Sheesh...no need to yell at the guy. LOL

 

hahahaha

 

No need to be harsh with me, I am simply stating my concerns with this car. Several little things have indeed gone wrong with my GS (CD changer stopped working, alot of rattles here and there, alignment issues, etc etc). I feel for this kind of money, and the bland styling that Lexus offers, that their reliability should be the #1 reason to purchase such a vehicle. Afterall, I think i speak for most when i say that the reliability factor is probably one of the top 2 or 3 reasons we bought a Lexus. So, knowing my friend and how meticulous he is with his cars, for something like this to happen is unbelievable. He is MAD right now, and i can't say that i blame him. So, maybe he got a lemon ? who knows. But the fact that i have had these little problems creep up on MY car suggests that maybe it is a sign of future problems to come. So, maybe you can say that i am b*****ing all you want, but it doesnt change the fact that my friends' tranny is shot at 115k and the fact that i have numerous little things going wrong with my GS. As i stated before, we are both very cautious about our cars, take good care of them, and do not abuse them at all. For the kind of car the LS is, it is amazing for me to believe that a car like that would have a tranny break down. By nature, the LS is a smooth, carefree vehicle where the driver is not inclined to be harsh with it. It is not a sports car where you might expect the tranny to get a good workout. So again, i just find it extremely disappointing to hear about it. Also, I have thoroughly checked these boards for problems/issues for both the LS and GS line, and I keep finding all kinds of reliability threads popping up, so you cannot say that Lexus's don't indeed have problems. I used to own an old 1988 Maxima as a beater, and the thing lasted until 180k before the tranny died. and the Max is NOT a luxury vehicle. I spent $1600 for that car. It was great while it lasted. My friend spent over $15000 for his LS, and could not get passed 115k. I'm sorry but that is totally unacceptable.

 

Rain,

If you've also taken the time to read other automotive forums to look at the types of problems THEY encounter, you'll quickly realize that the problems folks talk about here are minor and comparatively infrequent. I (and many others) read forums for Mercedes, BMW, Acura, Infinity - even domestics - on a regular basis and I often come back to CL in horror of the issues I read about on even brand new cars of other makes.

Having said that, I think you should definitely sell your Lexus. If having a friend that has a problem with their 9 year old car scares you into selling yours of the same make you should be walking or taking the bus. Face it, ALL cars can have problems... some are because of design, some for lack of maintenance, some are simple bad luck. I for one haven't seen any trends on transmission failure with Lexus on CL or anywhere else. Your "all kinds of reliability threads popping up" statement is misinformed at best. Check all the independent industry standard surveys if you need more proof than what you see here on our forums.

Who knows what happened to your friends car... he bought it used with high miles and can't say for sure if the thing wasn't driven into the East river one night. I bought both of my Lexus used and have had great luck with both of them. Maybe that will make some of MY friends want to go out and buy one.

Good luck with whatever you buy next.

 

that's cheap! he should have money left over for repairs.

Show me a 9 yr old car made by any other manufacturer that needs no maintenance... provided they havent already replaced everything including the driveline.

 

And was your friend named Brian W by any chance

 

I don't really go by the age of the car vs. the mileage. There are some 1990 Lex's with only 75-80k on them, so you can argue that they are 14 years old and likely to break down ? If the car has been well-maintained and garaged, etc., it should show no more wear than say a 1997 with the same amount of miles. Age means nothing unless the car has never been driven. Whether it's a '95 or '90 or '2000, it is still a Lexus and the reliability factor should still hold true for all years and models. If that is the standard, then they should all meet that standard IMO.

 

the problem with the way you rate cars is that you are incorrectly using the "time" system.

Things do not sit untouched by time. Tires never driven, but allowed to sit still degrade. Seals in the doors and engine that are never driven but still exist are still rotted or dried out, hoses that are only driven for 65k miles or 165k miles are still running on time. and time.... will decide what works and what doesn't after it has had it's way with it.

fluids, like oils, that are still below 3k miles of use sludge as they sit.. moreso even as they sit than when they are in use.

I rather expect LOW mileage cars that are over 10 yrs old to have problems. rather than a high mileage newer car. LACK of use in this case is your worst enemy.

you can escape the mileage, but not the test time. therefore your reasoning is inaccurate.

 

well too bad about your boy's fortune...i've owned my 95 sc400 for 5 years now, drive it everyday,beat on the drivetrain(engine/tranny)often and i've got over 100k. it runs just like the day i bought it..why?because i spend the money to maintain it. i bought this car exactly 5 years ago with 68k used -it just came of a lease,and i took it straight to the mechanics to get a full 90k tune up,tranny,etc. you have now idea what someone did to the car before you got it so maintenance is crucial. my experience with this car is second to none.... no major problems at all!!!!(feels like the day i bought it and better),my expenses has only been to replace parts that needed replacing due to either these murderous streets(suspension),the infamous steering pump leak problem into the alternator,and parts changed due to age,nothing more and no surprises. all that money saved due to reliablity,went to the mods!

 

Talking to Rain is like talking to the deaf. He's gotta do what he has to do, as long as HIS friend's car is shot, HIS car must suffer the same fate as well. Great thinking on his part, lol !!! I own a '99 LS I purchased brand spanking new. It now has close to 80K miles. Never missed scheduled service. Nowhere in all of rain's posts did he mention his friend performing scheduled service - like 60K, 90K, etc. Well, how the heck is a car supposed to continue to work without being cared for ???

Finally, if this helps, the 1995 LS has a fairly higher propensity for problems than others. The 2nd gen started in MY '95 and from what I read, Lexus kinda rushed this out without their standard rigorous testing. So maybe your friend got one of the *bad* ones. Tough luck !

 

I agree with everything you just said, but I think you misunderstood my point. My point is that if a car has never been driven or driven rarely, it is just as bad as abusing the car. Maybe I didn't make myself clear on that. However, to use the arguement that the car is 9 years old and that sorta thing should be "expected" to happen is not a fair thing to say because the car has had continuous use over time and the mileage is not high nor low for a 9 year old car. So, the transmission should have lasted a lot longer than that IMO.

 

To compare your 1999 LS with my friends 1995 is not really a fair comparison. Your car was purchased NEW and only has 80k on it, while my friend purchased his USED with 80k on it. My friend has always maintained all of his cars and has never had a major problem like this. He has serviced his car on a regular basis and had a tranny flush when he got it. I am concerned over this, because I have had some problems with my GS and yes, I am now worried about my car's reliability over this. No matter what, I still can't imagine, even with NO tranny service or maintanance prior to my friend's service, that this transmission should go like this. This is $55,000 car (when new). This just shouldn't be happening even with great neglect of maintainance. BTW, my friend like myself, had a full inspection/diagnostics done on the car before purchase and everything came back ok. He drives like an old man. I can't imagine him doing anything to it that could have caused it to go like this.

I too have heard about the 1995 LS problems. Perhaps he should have looked into that before getting that MY.

 

nextlevelcoupe and myself bought our cars at the same time, both 95's mine with 84K. We both kept up with maintenance, etc. No problems what so ever, are cars still feel like brand new.

 

I have heard from various sources that it is not a good idea to get a tranny flush with a car over 100k. Is there any validity to that ? I always do a drain and fill and I am now hesitant to do the flush because i heard it can harm certain components of the tranny by its pressure.

 

Rain, how old are you if you don't mind me asking? I ask this because of your illogical thinking on wanting to sell your GS because of the problems your friend has with his LS? I am sure most members would agree with me.

Being that you just joined CL please take a few months to research the extravagant amount of information on this site so you can realize that your friends LS is out of the norm.