jarrett

I would go with the BMW, Lexus just does not have the performance that the BMW has, So what if it cost a little more you'll still have the best.

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

I love Lexus ( not only GS) in everyway///

rkytop_bob

Lexus Quality is the #1 reason. I was in the car business for 30+ years and can tell you some horror stories about the BMW's. Service is terrible, quality not that good. Trust me (old used car salesman, ha,ha) stick with Lexus quality.
Best Regards
Bob

INHOCJP

I would go with the Lexus, BMW just does not have the luxury or reliability that the Lexus has, So what if it cost a little more you'll still have the best.

jarrett

Originally Posted by jarrett
I would go with the BMW, Lexus just does not have the performance that the BMW has, So what if it cost a little more you'll still have the best.

I would still go with BMW, because of the warranty for 4 years and i BMW has been in the business longer than Lexus, overall better performance, multiple transmissions, and the AWD system is better

GS430X6

jarrett, then please go buy one for christ sakes. we heard you the first time.


Buy a BMW not a Lexus, now thats funny. Only if you find going to the repair shop fun. I was just in a few BMW forums and its not pretty, nothing but complaints, break downs and people saying I'm going to buy a Lexus.

Dont ya just love how BMW owners are allways in the Lexus forums. Wonder why? Maybe cause the BMW forums are full of nothing but horror stories so they come here for some relief .

jwaters

I love my GS430. I looked at every vehicle in this price range (including some SUV's) when researching my next car purchase. I ended up with the GS430 and couldn't be happier. Why did I go with the Lexus?

-Reliability
-Resale value
-Feature content
-Handling (much better than it gets credit for, but even so it could probably use a sport package option for those who won't mind the decreased ride comfort)
-Styling

I came VERY close to getting an M45. It's a great vehicle, but I quickly grew tired of the styling. The back end is too upright and flat. I also didn't care for the lower air dam design which is much less attractive on the production model than on the concept version. The interior is fairly nice, but the details are awry. The stitching on the leather seatbacks look quite cheap and I don't care for the matte wood trim which looks very fake in person. The aluminum is nicer looking, but a little stark for a luxury sedan.

I also looked at the 5 Series. I had a 1997 528i and loved that vehicle. While I've grown to love the exterior of the new 5 Series, I HATE the interior. The interior is just strange with it's wide expances of matte plastic that curve away from the driver at weird angles and long strips of glossy wood that strangly, do very little to brighten up the interior. The fit and finish is also quite poor for a $55-65k vehicle. As dynamically sound as the BMW is, I just couldn't get over the interior. You can modify the GS (tires, coilovers/springs, exhaust) to be a better all out performer than the M45 or 545i if you are so inclined, but nothing you can do to the BMW will fix the interior. Just my $0.02!

jarrett

Get Cho Big i got a GS 300 and a 2006 BMW 530xi loaded and has not given me a problem yet, and i be on the e60.net almost every day, if u knew anyhing u would know that the 545i is not dependable one the 530i/xi and 525i/xi are very dependable, besides everyone gets a lemon

INHOCJP

Wow, your 2006 5 series hasn't given you a problem yet? Not to rain on your parade, but if you can say the same thing after a few years of ownership, that'll be impressive.

Either way, congrats on your purchase. The new 530 is nice, with the power upgrade and all.

E55_POWER

I just got rid of my 2006 GS300 AWD, but had nothing to do with reliability because only a fool would say that a BMW is more reliable. The reality is that Lexus hands down blows away any German cars in terms of reliability. As for performance, sporty, handling, and such and such, BMW should be a no brainer (I assume you're talking V8 models). The 545i SP with SMG is simply MUCH more fun than the GS430. I believe Lexus' goal is not Sporty first but rather reliability first. My GS300 AWD I'm sure it will hold up well in the reliability dept, but the car is just too boring to drive IMO, thus the reason I owned it for less than 2 months. Its V8 brother would have been "less boring" to drive but still "boring" overall. The 545i is no P-car or Ferrari in terms of fun, but certainly the most fun sedan out there to drive, excluding the super sedans, ie E55, M5, RS6, and such. I will tell you like I tell all my friends...if you can't live with going to the shop 6 to 10 times a year, don't buy a German car, if that's not a priority but sportiness, feel, power is higher than reliability then the BMW will be a sure winner for you. Exclusivity wise, well it's a toss up... I don't see many 545s nor G3 GS430. The G3 GS300 and 530i, well everyone and their mother drives those in the DC area.

Go drive both you owe it to yourself...

Oh the 545 will now be 550i with 360HP in Oct. I assume around this time we will see a GS460 or similar to compete since I believe the Benz will now be E550 as well.

jarrett

Thanks a lot, i told u guys that the 530s and 525s are more dependable than the 545's.

delirium

Tje 530xi got a black dot on Consumer Report's reliability ratig.. that is the worst rating possible in CR! what gives?

NYT

exactly, look up mercedes and bmw comparable models and you will see why we all went lexus. consumer reports basically says they are the worst of the worst in the luxury category. imo the 5 series beemer is ugly anyway, if i went with anything other than a gs430, it would have been the e55. i would have just spent a lot more for the e55 than i did my gs. ($54,006.00)

E55_POWER

But twice the fun!

The Benz and BMW, even Audi SUCKS in reliability compared to any Lexus. We had our 01 LX470 and 04 LX470 for about 6 months each and did not encounter ANY problems whatsoever. The GS300 AWD's only problems were car drifting to the right but I blame that on bad PDI. The keyless go didn't work too well, occassionally would not open nor start the car so had to catch a ride only twice. Other than that, FLAWLESS! The rest are preferences that I think most of us share like changing Nav while moving (that got fixed right away), MP3 player, etc. but Lexus made us all aware of those things.

It's a good general rule of thumb that ALL Japanese makes will outlive their German counterparts.

doug_999

I'm going to be in the same boat shortly. I've driven the GS430 and plan to drive the M45 and the new 550 as well as a bunch of other cars like the Legacy, 330i, and 6-speed TL.

As E55_Power pointed out, the Lexus is going to be the most "boring" of the bunch. Boring in terms of driving dynamics and boring cause it won't break. The 550 should be a blast to drive and chances are, it will be in the shop more than the GS. The iDrive is crazy, you will still be programming the NAV when the guy in the GS is already home. The M45 is going to split the difference and the fact that I can plug my iPOD directly into it would/will be nice.

But you have to decide what your priorites are - and most importantly go drive them all.

Let us know what you do.