farklspark

Impressive! I actually don't mind the styling. I Uber with an es330 and love giving the passengers good legroom and have considered a town car since they can be practically free

Johnhav430

Interesting, the LS fuel economy isn't stellar by any stretch. But if it's allowed to run on the highway, I've seen 27-28 legit. If fuel were $5 like Canada (paid $2.399 for super 93 yest), we all may be singing the game over song. It takes time imho to have confidence in mpg observations, so since I've done 8,400 now, I can say my LS does 19.x on my commute. Maxima and BMW were close at 21.3 and 21.7 respectively. When I had a 2016 BMW loaner for 4 1/2 mos, that did 26.x (commute--not highway). I routinely used the auto stop/start and I felt much more at ease having to stop for lights.

Someone had mentioned how dumb a S550 is to have this feature...really? It can be disabled if desired. And, the vehicle was designed to do it repeatedly, and won't anymore after x times in succession. It's not like turning off a key on a normal car, and then restarting it over and over.

The real world would find anything in the 19-22 mpg area dreadful, which imho is another reason the used LS are not easy to sell and the audience is limited....

Doublebase

Was getting my car inspected the other day and the tech had a Hyundai Santa Fe up on the lift - this car was having major surgery performed on it (transmission replacement). I found it strange because the thing was an older model with over 200,000 and they decided to go ahead and put a new tranny in it (the car was probably worth $2,500 if it was running properly). I thought that was nuts but the owner of the shop said he sees this all the time, people would rather dump a couple grand into something and keep it than buy something new and have a car payment. The tranny was only $700 for a NEW unit from the dealer...both the tech and I were shocked at that price, but the labor to do it added another grand.

Almost any car can go over 200,000 miles rather easily nowadays, I find that is the sweet spot. After that you're going to have to start putting some money into it to keep them going. It appears a lot of people aren't afraid to do it.

Johnhav430

Ah the state inspection, we have to pay anywhere from $46-$90 per year (a $39.99 coupon ends up being $46 out the door). On the one hand, it's not bogus, in that it removes unsafe cars from the road, yet at the same time, its motivation is to provide revenue to shops. It's all over the place, since the Lexus dealer doesn't actually answer the phone (the one near my house), I ended up at Toyota and paid around $76 for the LS430, and waited in a crowded lounge. The BMW dealer charged me in the $60's, provided a loaner car, and actually the SA apologized he called me too late and I kept the loaner 2 days (the car passed but the tech didn't put the stickers on and now it was too late). It's a racket.

But as far as sinking $1700 into a reliable car, imho that's nothing. New 4 cyl. cars can top 60k today. Even 3 yrs. ago, CR-Vs broke the 30k threshold (today it's nothing, headed for 40k). For someone to not put $1700 into a reliable car is reflective on how thinking has changed, and that even cars are disposable.....I always felt that some folks justify getting a new car by saying there "may" be repairs coming. My buddy's wife has a 2k12 Q5 and when the headliner broke, she was thinking about getting a 2018....my sister in law is the same way. Cha ching!

jimisbell

Not really. A study was done some years ago and they discovered that accidents caused by defective cars were less than one tenth of one percent. The inspection is a waste of money. They need Human inspections, thats the danger. Should include an attitude check. At least here in Texas the cost is $12

Johnhav430

Ok, this is the checklist.

I am not for it being $46-$9x per year. But I encounter what I take to be unregistered, uninsured motor vehicles every day in my commute (which is why I want a dash cam front/rear--for pete's sake I pass through areas that were bombed by the mayor in the 80's/Osage Ave). I would be for it being anything $30/yr. or less.

I can tell you having lived here since 1999, I have yet to come across a bogus inspection, where I could buy stickers for $50.

To summarily say safety inspections are ineffective, can't be totally correct imho.

edit just thought of a couple of examples. the first is the confiscation of uninspected Chinatown buses in phila that were operating from DC to Boston, those businesses are permanently gone. In their place, the Bolt buses of the world who are joint owned by Greyhound and Peter pan, still going from Phila to NYC for $10, only in vehicles that have proper documentation

serious accidents on the Cross Bronx only to find uninspected vehicles

There are times I am for leniency and cutting red tape, but what ends up happening is cars illegally register in non inspection states and spend 24/7 in the states that do have inspections, just as DUI has a compact in almost every state, some of these should be the same imho


http://www.dot.state.pa.us/Public/DV...ons/PUB-45.pdf

http://www.dot.state.pa.us/public/dv...ss%20Study.pdf

jimisbell

I didnt say they were bogus. The inspections are done properly its just that there is no benefit from them. I said they didnt make a difference in that so few accidents are caused by a defective vehicle. Also as to unregistered and uninsured, these are separate problems from physical inspections. $12 to have an ineffective inspection done is too much. The registration and insurance are taken care of by annual registration stickers that go on the windshield and these cannot be had without proof of insurance. Police can immediately identify unregistered vehicles by the lack of a current sticker.

Johnhav430

Can you imagine, if we were to apply this way of thinking, to air and watercraft? Ride the Ducks come to mind, another imho brings annoyance and danger to wherever they operate.

Anyhow, I know for a fact there are vehicles registered in non inspection states, which are permanently used in states that have safety/emissions. In my lifetime, I personally only know of two people who were caught, one due to insurance fraud.

But to get back to the reliability topic, pretty sure Honda Accord is in the zone, not sure what year. I know a coworkers' 2008 fell under a brake pad recall, but I also know a coworker who hit 300k on an older one, only recognize it by body style, so not sure what year, generation before the 2008....

jimisbell

There is a big difference. The percentage of accidents in aircraft that are caused by mechanical failure are much greater AND you cannot just pull to the side of the road. BTW, I a a pilot. All my planes had annuals that I DID MYSELF because I didnt want to fall out of the sky. In watercraft, there are few accidents caused by mechanical failure, just driver error. There is the risk of being stranded at sea needing rescue. BTW, I am also a boat owner from 12 foot sloop to a 44 foot ketch. The ketch was NEVER safety checked. In fact none of my boats were safety checked, only TAXED through registration. The only reason for registration is to identify taxable property.

Johnhav430

haha random thought, you just made me think of 2 yrs. ago when the co pilots went to get the new jet, and the old one was traded in, I said so tell me, is it like picking up a new car? They go we wish....sounded like a 2 day event....I'm thinking in principle, maybe more money changes hands, and there's more paperwork and more governing authority and red tape, but there is a point of demarcation. We went from a 40XR to a 75 (Pink Floyd in the background.....)

XJSFan

2006 GS 430... LOL. Runs like new.

jimisbell

Sold my V12 XJS because, while it was fun to drive, it was unreliable.. My Saturn Sky Red Line Roadser is even more fun to drive and seems reliable. It would outrun the XJS for sure.

JffGRY706

Jim maybe is $12 in your county, I just had my car inspected last month and inspection was $7, tax collector got $74 for the sticker. Lubbock county, Texas

jimisbell

Used to be $7 in San Pat County but went up in stages to $12. Registration is around $60 for almost any car. I thought the inspection fee was the same in ALL counties and only the Reg fee changed according to your tax rates.

Johnhav430

I wonder if there really are any Toyota or Honda cars that are or were deemed "unreliable?" I believe there are in fact Subaru cars. Though it will never happen, when I had decided on the M2 (completely nixed then the LS came into the picture) after the Golf R, I had considered a loaded Mazda 3. Still comes in a stick, has HIDs and rain sensing wipers. Just couldn't spend that much money for something that didn't wow me. But buddy has had 3 over 7 years as he leases, and in each case, none of the cars have ever gone to the dealer for warranty work.