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Comments
Which leather upgrade is it?
price--i paid 61k for a 01ls w/ link, nav, lev so if i could have gotten an UL at 62 i'd jump at it.
aklein2: I was particularly glad to see the Eurotuned suspension is still available (whew!). Engine rating unchanged.
Time to go back and check it out more thoroughly.
In the release, the only changes appear to be that 17" wheels are now standard and 17" all-season tires are an option.
I believe its possible to get both Euro-tuned and AVS in the same car. My salesman says I have both. I certainly have the AVS. Does anybody know how to tell if I have the Euro package?
Maybe I have to get you interested in financial stuff. That will keep you going. I'm still shocked at the low valuation Wall St. gave Microsoft a few weeks ago. That was a fire sale you will probably never see again.
Old days - yes it was fun. Those boards have died out but will re-engage again at the next LS model update whenever it occurs. The LS intruder has made far too much headway and the 7 series is the worst looking thing I've seen since the Aztec. The Phaeton - well I know many well to do people and none of them even know the car is coming to market or would look at a VW and besides it has no "heritage" in this space. So Lexus will have to re-stir the pot again . But the problems at MB with the S seem to be increasing and the problems here are mainly very minor with very few and far in between significant ones. The body builds on both of my cars are phenomenal. I'm staying with Lexus at the next lease point and I do hope the car is updated somewhat for 2004.
The Benz has the clear advantage in looks and handling, but is noticable slower than the Lexus.
whotheman
As for cabin quietness, the LS430 definitely beats the S-class. THe LS is the quietest car i have ever been in. However, the S430 is of course quieter than a ML320.
For ride, S-class, for wind noise, LS430.
whotheman has it correct. the sexy styling and suspension is what diverts some wealthy potential LS430 ulra-luxury buyers. even my friends ( i drove it once) '98 LS400 seemed to accelerate and have much more power than the S430. On the LS, you could climb a hill on D, and still have plenty to go. Where as on the S, you really have to floor it, or go to 4. steering is also tighter on the S than on the LS400 (i think on the LS430 too)
If you use the keyword search on the left sidebar for those names, I believe you'll find a number of discussions about both of those companies.
will give me 5 year warranty or 100,000
8000
Is that a good price? Good deal or not ?
Looks great from the outside.
f_smeeks@hotmail.com if you want to respond.
Thanks, just looking for advice.
Other examples: What is controlled by the key in the ACC position vs. the RUN position. What remains enabled and for how long after the key is turned OFF. Etc.
By the way, don't the controls on the side of the seat work regardless of where the key is? You might be able at least to move the seat back so you can get in and turn the key on and then push the memory button.
I take delivery of a 2003 LS in the next week or so and was hoping to get a bit of real user insight prior to asking my salesperson. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Concerning the phone, I am not getting the Lexus phone as I am still kicking myself in the butt for spending $1500 on my current car's phone ("99 BMW 740i) It is so obsolete (analog) that I don't even use it anymore. Miss the intergrated features but don't think it is worth the expense especially when it could be outdated very quickly.
Phone: Hmmm. Sounds quite expensive (I haven't even checked cost yet). Also had not thought about possibility of becoming essentially obsolete. Any other opinions? Thanks.
Trentpa - Great feedback. I was noticing the same thing after I read your first post, and now you have figured it out.
Lastly, I didn't think a phone was available on the LS any more after 2001.
In August:
2,695 - LS 430
1,642 - 7 Series
1,486 - S-Class
2002 To-date:
17,741 - LS 430
14,479 - 7 Series
12,912 - S-Class
through your fm tuner. I have four vehicles and
they all have XM radio. I have the alpine that
plays through the radio in one of my vehicles.
My wife got XM first and I was instantly hooked.
I'm often tempted to get a car elect. sys/radio technician (non-Lexus of course) to alter it. I would imagine it's nothing more than knowing which wires in the nav are routed through the gear shift knob or something similar.
I don't mind the Lexus link announcement at all but it seems I'm the exception. This one has nothing to do with legal perceptions though. I can't remember if Teleaid or Onstar give you the same heads-up announcement or not. I don't think they do.
Problem is after 12 years I'm bored and need something different besides a different color of paint. I'm wary of being a kid who just wants all the gadgets;I wonder if I'll use the stuff after I've been in the car 30 days.
Ultra Lux is not the issue; I doubt I've sat in the back seat of my car more than twice in the last 12 years. There are new packages available this year that avoid the back seat investment.
Can someone out there give me their real world opinion of the desirability of the Navigation system (fun, but do you use it enough?), Mark Levinson (great, but can you tell that much difference), Front climate control seats (noticeably functional?), intuitive parking assist (useful?). The new option package for these is $5,730. Is it worth it?
I could get fancier leather, dynamic laser cruise control and a few other doo dads for another $3,265; the custom luxury package.
Any LS430 owners with opinions on the options?
I also disagree that it is inaccurate, not intuitive, non-optimum and frequently nonsensical (though I'm not sure what this last one refers to). I find it very intuitive for most functions, especially if one at least cursorily reads the manual. As for A/C being more user friendly without the nav, again I disagree. I have almost never found it necessary to use the nav interface for the A/C. All of the important functions are on the dash for a quick push of the button (auto and temp buttons do 95% of the work). Very little is required of this system via the nav screen, unless you want to manually change the vent distribution or manually control the rear A/C, which you don't even want.
Now, I'm no Lexus purist (don't even get me started on the "free" nav update that disappeared and/or the cell phone disaster), but I think the nav system and a/c interface is taking an unnecessarily harsh beating from a couple of folks who just plain don't like it for their own reasons. Reasons they are entitled to, but you should get varied opinions and try it for yourself before ruling it out.
Carfan4sure - why don't you test drive the Euro sport LS430 before you buy? It gives you excellent handling with virtually the same great ride. The handling on that is well beyond what you are used to on any LS400. The base LS430 also has a tighter ride than the LS400 but somehow they also improved the ride.
Not very often you say?
You can control how quickly it returns?
Then why do you prefer to drive a car that BLANKS information that is of "quick glance" value in favor of a "screen saver" (moving map) which you don't want/need to be activated anyway?
Someone proposed that the "I agree" is a lawyer thing. Not possibly true.
No US legal department would advise a corporate entity that they could escape liability in the US just by getting a citizen to "agree" and then proceed to distract him or her anyway. The law doesn't work that way.
If the "I agree" were to mean, "if I subsequently activate and use the system I agree/acknowledge that I will not allow it to be so distractive...."
Key words "if I activate".
Think about it, put yourself in the jury box, considering that the owner/driver has not asked for the "distraction", would you absolve Lexus of liability in this case?
The otherwise useless and redundant requirement that I reach over and momentarily depress a control to bring the OAT back up, or the current temperature setpoint, puts them right back in the liability "saddle" IMMHO!
Which action, "momentarily depress a control" also inadvertantly changes a control function, shear idiocy in design!
Now I'm REALLY in distracted mode!
On the other hand for the few (I hope) people that are figuring out how to play DVDs, or how to activate the Nav while under way, I'd absolve Lexus totally and completely.
But even then I'd bet some jurors would find Lexus partially guilty becuase they provided the base "facility" to begin with, likely well knowing that some would abuse...
That's what makes the USELESS "I agree" requirement so insulting, at least to me.
First, the law does, in fact, work that way. No one says the "I agree" absolves Lexus of total liability - but it is an important legal component of/in their defense. Certainly it is a "lawyer thing". There is no other reason for it. And yes, if I were sitting on that jury and had all the current facts, I would absolve Lexus.
Your reasoning implies any "distraction" in the car is the manufacturer's fault and the dummy who drove into the wall is blameless. Use of the nav is optional at the discretion of the owner. Lexus is offering it to those who want it and it is left out for those that don't. No one is forced to buy or use it or be distracted by it.
As for the "useless and redundant requirement" you speak of, I am at a loss. I don't know what system you are familiar with or are referring to, but the LS430 doesn't operate that way. The OAT and temp setpoints are always in view, even with the Nav display turned off. Unless I misunderstand your post, and there is some of it I find difficult to comprehend, your statement is either incorrect or about another vehicle that is not under discussion.
Also, while I am a believer in reducing distraction such as cell phones and playing DVD's, I see nothing wrong with allowing a passenger to make certain inputs to the nav system while underway. I was clear about a passenger doing it, not the driver, your implication notwithstanding. And "some jurors" would find guilt over almost anything - so while your comment is technically correct, I don't think it's truly relative.
Lastly, the word "useless" that I took issue with, was in regard to the "useless nav system" -not the "I agree" statement.