Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

That I agree with.The GS is a car I've wanted for a couple of years.I went to buy a '08 GS last week,took a test ride in a $53K GS and was really dissapointed with the car.A big let down for me.
Going with another IS.Only going 350 this time.
Anyway,our RX has been flawless so far.We love it.

catdaddylo

I own a BMW Z3 and 2 Lexus and I traded in a ES300 for the ES330. I can say I am very satisfied with both makes but they are all machines and will have issues, some sooner than others. My 08 RX350 is made in Japan and it does have the dash rattle which I am living with until I go in for my free 5000 mile oil change. I have about 2500 more miles to go From my past experience with my Lexus dealer I have no doubt that they will resolve the rattle issue. They said that it might take several days but no big deal as they will let me use a loaner while mine is in the shop. In the mean time I just leave the radio on or play the CD player and the "rattle" is not an issue Biggest disapointment with the BMW is that I had to replace an inboard O2 sensor at around 35K miles. Also BMW's are known to have weak cooling systems and you need to replace the water pump at 60K miles and the radiator at 100K miles.My Z3 has a manual tranny but the BMW slush boxes are also known to be pitiful.If you get a 100K out of their auto tranny's you are doing good. I also have owned a Ford and I can tell you there is no comparison between a Lexus and Ford although the labor and parts are very close to equal.

Just got back from a 1000 mile round trip and I avg 26 mpg cruising at 73 mph. Not bad for a AWD SUV and it was very comfortable and a very smooth ride. Beats the heck out of my old Ford Explorer that my RX replaced.

SugarRush

Whatever you do , do not buy the 2007+ X3. There are many complains with its tranmission hesitation that borderline dangerous then anyoing. 2007+ X3s loose a heck lot of potential sales due to this. Just visit the bmw forums (under X3) and you will see what I am talking about. Lots of fiasco about owners who complained and about BMW avoiding to fix/admit there is a problem with the transmission programming and design.

I have had 3 german vehicles in the past: 2 Audis and a BMW. IMHO, their quality is no where near Lexus/Acura/Infiniti's. They are in general drive better, I admit, than the Japanese counterparts. But to me, drive-feel superiority is not enough to offset the need to frequently visit their dealerships for repairs (mostly electricals, bushings, AC, oxygen sensors etc). One day, I realized that I knew all of their service mgrs and certified mechanics on 1st name basis due to the frequent visits. Told my self, enough is enough! :-)

harleydjce

+1 The quality and service for German vehicles is not there yet

Who_Me

I lived and worked in Germany for 15 years, so I have owned a number of Euro cars, including Mercedes, BMW, Audi, VW and Opel. You read a lot about the longevity of the Euro cars but nobody mentions how they achieve it. The German TüV inspection is very expensive and labor intensive. What the Germans call a "Tune-up" is known to us as a complete engine rebuild. They disassemble the entire engine and replace critical components. All of that is necessary in order to pass emissions and safety inspections. You don't want to be on the Autobahn, driving 200kph, with an unsafe vehicle.

I found the body and frame integrity of Euro cars to be far inferior to even U.S. cars. They seem to rust much more easily than U.S. cars. I don't think there is a better highway ride than an S-series Mercedes, but you will pay dearly to get it and maintain it. Dollar for dollar, I don't think any Euro car can compete with Lexus in the Luxury car category. Believe it or not, the Euro Fords and Opels (G-M) are very reliable cars.

The G Man

It is what it is, dollar for dollar, Lexus is better built, better material and more options. The only thing BMW has over Lexus is cornering performance, but that is at the expense of a rougher ride. Lexus wins in the other 999 parameters.

The G Man

I disagree, I like the new GS so much I just bought one. I test drove the IS350 as well, while it does handle a bit better, it was very small inside and the interior is much cheaper than the GS. I am only 5'10" and I cannot get comfortable in the IS at all, the GS was much better. If performance was my top priority, I would not be considering the IS or the GS at all.

Junkxus

Well Junkxus v2.0, (and I will not change my screen name) turned over 1200 miles yesterday and I gave it a bath, and Pinnacle wax job. I opened the hood and the coolant level was way, way down!!! The low coolant light has not lit yet but it was way below the cool fill line. I got out my trusty coolant leak kit and guess what? The coolant under pressure is pissing out of the water pump!!! Now having a masters degree in engineering and a little skill at statistics led me to this, there is no way on Gods green earth that I could have two Junkxus RX"s unless, Lexus quality is dropping faster than the speed of light. I will dump it and get a BMW or Benz. My uncles 2008 RX is now developing small noises and white dust on the dash board. (only 1780 miles). What the heck is Lexus doing. I called the Lexus HQ regarding the issues on the second RX and they will get back to me.

Todd

You can't compare a SPORTS car to a luxury car. BMW world class torque and handling comes at a price. However I have found when a BMW is properly maintained they are no worse than any other vehicle. I look forward to hopping in my E39 5 series, getting in the wife's RX, no excitement, nothing to look forward to, just a plain old ride.

GoodDrivin

You know, sometimes certain brands and people are like oil and water - just aren't meant to be together. I feel like you do about Nissans - as in, never again.
I suggest you dump your lex and never go back to Toyota's again. Maybe upgrade and get a GL 450? - that would be sweet (or maybe that's what I wished I could do, lol). The fact that you and your relative have three lemons is pretty telling. Better swear off lex's forever!!

As for the rest of us, we'll just consider ourselves lucky...

harleydjce

BMW = German Chevy.

Junkxus

Hit over 800 miles today and the passenger side cv joint is clunking!!!!! Lexus quality at its best. Stopped by my local dealer (my second home) and the service writer said it was the cv joint. They gave me a loaner. He also told me that he was leaving Lexus after 9 years. The main reason is that Lexus attitude toward their customers has changed from helping, to live with it, they no longer pursue corrective actions for problems as they did before. He also showed me several graphs of warranty work by model over the past 3 years and all models yes all models (but IS) were way up on warranty work. LS 18%, GS 29%, IS (N/A 3 years), RX are you ready, 53.8%. I have my answer and my math and assumptions were correct. Lexus quality is slipping over the edge of no return. It appears they are trying to milk the brand they built. I just keeping adding all my service work in a file and will send copies to Consumer Reports and JD Powers for the fun of it. I wonder how long and how much it will cost Lexus to keep repairing my RX if I keep it until 60K miles. Maybe it will exceed their manufacturing cost on this RX.

xfirechief

What do u like about your Lexus?

The G Man

Well Junkxus, for every one RX that is as bad as yours, there are hundreds of them that has zero problems. You have no luck with Lexus what so ever, If I were you, I would go back to your european cars. Yes Lexus quality have slipped in recent years, but they are still among the best.

xfirechief

Again what do u like about your Lexus?
U must like something or why would u buy it.