Russ G

As a long term owner, I decided and took the LS. If I were leasing and had $0 maintenence costs and then turned it in, I would choose the Bimmer.

Threxx

If I were leasing I'd get the 745 most likely, but since I keep cars longer than that I wouldn't even take the 745 if it were discounted severely.

caffeine

Obviously posting on a Lexus forum, the LS430 will be the hands down winner. I do however loveee the styling of the 03' 745i especially in black, I think it looks far better than the Lexus. But the Lexus is a better car in every other aspect, and who cares what your lux sedan handles like anyways, its not a sports car and the LS doesn't handle poorly.

GRAND_LS 4

iTrader: (2)

Too bad the BMW got a refreshed look already for '05. That wont happen until Fall '06 for the LS.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

well that's different though, the new 750 is just a facelift, but the 07 ls is going to be totally new design

TJW98LS

iTrader: (1)

Yea but that look isn't the best in the world

devious23

look, plain and simple the better 2-3year car is the BMW. for the long haul will always be the LS430. People in this site will always say that the lexus have more to offer than a bimmer i for one disagree. I looked at both and chose the bimmer. the idrive is sweet when u get used to it. voice commands are great and the performance will beat the lexus hands down. take a45mph turn on a lexus than try it on a 745, feel the difference. the lexus has to think when it accelerates the BMW is always ready. Obviously , you're on a Lexus forum, great forum, but some people take there car too serious. so before i get ostracized, chose what makes u happy. i chose the BMW for 2reasons, the look(yea, crazy) i love the style the room, and it looks like a 50k + car. the lexus LS430 looks like a boat, infact it drives like one. the handling of the BMW is like no other, a driving experience, especially w/ the 19's. i own the sport so i feel in total control when driving. 2.) i have full warranty on oil, brakes, etc, for the next 3years, which saves me alittle bit of x-tra $ considering gas prices. as far as dependable, ive been to the dealer 2x's mainly b/c of phone problems, not transmission or anything severe. i've heard the stories but its been good to me. But, to end this tired out and run-on paragraph, i will be the 1st to buy the new LS430 or whatever it will be called..thanks...and good luck..
by the way whats the price on the 745i and the LS430???

TJW98LS

iTrader: (1)

Well I have a 98 and when I touch the gas it's instant. The base Lexus is around $60,000 and the ULTRA is about $75,000. What year of Lexus did you drive? And what Year BMW do you drive? It can't be a new 745I, because now they make a 750I. The 750I ranges from $70,500 to $99,000 (wth every option.) They also make a 750LI that's starts at $74,000 and with every option might be around...$105,000-$106,000. Then you have the 760I Which goes from $110,000-$134,000. And lastly the 760LI from $118,000-$141,000. Now those numbers for the 760LI include the V12 engine...but honestly I don't know why you need so much power in an oldman car. I mean if you think about it, the only people who can afford those things are older people and celebrities. Not too many teenagers or people in their 20s-30s will be able to dish that money. I still like the Lexus because it is so much more and they don't have that goofy stick that controls everything. Lexus all the way.

OneOfOne

I for one think the 745 is very impressive looking. it has the presence a big luxury car should have. but I also believe reliability should be a given facet of luxury. I just find it hard to believe anyone other than an idiot is going to buy these cars and drive them in a sporty fashion. they arent sports cars no matter what is done to them. obviously a person can do anything they want with these cars but I highly doubt sporty driving is a priority with the people who can afford them new. while the dynamic range of the 745/750 is far greater than the ls, I defy anyone who owns one to complain about the high speed interstate performance of the ls. high speed is defined as speeds higher than 60 miles per hour, speeds not applicable legally anywhere else.

TJW98LS

iTrader: (1)

Ohh I dunno...How about the Autobahn in germany?

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

First of all, looks are ALWAYS subjective-so do you like the look of the 745?
2nd, will you be willing to hassle with the 745 's reliability vs the LS430?
Are you buying or leasing? Considering the years posted, it makes no sense to lease an 03 745, not even an 04 LS. So I would assume a buy.

Basically if you answered yes to 1 and 2, then it's a 745.
Otherwise, it's an LS.............simple

I agree with Threxx
I'm in the minority here. If this was me, I would also do a short term lease on a 745. I like the looks of the bloated shark and the lease will cover me. After 2-3 years, I can always come crawling back to Lexus to the new 07 LS

Here was the same discussion awhile ago:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ight=745+ls430

OneOfOne

perhaps I should have gone into more detail. we dont live in germany. highway speeds are not legal anywhere except.... the highway. as in not in the city. jeez.

JLAWS

Originally Posted by digital_b

"I just find it hard to believe anyone other than an idiot is going to buy these cars and drive them in a sporty fashion. they arent sports cars no matter what is done to them."



Guess you'd have to include me as one of those idiots. I like having the "luxury" to drive it in a sporty manner if I choose. How would we define sporty driving ? Would it be someone peeling out at every green light, weaving thru traffic and slamming on the brakes at every red light? I don't think someone one in a car like the new Corvette would drive in that manner since it's categorized as a sports car.

I think the definition of "luxury car" has changes over the years. The old school definition would be a car referred to as a "boat" with floaty soft suspenion and not particularly that fast since it so heavy. Kinda like a Mercury Grand Marquis for "civilized" driving.

The new definition I think for the current target age group would be large aerodynamic high powered sedans, very comfortable and quiet with sport brakes, 18+ inch rims with low profile and wide tires and low stance, (no huge wheel gaps!!). A far cry from a Mercury Grand Marquis although they are getting sportier. I think it has 16 inch "sport" rims now with 65 series tires

It's all about reassurance for me. If my Ls 430 only did 0 to 60 in 9 seconds and bounced all over the place and the brakes easily faded, then I wouldn't have bought it. 1/2 the stuff I do with my LS430, some I'm not really proud of, I would dare attempt with a Grand Marquis type vehicle. I am somewhat of an impatient driver. If someone is going below the speed limit and seem to start driving slower cause they see an imtimidating big black car behind them, I guess, I like having the option of using the sporty aspect of my LS to blow by them and switch lanes at high speeds. Or if I need to merge onto on coming highway traffic, I like knowing I can get up to everyones speed right away.

Now back to the original question. I'd choose the 2004 LS, I think it looks better especially with the sport 18" although with the right rims and color etc the 745 looks stunning . Some of the interior feature in the 745 doesn't make sense and the styling is kinda awkward mainly the rear portions.The LS has similar performance with the 6 speed tranny. Reliability wouldn't be a factor for me since it would be foolish not to buy either car without a full extended warranty. I usually get rid of cars after the warranty runs out.

enough rambling later....

TJW98LS

iTrader: (1)

I know that I was just kidding, but in 07 That bimmer better not look like a shark like it does now.

XZLR8

I'm a long time BMW fan. To be honest, I didn't make my way to a Lexus dealership until I started having reliability issues with several BMW and Audi products in a row. Tired of the continuous service appointments and exhausted by a nightmare experience with an early build 745, I got acquainted with the local Lexus dealer and quickly added the RX and SC to my garage.

This past winter I was shopping for a large sedan yet once again and was strongly considering the LS430. It is a great car, no question. My dealership ordered one for me, spec'd exactly how I wanted. During my wait, I test drove various LS430s several times, trying to convince myself that I was going to be happy with the car. There wasn't anything wrong with them... nothing at all... they just didn't really excite me, visually or behind the wheel.

So, I bought another 745i and got the number of a good therapist. Thankfully, BMW seems to have worked out the kinks that plagued the early 745 models. I'm happy to report that my car has been absolutely problem-free and a blast to drive.

In response to the original question, I would caution someone shopping the pre-owned market to avoid 2002 and early 2003 745s, as those seem to be more "glitchy" than cars that came after that. BMW has come out with software updates to fix a lot of the early issues even in those cars that had problems, but I'm not sure I'd still want to be the one taking the gamble. In mid-2003, the 745 had several changes that potential buyers can keep an eye out for (switch to DVD nav, V60 phone, full steptronic, etc.) that will give you an idea of production date, if this question is more than just a hypothetical for anyone.