OK, it's time to retire the 96 LS400 for something more sporty. My first criteria is Automatic, love to shift, but with traffic in Austin, nah. 2nd is that I want 4 doors, soccer practices, basketball practices, friends, and so on, don't want the hassle of 2 doors. I have narrowed it down to the three listed above. Drove the 330i on yesterday, gonna drive the IS & TL on Monday. The 300i was sweet. Biggest thing I hate about the BMW is the price. Also, while performance is a important factor, IT IS NOT the most important, reliabilty, creature comforts, safety is some other important items. OK, let's here some thought provoking insights, other than "Get the IS" with no other comment.

 

well, i have the tls, and i am strongly considering the is300 with good reasons, and i always considered the 330i too, so hopefully i can give you some insights. i will just give out points so pick on grammas, hehe...

tls:
it's an ok car, it's big, plenty of room in the back for people, looks pretty classic. hp very good, 260, but only around 190 at the crank. fwd sux.... i am in cali but it's not going anywhere with that many hp in the front. understeer like hell. handling pretty bad for the same reason. ride ok, pretty quiet. built quality so so only, no match with lexus imho. big problem with tranny. if you read they are extending the warranty but still a lot of people's trannies die with no reason. it's not a driving habit issue. people are suing acura for that. sometimes car shifts from 5th to 2nd on freeway when you do 80, bad idea... that's why if they don't do a recall some time soon, i am changing car. pricewise it's awesome, simply best bang for the bucks. but what you get is more of a sedan than a sport sedan comparing the three. the nav is good, not as good as lexus in terms of graphics.

330i:
performance awesome, but a bit small, both side to side and the rear. handling there is no doubt, but the price is. way overpriced imho for what you getting. you spend more money getting the emblem than the real car. the nav sux big time, no touch screen, slow, bad display, etc... i don't like the dash design at all, boring. reliability and quality is also an issue imho, you will spend lots more money on repair and maintenance over the years. if you plan to ONLY own the car when it has warranty (ie 4 yrs) then yes it could be a good choice if you can overcome the price of the car

is300:
small, less space in the rear but i think it's still acceptable, i just have to sit straight at the back. the nav is a failure on lexus part imho, why put it thre and no touch screen? but nonetheless it has great graphics. quality you know how good it is, best of the three. same with reliability. the handling is awesome, i like it a lot. the dash a bit radical but i like it. audio is pretty good too (the other two sux big time). the car is not as quiet as any other lexus (not even close) but it's still pretty good. on straight line no doubt it's the slowest among three but good enough for my taste. on corners it can have a lot of fun though.

i don't know if you are talking about mods too, but if you look at the three, lexus will win imho. there are a lot of choices and prices are very good for the is300. just as many choices for the 330i but you pay lots more than that of the lexus too. the tls is a joke, you don't have much choices at all, lowest prices, but when you dont' have choice i don't feel like modding a car, coz' i can't choose!

want any other aspect? i have been owning the tls for 1 1/2 yr so i know pretty much everything about it i guess. been liking the 330i except the price for the longest time too. and since the tranny issue of the tls happened, i have been studying the is300 stick extensively

 

IF (big IF) I get the 330i I would most likely get a 2002 or a late build 2001 because of the price. And yes I usually only keep a car for the warranty period, so longevity is not a concern. I might add that for me, I do not need and/or want a Nav system, most driving is in town and I know 95% of the streets, so to spend the money on something I will not use could be used elsewhere. I had a 91 Legend that we kept until 1997, couple minor problems, but overall an excellent car. What attracts me the most to the TL is the "bang for the buck" aspect, not neccessarily that it is the "best" of the 3 listed. Only mods I ever do is exhaust, wheels and a performance intake. I like the 5 spds, but again, it gets old when your stuck in traffic inching forward. Thanks for the input, very insightful. I think the IS would be more of a contender if the HP would be a little higher, oh well, you pick from what's available.

 

You list automatic, space for friends, and sporty as your priorities, and then say longevity and Nav are low priorities.

The Acura TL is your baby. The transmission is one of the best because it upshifts firmly when on the gas, and smoothly when cruising, plus it has grade logic, which would be great in Austin to keep the tranny from hunting like most other cars will. The car also lets you shift it yourself when you want to. The TL also has the most room (by a lot) for friends and stuff. The suspension is also quite sporty and the electronically controlled differential will impress anyone. The price is the clincher, though the Lexus would be pretty close.
The BMW would be more expensive, smaller, a little sportier, a little quicker, has more airbags, has a primo German nameplate, and has timeless styling. The 330i is also a much worse ride with a car full of people. Highway cruising is punishing in the rear seat.
The Lexus probably costs more, is sporty (the manual tranny is even better), is standard with the sweet suede seats, and is much better than the BMW in hauling victims in the rear seat both because rear seat room is more plentiful and because the suspension is more forgiving (less high-speed compression damping). The Lexus, statistically speaking, would probably be trouble-free.
BMW and Lexus have all maintenance included, free for 3 years, and Acura has GM's On Star.

 

no, the tranny on the TL is nutorously weak because acura only plays the hp game and never do the balance on their cars. see, when they made the tls they actually had to tweak the tranny a bit to make it work, showing that the tranny tolerance is pretty low.

there has been exceptionally large number of tranny failures on the cl, tl, accord v6, oddesy.... coz' they share the same tranny design. that's the only thing i would watch out for

 

my first choice would be 330...out performs the other two, and has bmw name and quality...however too expensive...so if price is an issue, then consider the other two.

i had a TL-S, and totalled it, and now i have an IS300...so i've had experience wif both cars.
in my opinion they are two different cars. heres a review i wrote on comparison between the TL-S and the IS:

performance: TL-S 260HP just kicks ***!!! the IS can't compare. however the IS does have decent amount of power. the manual is fun to drive. plus when i get my turbo or super charger, its all over the IS is more stable at high speeds (lower drag coefficient). the IS is rear wheel drive compared to TL's front wheel drive. the IS launches better, the TL will do better in rain and snow.

handling: stock vs stock, IS is MUCH better than TL-S...considering size and weight...makes sense. however, the TL-S with springs, sways and strut can compete with a stock IS. stock IS ride is harsher than TL-S. the IS has better and thinner tires, grips better, and looks more aggressive.

transmission: the TL transmission is nice. but it might fail...the IS transmission is smooth for a manul. dunno auto.

safety: the IS has better braking. the IS has two more airbags (side curtain airbags). the TL-S has sensors to turn off airbags when someone leans on it or if a person is too short, the IS doesn't. IS has daytime running lights. and automatic headlights + leveling. i totalled my TL-S, but i walked away from it uninjured, not even a scratch...so i can vouch for the TL's front impact saftey (hit a stopped vehicle at somthing like 60mph...no deformation to the driver and passenger area)

interior: both are nice. the IS leather is softer, personally i like the red lighting better than the yellowish lighting in the TL. the TL-S has A LOT A LOT more space. more comfortable. yes, the backseat is small. the IS doesn't have memory seats or memory windows (i hate this after car washes...) the TL has lumbar support (doesnt do much thou) the IS cup holder are small. the IS rear seats all have headrests.

exterior: depends on your preferrence. the TL-S is more class...the IS is more sport. personally i liked my TL-S, dropped, with kit, with clear corners and exhaust tips better than my stock IS. but i'm gettin drop and kit soon too, so i dunno what it'll be like then.

sound system: stock about the same. the IS has tweeters. the TL has stock sub. but the stock sub doesn't do much. after adding the same JL12" sub to both cars, the outcome is similar.

navi: TL has touch screen, IS doesnt (sux). the TL navi can be operated while driving, the IS can't. the TL navi is much easier to use. the IS navi doesn't take into consideration your current speed when calculating the estimated time of arrival. the positioning of the IS navi is cooler. the IS one shows a clearer/more detailed turn indicators. but i cant find anything on the IS navi (couldnt find home depot today...) and you cant just tell it to list all the nearest italian restaurants or something...u need to know the EXACT name of the place to find it. the TL onstar is cool. the IS navi recalculates faster.

other stuff:
-the IS has a small center armrest storage thing...but a bigger glove compartment.
-the IS has one touch sunroof
-TL's turning circle is TOO big
-IS has full size spare
-IS has a small trunk (my sub has to fit in sideways )
-the TL is more "user friendly" (easier controls, steering wheel mounted controls, etc.
-the gas mileage is about the same
-the IS has more aftermarket support

 

Lexus does not have free maintenance..where did you get that??? dealer threw it in???

 

Heeey, Cleo! Just wanted to say thanks for the kind words about me. I haven't seen you on here in awhile. How's the IS doing?

 

yeah, lexus does NOT have free maintenance

 

LEXTASY,

What's your take on the Infiniti G35 sedan?

 

2003 Audi A4. Black one fully loaded with 20's.

 

Infinity, you know, in life, sometimes you just don't like something and you can't really explain why, just that you do, such is the case with Nissan & Infinity. Audi on the other hand is something I had not considered. The only negative image in my mind with Audi is that they seem to take forever to sell in the paper/e-bay/auto trader. Although resale value is not the highest on my list it is definitely a factor, anyone know the residuals? For that matter, is there a website that list all the manufacturers and what the residuals are for makes/models?

 

There's a reason Audi's don't sell in the paper.

My IS is 3 months old and has no repairs. My '98 A4 NEVER went that long without a repair... not from day 1. $5,700 in repairs, not including the catalytic converter since the 3 year warranty expired. Under 49,000 miles at trade-in time. Only battery #4 and one set of tires were replaced by anyone other than an Audi dealer.

Keep in mind this is one car, purchased new: 6 instrument panels, 4 batteries, 2 passenger side CV boots and each of the following replaced once: catalytic converter, steering rack, cam shaft tensioner seals, engine computer, climate control computer, stereo, 2 speakers, alternator, coolant reservoir, coolant temperature sensor, fuel guage sending unit, turn signal stalk, turn signal flasher, tiptronic switch, passenger seat bushings, EGR secondary return pipe. At trade-in time, I had a check engine light and A/C worked only intermittantly, and the ambient temperature display was giving wacky readings.

Still loved the car, though.

 

Hey, no problem...wish i could've bought the car from you...

the IS is okay....just wish i had bought an automatic cause i didn't know about the "thumping" sound with the manual transmission..oh well....that's the breaks...

 

Ok young 'uns, here's the dilly, yo:

Since BMW and M-B are offering free maintenance for a specified number of months, I negotiated three years of free scheduled maintenance with my dealer as part of the cost of the car. Although Lexus doesn't offer it on the window sticker, it's just as easy to tack it on.

Check it out at Sterling McCall Lexus in Houston.

Since I don't live near that dealership, I simply told my service representative about the deal and after service, they simply send the invoice to the dealership where I bought the car.

Buying a Lexus is like buying a house: EVERYTHING IS NEGOTIABLE!