mlewisfwa

I am new to this forum and want to ask a question; what should I buy?
My top three test drives are; 2011 Jaguar XJ, 2011 Lexus LS460 and Mercedes E550. I know that this being a Lexus forum there will be a lot of pro Lexus votes. Is there anything problematic about the 2011 LS460 I should know about? The members of this forum are very well informed and I do value your opinions.

stever500

I would get the one you like the most after test driving them all for at least 30 minutes each.

ALeX300

iTrader: (3)

i'm sorry but i don't understand the point of these threads. YOU're buying a $80k+ car not a Cannondale. I'd take a 2012 a8L but YOU should schedule a bunch of test drives and find out for yourself.

JFNash

No issues have been reported with regard to the 2011 LS460, and the car is very reliable and not demanding at all. If the rumors are true, the all-new LS is going to be out in September 2012 - 2013. So you can precisely calculate what you're getting.

As for the other two options, they are gorgeous cars and they got a new design very recently. However, you need to measure the other factors (car features, reliability, maintenance time intervals and cost, dealership quality). They all determine your experience with the car.

Then comes the test drive. Test drive them all and adjust your preference.

tucker21

i'm about to start the test driving portion of my car buying adventure (1st step was learning everything there was to know about the different models) and am wondering how to go about getting the most out of my test drive.

how would one go about doing a 30min+ test drive?
obv i know to try and drive on as many different types of road conditions as i can, but any tips on how to do this optimally?
for instance its going to be difficult to get from the dealership to an area that has good windy roads (would take at least 20mins just to get to some good twisties) and i'm not really sure how long one can reasonably expect to be allowed to test drive the car for.
guess i'm kinda rambling, but just wondering if anyone has any suggestions (the last time i test drove a car it was my audi a4 ultra sport and i had fallen in love with the car before i bought it and the test drive was pretty quick/irrelevant...i was also pretty young and impulsive) it would be greatly appreciated.

thanks!

ps: sorry mlewisfwa not trying to hijack your thread, i'm sure that any replies to my post will be beneficial to you as well.

Silverpaws

Recommend you inform the sales rep of your expectations relative to road conditions and other requirements and solicit his/her suggestions.

Lextrician

audi a8 for sure not too familiar with realability w the jag as of yet and e550 looks like the smallest out of the choices. so i am sure handling will win with merc. i say takeca test drive andcsee what u like and check other forums for known issues.

stanatl

I test drove an E550 Sport right after the re-design and really liked the car. I wound up not getting it because MB Financial were "pia's" to deal with on a company lease. In any event, the car handled well and had pretty good acceleration. I really liked the adaptive sport seats with the massage feature. Much better than the Lexus seats which, in my opinion, are a weak point in the car. It is much smaller than a Lexus, and I assume an XJ as well. The Lexus and Jag you are considering would be more comparable to the S - Class MB. I drive a 2011 LS and don't have anything bad to say about it. Having turned in my 2010 LS Sport because of Brembo brake issues I find the standard LS suspension to be rather soft and the steering rather loose for my taste but the car does drive great and is very comfortable. Driving the E550 is a totally different experience than driving the LS. It really depends on what you want from a car. You gotta drive all of them under as many different road conditions as you can.