I'm 34 yo young professional, I've had a 98 LS for 3 years and it has been rock solid. I'm struggling with whether or not to upgrade to the 430 or go for the smaller sportier m35. I know perceptions of the ls430 don't exactly align with my age bracket, as it seems to be labeled as a car driven by older more distinguished gents (mistakenly IMO)

I had a 99 Tahoe that died on me, enjoyed driving my dads 92 ls growing up, and went for a great deal on a 98 and it has not disappointed.

I am not a mod guy and won't be putting rims on it, just want a nice ride for work and pleasure.

It is black with tan interior, has the base stereo which seems to sound pretty good, I've enjoyed the nakamichi in my 98.

I have no doubts as to the reliability on thes fine machines. Just interested in general feedback on these 2 cars. TIA

 

Hennessy Lexus of Gwinnett had a really nice 06 LS430 with 64K I was considering. I ended up going with an 04 UL that I just fell in love with. I traded in my 99 LS400. Personally, I think Lexus makes a more reliable product then Infinity.

 

Agreed on reliability, I think the gap lexus has on that category is wide. Frankly I like the 06-12 ES if not for the very weak looking front end which they've fixed on the new model...

 

You are 100% correct with reliability that Lexus has over Infiniti. I own my G35 Coupe for almost 10 years and my LS430 for 2 1/2 years and can honestly say that the Lexus is almost bullet proof with amazing fit and finish. The Infiniti although sportier, faster, and better handling is horrible in the fit and finish dept (trim pieces break and fall off, cracked dash, seat bolster disintegrating, etc). Both cars are not "break down" vehicles, but the Lexus LS430 is actually "overbuilt' in every way. Great Car!

 

Have you driven the M? How do you think they compare ride and handling wise?

 

M had superior handling, more nimble and quicker off the line. I like the smaller body of the M slightly better, but not by much. Besides that not really close on other points/specs.

It is difficult to compare as infinity really doesn't have a full size sedan yet, I'd consider the M is closer to the ES than LS.

 

Be careful with Hennessy. Their claim that "every [used] vehicle has been though their service dept." is simply untrue. In other words, for non-certified vehicles they may do nothing to bring it up to par (you have to inspect the vehicle yourself and haggle with them to fix/service things as part of the negotiation). Also, they also sell previously wrecked cars (which surprised me; I thought that they'd immediately send such vehicles to auction).

 

there is no comparison with the two vehicles,
the m's suspension is sub par, and the components nissan uses is sub standard, had issues with brake rotors for years and in general are not overengineered.
bottom line is the 01-06 ls is the most overengineered car ever made
enjoy

 

When I bought my car there was another thread where someone had bought M45 but got rid of it for LS430 very quickly. That makes me believe that LS430 is much more of a vehicle than M35 or M45. I have driven M45 and LS430 is definitely a superior car. You don't feel as luxurious in M45.

 

I actually really like the lines on the 2008 M45, much more than the new M car Infiniti replaced it with. My only issue with the cosmetics is it tends to get lumped together with the G35, which are a dime a dozen.

I think Infiniti makes a good car and I used to own one, but it's definitely a cut below Lexus when comparing like models, and the LS is even higher still because it's their flagship car. If you spent some time in each one, the quality difference becomes night and day. Infiniti's will sometimes have cheap touches that remind you it's a Nissan underneath.

I also feel like Infiniti cars aren't built for the long haul like Lexus, they really feel "used up" when they get some mileage and age on them. My LS has 150k miles and still feels brand new.

No question the LS would be more bang for your buck if they are the same price. I'd also wager the LS will be far more reliable, but I don't have any hard data to back that up.

 

I was in the same dilemma LS430 or M45 (instead of an M35). As a previous LS400 owner I knew how reliable, smooth, and comfortable a LS430 would be. I'm the first to admit I liked the styling/handling and extra features that the Infiniti has but after researching the M45 on the Infiniti forums I found that the build quality is not in the same class.

Differences I noticed:

The seats in the Infiniti are more of a solid sport design with no comfort in mind, no joke these seats had my back hurting after a 15+ mile hwy test drive. In my opinion the LS430 has probably the most comfortable seats build in any car that I have sat in and if you have sat in more comfortable car seats let me know In fact I remember reading about how the engineers analyzed over 1000+ seat combinations to find the perfect shape and materials.

As a few other members mentioned the fit of the interior felt inferior to the LS430. I noticed little things like the seat adjust buttons were loose and the Bose center speaker cover was deteriorating. I would agree that the interior of the LS430 is much more refined than the M35/M45. The M35/M45 looks newer/techie, but I think the LS430 has much more class.

I read that some M35/M45 can have small power steering rack leakage issues. Thankfully I did this research and invested in a pre-inspection, which the dealership found. I believe they quoted me over $1300-$1800 (don't remember the exact estimate) to fix.

The M45 gets less MPG both City/Hwy than the LS430. In fact I've topped out around 20 City/28 Hwy which is pretty amazing. I think the best I topped on the M45 when I drove it was maybe 16 City/23 Hwy.

Make sure you get both cars inspected, run a AutoCheck and CarFax report and if possible check all the VIN tags (fenders, hood, doors, etc.) - Good Luck

 

Didnt read this whole thread but Im interested to give you feed back as this is the situation I was in to the tee. I was deciding between the LS460 and a few various M's.

As a 27yr old young professional (25 at the time), the M was a much more sportier look and deff drew me in from the looks aspect, however there was just something about the LS. Two years down the road I can proudly say I made the right choice. The car grows on me more and more each day. And to be honest, being so young in an LS is what makes it an enjoyable ride. The ability to turn the status norm on its side. I will admit the LS must be lowered to look right for a younger person. But will the stock set up thats as easy as buying a ride hieght adjustor if you have air or just swapping out the shocks and springs with coilovers... both options will cost under $1000. And as far as reliability it cant be beat.

All in all its all about preference. I am happier in a Lexus personally, at the end of the day you have to pay for it and most importantly you have to drive it. I give you a 1+ in my book for even considering the LS.

 

I look at the "children" as reflections of the parents. Nissan being the worse of the Japan 3, it's reflected in their luxury product too. Infiniti has always had more qwirks than Honda or Toyota. The M is really the old Q, just Nissan didn't want to raise a dead horse back. Except now, they decided to name everything Q or QX. Someone at Nissan must be a Star Trek fan.

 

My "review" of the Hertz rental Infinity M35 my wife and I had on the east coast for eight days in 2007 starts in post #12 (user name 1990LS400) in the following thread: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums...m/?hl=infinity

Driving the M35 was like hitting myself in the head with a hammer. I was relieved when it was over.

 

Both cars are reliable. The M handles, the LS is a floating aircraft carrier. The M does not age well with it's materials. The LS other than the UL will more likely give less problems overall. The M's engine is noisy under hard acceleration. The LS V8 is silent, smooth, and shifts in a very linear manner. The M can be erratic with shifting, while surging and searching for the right gear during hard acceleration at times. Both cars are thirsty, but the LS is a V8 and can still get mid to upper 20s on the highway. Two completely different cars. I think the LS has classic lines that age well. I'm not crazy about the rear end of the 2nd generation Ms. Tail lights look too big especially on the 06 and 07. I don't think when the miles start climbing well beyond 100,000+ the M will be as bullet proof as the LS. Both are great cars. One sporty, and one total luxo.