart 12s with a Mb Quart 800rms amp.
-93 Ford Taurus Wagon (Dec 12, 2005-May 2006)
After being ass'd out by crashing the Altima, I got this a month later. It served it's purpose for 6 monthes. During that time, it had those same 2 mb quarts in it and later had 4 of those MB quarts in it with a bigger amp. I sold this vehicle when I bought my Integra.
-94 Acura Integra (April 06, 2006-November 14, 2006)
A Real trooper of a car and I miss it dearly. The only thing I don't miss is the cop attention due to heavy street racing in the area and every "tuner" trying to downshift next to the car to run me. I had a great summer in it with tons of memories. I crashed it on my birthday Nov 11. I drove it to work for 3 more days after but the radiator was leaking bad. So I parted the whole car out. Also had the same 2 mb quarts 12s in it.
-95 Audi 90 (Dec 11 2006-February 25 2007)
Bought it for 600 bucks from an old woman. Spent 130 to fix oil leak on oil cooler. Nothing but oil changes over the whole year. It was a trooper. Also had the same 2 mb quart 12s in it until they blew. I had kicker l5s in it after that. I sold the car for 1200 and doubled my money. Had 199K on it when I bought it, sold it with 211K.
.
..
...
-01 Lexus GS430 (February 23rd-I get promoted and buy a brand new Lexus)
What More can I say?

Rode in: 00 GS400, 02 ES300, 92 ES300, 93 ES300, 02 SC430, 01 LS430 & SC400
Drove : 92 ES300, 93 ES300, 02 ES300, 01 GS430

I've always liked Lexus in general but could never afford one. I love it and at 20 it seems perfect. Once it gets back from Inskip Lexus on Saturday and they bend me over, I'm sure I'll feel the same but with the ****tt at the end.

We had a 1983 Cressida, 1984 Mercedes 380SL, 1986 Mercedes 420SEL, and a 1996 Nissan Quest.

We now have a 1991 Lexus LS400, a 2005 Sienna, and we still have the POS Quest.

I never liked Lexus until they released the 3rd Generation GS, I always wanted to buy it, but couldn't afford it. In 2007, the IS was just released, and I was so happy that it's more interesting than the GS, with a cheaper price.

i'm surprised I haven't posted here...

Weirdly enough... even as a kid way back in korealand, I was always into executive sedans. When I came to the US in 1997--I started off by subscribing to Automobile Magazine (I subscribed to a car magazine in Australia too..), and later that year, the GS3/4 debuted--and what's more, a family acquaintance I saw regularly actually GOT ONE!!!@!@ though their color choice was poor, I really fell for the GS. Over the years, I saw the IS and was also smitten, and thought that it would be an "affordable" car when it was time for me to get a car (back in '01 I was a mere freshman in HS).
When I got my license...early fall of senior year, the earliest IS300s were still out of my family's budget, and I was "surprised" with a 1999 Saturn SC2, which was, in my opinion, a great car for a young inexperienced driver like myself. I babied it, I washed it religiously, and actually sold it later for more than I paid for it...when I got a 1993 Land Cruiser for my 18th birthday. I loved it. Loved. It. But gas prices started spiking, and with the weird work schedule I had in 2005, I was spending insane amounts of money on gas...so the Land Crusher was sold for a 2000 Mazda Miata.


I kept the Mazda Miata for a little over a year...liked it, much fun, had some dangerous moments in it, etc. etc. and then March of '07, University of California, San Diego--announced that it would accept my transfer application for Fall 2007. Totally unexpected (for me anyways), and quite possibly the proudest moment of my life...also with the realization that I would be driving back and forth from San Diego to my suburb in LA every weekend (out of choice, not parental obligation).

My parents decided that given my driving style, and the treachery of the socal freeways, I probably wouldn't survive in my Miata, so early summer, the quest for a bigger car for me began.

It really didn't get serious until my dad found a 1999 528i for a smoking deal about 2 minutes from my house...we were even prepared to do some DIY work for the cooling systems and whatnot if it meant that I could have a 5-series (my dad lives cars vicariously through me...). Unfortunately..the Miata couldn't be sold in time for the 528i.

Discouraged, I moved on with life, hoping something would roll along. The dad however, scourged cars.com, ebay motors, and local classifieds... in the months following I looked at a MB C280, the previous generation VW Passat, and on one really hot day...we drove about 30 miles to look at a 2002 IS300. I loved it. Sat inside the office of the dealer and was getting started on paperwork when my mom called...

mom: "You guys are out looking at cars aren't you?"
me: yeah....
mom: "how much?"
me: I think we're looking at like...$15,000?
mom: "no."
me: but, but... (listed things great about the car, handed the phone to my dad, etc. etc.)
mom: "no."

dad, to dealer: Sorry about your time. Wife says no.
dealer: AH.... yeah....it's ok man. It happens.



Disappointed, that week I also looked at a 2003 Acura TL Type S in that smexy electric blue with black interior. Too bad the dealer was an a-hole.

Then my dad found it on eBay. 1998 GS400, 106K miles. Imperial Jade Mica. The auction actually ended without a winner. Through ebay messages, my dad actually negotiated a price on a closed auction. Called me to his office, and we drove down to the dealer some 35 minutes away. The guy was nice to the point of apologetic, and actually showed us his receipt from the auction that he had purchased the GS from. He was going to make a total profit of maybe $200 from selling the car.
So after 3 years of pretending to be a Lexus owner here on CL... now I am.

my first lexus was a 92 LS400, i bought back in 1999. i was previously into small sporty cars but decided i wanted a change. i initially wanted an infiniti Q45 because it had more power but was still smooth and quiet, but after finding out th eQ45 was no where near as reliable as the ls, i went Lexus. it was diamond white pearl, beautiful condition. i installed lowering springs, 18" wheels, full body kit, massive stereo system and a few other things. i actually won 2nd place in it's class at the NOPI nationals in atlanta in 2000 with it.
well, after a year and half of owning it, i got sucked in by perofrmance cars again, so i sold it for a 3000 gtvr4. good car, but i couldn't quite afford the payment and the performance goodies i wanted for it, so i sold that and bought a eagle talon tsi awd. great car, fast, easy to mod, fun to drive.
fast forward a few years and several talons/eclipses later, and a galant vr4 and a galant gsx that i converted to vr4 spec, i decided i wanted out of speed cars again and just wanted something nice to cruise in and make pretty. well, of course, i went straight back to a lexus. another 92 LS400. drove up to chicago to buy it, they're much cheaper up there than here in louisville. drove it home and started modding. it's beena good car to me, someone did a lot of maintenance on it, so right now all it needs is a front main seal and ps pump. no big deal.
of course, i'm hookd on fast cars again too, and off roading, so i have a nice collection of cars in my driveway right now... see sig!

alright.....here comes a long story!!

it all began in 97 with a ES250....very nice car but always got criticized as being a camry, the car lasted me about 3 years .....the itch for a big boy lexus was starting, couldnt figure out which one...LS or GS.....said to myself wanna be a bear might as well be a grizzly bear...got a 95 LS in 2000....loved the damn thing had DVD player, tints and usual nonsense. Then came the bug for performance and i sold the LS for as supra.....since then been in love with a supra but always missed the comfort of a lexus so in 05 i decided to go back get a LS....got a 95 again....this car got exhaust, tints... lowering springs...wald lip kit....painted the bottom half the same as the entire car etc etc!!......come 07 and did the same thing i did before.....sold the lexus for a evo.....what a dum move!!! well, recently i went and got myself a LS430 and will never trade or sell for anything else!!

07 ES350 is my very first car and, of course, my very first Lexus. I got this car in July 2007, and before that I didn't pretty much care for Lexus. I originally wanted to get an A4 or CTS, but they turned out to be not suitable for my taste. A4 was too rough for me while CTS handled itself like a much bigger car than it is, thus making its every movement heavier. I also testdrove 3-series, which also made me carsick like A4 did. My last destination was Lexus dealer where I testdrove IS350 and ES350. IS350 was too rough for me as well, but I thought its ride comfort was better than A4 and 3 series combined. Then I tested out ES350. The moment I got in the car, I knew this was going to be my car. Quiet, smooth, comfortable, dynamic, roomy, powerful, large trunk and beautiful. I am planning to drive this car for around 10 years. Next time I'm getting an LS. lol

I have owned

1989 Toyota Corolla
1990 Ford Taurus (college beater)
1996 Honda Accord EX V6 Sedan
1998 Honda Accord EX V6 Coupe
2000 Acura TL
2003 Acura TL type S
2004 Acura TL
2007 Lexus ES 350

I work for an auto finance company and do get in and out of cars quickly, I leverage my relationships in the business! :D

Nevertheless, I gotta say the ES 350 has been a huge disappointment compared to my Honda/Acura purchases. I am not going into detail, but I feel it is the case of buying a car during its first year in production....."first year blues".

Overall, if the bugs would go away, it is a really nice car.

My first car ever was a RX300 that my parents had just bought, but in the end, they didn't like it so they moved on to a BMW X5. I thought the car was great, and it only had 1.5K miles on it when my parents decided to give it to me. My friends were totally jealous. I was THRILLED. A year later while my car was parked outside when I was at a party, I came out to a totaled RX300. Apparently, due to foggy weather and a drunk driver, he rear-ended my parked car causing a lot of frame damage. :cry: Luckily, my dad was getting tired of his 02 E320, so he bought a LS430, and gave me the E320. The E320 gave me a trouble-free 75K miles. :D However, a few years later, the new IS350 comes out and I am shocked.:eek2: That car was everything I wanted, and more. However, financially it wasn't the best time for a new car. 2 years later, I started a new job that was 20 times better than my old job, so I bought a brand new IS350. :) Still driving the IS350, however, my next purchase will either be a LS460, IS-F, or M3 sedan. We will wait and see. :)

It all started with my mom, after suffering some minor whiplash, she took a chance on a brand new LS400 back in 1991. She loved it so much that 10 years later she upgrades to a LS430, a short while later I inherit the trusty ole LS. Blue on Blue with 120k on the clock made for a great high school car. Unfortunately my sister wrecked it...bloody new drivers... But that led us to a 1996 ES300 to add to the family as well as my dad's 2002 GS300 and finally after a short stint with a Cadillac STS my 1993 SC300. Future plans are to upgrade to a newer SC and build it up right.

Back in 2001 I bought a brand new Olds Intrigue. About 1 year later it started having problems. Little things here and there... just annoying the heck out of me. The car was very comfy and had a decent pick up... but there was always something that was not working correctly... but I decided to stick with it since I bought it brand new and always took care of it. Then in the beginning of 2006 I saw an IS350 for the first time and instantly fell in love with it. The mix of power, good looks and Toyota reliability was just perfect. It took me over a year but I finally was able to buy one in June of 2007. I love it and I would not trade it for any other 4 door sedan (well maybe the IS-F.) I'm the kind of person that sticks with a car for a long time so hopefully this IS350 will stay with me for a long, long time.

Also, my wife owns a 2004 Toyota 4Runner. That thing is pretty cool too... will go over pretty much anything.

No Lexus as of yet, but I have decided that my next car will one.

July 07 - I finish High School with better than expected grades and as a sort of graduation present, my parents give me the green light to purchase my "Dream Car" - An MA70 Toyota Supra. It was Rusty, slow and falling apart, but it was a 16 year old boy's first car, and therefore was absolutely perfect.

Dec 07 - Got paid one day, went to a local car auction for Ha-has, threw in a "joke" bid on an e34 530 BMW thinking I'd instantly be out bidded... Well I wasn't and ended up with it parked outside my house that night. It was my first "Luxury" car, and I was hooked. The supra was parked up for restoration, and the e34 became the daily.

March 08 - Made the biggest mistake so far in my life - I sold the Supra :egads:. I'm also starting to get bored of the BMW (I was trying to sell it within 10 days of buying it, haha), so why not kill two birds (The want of a "Fun" project car and the need of a Daily) and that led me to Lexus and Aristos in particular - The chance to have the monstrous 2JZ-GTE engine in the classy and stubble shell that is the MK1 GS300 is a bit too much to pass up :D.

My parents have always owned Toyota's (except for one Honda Accord and one Land Rover Defender) and have always been very pleased with them. As my first car I got my grandpa's hand-me-down 2000 Chevy Prizm (Rebadged Corolla) and was content with the reliability and ease to drive. I drove that for two years and finally saved up enough for my 95 SC300. Not much of a story, but being only 18 what more can you ask for....

Here's some of my parents past cars just so you have something to look at.
DAD:
1980-ish Corolla
1990-ish 4-Runner
1993 Accord
1994 Camry
1999 Land Cruiser
1994 Land Rover Defender
2008 IS-F

MOM:
????
1988-ish Cressida
1991 Previa
2000 Sienna

i'm a vtec man...there hasn't been a day in my life where a roaring vtec has not sat in my garage.

but this is my first lexus, my first v8 and many more firsts...God i love this car

92 Sc400 black ( thus blacksc400 )
92 SC300 1JZ Candy Orange
93 Sc400 blk
95 SC400 blk
95 SC400 silver
97 SC400 White
92 Sc400 Green
94 GS300 Midnight blue
01 IS300 silver
03 IS300 manual silver
00 LX470 tan
00 RX300 tan
01 LS430 UL silver
97 SC300 white
97 SC300 manual white
99 GS400 blk
90 LS400 silver
00 GS300 white
04 LS430 UL


so skip the middles, also skip other non Lexus brand cars, my first Black SC4

and now, the newest additon:

I was about 10 years old when I fell in love with a 1998 Lexus LS400. My dad bought a silver one in 1999 and I remember it like yesterday when he pulled up beside a '98 Mustang GT the first time I road in it and blew his doors away...

I think thats why I got so into them. The car was never in the shop...so quiet...so powerful...and so classy. - Well at least for its time.