Thanks for the great read and I wish you many, many happy miles.

What all option boxes are ticked on your example?

 

The only reason why i could see someone choosing an LS460 is because they are either loyalists to the Lexus brand, want reliability and first class service. The last two are moot at this point. Lexus reliability is not what it used to be, especially on the LS where Mark Levinson amps are prone to fail left and right, air suspension issues and all control arms prematurely needing to be replaced at $3,000. Lexus service, which at once used to be on top of all luxury makes has sunk as well, which is partly one of the reasons that drove me away when i had my GS. My aunt a Lexus owner for years, has an 07 LS460L purchased brand new from Lexus and her Mark Levinson amp went out and instead of Lexus goodwilling it due to the notorious known issue with these amps, they treid to make her pay $1700. Of course she went to corporate who tried to get her to pay half. She told them they can keep that car sitting at their dealership while she drives around in her 92 LS with the original Nakamichi amp still working 20 years later. So she pays 80 grand new for the car, paid a good chunk for the Mark Levinson upgrade only for it to die 5-6 years later and would have to pay $1700 for a new amp?

My mom with a similar bad experience with her CPO 08 ES350 that a Lexus dealership screwed up on replacing the glass with a non factory windshield and sold it to her CPO and they didn't install it right. Couple years later water leaks inside the car by the electronics in the door panel causing door lock malfuntions etc. Lexus said they would take care of everything, until they saw more work was invovlved, they would have to pull out the front dash etc. Dealership contacted corporate and they told my mom she would have to pay half (a $5,000 bill!!). Note, the car is still under CPO warranty. She's getting a lawyer involved.

Not being biased or anything because of my experiences or familys experience, but i have friends as well and read forums of how Lexus is trying to screw people over. Of course the same stories can be heard with Audi, BMW and Mercedes i'm sure, but back a few years ago you never heard of such foolishness from Lexus which supposedly set them apart from the others.

Now that the gap is closed with those deciding factors and prices are about the same used, i think the Audi A8 is the best choice out of all and mixes a little bit of the 550, 750, and LS into one. Not because i've driven all of the above choices, was a Lexus customer for 7 years and bought an 07 A8L myself which i've owned for almost 2 years, it is just a better overall car when it comes to drivability (adjustable comfort, automatic and sport mode suspension) all wheel drive, ergonomics, rear legroom, quality materials, technology and ownership. Also has one of the best sounding Bose sound systems(even though i'm not a fan of Bose) that lasts and won't die in 5 years. All of the other above mentioned cars drive "big" and you can feel the massive heft when going in and out of traffic. When driving the A8, i never feel as i'm driving a long wheelbase car, but a much smaller sedan and it is very nimble for it's size.

 

I like the LS460 but it’s no way on earth I would trade a S63 with a extend warranty for one. If you’re going to do it I highly suggest you do it now before the new model hit the street.
Each of the cars he tested drove are very unique. But I wouldn’t purchase any of them without a warranty.
German or Japanese.

fyi: Lexus mainteance/service isn't as cheap as you think.

 

On the first issue with the suspension and amps, I personally think after the original warranty is up it is up to you to determine whether you want to pay for an extended warranty that would cover these items. It is a gamble and things are going to go wrong over time for any car make so if you choose not to buy the extended warranty you have to live with the consequences. If this occured with BMW or Mercedes they would have handled it the same way.

As for the ES350, that is terrible service and should be covered 100%. I have had nothing but good service and several parts goodwilled that probably didn't have to be at my dealer. What dealer is the one you are referring to so I can make sure I stay away from them?

 

Lexus of Silver Spring. Even other Lexus dealerships in the area have told us that they get cars from that dealership frequently to correct their shoddy work.

 

Dealerships will vary from each even under the same owner, I love my dealer they always have taken care of me far as service and sales.

 

Doesn't surprise me, I didn't get a great feeling when I went there looking for a car a while back. Of course new car sales is completely separate from service but I didn't have a good experience there when I was looking for a new car and based on that alone I will never go there again. I have been going to Lexus of Annapolis for service for 10 years and have never had one issue with them and I have never bought any of my cars from them.

 

Yeah, when i had my GS430 i took it to lexus of annapolis. Their service and parts are more expensive than silver spring but you definitely get what you pay for! I believe one of the service advisors told me that annapolis is the #1 grossing dealership or something like that.

 

I use the Toyota dealership across the street from the Lexus dealership, half the price!!