LS 430 the best car ever made
08-06-11, 04:06 AM
#31
08-06-11, 05:39 AM
#32
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If you where to take out the reliability/maintanence factor I would take an A8 in a heartbeat over my 04 LS. I drove an 05 and was smiling ear to ear when I stepped out of the car. The LS sure is reliable and consistent though. I have heard people relate to it as boring, while I find it not so boring compared to the A8 it is. Never drove a comparable Benz, or Jaguar did dive a M45 which was not real high on my list.
08-07-11, 06:36 AM
#33
Pit Crew
The 430 is so smooth and quiet. It is easily the best car I've ever owned. Loved my 99 LS400, but it really doesn't compare with the 430, at least in the areas I'm interested in.
The 400 is still in the family. I sold it to my brother earlier this year. He loves it!
The 400 is still in the family. I sold it to my brother earlier this year. He loves it!
08-07-11, 08:32 AM
#34
08-07-11, 10:40 AM
#35
Laminated side windows are in the CL and UL trim levels.
08-07-11, 08:15 PM
#37
Pole Position
Both are spectacular, I don't think I'd argue either way. The 98-00 probably edges out the 430 in some ways, the 430 is way more updated and beats the 400 in others. Nothing like the big plunge to the 460. But the main problem is finding a pristine 98-00 - cars don't get any younger and even finding a pristine '04'-'06 430 is hard.
08-09-11, 10:05 AM
#40
Driver School Candidate
Had the LS400 and that's why I got the LS430. Great cars, extremely reliable, and undeniably smooth. Test drove everything else out there but was too worried about German reliability. The Jag was very unimpressive and my good friend (who owned a LS400) told me about his Jag XJ8 stories later (engine problems, etc), which made me even more confident I made the right decision.
08-09-11, 10:44 AM
#41
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Best car ever made! That is a bit over zealous. Especially when you look closely at the LS 430 and see how much of it is copied. It is a fine car indeed and I do not have any complaints with mine. However, maybe I am revealing my age, I would say that if you had the privilege to drive the 1993 Mercedes Benz 600SEL you might change your tune. The W140 is the car that set the standard for the modern big luxury sedan, and most other companies still have not given their cars such power and elegance. Now, you might argue that it is unfair to compare a V8 to a V12...I am simply comparing flagship to flagship. The back seat is cavernous you can have sex in there comfortably with a leggy model bird(a tall chick). Reclining rear seats, power rear view mirrors, controls in the back, keyless entry all that was started there and windows that can't close on your arms. You can fit two bodies in the trunk - GANGSTER. Power, speed, looks and comfort. The down side....9 miles per gallon. It was called El Presidente for a reason!
Cheers,
PS "on the W140 that was over 100,000 miles you would need to fix the air conditioning and that was a $6000 job...this is a man's car, not for the meek."
Cheers,
PS "on the W140 that was over 100,000 miles you would need to fix the air conditioning and that was a $6000 job...this is a man's car, not for the meek."
Last edited by debian; 08-09-11 at 10:58 AM.
08-09-11, 12:46 PM
#42
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Best car ever made! That is a bit over zealous. Especially when you look closely at the LS 430 and see how much of it is copied. It is a fine car indeed and I do not have any complaints with mine. However, maybe I am revealing my age, I would say that if you had the privilege to drive the 1993 Mercedes Benz 600SEL you might change your tune. The W140 is the car that set the standard for the modern big luxury sedan, and most other companies still have not given their cars such power and elegance. Now, you might argue that it is unfair to compare a V8 to a V12...I am simply comparing flagship to flagship. The back seat is cavernous you can have sex in there comfortably with a leggy model bird(a tall chick). Reclining rear seats, power rear view mirrors, controls in the back, keyless entry all that was started there and windows that can't close on your arms. You can fit two bodies in the trunk - GANGSTER. Power, speed, looks and comfort. The down side....9 miles per gallon. It was called El Presidente for a reason!
Cheers,
PS "on the W140 that was over 100,000 miles you would need to fix the air conditioning and that was a $6000 job...this is a man's car, not for the meek."
Cheers,
PS "on the W140 that was over 100,000 miles you would need to fix the air conditioning and that was a $6000 job...this is a man's car, not for the meek."
yeah i gotta agree with you ian that that MB was a great car. there are a few that i would put on the all time best list with that w140 and ls400/430 being on that list with a few others. however i think each car is good in its own right and for different reasons, so unless you have a specific set of criteria (bias) then you are just offering up what you feel is best for possibly what fits your needs. some may say a 2 seater roadster is their all time best, you know¿
our 430 definitely excels in its market but it does certain other things poorly,, but it may be unfair to hold it to certain standards that it was never designed to possess (speed, cornering, etc)...
08-09-11, 01:38 PM
#43
Lexus Test Driver
+1 for the W140. Rode in a 99 S320 and it was unbelievably quiet, refined and comfortable. It definitely goes on my list of one of the best luxury sedans in the world, along with the LS400/430 of course
08-09-11, 01:51 PM
#44
Best car ever made! That is a bit over zealous. Especially when you look closely at the LS 430 and see how much of it is copied. It is a fine car indeed and I do not have any complaints with mine. However, maybe I am revealing my age, I would say that if you had the privilege to drive the 1993 Mercedes Benz 600SEL you might change your tune. The W140 is the car that set the standard for the modern big luxury sedan, and most other companies still have not given their cars such power and elegance. Now, you might argue that it is unfair to compare a V8 to a V12...I am simply comparing flagship to flagship. The back seat is cavernous you can have sex in there comfortably with a leggy model bird(a tall chick). Reclining rear seats, power rear view mirrors, controls in the back, keyless entry all that was started there and windows that can't close on your arms. You can fit two bodies in the trunk - GANGSTER. Power, speed, looks and comfort. The down side....9 miles per gallon. It was called El Presidente for a reason!
Cheers,
PS "on the W140 that was over 100,000 miles you would need to fix the air conditioning and that was a $6000 job...this is a man's car, not for the meek."
Cheers,
PS "on the W140 that was over 100,000 miles you would need to fix the air conditioning and that was a $6000 job...this is a man's car, not for the meek."
I remember one time at a rest stop, the car would not start. It turned out that the alarm shut down the whole system, so the MB was so foolish at thievery, that it shut itself down for the owner! Want more? At one point I would press the horn and the wiper blades would operate, like it was possessed. The front rims would be ridiculously dirty from brake dust, but not the rears. Lots of quirks that made no sense at all!
For the LS4, the automatic antennae broke, and so wouldn't fully extend upwards, but no major repairs. Leather was soft and subtle as can be, unlike the MB.
For the LS430, zero repairs other than routine maintenance.
08-10-11, 02:39 PM
#45
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Growing up we had various MB's in the family. They all had a fair share of time at the mechanic shop. I never recall us having the anti theft system shut the car down. I do remember that it was easier to get replacement parts for MB's that were the generation before because so many were interchangeable and that was not the case in the '93.
I grew up in another country and these cars were given to us as government vehicles, so in truth we didn't foot the bill for repairs. They were choosen because they were reliable, spacious, stylish and there weren't other vehicles at the time that had the Lexus reliability that we now expect.
That period of time was when the last set of good MB's were made. In fact I still prefer the look of the 1970's ones more than the new ones.
Ownership, for those with a lifestyle, definitely entails style, prestige, and a certain aura. Mercedes Benz sells itself in that regard. They are living off of that old quality that has since gone. Lexus although close, has not obtained that yet. Though I think the LFA is a step in that sort of exciting direction.
Cheers,
Ian
I grew up in another country and these cars were given to us as government vehicles, so in truth we didn't foot the bill for repairs. They were choosen because they were reliable, spacious, stylish and there weren't other vehicles at the time that had the Lexus reliability that we now expect.
That period of time was when the last set of good MB's were made. In fact I still prefer the look of the 1970's ones more than the new ones.
Ownership, for those with a lifestyle, definitely entails style, prestige, and a certain aura. Mercedes Benz sells itself in that regard. They are living off of that old quality that has since gone. Lexus although close, has not obtained that yet. Though I think the LFA is a step in that sort of exciting direction.
Cheers,
Ian
Last edited by debian; 08-11-11 at 06:46 AM.