Merc S-Series vs. Lexus LS430

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Sig

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So I recently fell in love with a car option that I have yet to have in one of my own cars...... AC/ventilated seats! Oh how wonderful that feature would be when it's 90+ degrees with 90% humidity. Since I am looking to replace my daily driver in the coming months, I decided that my next dd will have ventilated seats. The two cars that have grabbed my attention are the LS430 and the MB S-series. In order to not spend a fortune I am looking at 2001-2003's in the MB and 2001-2004's in the Lexus.

Any thoughts on the which may be the better buy in the $30-35K range?
 
I love my LS430 with the ULTRA PACKAGE...it's a 2001 with about 68K Miles now..

She comes with Ventilated front seats..(Heat/Cool)..VERY quiet ride, great power, massaging rear seats and power with memory as well, Intelligent cruise control, rain sensing wipers, NAV, Mark Levinson, Automatic Door closers, Puddle lights, HIDs with Automatic levelers, AIR Suspension, a drag Coeffecient of .26:eek: , decent gas mileage on the freeway (I get about 23-25 MPG constantly), Very comfortable ride, awesome interior and of course, TOyota Reliability..

What can I say...this is by far the MOST Luxurious car i've ever been in.

I'm sure the MB is very nice as well, but the Maintenance and Reliability was questionable to me.

BTW, It took about 1 month to find this car and got it at MID 20's..Had to go to IL to pick it up, but 2091 Miles later when I got it home, she is still purring like a cat.

Black/Black too which is what I wanted!

Awesome deal I think.


PICS

Interior
LS430_CenterConsole.jpg



Exterior
LS430_Front.jpg



Mike
 
If I found a similar deal on a good condition/reasonable mileage ULTRA LS, I would snap it up!

Mojorator said:
I love my LS430 with the ULTRA PACKAGE...it's a 2001 with about 68K Miles now..

She comes with Ventilated front seats..(Heat/Cool)..VERY quiet ride, great power, massaging rear seats and power with memory as well, Intelligent cruise control, rain sensing wipers, NAV, Mark Levinson, Automatic Door closers, Puddle lights, HIDs with Automatic levelers, AIR Suspension, a drag Coeffecient of .26:eek: , decent gas mileage on the freeway (I get about 23-25 MPG constantly), Very comfortable ride, awesome interior and of course, TOyota Reliability..

What can I say...this is by far the MOST Luxurious car i've ever been in.

I'm sure the MB is very nice as well, but the Maintenance and Reliability was questionable to me.

BTW, It took about 1 month to find this car and got it at MID 20's..Had to go to IL to pick it up, but 2091 Miles later when I got it home, she is still purring like a cat.

Black/Black too which is what I wanted!

Awesome deal I think.


Mike
Click to expand...
 
As you'll note from my signature block, I'm a little biased...

However, "Bessie" was my parent's third LS. I bought her from them when they bought a 2006 LS430. Each of these cars has seen more than 100K miles and they've been rock solid.

Bessie now has just under 130K miles on the odo. She was rear ended(my Mom walked away from with nothing worse than stress and shock while the people that rear ended her went in an ambulance to the hospital) but you'd never know except the rear badging no longer has the Coach label. Lexus put Bessie back together good as new and just this March me and two buddies took Bessie to Angels spring training in AZ. She is as serene at triple digits as the day my Mom bought her and she returned more than 24mpg round trip in nearly 2,000 miles over four days.

The car still looks, drives, and feels brand new.

MB makes some very nice cars. I'm not going to bash their products. But I do think that in the last decade or so, reliability has slipped. If it were me, I'd buy the Lexus no question.
 
I agree with the above post. I have a 02 LS430 Ultra, Millinum Silver, great features, Best rated reliability from JDPower. Sold my 95 MB S600 for the Lexus. Never miss my MB. and I had it for 5 yrs. MB is great to look at because it sits in the garage all the time. I was afraid to drive it, S600 gets 11 mpg and goes through a set of tires in 10-15k miles. It was a heavy and complicated car. The newer S-class reliability is sub-standard also. Do a search on Google and you will be buying a Lexus. The best thing about the MB is the image you are protraying, If that matters to you.
 
EIFFEL said:
The best thing about the MB is the image you are protraying, If that matters to you.
Click to expand...

The image it portrays can be positive or negative depending on the audience:wink: The ventilated seats matter to me the most! NAV too.

Want to sell your 02? :)
 
02 and 03 LS430's are plenty on the pre-owned market, as most of them are leased and coming off 36-39 month terms. I would recommend get a CPO vehicle from Lexus dealership, you will pay more;the warrenty protection is worth it, It adds 3 yrs. and up to 100k miles. The best in the industry.
 
I would have to say Lexus. I think MB is cruising on their name, and not backing up these days. If you look around you'll see their quality has started to slip a bit, along with reliability. In any event, both are nice vehicles. Good luck and happy shopping.
 
Wowzers...

Mojorator said:
I love my LS430 with the ULTRA PACKAGE...it's a 2001 with about 68K Miles now...

BTW, It took about 1 month to find this car and got it at MID 20's..Had to go to IL to pick it up, but 2091 Miles later when I got it home, she is still purring like a cat.

Black/Black too which is what I wanted!

Awesome deal I think.
Click to expand...

I can not think of any late-model vehicle that would offer more luxury/comfort for that price-range!?! :eek: Nice find. I had no idea that a newer LS430 w/ the 'goodies' (namely the Ultra-Luxury equipped models) can be had for about 1/3 of it's MSRP (MSRP: $57k + Interior-upgrade*/req. $2100 + Ultra-Luxury* $11,000)!

I found the looks to be a gussied/freshened up dated luxo'sedan, but for that price-range... I think I'm sold! I'm sure the JDM VIP tunerz have something to help me add more style or flavor to the LS!?! :tongue:

Reading the reviews and specs' on the forthcoming LS460 & LS600hL models, I get overwhelmed by the technical wizzardry and technological stuff. It's almost as if you're reading the manual for a military jet-fighter! Way-way too many things. . .

{BTW, currently $8k-9k discount off MSRP is easily obtained on '06 LS430's... possibly even more, I'm sure}
 
Re: Wowzers...

Osiris_x11 said:
I'm sure the JDM VIP tunerz have something to help me add more style or flavor to the LS!?! :tongue:
Click to expand...


Already on it's way from Japan sir...:biggrin: :cool:

Mike
 
Sig said:
The ventilated seats matter to me the most! NAV too.
Click to expand...

The front seats on my parent's new LS430 are heated and cooled. Rear are heated only although I believe there is a package that does give cooled seats to the rear passengers as well.
 
Re: Wowzers...

Osiris_x11 said:
{BTW, currently $8k-9k discount off MSRP is easily obtained on '06 LS430's... possibly even more, I'm sure}
Click to expand...
We negotiated a smidge over $10K off of MSRP for a car that hadn't yet come into port (my parents always get a white LS with tan interior and chromed wheels and they were specific in that want). We could have gotten a slightly better deal on a car on the lot or in a different color combo.

At that price, even a new one is a screaming bargain.. IMO.
 
Sig said:
So I recently fell in love with a car option that I have yet to have in one of my own cars...... AC/ventilated seats! Oh how wonderful that feature would be when it's 90+ degrees with 90% humidity. Since I am looking to replace my daily driver in the coming months, I decided that my next dd will have ventilated seats. The two cars that have grabbed my attention are the LS430 and the MB S-series. In order to not spend a fortune I am looking at 2001-2003's in the MB and 2001-2004's in the Lexus.

Any thoughts on the which may be the better buy in the $30-35K range?
Click to expand...

I've heard excellent things about the LS. However, my family has a 2000 S500 (ventilated seats weren't an option that year) and an 02 745i (w/ ventilated seats :biggrin: ). The S class currently has about 150k miles, and in my opinion, still drives just as smooth if not smoother than our 7 w/ 60k miles. Of course option and luxury wise, the 7 I think beats out both the S and the LS. If you can find one in your price range desired, I'd take a look at it.
 
wut da hay?!?

mojorator said:
Already on it's way from Japan sir... :biggrin: :cool:
Click to expand...
mojorator/Mike, please keep up upto date w/ your LS400's mods/VIP-'goodies' as that is the exact thing I hope to do in the future.

I'm still very much drawn to the '91-'00 W140 "Brinks Truck" S-class... :tongue:
Da Hapa said:
We negotiated a smidge over $10K off of MSRP for a car that hadn't yet come into port (my parents always get a white LS with tan interior and chromed wheels and they were specific in that want). We could have gotten a slightly better deal on a car on the lot or in a different color combo.

At that price, even a new one is a screaming bargain.. IMO.
Click to expand...

I totally agree Da Hapa/Christian! For the cost of an equally equipped Mercedes E350 or BMW 530i, the LS430 is the OBVIOUS choice for those seeking luxury, comfort, value, and unrivalled quality.

I gots a question: seeing that the LS430 has MSRP of $57k'ish, what package spec' model you end up getting? I've seen stickers of $58k to $72k!?! :eek:


Premium Package - $1,390
Intuitive Parking Assist
Front climate-control seats with heat/cool knob
Rear-seat heaters

Modern Luxury Package - $4,980
Mark Levinson 11-speaker 240-watt Premium Audio System
Lexus voice-activated DVD Navigation System with backup camera and Bluetooth® technology
Intuitive Parking Assist
Front climate-control seats with heat/cool knob
Rear-seat heaters


Interior Upgrade Package with perforated leather trim (requires Ultra Luxury or Custom Luxury Selection) - $2,100

Interior Upgrade Package with perforated luxury leather trim (requires Ultra Luxury or Custom Luxury Selection) - $1,460


Custom Luxury Selection with *Pre-Collision System (PCS) (requires Interior Upgrade Package) - $8,185
Mark Levinson 11-speaker 240-watt Premium Audio System
Lexus voice-activated DVD Navigation System with backup camera and Bluetooth® technology
Perforated leather seating surfaces
Dynamic Radar Cruise Control
*Pre-Collision System (PCS)
Laminated side glass
Intuitive Parking Assist
Front climate-control seats with heat/cool knob
Headlamp washers
Power door closers
Rear-seat heaters


Custom Luxury Selection (requires Interior Upgrade Package) - $5,935
Mark Levinson 11-speaker 240-watt Premium Audio System
Lexus voice-activated DVD Navigation System with backup camera and Bluetooth® technology
Perforated leather seating surfaces
Dynamic Radar Cruise Control
Laminated side glass
Intuitive Parking Assist
Front climate-control seats with heat/cool knob
Headlamp washers
Power door closers
Rear-seat heaters

Ultra Luxury Selection with *Pre-Collision System (PCS) (requires Interior Upgrade Package) - $13,570
Mark Levinson 11-speaker 240-watt Premium Audio System
Lexus voice-activated DVD Navigation System with backup camera and Bluetooth® technology
Perforated leather seating surfaces
Dynamic Radar Cruise Control
*Pre-Collision System (PCS)
Adaptive Variable Air Suspension
Laminated side glass
Manual rear-door window sunshades
Intuitive Parking Assist
Front and rear climate-control seats with heat/cool knob
Headlamp washers
Power door closers
SmartAccess
*Rear-Seat Luxury Group:
Seat power slide adjuster with power headrest, memory and massager
Air conditioner controls with air purifier
Cool box
Audio controls
Swivel-type reading lamps


Ultra Luxury Selection (requires Interior Upgrade Package) - $11,320
Mark Levinson® 11-speaker 240-watt Premium Audio System
Lexus voice-activated DVD Navigation System with backup camera and Bluetooth® technology
Perforated leather seating surfaces
Dynamic Laser Cruise Control
Adaptive Variable Air Suspension
Laminated side glass
Manual rear-door window sunshades
Intuitive Parking Assist
Front and rear climate-control seats with heat/cool knob
Headlamp washers
Power door closers
SmartAccess
*Rear-Seat Luxury Group:
Seat power slide adjuster with power headrest, memory and massager
Air conditioner controls with air purifier
Cool box
Audio controls
Swivel-type reading lamps


I guess it comes down to how important `PCS`, `MarkLevinson/Voice-DVD`, and `rear cool/heat seats` are...
 
Re: wut da hay?!?

Osiris_x11 said:
I gots a question: seeing that the LS430 has MSRP of $57k'ish, what package spec' model you end up getting? I've seen stickers of $58k to $72k!?! :eek:

Modern Luxury Package - $4,980
Mark Levinson 11-speaker 240-watt Premium Audio System
Lexus voice-activated DVD Navigation System with backup camera and Bluetooth® technology
Intuitive Parking Assist
Front climate-control seats with heat/cool knob
Rear-seat heaters
Click to expand...

The 2006 LS430 belongs to my parents but I'm 99% sure they got the Modern Luxury Package with the Euro Sport Suspension and Lexus Chrome Wheels. It's a great car if a large, heavy, luxury car is your thing.
 
Check out the Phaeton. You will get all the features you want and then some. Plus you will get a newer car than the LS or S and the Phaeton will come with a warranty. Also the Phaeton comes with AWD standard.
 
I currently own an '03 S600 and an '05 SL65 and I can say that I have had no problems with either car and they are faster than almost anything on the road (In a straight line).

I took my S600 out to the dragstrip last year and it ran a 11.9 second quarter, after that they barred me from making any other runs because I needed a fire suit, roll cage, etc.. to be running in the 11's. I had the computer reprogrammed by Renntech so it isn't completely stock though.

The SL65 hasn't been out to the track yet, but stock they run mid to high 11's and with the computer reprogram and sticky rear tires people are getting those cars to run 10.8's!!!

We have also had a few Lexus's and they are great cars also, but they don't seem to stir the soul!
 
LS460L or Phaeton...

steveny said:
Check out the Phaeton.
Click to expand...

That's my plan... hopefully Downforce will have the Bentley body-kit out by then! :wink:

I need to get on the VW/Audi forums, see how people have personalized/accessorized their Phaetons. The Jetta + Passat = Phaeton, it needs some finesse, flair, and flavor! :biggrin:
 
Carguy! said:
We have also had a few Lexus's and they are great cars also, but they don't seem to stir the soul!
Click to expand...
I agree 100% Lexus are boring car, MB are for very wealthy people who can afford to maintain it. When my income exceed > 1 mil. I would be getting a S65 AMG seden. Until then, working stiff like myself can only afford Lexus.
 
steveny said:
Check out the Phaeton. You will get all the features you want and then some. Plus you will get a newer car than the LS or S and the Phaeton will come with a warranty. Also the Phaeton comes with AWD standard.
Click to expand...

Ditto, ditto ditto. :biggrin: Seriously, if you want a luxurious amazing ride, just go out and drive one once and you'll think the MB is a piece. (disclaimer, I've owned several MBZ and while I liked them, they drove nothing like my Phaeton and don't hold a candle to the interior look/options of the Lexus or the Phaeton)

Here's a short Top Gear review of one

http://video.racing.hu/files/1038/top_gear_-_volkswagen_phaeton_w12_-_by_fairco_video.racing.hu.wmv
 
Re: LS460L or Phaeton...

Osiris_x11 said:
That's my plan... hopefully Downforce will have the Bentley body-kit out by then! :wink:

I need to get on the VW/Audi forums, see how people have personalized/accessorized their Phaetons. The Jetta + Passat = Phaeton, it needs some finesse, flair, and flavor! :biggrin:
Click to expand...

I have rebadged my car with custom made Bentley emblems, bling, bling.
 
Carguy! said:
I currently own an '03 S600 and an '05 SL65 and I can say that I have had no problems with either car and they are faster than almost anything on the road (In a straight line).

I took my S600 out to the dragstrip last year and it ran a 11.9 second quarter, after that they barred me from making any other runs because I needed a fire suit, roll cage, etc.. to be running in the 11's. I had the computer reprogrammed by Renntech so it isn't completely stock though.
Click to expand...

Wow, the 03 S600 is seriously fast with almost 500HP:eek: , but he would have to spend double his budget to get it. He could get an 01 like he suggested, but then you lose about 130HP and get a 5-6 year old car that is very very expensive to maintain.

The Phaeton, even the W12 with 445HP, is much slower off the line than a 97+NSX because it is so darn heavy. It is barely bigger than the S600 but weighs almost 600 pounds more. (double-pained glass and all that steels adds up:smile: ) That thing is seriously a tank. On the Phaeton forum there are pictures of a guy who hit a deer at 80mph and it looks like it barely dented the thing. :eek: ....but it drives so nice. I want to drive a Lexus sometime because I have heard great things about them. I would steer clear of the MB because I have taken a bath on every one that I have owned and had a lot of trouble trying to get rid of them.
 
Carguy! said:
I currently own an '03 S600 and an '05 SL65 and I can say that I have had no problems with either car and they are faster than almost anything on the road (In a straight line).

I took my S600 out to the dragstrip last year and it ran a 11.9 second quarter, after that they barred me from making any other runs because I needed a fire suit, roll cage, etc.. to be running in the 11's. I had the computer reprogrammed by Renntech so it isn't completely stock though.

The SL65 hasn't been out to the track yet, but stock they run mid to high 11's and with the computer reprogram and sticky rear tires people are getting those cars to run 10.8's!!!

We have also had a few Lexus's and they are great cars also, but they don't seem to stir the soul!
Click to expand...

My uncle has only let me drive his S600 once, to the car wash. That thing is a beast! I love keyless go :smile:
 


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