How are these Japanese luxury brands doing these days?

I've owned five of them, and I DRIVE them, so I guess I'm a DRIVER.

My current GS430 handles beautifully, and takes off from 50 like it was shot out of a cannon.

Reply to
DaveW
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This someone who has determined he is a DRIVER because of the advertising that is aimed at simple souls such as himself . European cars rely on their aloof snob appeal knowing full well that their quality and reliability can not match that of Japanese and in many cases American vehicles.

Reply to
Ice

On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 10:47:04 -0400, "stu" graced this newsgroup with:

nice..so the Germans found another sucker...hook, line and sinker. LOL

Reply to
Max

It would take me several pages, perhaps a short book, to list all the ways that my 06 LS430 premium whatsit version comes up short in comparison to any german kar. But it is supposed to be durable and reliable. The dealers are no better, in fact are worse because they are such liars. As to handling, it sucks. Made a drive today that I used to make a couple times a week for 3 years in my S Klass. The LS was bouncing all over the road with the slightest wind. Three hours in it felt bad, and my wife who never complains, said she was tired of riding! She never got tired of riding in the S Klass. The tranny is rough, but it is only 6 speeds. The pick up seemed ok, but rough and sort of irregular when kicking in, esp at road speeds like in passing. True, the S Klasse couldn't pass a stealership practicaly, and did strand me by the side of the road on average every 3 years. In the first 10,000 miles the LS 430 has developed a bad trunk motor and the ac vents do not vibrate back and forth properly. And it has to go in every 5000 miles for more cheap inferior dino oil. So it sees the stealership more often than the old S Klass used to. But at least the thing is cheap! About 30% less expensive than the S Klass. So if you can't afford the best, drive a Lexus. Did I mention that when you hit the open trunk button it unlatches the trunk which does not open till you go back and grab it by the little button on the trunk? And when you want to close the trunk, you have to push it all the way down till the trunk closer motor wakes up, starts screeching, and pulls it down the last inch or so. Oh yes - the open turnk button on the dash is sooooo usefull - the button you have to push to open the trunk will open it anyway without the dash button being pushed. Engineering for show, not go. Buy a Lexus and you can say you have all the parts. Most of them work, sort of. But it didn't cost much and it will run for ever, probably. Hmmm ... wonder why Lexus cuts off its free call in for repair service at 50,000 miles while the Krauts let theirs run on forever or until the kar destructs or is hit by an A Bomb.

Reply to
mcbrue

What kind of an idiot keeps a car that makes him so unhappy?

Reply to
DaveW

On Sat, 28 Apr 2007 07:25:42 -0400, DaveW graced this newsgroup with:

ah..but mc-idiot is a regular whiner..does the same in the MB groups. He's delusiional, just killfile him like everyone else has.

Reply to
Max

When we were young and struggling *all* the cars I had made me unhappy! (I remember a Plymouth Duster....)

Reply to
Michael Pardee

My '64 Plymouth Belvedere had it's share of problems, but I couldn't afford a Lexus at the time, even if they had existed.

Reply to
DaveW

Snob appeal is alive and well, both with European brands, and with Japanese, too. Big surprise: the luxury segment is *defined* by snob appeal to some extent. You think a Cadillac Escalade owner isn't feeling snobbish? You think that idiotic Hummer driver doesn't think he's the man?

People don't buy Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Acura, Infiniti, Porsche, or even Audi because of "utilitarianism" or "value". They buy them because they feel they're getting something beyond the ordinary, and they can pay the price.

But pretty much every one of these brands is aiming for certain market niches, in many cases slightly differentiated from each other by subtle "leanings".

Anyone who's been awake for the last decade (and who isn't delusional)

*knows* that Lexus has staked out a territory defined by certain characteristics:

a) perceived high reliability and build quality b) isolation from the driving experience c) enough performance to placate owners who prefer "b)" d) exclusivity and snob appeal e) market segment-competitive "electronics"

Have you even watched a single Lexus commerical? Yes, there are some that seem to stress performance, but how about the ES series? Oh look, the robots are sensuously fondling the car. Oh look, not a bit of sound intrudes upon your driving experience. Oh look, I don't have to know how to parallel park (LS). Some "driver's car". Give me a break.

I doubt the typical BMW owner ranks "reliability" tops. They sure as hell wouldn't rank "isolation" high either. Their electronics, in terms of I-Drive, are almost universally reviled. But performance? Got a Lexus you'd like to line up against an M3?

I have an Acura. If I could afford it, I might look at a BMW or Mercedes. A Lexus doesn't ring my chimes: too Buick-like. Sorry. But that's my opinion, and hopefully you're not too insecure in *your* purchase decision to get upset about it.

Reply to
Kikune Mikutamo

Oh you poor poor man. What a sad life you must lead. My heart goes out ot you.

Shut the f*ck up and go get a corrolla like you deserve, asshole.

Reply to
Yoda

On Apr 28, 9:37 pm, "Kikune Mikutamo" wrote: snip

snip

While I generally agree with this assessment lets not forget that for the VAST majority of drivers the speed difference between a Lexus and BMW (with similar HP to weight ratio) being hustled down a public road won't amount to anything significant. And if you live where winter ravages the roads, a softer sprung car is sometimes faster.

The RWD Infiniti cars prove BMW and MB don't have a lock on "drivers car" territory. To be fair, any owner of a RWD sports car (lots of Miata owners out there) already knows this better than any sedan driver. I'll go out on a limb and predict that once GM's new RWD sporty cars hit the market and more folks get exposed to RWD dynamics that BMW/MB mystique is gonna fade.

Reply to
ACAR

And Lexus doesn't make RWD cars.... except, of course, the IS, the GS and the LS.

Reply to
DaveW

You guys and gals forget that a kar, no matter what brand it may be, a car will not perform unless the driver knows how to drive...my AWD Lexus corneres better than any German or US rear or front wheel drive I have ever owned or rented....

Sure every brand of car has its inherent roadworthiness, and sure you can't put a car through its paces any more without getting a ticket from John Law, so we are left with really two choices, styling appeal/ comfort and, no hidden surprises, ergo reliability.......

in the first case, it is very judgemental, the Audi grille is about as ugly as they come with their pseudo Olympic logo etched in Kapital Letters, and the Japanese designs are not very innovative either (witness the Nissan taillights), but in the case for not leaving you stranded or with a hefty repair bill, the Japanese outshine all others, US, European and other Asian brands combined, except perhaps for the Koreans, but there I am still on the learning curve.......

Reply to
kitzler

Don't forget the SC!

Reply to
David

Oops, and to think I've owned two of them (first generation).

Reply to
DaveW

So, you owned a VW Beetle and rented a Ford Tempo?

Reply to
Kikune Mikutamo

I have the same thought too. McBrue comments to me is always 'blah- blah-blah", doesn't make sense at all.

It seems like he spent $70K on a car just to bitch about it.

Don't you know how to 'test drive' before purchasing car ?

V.

Reply to
e2vincent

On 6 May 2007 07:41:55 -0700, snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com graced this newsgroup with:

you're making the dangerous assumption that he even owns one.

Reply to
Max

Many of these reliability problems you cite may just be individual variation. You can have a look at the reliability surveys, which take into account many people's experiences with cars, and this gives better results because it doesn't overstate the experience of a few people.

With regards to the noise, the Lexus LS460's interior has sound rating of about 20 decibels. On an average car it's about 40 decibels. Which Mercedes were you referring to when you said the Mercedes is quiete?. You need to specify the model, not just the brand because different models are different even if they share the same brand.

Reply to
norak

Not yet, but I hear performance Lexuses are coming in the future in the F series. But your observation seems accurate. Many people do like being isolated from the road. I myself would like to get from A to B in as much comfort as possible.

Reply to
norak

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