MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

I don't know where the statistic came from, but there is one that states that a seven year old Lexus is MORE reliable and has fewer problems per vehicle than a BRAND NEW BMW. Also, Lexus earned the title a few months ago of building the longest lasting cars on the road, of any auto manufacturer.

Also, things tend to really go wrong with BMW's at the 100,000 mile mark. I wouldn't mind leasing a BMW for 3-4 years when it will have only ~60,000 miles on it at the end and the maintenance is covered by the dealer. Keeping the car for a long time though, and looking at paying for repairs out of warranty isn't a place that I'd want to be with BMW. Gauges, compressors, belts, electronics, and other nit picky things really start to go wrong once you hit 100,000 miles with a BMW. Their parts are very expensive, and as time goes on, more and more goes wrong.

Also my girlfriend has a 2006 BMW 325xi. Her first car suffered complete electronic failure three times and had to be towed to the dealer. Under the law in our state, that's considered a lemon and BMW gave her a completely new car. She has had the new car for about 6,000 miles, and it has already suffered one mass electronic failure.

Not sure if this influences your decision, but I just figured that I'd pass it along.

the-oneil

Many thanks for that

I am now in the market for a GS430

Franknyc30

im completely happy with my GS350, but i have just a question. are the lexus owners on this forum being a little bias towards BMW/MB? all i've read is how many problems those vehicles have. I've also done some independant research and have read similiar claims. I know that BMW/MB have superior suspension systems. so why do they still have decent sales numbers? And why do people rave so much about them? they seem like nice cars, but the lexus is what appealed to my senses not withstanding their reliability and bang for the buck. someone please enlighten me.

rainforest

Why do BMW and MB still achieve sales numbers? One word: prestige. I have the 450h, but a lot of my friends still think I should have bought a prestige brand instead. The problem with Lexus is that a lot of people don't know that they have high end cars too.

Nauticalx

Two Words: CONSUMER REPORTS
You'll see that you can build a vehicle yourself for the first time (pot luck) and have a more reliable vehicle than the 5 series. They are super duper unreliable, compare that to Lexus, the most reliable brand on the planet.

dbaron

Ditto! Hi, I am new to the boards and soon to be a new GS350 owner after the holidays. I have driven nothing but MB since the early 90's and the quality has really done down hill from 2000-2005. Even the later 90's models had issues with the perch springs rusting and Harmonic balancers falling apart with certain models. Fortunately I never had any of those issues with my 90's series E Class MB. I currently drive a beautiful 2002 E320 sports that has upgrades and it is mint condition. However now that I have 77k miles on her it is costing MONEY to keep up the maintenance. In the past 2 months I have forked out over $2000. My older MB's were far more reliable and one of them is in great condition and has over 250k miles and idles just as smooth as my newer E class. Of course things were replaced but well over 100k miles. My two cat converters on my current car went bad and were replaced under MB warranty last month, I had to recently replace the fuel pump, ignition cable, fuel filter, EGS sensor, break switch, and front alloy that the towing truck damaged getting her on flatbed to the MB mechanic! I also had to replace the drivers side self dimming mirror that was fogging. The dealer quoted me $615!!! labor and tax not included. My indie charged me $380 for the exact same mirror they got from the MB dealer that quoted me! I had my indie do it for me. MB is prestige and I am over that now. I want a nice car that is reliable where I am not stressing about taking it out on a long drive wondering what will go wrong next, what electrical gizmo or sensor will fail me. The engines on MB well made but everything else is not so good. I will be very sad to say bye to my old friend when I trade her in. I have pampered her and taken care of all repairs, she still seems new inside. BMW was never a consideration as I have friends who have so many problems with them. My boss had a 5 series a few years ago and her tranny failed at less the 40k miles. After it was fixed she still has issues so she got rid of it and bought a G35 Infinite that she loves. She will never own a BMW or even a MB after seeing my little issues. I have been to the Lexus dealer a few times and feel in love with the GS350 2007. I want the nav with chrome alloys but right now there is a wait before exactly what I want comes in. I also want the Granite gray. I also drove the new E 350 2007 MB and my heart melted, a gorgeous car that drove like a dream! However, until there is evidence MB has put the reliability and quality back I cannot bring myself to buy another one no matter how tempted I am. Even if the car is in warrantly if things go wrong who wants to keep going to the dealer? Just read the Benz World boards and it will scare anyone from buying a Benz who hasn't owned one before! I have mixed feelings about making the switch but my heart tells me I will not regret it and I will be very happy. It is true that the German cars drive like no others but now they are over-engineered thus all the issues. The Japanese just get the electronics right the first time! I was also very impressed driving the GS 350. So if you don't mind I might be asking questions until my new Lexie comes in! My mind is made up and Lexus it is!!

sdbrandon

Luxury and comfort goes to Lexus. Performance and fun goes to BMW. Nothing will change that anytime soon. BMW has more vehicles with a lot more fun factor although they may not be as reliable. With 4 yr/50k miles warranty and free maintenance, who cares. Lease and dump. It is the American way.

doug_999

Now there's an uninformed post.

twister

Don't know about recent 5-series, but its a common knowledge that an older 5-series was considered as one of the biggest lemons. And, it wasn't just Consumer Reports that stated that...

sdbrandon

Haven't you guys been reading the posts on this board. Lexus makes a great car, but all cars have issues. Give me your Lexus for the day, I will find problems. I admit Lexus is the best, no question. But you are kidding yourself if you think they are troublefree. I don't think anyone can build a troublefree car with so much technology to go wrong.

I think the reason why BMW does so well and has doubled sales over the past 8 years to over 1 million car is because consumers want something different. Many folks like the way you can custom order your BMW configured exactly the way you wish. Manual transmissions are available in all cars except the 7 series. Also, their designs (like them or not) make no mistake they are a BMW.

I currenty own a 6 series, and have an older MB I want to trade for a Lexus. I have had Lexus' in the past and they were never head turner cars. The designs have always been quite conservative.

However, I believe the Lexus is the most reliable but also every model is quite sedate.

Khiladi

iTrader: (1)

As a member of both Lexus and BMW forums (as I'm sure many others here are) all you gotta do is look at the types of problems people have with both of their cars and you can draw your own conclusions. I love my 740 as much as I have any Lexus/Toyota that we have, because of the way it drives, looks, feels, performs, etc. But there's no way in hell I'm going to say that "as a whole" the Germans are on par with the top-tier Japanese brands in terms of maintainence and reliability issues. For example, us BMW guys with the 4.4 V8 on both the E39 540s and E38 740s know damn well that the factory radiator unit is a ****-poor design, and will fail and need to be replaced every 50-70K miles. That is just a given, many many owners know about it, and it comes with the territory. But do you think this type of design flaw would make it through the rigors of Lexus' testing and engineering? Based on their reputation-hell no. There are many more issues 5 and 7 series owners have that make the issues Lexus owners have look like a walk in the park. Since you can't have it all, the difference between the companies is where they choose to have their "compromises". Generally speaking, Lexus will not compromise from using a top quality design for a component, even if it sacrifices some of the "driving experience." BMW will not compromise the best "driving experience" even at the expense of some electrical gremlins down the road. That's my take on it anyway.

sdbrandon

I agree. Whether you buy an LS460, or a Toyota Corrolla, the same quality and reliabiity exists. My point was that quality and reliability are not number one on the consumers lists. Otherwise, the only cars being sold would be Toyotas.

Hameed

I have had my GS400 for 4 years now. The car is 8 years old and nothing, absolutely nothing has broken on this car to date.

I can't comment personally on the 5 series BMW as I have never owned one.

If you are looking for a reliable car, you will definitely not be dissappointed with a Lexus GS. They are built like tanks.

Considering your requirements - reliable car that will last 8 years easily, the choice is simple - get the GS430.

sdbrandon

A side note. Why is the GS330 and the GS430 just as fast? I would think the V8 would be noticably faster 0-60 times.

doug_999

and that's not true either...