MJA1951

After seeing and driving the LS 500, I will need to consider other brands. With the smaller cabin size, no pass thru V6 and other concerns, I was thinking of waiting for the new A8 in the fall.

I usually keep my cars past the extended warranties, so a BMW or MB are out due to the out of warranty service costs. Does anyone have experience with Audi A8 out of warranty service costs? Are they more like Lexus or higher like BMW or MB.

One thing that drove me to Lexus was their great cars and service prices more like Toyota than the Germans.

I might even wait for the new ES just to see if the cabin room, especially headroom is better. I love my LS 430 and my wife's GS 350 but think Lexus made a major mistake with the LS

SW17LS

Audis aren't "unreliable" but they are very expensive to repair, Audi has a proprietary on board diagnostic system that requires special equipment.

Bottom line no luxury car can be as cheap to repair as a Lexus, because at its core the Lexus is a Toyota. At the end of the day you can really let anybody work on a Lexus, with an Audi, BMW or Mercedes its going to be more specialized which will drive up costs.

I mean, if I needed to any gas station could repair my Lexus.

MJA1951

SW17LS

Dave144239

My mechanic friend had an Audi A4 in for a new timing belt when I dropped off my car one day. He showed me the pile of parts that needed to be replaced, and said it was $4400 at his cost. He also had to buy a special tool to hold the crankshaft in place while removing the timing belt, and he said it had to torqued back to some ridiculous setting, so high that he thought the tool might break off in the crankshaft, which means stripping the engine to remove it. He said he would probably charge $1200 for the job, but he never wants to do another one.

aypues

Look at Genesis too. They should be in the same ballpark as Lexus in repairs.

kellens

I agree with you completely on the LS being a batch of compromises. I have had the same thoughts with the upcoming ES. It undoubtedly will NOT have the fit and finish of the LS, but WILL be a more 'baked' product as they make many more of them, it's more profitable, and rides on the trusted Avalon architectures, research and development. The ES will most certainly get better technology than the LS, CarPlay this year, etc. The ES likely to be larger, more open, smoother and quieter (less sporty) ride, but you trade off flagship bargain rites, and some visible cuts in cost. I've thought the current ES is 85% of a 2007 generation LS at half the cost. Genesis is another thought to check out. The A8 will not be cheap to maintain, though a good independent mechanic could help offset this.

Toys4RJill

Is this more a "let''s bash" the LS because I don't like it or is the out of warranty concern really the issue?

Never understood why people who buy a $100,000 would complain about the repairs once the vehicle gets to 100K miles plus. Let's say the $100K car is paid off after 5 years and there was an extended warranty. After year 8, presumably the warranty lasted that long, the option to buy a new $100K car far exceeds the cost of having to repair the existing car....So you still have anywhere from lets $5000-$100,000 that you did not spend a new $100K car assuming year 8 to year 15 costs you $5000 in repairs.

MattyG

I'd probably hang on for the next ES. You don't want an A8 when it has aged out of any type of warranty, or any high end German 3 for that matter. If you like your LS430 than you might like the G90.

MJA1951

There is a lot to like about the LS500 but the lack of head room is a big deal for me. I am 5'10" but I regularly have adults 6'2" and 6' 3" in the car and it's kind of embarrassing to have them scrunch down in the car. We have a 2013 GS too and while it seems tight in the width there is plenty of head room.

I only drove the LS500 once but it also seemed that it was harder to get into.

I get that Lexus was going for a more sporty car and I actually like that but not sure I get them making less headroom than their other much cheaper cars.

Does anyone here with an LS500 think there is enough headroom front and rear that is over 6 feet? Again I only drove the car once but I also thought with the front seat down there is not much room for your feet

dsc07

Try an LS without the Panorama roof. I'm 6'7" and I don't fit with the Panorama roof, but there is enough room in both front and back with the standard roof. Still not as much as my 460, but the extra .8 inches made all the difference for me.

MJA1951

I know what you mean on the panorama roof. I sat in the back and my head was hitting the ceiling. Maybe they were using shorter people to figure out the headroom but they really misjudged it for the US market

xfea

VW - reliable...???

reposado2

You are 100% right. However its not just the cost of repair... its the need to repair. Highly likely a Lexus will reach 100k+ miles with just maintenance vs a Audi will have failures of some sort.

Lets not pretend here... if MB or Audi was as reliable as a Lexus many of us would probably be hanging on in the other forums instead.

kellens

Quote of the month. Very true. Lexus buyers tend not to be as in need of the German status emblem on the car, and find appeal in reliability. That said, I'd pay $80k for LS500, and $160k for equally reliable and equipped S class, even minus the emblem, such a beast doesn't exist. A back to back ride in the S class with air suspension and magic body control and the LS500 is astonishing. The S class is easily twice the car....but I have been stranded roadside and with irritations of maintenance with too many German vehicles to visit that again though.