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Lexus LS 400/LS 430

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Comments

  • fabtfabt Member Posts: 22
    I got the car at South Bay Lexus in Torrance,CA. from Bob Wills, SVP-General Manager. 310.325.9999 The car is Mystic Sea Opalescent with Nav/Lev, lexus link, trunk mats, wheel locks and Chrome wheels. $55,100 before tax/license.

    I sent a dozen dealers a fax stating the color/features I wanted and told them I would buy the car that week from whomever had the lowest price. 6 or 7 replied, South Bay and one other had the lowest price, so I then called their General Managers and negotiated a little further. South Bay had the car in inventory within 48 hours and I closed the deal. Good Luck!
  • afinegoldafinegold Member Posts: 57
    fabt - where did you get the dozen or so fax numbers you used to send your query to the dealers? Did you call each of the dealers to ask for their fax numbers or is there a readily available list somewhere? And who did you address you message to--the manager or anyone else specific?

    Thanks, Al
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    I just browsed lexuscanada and it appears that the canadian version of the LS430 has an electrically heated windshield, anyone out there know if this is actually true?

    If it is I'm off to Vancouver this weekend.
  • lllwlflllwlf Member Posts: 13
    My wife and I have both bought cars at South Bay Lexus (GS400 and IS300), and we have had a very positive experience with them. I'd reccomend them to anyone in the Los Angeles area.
  • stevesteinstevestein Member Posts: 263
    Second day and loving the car!!! Only glitch is that the CD player seems to have trouble with CD-R disks. Originals play fine. I remember way back on the board someone said their home MLev stero was picky about CDs. I'm going to burn some more on a different blank and see if it helps. Also - does anyone know if the cruise control can be left on (not set, just on), or do you have to turn it on every time you start the car? Another question for the dealer to look up in his C-BEST manual.

    The "lock sw" refered to having them reprogram the way the door locks work. The default opens the drivers door only on the first press of the button, and you need to press a second time for the rest of the doors. Similarly, when you put the car in park after driving, only the driver's door is unlocked. You need to hit the unlock button to open the others. They can easily (5 minute job) make all the doors unlock on the first press and also when you put the car in park. I had it done before delivery.

    Information on my lease is # 829 and 835. In my case they wanted to sell a car, and bought me out of my $640 Mercedes lease which didn't end until July 23. They gave me a good price to start(57,900). At that time Edmunds and some buying services were saying list or maybe 1,000 off. I said OK but..in July, interest rates will be down and with a softening market you'll be at least as anxious to sell the car and you'll probably offer at least the same number if not better. I challenged them to come up with some reason for me to buy now. My salesman went to the manager and they knocked another $1900 off for 3 lease payments agreed to prorate any delivery before April 23 (at their option). They found a car and chose to deliver yesterday, 19 days early. As a result they credited me for $380 of the money due at delivery.

    Leases through Lexus can use extra refundable security deposits to lower the money factor and therefore payments. This is much preferable to a down payment in my mind because:
    1. You get a reasonable return on your money. An extra $7,000 reduced the payment $83/mo on a 42 month lease. Since this is just a reduction in rate it isn't a taxable event, so I'm getting almost $1,000 a year return tax-free.

    2. Your gap insurance doesn't cover any cash you put into the lease. It protects you only to the amount of your exposure to the leasing company. If the car is destroyed or stolen you will probably lose any cash down payment.

    I'm very busy working and leaving Saturday AM for a weeklong business/pleasure trip with my wife coming along. Unfortunately we have to fly. I may not get a chance to check in here until I get back around the 15th. Everyone be well and continued good luck with your cars.
  • stevesteinstevestein Member Posts: 263
    I don't see or hear of many of the Mystic Sea cars. The color just keep growing on me. I was very concerned at first when I chose a "green" car, and kept going back to see a LX470 in that shade at the dealer. I stuck with it and I'm very pleased. The Ecru interior is quite elegant as well. Yours must be quite sharp with the chrome wheels. I still haven't seen a black cherry but have caught all the others. One of the advantages of going to a large dealer.
  • cainepcainep Member Posts: 35
    I also attended one of the Zero to Infiniti test drives. Unfortunately, my allocated slot was 4pm, the last of the day and, because of the lines, I was only able to drive 3 of the cars. First was the XJ8 - just to get a feel for the course. Not bad, but nothing special. With time running out, the LS430 was next. I hadn't driven one before and was VERY impressed. Great acceleration, very smooth, very quiet, but nowhere near as soft as my LS400 (maybe it did have the sport suspension?). Without trying too hard, I was just topping 80mph round the ends of the oval circuit. Next, the Q45. Acceleration also good,with noticeably more feedback from the road. Slightly slower than the LS round the bends (didn't feel as though I could push it further). Ergonomics of the centre console also not up to Lexus standards.

    Both cars were great to drive, but I was driving the LS faster without really trying, which I put down to it being quieter and having less 'road feel' - you don't know if you're close to the car's limit. Also, I didn't notice a great amount of body roll.

    Hope to do this again in a couple of weeks at the Motor Trend Cadillac World Challenge :-)
  • nealm1nealm1 Member Posts: 154
    Stevestein:

    The owners manual says that the disc player will not play these. Don't know why.

    Took delivery on my car last Wednesday and then had to leave town for 10 days on business. Very frustrating! Look forward to long drives this weekend!
  • fabtfabt Member Posts: 22
    Two ways I found a list of dealers; The Sunday paper (LA Times here) Lexus Advertisement always list the local dealers and phone numbers. Also, The lexus website (lexus.com) lists dealers with phone numbers as well. Call the dealers and ask for their Fleet Manager's name, and fax number.

    I sent each of them the same form letter- telling them the color/options I want, that I was a serious buyer looking to buy the car immediately, and would give the business to the lowest quote I receive; I would not share their quote with any other dealer, and would not haggle over price; I would just buy the car from the lowest quoting dealer.

    I then took the two lowest quotes and worked them both until I got the best deal; about $800 over "invoice cost", or $55,100 (including chrome).
  • stevesteinstevestein Member Posts: 263
    I've been experimenting and found it will play gold colored blanks (at least Samsung ones) but not ones with a white backing. Manufactured CDs, CD-R and DVD's all use different frequency lasers. Every other CD player I know of has two lasers to read both types of CD. Some DVD players don't include the third laser necessary for CD-R, but that was the only case I know of where a CD reader wouldn't work for both. It's probably a $.50 part. There is little difference in CD readers (they're digital), the sould quality is in the D/A converters, analog circuitry and speakers. It couldn't be a money issue. I wonder what they were thinking of.
  • bitkahunabitkahuna Member Posts: 206
    Some CD players are ok with green medium, but not blue medium CD-Rs. I'd experiment with a few brands.
  • flint350flint350 Member Posts: 250
    I have had no trouble playing homemade cdr's in my car. I've used both silver TDK's and gold Memorex. Created on an HP9100. By the way, to whoever posted not seeing a black cherry. I posted 3 photos of mine about six weeks ago on this board. I assume they are still there. It's really a beautiful color that changes intensity in varying light. I like it more every day I own it and it gets many compliments.
  • ljflxljflx Member Posts: 4,690
    Digital Media brand cdr's which I got at circuit city play perfectly in my Mark Lev. Impossible to tell original from copy.I copied on a Dell xps 1 gig.
  • ljflxljflx Member Posts: 4,690
    Anyone know which car waxes are considered the best. I've used Zymol and Meguiars Gold Class Clear Coat in past and both made cars look great but the Meguiars doesn't buff out so easily. Also does anyone prefer certain waxes for dark colors?

    Stevestein - try the Circuit City on RT. 9 - that's where I got my CD-R's -- But park far away from the door.
  • stevesteinstevestein Member Posts: 263
    Flint350 - The post on Black Cherry was mine. It looked beautiful in your pictures, but I was talking about in person.
    ljflx - I don't plan on parking near any doors for a while. I'll be parking in the outback for quite a while.
    All - Just found the small pad to cover the space above the rearview mirror -tee hee hee - love Lexus.
    Re: CD-R
    My TDK Certified Plus CD-R blanks won't work. I have Samsung Premium 12x guaranteed that do. This is true across two different CD burners, and both with and without labels. This is consistent with what Bitkahuna discovered about blue CD-Rs. I never paid much attention to the media before as there was no need. Unfortunately, many of the car CDs I have are on TDK. I'll just have to switch my car's CDs between my wife's car and home until I get the originals. From now on I'll stick to a brand I know works. The why of it still bothers me though.
  • swiftmswiftm Member Posts: 68
    Try Zaino from www.zainobros.com or read about it in /direct/view/.ee9975f (in Edmunds)

    I have used it for three years now and it really, really shine. swiftm
  • barb85barb85 Member Posts: 54
    Exerpt from www.clublexus.com March 30:

    "...The MSRP for the third generation of Lexus’ flagship model, the LS 430, will increase $200 to $54,205, a 0.4 percent change.

    On average, the overall price increase for the Lexus line-up is 0.2 percent, or $79 over initial
    2001-model pricing. The price changes for the GS 300/430, RX 300 and LX 470 will be effective on
    May 1, while the LS 430 price change will be effective on June 1."
  • ljflxljflx Member Posts: 4,690
    Thanks. Don't have time today to check your links or the website but I will when I get the chance. Does it prevent swirls and remove existing ones? I have a midnight pine that is swirless right now and want to keep it that way.
  • swiftmswiftm Member Posts: 68
    Z-5 POLISH FOR SWIRL MARKS & FINE SCRATCHES, it is important to follow detail instructions, I wear gloves when use this product, just don't want anything absorpt into my skin. Good luck, Swiftm
  • nofeernofeer Member Posts: 381
    Drove to Hilton Head, put 1400 miles on the car, got 26.5mpg at 73-74 mph---WOW!!!! is all i can say. when i took my very loyal MB friends in the car several things popped right out. Trunk size, rear comfort and head room, ergonomics, and the gps system won raves. He drives S class and a new M55. His command system is so difficult to navigate he has to let his wife do the adjustments even to a/c and temp changes (he has to take his eyes off the road to make changes). When he asked about driving down, and changing the gps disk. When i said it covers the whole U.S. without changing discs because it was a DVD based system his mouth dropped. Remember he feels MB is always ahead of the curve. I let him drive it..... major pause when i said it cost 61k and performs like the s500. He drives mostly the M55, wind noise and the wheels cause hydroplaning, he is looking to replace the tires. "this isn't a keeper" he told me, dissapointed in the noise, tires. also the spare soaks up a lot of space. I told him to try the LX470 and try lexus. I think alot of MB owners feel the same way. if they test drive an ls they will be convinced and who wouldn't want to save 15-25K$$$$

    Relections: couldn't get the voice recognition on the gps to understand anything i was saying. Wish the cruise control was always "on" and didn't have to reset this after every stop and toll booth. They should inprove this. I have no trouble using cd-r's my son made for me (they were either tdk or memorex). spoils me...quiet... smooth...powerful. Passing on US 170 between hilton head and Savannah was like a hot knife through butter. to get to 90mph was a snapp. blissful performance. I should have increased my lease milage allotment so i could drive this for everything....business benefit???

    Just thrilled with this car....6k miles and not a glitch. the first car i can truly say is "perfect"
  • flint350flint350 Member Posts: 250
    My personal experience with the voice/nav interface has been pretty good, though not perfect. "I'm hungry" seems to work all the time, and "show Italian (your choice here) restaurants has worked quite consistently. It seems to grope more for commands like "map guide" or "turn list" etc. I also have to ask my wife not to speak while I am interfacing - the machine doesn't like 2 voices at once, or the music loud. I'm still experimenting with exact phrases (mostly from the nav manual) to see which the system understands most easily. Overall though, I like it.
    As for cruise control, mine works flawlessly. I'm not sure what you refer to about toll booths. The "resume" feature speeds the car back up to previously set speed as long as you don't physically turn it off by the button. Maybe I am misunderstanding you. My only complaint on cruise was the 1 time I let my wife drive and use it. She is a notorious rt. lane truck follower and said the cruise seems to keep her directly behind the trucks and that this was a design flaw. Now this is a very intelligent woman, yet she actually said this. I, of course, assiduously avoid rock-throwing, dust kicking, speed changing trucks and was very unhappy at her tendency to set the cruise and follow them in the right lane. And, yes, this resulted in a "heated debate", as usual. My gorgeous black cherry paint shall not interface with granite projectiles, even if it costs my marital harmony!
  • arcoatesarcoates Member Posts: 221
    On my Jaguar, I like to use MOTHER"S Carnuba Gold. There is a kit you can get that includes wax, a cleaning spray, and this little thing of putty that you run down the sides, and it's supposed to pick up the dirt you don't see. Nevertheless, it gave my XJ a nice shine, smooth feel and lasted for awhile. Why I am in this board talking about a Jaguar, I don't know, but wax will work on an XJ and a LS~ A.R.
  • wbwynnwbwynn Member Posts: 246
    Memorex brand works just fine...no problems at all, but do NOT put labels on the CDs...they will sometimes increase the size of the CD to the extent that the player won't load it. The CD loader does not like anything that is not standard size, so keep your CDs label-free.

    I put 1200 miles on my LS this week and averaged about 26.5 miles per gallon at 75 MPH. The NAV worked very well and was extremely accurate. I think the car handles better than I would have expected for such a big sedan, especially on some curvy Virginia piedmont roads. The look of the car continues to grow on me, and I would take issue with anyone who still thinks it's a weakness.

    Only thing I can think of is to have the locks re-programmed for one-touch all open. And. I don't have much luck with NAV voice commands either.
  • ljflxljflx Member Posts: 4,690
    I think most S-class owners do what I've done in the past - that is stay with the car they've grown accustomed to. I've been in an LS since 1995 and the very high initial lease payments being asked coupled with some desire for change caused me to look at the S. As i said elsewhere the S just doesn't give you your moneys worth. I've also had a friend of mine who has an S430 in my car several times and he doesn't want to ride in it again any time soon. He couldn't believe how good a car it is. He's definitely given the LS430 or whatever it becomes the favorite in the derby for his new car lease. The MB guys tend to be amazed that there really is a great alternative to BMW in the lux league particularly those that prefer the silky smooth ride. By the way I'm seeing a lot of MB owners where I live trading up to LX 470's. Aparently Lexus is getting a toe hold into their customers via another vehicle.

    Wbwynn - told you those looks improve everyday. I'm actually starting to like the S only from certain angles now. I'm also getting above 25 mpg consistantly. They've improved the mpg over the old model despite the bigger engine.
  • automophileautomophile Member Posts: 780
    It is truly the best. As a confirmed Skeptic, I followed the active Zaino board here for a year before trying it, Now, I will never go back to wax (It's a polymer). It has been tested to give the highest shine, and lasts 3-6 months before you MAY want to re-apply, and then it is just wipe-on wipe off.

    See:

    http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1016688&a=9788935&p=32461561 for a photo of a '97 Accord that was Z'd for the first time a couple of months earlier. Think how your LS could look!
  • nealm1nealm1 Member Posts: 154
    This wekend, I noticed that there are marks on the armrest and on the window sill where my elbow sits. (Unfortunately, I think the marks are from the dye in my leather jacket) I knew the Ecru interior weas going to be a pain keeping clean, but this could be a real problem. Anyone have a recommendation for cleaning the non-leather interior surfaces? The car is so beautiful inside, I want to keep it as clean as possible.
  • dmattgamdmattgam Member Posts: 15
    Hello,

    I'm in the market to buy a LS430 with the Navigation/Mark Levinson package with Lexus Link. I looked at Edmunds and got the following prices:

    Invoice: $52,774.00, MSRP: $61,005.00 and TMV: $57,162.00.

    Is TVM is the "average" price I expect to pay for this car with the options listed ? In other words, the Lexus dealer will most likely sell this car to me at this price ? Is this price reasonable ? Btw, I live in the New England area. Thanks.

    Dave.
  • ljflxljflx Member Posts: 4,690
    Get yourself one of those front-end car protectors at least for when the other driver in the family drives the car. It worked fine for me in the past and in your case it will keep the car looking great and the marriage harmonious. You can't get chip marks on a black cherry car!
  • dmattgamdmattgam Member Posts: 15
    Hello,

    I'm in the market to buy a LS430 with the Navigation/Mark Levinson package with Lexus Link. I looked at Edmunds and got the following prices:

    Invoice: $52,774.00, MSRP: $61,005.00 and TMV: $57,162.00.

    Is TVM is the "average" price I expect to pay for this car with the options listed ? In other words, the Lexus dealer will most likely sell this car to me at this price ? Is this price reasonable ? Btw, I live in the New England area. Thanks.

    Dave.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Hey, either resign yourself to spending all of your future weekends keeping the ecru interior spotless or just commit to trading it in every year or so like all of the Cadillac "white" interior owners used to do.

    Or just park it and admire it from a distance.
  • mewheemewhee Member Posts: 2
    FYI - Today Lexus 1st Qtr. + March sales

    Lexus U.S.A. reported sales of 20,715 units, which represents a sales increase of 24.0 percent from the same period in 2000, setting a new best-ever March for the luxury manufacturer. First-quarter sales of 51,540 are 15.1 percent ahead of last year’s record pace.

    The hot new SC 430 hardtop convertible, which went on sale March 15, posted sales of 2,112, breaking the SC’s long-standing all-time best record set in December 1991.

    Overall, passenger car sales were up 75.4 from last March. The LS 430 premium luxury sedan had a great month with sales of 3,021 units, up 192.4 percent from March 2000, while the IS 300 compact sport sedan posted sales of 2,702. In other car sales, the ES 300 sold 3,346, and the GS series posted sales of 2,092.

    Lexus sport utility vehicle (SUV) sales were down slightly with RX 300 mid-size SUV sales of 6,621 and LX 470 premium luxury SUV sales of 809.

    "We had our own brand of March Madness at Lexus," said Denny Clements, Lexus group vice president and general manager. "Customers are clamoring for the all-new SC 430, and we’re working hard to satisfy customer demand as quickly as possible."

    In addition to outstanding new-car sales, Lexus posted all-time best-ever pre-owned and Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) sales with total pre-owned sales of 4,921 units and CPO sales of 2,759 vehicles.
  • fxashunfxashun Member Posts: 747
    My 2 cents. Anyone ever heard of a company called Permafinish. permafinish.com My 1994 LS400 that I bought about a month ago looks like new even though it has 115K on it. Not advertising just a mention. Check em out. I had been hearing their commercials on the radio for a couple of years but thought it was a gimmick. This stuff is awesome. In the Atlanta area.
  • feverhartfeverhart Member Posts: 144
    wwest, what am I doing wrong? I drive my ultra lux with ecru interior every day for the 4 1/2 months I've had it and the interior still looks new with absolutely no cleaning. Well, no leather jackets for me.
  • greasykid1greasykid1 Member Posts: 336
    Many years ago a good friend of mine @ a MB dealership told me a very simple way to clean your leather interiors. IVORY soap! Try it. Get a bucket & put a small amount of water in it with a BAR of Ivory soap. Gently rub a soft sponge or cloth on the soap & apply to the leather. After cleaning wipe with a damp soft towel. Your leather will be clean with no harm to the leather dye & feel as soft as a babies ---. Have used this method for many years & it works great.
    PS I have the ecru interior on my LS
  • greasykid1greasykid1 Member Posts: 336
    Forgot to mention that after you clean the leather follow up with LEXOL leather conditioner. Recommend following this proceedure at least twice a year.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Ecru interiors are made for old blue-haired ladies driving in the left, slow, lane in Florida.
  • fabtfabt Member Posts: 22
    My Lexus dealer, and the toll-free Customer Service hot line, both tell me you CANNOT program the passenger doors to open when the car is put back into 'Park' on the LS430. (they did confirm you can program the remote to open all doors with just one push of the button instead of two)

    Can you give me the name of your dealer (and phone number?) so I can call them to understand what they did to make this work?
  • feverhartfeverhart Member Posts: 144
    Now let's see, what's another word for jealousy? Envy?
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    No, it's just that those ecru interiors remind me far too much of the days when Cadillac dominated the luxury car scene. Why do those "old ladies" (Anita Brennan, are you listening?) prefer white carpets and interiors?
  • swithrow2swithrow2 Member Posts: 41
    Why dont you act like an adult and not pollute our board with insulting remarks? Really, please we have a nice community here.
  • skip110skip110 Member Posts: 12
    If you can't be good be quiet. Thanks.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Really just expressing my personal dislike and overall dissatisfaction with Lexus color "matching" decisions. While I personally very much dislike "light" interiors that will so readily show even the slightest stain I can understand that some of you may have that preference, and are thus willing to dedicate the time needed to keep it clean or else put severe limits on the use of what would otherwise be an excellent overall utility (vehicle).

    That, by the way, is what any transportion means really is, a utility. Let's not ever forget why we really buy these cars.

    For myself I want a vehicle with which I do not have to always have second thoughts about who, or what, (dog got out in the rain and got muddy? Oh, gee, I'll have to run home and get the RX!)I want to transport at any given time.

    I'm reminded of a good friend that put down very light colored carpets. After yelling and screaming at her kids, and husband, about (inadvertantly) tracking in dirt and stains for about six months she gave up the battle and sent her carpets to the dump.

    Maybe my personal "color vision" is off, but I have never seen a car with a really light interior such as the ecru that I wasn't glad someone else owned and not me. One of those was a really beautiful white 911 with a completely white leather interior. And I did say REALLY BEAUTIFUL. Until then I had NEVER met a 911 that I wouldn't want to own. nice, beautiful to look at, but NOT practical.

    I have to wonder if you polled those that bought a Lexus with an ecru interior would they have selected that interior if Lexus had given them another choice?

    I guess that one of my main attractions to Lexus, expecially when I bought the 92 was the overall "understated elegance", no chrome, no "gimmicks" no gugaws. That was the inverse of how I saw Cadillac and Lincohn, no real luxury substance (same engines as T-bird, etc.), but the exterior and interior "appearance" of luxury.

    Maybe that's what's really bothering me at the core of this, a movement by Lexus away from their established customer base and toward attracting more of the traditional "older" (minded?) american luxury purchasing "crowd".

    And I doubt that any of us who really love and cherish our (somewhat unique and apart from tradition) Lexus vehicles want to see them go that way.
  • rennyboschrennybosch Member Posts: 329
    My dealer, Tustin Lexus in Tustin, CA, programmed my LS430 so that when the car is put in Park, all 4 doors are unlocked automatically. Their phone number is 714-544-4800.
  • wbwynnwbwynn Member Posts: 246
    I'm taking my LS for the 1000 mile check tomorrow, and I am going to ask them to re-program the locks. I will let the board know what happens (hope it's not blank stares).
  • skip110skip110 Member Posts: 12
    I certainly appreciate that you have a different preference for car interiors than those who chose the Ecru-Nappa Ultra Luxury. But you should remember that the LS430 comes with 6 different choices for interiors, 4 for the non-ultra luxury cars and 2 for the ultra luxury cars. Now I happen to love the Ecru-Nappa Ultra Luxury and for that matter the entire interior design them. But we do have choices here.

    As far as Cadillac goes; the Cadillacs were just Luxury barges. The LS430 on the other hand, no matter how Luxurious the interior, has MUCH more than just nice white carpets and leather interior going for it. This car is truly first rate in every department including and especially under the hood.

    Utility? A car is transportation, true. But at $60,000 to $70,000 dollars we left the idea of just basic utility behind, tens of thousands of dollars ago. The "L" in "LS" stands for Luxury. If you're going hiking, or transporting kids back and forth to little league or halling lumber, you might want to consider another car not just simply another interior color.
  • bitkahunabitkahuna Member Posts: 206
    "That, by the way, is what any transportion means really is, a utility. Let's not ever forget why we really buy these cars."

    As skip says, buying a luxury car is going WAY beyond just utility. If all we wanted is utility, we'd buy an Accord or Camry 'appliance' or an SUV or truck.

    A car like the LS430 *pampers* its occupants and is a real pleasure and experience to lease/own and drive.

    For me, I marvel that humans can build a thing of such complexity, refinement, quality, and capability, at ANY price.
  • swithrow2swithrow2 Member Posts: 41
    First off, I really dislike the LS430 16 inch wheels base, and I dislike chrome. I was wondering if anyone has succeeded or tried to get Lexus to swap wheels out for you. I'd like to put the 16 inchers from the 2000 LS400 Platimum Edition on there if I could, I really prefer the machined finish. Cadillac did this for me in 95, I'm sure Lexus would too.

    Now, Ecru interior. I had a cream interior on my 95 STS and let me say, never again. It stained pretty bad, and the skuff marks from my shoes just would not come off the base of the seats etc. The interior on my 98 LS400 is black, and I will probably stay with the black interior from now on. I havent grown tired of it after 85,000 miles, when I was sick of the cream in the Caddy to the point that it was nausiating after a year. I really prefer the darker interior. Keep in mind also that the mats in the Ecru car are darker than the rest of the carpeting if I'm not mistaken.

    Now current Lexus owners and the LS430. I dont see a problem here, all of the gizmolike options on the LS430 are just that, options. If you dont want them you dont have to get them. Personally, I like the move to some more tech wizardry in the car. My 98 is hardly void of these gadgets, but it does lack some of the things that other cars in its class have. I personally love the nav system on the LS430, the extending legnth seat (long legs), the auto wipers (great invention). Also a lot of these gimmicks that have become mainstream such as auto lights are great ideas. Lexus has to keep up with the competition.
  • flint350flint350 Member Posts: 250
    I just returned from my dealer today (in pouring rain, dammit) where I had the key options redone. They had no difficulty resetting everything: 1 touch - all open, 12mph speed before doors lock, and put it in park - all doors open. So it can be done. That last one was truly an annoyance, having to hit the unlock all the time - not any more.
    As for the floor mats, mine (ecru, ultra lux) match the rest. So I don't know where your info comes from.
    As for the Q - my salesman was telling me (while showing me the newest arrivals of the SC430 in 3 colors) that a local dealer here has taken delivery of 4 of the new 2002 Q45's and has only been able to sell 2. The other 2 are sitting on the lot. Not quite what Infiniti expected from it's redesigned Lexus/Benz alternative.
    And just FYI, I saw the bright red, deep red (similar to my blk cherry) and black SC430's arrive. Gorgeous, and, of course, sold.
  • edspider1edspider1 Member Posts: 195
    I've been watching the press on the new Q. It looks like a really nice car and I started to wonder if perhaps my LS430 might have some competition. I haven't seen one in person, yet but I'm sure I would have still bought my LS Ultra Lux. Seems like the Q is faster and sportier, but that's not important to me. I drive on US freeways. I rarely get past 80mph (oops, I mean 65...) I slow down on curves. When I drive my LS, I'm not in a hurry. I'm relaxing and enjoying the ride. The posts here say the fit and finish is not as good as the Lexus. I'm glad to hear that.

    Floor mat posters::> Use a rubber mat during the winter. Buy yourself a new set of factor floor mats every two years. I have my dealer detail my car every spring.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Yes, paying in excess of $65,000 for an LS430 does mean you are going FAR beyond what it might cost to purchase just basic transportion.

    But, does that mean you do not still use it for basic transportation, as in "utility"?

    Maybe it would help, explain my feelings, if I told you that I would NEVER buy the gold kit, as a matter of fact I usually remove all of the manufaturer's badges that I easily can. Yes, I do like my luxuries, Lexus especially, but I'm perfectly satisfied with just me knowing its a Lexus, I have no need to announce anything to the world.

    That's probably part of what bothers me about the ecru interior, it's LOUD!

    I'm sure you have seen that many automotive "critics" disparate the LS for its "unappealing" looks and lack of updating, changes, from year to year. But that's exactly why some of us like the car.
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