Rspencer55

The very interesting thread on the top 10 reliable cars got me thinking. I think many of us view reliability as the ability of a car to go for a long period without major maintenance. However, the flip side of this is when maintenance is needed, the cost of the repair will be reasonable. One of the reasons why I bought a Lexus is that not only is the car known to go for a long period of time without major repairs but when repairs are needed, the cost is not stratospheric (considering it is a luxury car.) As an example, I remember looking at the 2003 Seven series BMW's and actually having BMW salespeople telling me not to get one unless I was independently wealthy (which I'm certainly not.)

Now knowing that many of you have had other luxury cars, how does the Lexus LS 430 compare in maintenance cost to the other luxury cars - MB, BMW, Audi, Jaguar etc? For example, how much would it cost for an oil change for a LS compared to the S class of a Mercedes? How much is the 90,000 service for an A8 Audi compare to the LS? If the fuel pump or power steering pump goes out on a BMW 5 series, is it significantly more expensive than on a Lexus?

I would love to hear your experiences with these costs or other repairs that you have made on your Lexus and/or how they would compare to other luxury cars in this class.