lubester

i wouldnt worry about a teenage girl pushing the limits of the ls....

LexFather

I am sure a speed limiter can be added. Once you have the $$$$ you can do anything.

Thing is, people get in accidents at low speeds too. My recommendation as was stated before is letting her go to some driving schools where she will learn invaluable driving techniques.

SecPole14

A speed limiter isn't going to stop her from running a stop or red light or plowing into someone because she's too busy playing with Mission Control (i.e. the myriad of buttons and switches in the 460's cockpit).

The fewer distractions, the better. It's difficult enough to for young people to keep both hands on the wheels and both eyes on the road WITHOUT all the gadgetry in the LS or other modern luxury cars.

By design, this class of car inspires confidence, which can be very dangerous in an of itself, especially with younger drivers.

luxury1

Thanks for all the posts guys! After reading some of this I might just go with the S80. I was a little concerned about the flash element also but I figured that it would be cheaper giving her my car when it is worth ~$30k when its time to make the decision rather than buying a new S80 (~$45k). If I am not giving her one of my cars I definitely want to buy her something new.

I also agree that it is not just power that is the concern but the safety of the body. I don't want to get anything small as if it gets hit by something the size of my Range Rover and she gets hurt then I could never live with myself for that decision.

By the way, you can give children things without them being spoiled brats. A lot of people do it the wrong way but you can. It just takes proper parenting.

Also Mpunk, your post was all over the place but the one note I will make is that the top of the line LS doesn't have to offer all power to satify customers. There is a place for that like the LS600 (which is ironically the only hybrid in the line) but I would prefer a tiered approach like Mercedes does in Europe with the S and used to do here (S430, 500, 600, etc). It is not a big deal but 99% of people don't use the power. If you haven't driven the car much you might not understand...

SecPole14

A person has a greater chance of dying in an S80 than in a G35.

Do yourself (and your daughter) a favor and look at some real-world numbers instead of just guessing at which cars are safer than others:

http://www.iihs.org/sr/pdfs/sr4204.pdf

luxury1

This is very useful and I don't have to guess if I am looking at 2004 models. But as I mentioned, I will most likely be buying new though. Do you have anything that is from the last couple of years? Otherwise these numbers are somewhat irrelevant since almost every model is different today than it was four years ago.

Stormwind

Could you pm me the pics as well? I am interested to see them too, fliped 3 times...ouch.

darkdream

If you are this worried about your daughter breaking driving laws then I advice you get one of those GPS tracking units installed, many allow you to track where they go, how fast they are going, monitor braking, ect. all from online in real time... Although it will set you back 1.5-2 grand...

bizzy928

Check out www.iihs.org for crash test ratings. Its the #1 source!

Also, a few years ago, there was a study done but a reputable source (name eludes me at the moment), and the statistics pointed to the RX as the safest car on the road, with the least amount of fatalities in accidents.

However, LS > RX in terms of safety.

LexFather

Lexus are very safe cars. I know personally and another reason I got another GS was b/c I walked out the first one.

Nextourer

Yeah there are ways to limit the top speed. One way is a tracking device which you can install to track your daughter if she leaves a specific "safe zone" (e.g. 10 mi from her friend's place) and limit the vehicle to a top speed of 50mph or whatever that may be.


Alternatively, you could wait til your daughter's old enough to drive and see what vehicles are available then and make a choice whether to install the tracking device w/ speed limiter or trade the LS for a new and safe vehicle.

Most European cars come with all the safety features standard (both active and passive safety). Just make sure your daughter knows how they work to maximise their effectiveness should the unthinkable happen.

Faraaz23

Well, as others have mentioned, this is the flagship of the line and a real luxury car. Mercedes Benz learned its lesson with the S-Class two generations ago with the S300/320. Owners of the more expensive 500 and 600 models felt having a 6 cylinder engine available with the same S-Class chassis that they payed much more for cheapened the image of the car. That is why we do not currently see MB exporting anything less than a V8-powered S-class to the US. The LS's image would hurt the same as well if an anemic engine were put in place. However, this is speaking from the US market tendencies before this oil price situation we are facing. Perhaps in a few years, if our gas ends up as expensive as Europe's, we will see people interested in luxury cars with wimpy engines.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Trying to figure out how to respond... Criticizing Lexus for 'only' offering a state of the art powerful V8 in their flagship because it's more than you want for you, your wife, or your daughter makes it seem like you just bought the wrong vehicle.

As for safety - in 'several years' there will be safer vehicles on the market, plus safety is a function primarily of the DRIVER and their awareness.

If you want a slower car that's still safe, there's plenty out there.

Also why do you feel the RX isn't safe enough?

valgs350

iTrader: (1)

I didn't feel like sending 5 PM's so I am just posting the pics!!!

Not to take this thread off track but the RX is a very safe car. I was in Brian's RX350 when it took place. Brian was driving, I was in the front passenger seat, and my other friend garret was behind me. The guy/person who hit us ran a stop sign and was excessively speeding, he flew into the RX above the right rear wheel.

I remember the side airbags coming out the windshield cracking and the 2 1/2 roles. The car was on its side, people came rushing thinking we where dead or inured. We jumped out the rear window. No one was hurt and the next day no one was sore. The guy in the Benz was fine also but the RX man it took a heavy hit! I remember when the Benz hit the VSC went "ping ping ping" but the car already was tilting and there was nothing VSC or the driver could have done to avoid the rolls!

There is more to the story, you can PM for more info!

The funny thing is it was a Lexus loaner...hahahahahaha with only 2.500 miles ( Benz guy had to pay over $45,000 to the dealer)

Pictures where taken by local neighbor!











Anyways back on topic I just had to say the RX is a very save car and if I already didn't have an SUV I would buy the RX400h.

Lexus the safest accident!!!! (VERY TRUE)

marshmallo

Lexus has already done this. It's called the GS460