massshelti

Everyone has different ideas on what is important. Driving a nice car is important to me. Having kids and a wife is not. I'm not suggesting that this valuation is right for everyone. It's just right for me. I could see the value of having a wife if we were living with the social mores of the 50s. In today's world however, getting married is a horrible deal for the average guy. I'm convinced if men didn't have a gargantuan sex drive during their marrying years, they'd never sign up for the deal.

Of course, if you want children, you have to buy into the marriage deal despite the significant drawbacks associated with the transaction.

Besides, when my LS430 gets old, unreliable, and too much of a bother to deal with, I can trade it in with no penalty on a new one. You can't do that with your wife! :-) The early termination clause on a wife is a killer!!

daryll40

We shouldn't let this degenerate into too much of a philosophical discussion on life here. That being said, I have ALWAYS said that the ONLY reason to get married is to have children. So we agree. However, I know many who have given up on having kids so they could have more "things". In the end, some are already sorry and I suspect many of the rest will also end up sorry. About the only thing you can really pass on in life is kids. All the other stuff is gone quickly after you are. I have two kids and, frankly, now wish we had a third one. At the time, I was just thinking about how expensive it would have been. If I had to do it all over again, I would have stayed in the middle-income neighborhood and had a third child instead of ending with 2 kids and 'movin' on up". I'd probably be driving an LS430, even in the middle income neighborhood, however.

acf

Ya, we just had out first child 8 mos. ago and before that I was pretty cynical about them. At this point I wouldn't trade the experiences thus far for ANY of the cars on this forum.

lexuskrzy1

50, physician, 2 kids in college, replaced my 2002 BMW 745i. the iDrive drive me nuts so i now have a 2004 LS430 with Euro Tuned Suspension.

Joe

bluestar

No one needs to justify spending THEIR money on what THEY want. We all won't have the same things in life, so why try to make others who do feel guilty. We all make decisions that impact our lifes; some want to enjoy their lifes without wife and kids, so be it, that is their choice. It is not wrong or right. Others prefer a family life with wife and kids, that is their choice too, not that it is right or wrong. This is a forum for owners and owners-to-be, pls let people be. Don't get too judgemental on anyone. I could care less the reasons an owner buys an expensive car: Darn it, they want it, can afford it (somehow), why not buy one ??? You work so darn hard, to pay bills, and more bills, if you can give yourself the satisfaction of a luxury vehicle, why not ? Thankfully, the government hasn't tried their greedy hands to take that away from you yet. You all better enjoy your life any way you can, cos when your time here comes, it doesn't matter who or what you are: The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh !!

Me, I live life to the fullest. If I can afford a Rolls, you bet I'll be driving one. Not because my neighbors will approve, but because I can afford one, and want one. Period.

Now let's talk about the LS

Pagong

The funny thing is the person who started this post only asked what the owners of newer LS430's do for a living for them to afford a nice luxury car?

And what does he get from massshelti ?


just ordered a new 2004 LS. How can I afford this? Simple. I'm frugal, have no wife, and no kids. If I had a wife and kids, I'd be driving a 98 Escort.

So with that simple response, he just told the whole forum that having a family is the wrong thing if somebody wanted a newer LS430. I dont know about you but when it comes to debating if family is more important than material things..family will always come out the winner.

And if you read his other response, he does come out to be a little hard on people who have families, dont you think?

Im done with this topic...

daryll40

I agree that families vs Lexus is a weird way to frame financial thinking. But there ARE some people...I have a brother like this...who recognize that they would have to live a middle class livestyle if they had a family versus living the "good life" without. It's a choice...this is America!

My point here was to the guy who rationalized spending double for a car for improved safety. It's bullship pure and simple although he probably believes it himself. Heck, for yet ANOTHER $60,000 (on top of the $60,000 cost of the LS), you can have the car armoured and made safer from rollover, etc. Most would agree that the $30,000 Honda is probably 95% as safe as the $60,000 Lexus. In the real world there's ALWAYS a way to improve something but often the cost is astronomical beyond the peak of the yield curve. If someone wants a Lexus, then be honest with yourself and admit that it's a big expense that cannot be justified on the basis of value per mile. It CAN, however, be justified within the category of luxury car...once you accept that the luxury car category in itself is not a good value per mile!

Daryll40, who knows my LS430 is a big indulgence and accepts it for exactly that, without rationalizing to my family or anyone else.

Brett

ummmm........i have both...2004 LS430, baby due on 5/21. If you have to make those kind of sacrifices for a car, then thats sad. If you dont want a family, thats your choice

Brett

there are plenty of insurance products that could continue your income stream if you were to become disabled or killed...all of which are cheaper than an LS. But Hey, if thats how you justified it to the family, more power to you

hatchback

I consider acceleration, responsiveness, and handling to be indulgences, not reliability and safety. Things like 50/50 weight balance, low center of gravity, low rotational inertia, short throw manual transmission, light weight, multilink suspension, active yaw control, limited slip differentials. Not things like automatic transmissions, heated and cooled leather seats, wooden inlays, and a mushy ride that floats all over the road above 80mph. When I went new car shopping, I started with the NSX and 911 based on my own indulgences of performance and handling but had a car accident right before ordering a deeply indulgent GT3 and then ended up with the plush LS430 based entirely on familial concerns of reliability and safety.

How did I go from a GT3 to an LS430? I read everything on the IIHS web site www.hwysafety.org and connected the dots. If you set out to identify the safest and most reliable sedan, you would also end up with an LS430. The Honda Accord is a great car, a tremendous value, and the safest car in its class. But based on the IIHS safety statistics, analysis, and crash test results, the 2004 LS430 is substantially safer than the safest 2004 Accord (the EX V6 w/ side curtain airbags) for several reasons.

1. Physics. Vehicle weight greatly affects survivability in a vehicle-to-vehicle collision. According to Edmunds, the LS430 weights 1332lbs (39%) more than the Accord. That's a huge difference.

2. Stability control. LS430 has vehicle stability control while the Accord does not.

3. Head protection. The 2001 LS430 had a head injury coefficient of 171 vs. 291 for the 2003 Accord in the IIHS offset crash test. The head restraints on the LS430 are rated "good" (top rating) while those on the Accord are rated "acceptable". If you compare them yourself using the IIHS guidelines at http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_rat...aints/head.htm, you'll see the LS430 head restraints have better geometry for taller people than the ones on the Accord.

There are a few other things, like the 2004 LS430 has knee airbags for improved leg protection, and it is less tiring to drive long distances because it is so much quieter and smoother. Many accidents are caused by driver fatigue.

And in case you haven't figured it out, life and disability insurance protect your dependents, not you. Driving a safer car protects you.

Brett

No doubt about that...i was responding to your original statement about protecting your income stream, if you're talking personal safety, thats something different.

acf

Personally, I wasn't offended by any of the responses even the ones I don't agree with. To each their own as they say, I just appreciate the input to the thread.

hatchback

From today's NYT:

2jzgte

Damn I don't have a job or anything like you guys but I have several cars and YES it is all paid for by a family business.

premieralf

I will pick up our new 2004 LS 430 tomorrow and just 2 weeks ago I picked up our new 2004 SC430.
You work hard to get what you want. How could it be any better than 2 news Lexus's.