E V E R Y T H I N G

N O N E

I WOULD RECOMMEND IT TO SOMEONE BECUASE IT IS A CAR THAT'S WORTH EVERY PENNY, AND ALSO THE FULLY LOADED LS 430 ( WITH ULTRA LUXURY PACKAGE) IS 20,000 $$$$$$$$$ CHEAPER THAN AN MERCEDES S500 FULLY LOADED.

Similar Products Used:

AS COMPARED TO MERCEDES S500, IT BEATS IT IN EVERYTHING

very quiet car, very very quiet. i mean can a car get any quieter? amazing power, soft comfortable leather, easy easy easy controls

lacks performance a little. compared to the competitors. need more room in the back. the cockpit is a little too bright...sort of irritating sometimes.

i highly recommend this car to anyone who wants the quietest car in the world with lot of power and space. to those who seek performance, this car is not for you...go get that bimmer . to those who wants to show off,go get a mercedes S-class and bling bling down the street. this car is definately for me.

Similar Products Used:

bmw 740iL - great car. great handling but lexus is alot more quiet and car for easy-going people. Mercedes S420 - too big and too showy. leather is kinda hard and car drives like a biiiiig limo

Quiet, quiet, quiet. There's nothing on the road quieter and smoother than an LS400. The Nakamichi stereo is top notch, probably the only thing better than the Nakamichi is the new Mark Levinson in the LS/GS/LX. I test drove the LS430, even better than the LS400! Back to the 400, though, very quiet, always gets great comments from friends/coworkers, even at 135,000 miles.

- Steering shudders going over uneven road surfaces (dealer hasn't pinpointed the problem, just replaced a leaking power steering pump for around $700)
- One air suspension shock went at 80,000 miles, costing another $1,000.
- Valve adjustments needed every 60,000 miles or so.
- Engine not really powerful enough.
- Brakes are awful! Rotors always vibrating couple of thousand miles after replacement, not good enough for a car of this size; heard from the dealer than the discs were made too thin and they improved them in the 93+ models.
- Lights on the center console went out, costing $$$ to replace and fix (ones by the A/C and clock display). Lights on the Nakamichi also went out, but have to replace the entire unit for a couple of stupid bulbs. $700 for a new Nakamichi. Forget it...
- Cheap bumpers, get damaged very easily
- Lousy seats, need more support. Passenger seat doesn't adjust enough ways for a luxury car of this caliber.
I guess you can't expect too much of a first generation car like this. The newer ones are much improved, although I still hear that the seats in the newer LS400's are still not really up to par. They probably need something like Mercedes' multicontour seat backs/cushion for more support.

Recommended! Very reliable, top notch dealer service! Mercedes dealers in my area give out honda accords and nissan altimas as loaner cars, whereas the Lexus dealers give out RX300 and ES300. For those of you that want a comfortable car, more features than a Mercedes S class, for $30,000 less, get an LS430!

Similar Products Used:

'99 E430. The E430 is a much faster car than the LS400, and is more stable at high speeds. However, the LS400 is quieter and more comfortable. The hifi systems in Mercedes are awful!

Engine has a lot of low end torque, transmission is buttery smooth

Styling is not to everybodys taste, Most of the features are copied from the Mercedes benz S-Class, Looks like a last generation S-Class. Does not have more room in the rear than the S-Class. Compressor on the A/C broke with a 1/2 a month, they had to rebuild it. Headliner in the rear left side began to fall off, they reglued it, not up to Lexus reliability and quality.

I would not recommend the Lexus LS430, because of its reliability and quality issues, not usual to Lexus, this new product should have been better built for this price. The Mercedes S-Class is worth the money you pay for it.

Similar Products Used:

Mercedes Benz S-Class is Unbeatable, reliability has been awesome.Not one problem at 35,000 miles.

this car has everything you could want and more. comfortable, !QUIET!, and nice looking. so what if it is similar to the Mercedes. its a better car with pretty styling

NO WEAKNESSES

from my first lexus up til this one, they have been absolutely flawless. i have driven them and read the reviews on them and they have been perfect. I bought my first one back in 1990 when they debuted. IF you do happen to catch one that is not up to par, then it is very very rare!!!! Don't judge your purchase of a lexus based on one unhappy customer, check them out for yourselves and be the judge. They are wonderful.

Similar Products Used:

1990 LEXUS ES 250, 1995 LEXUS LS 400

Classic look, routinely assumed by passengers to be much newer. Clean interior design, nice ergonomics. This car has just under 75K on it and can tip the 160 marker on the speedometer. Good, reliable service history. Quiet. I never want anything but a V8 ever again. Okay, maybe a 12.

Front brakes aren't the stoppers they need to be. Lexus upgraded these on later models. Should be a bit stiffer in the corners. Stock rims make for a great winter setup :), put 17's with 235/17/45's on mine and it has a much improved look and ride. I also agree with the reviewer who greatly prefers darker colors on the LS400. Black or dark maroon are very nice.

Recommended for its good cost of ownership vs. quality of ownership.
Let's face it, this car was modeled after the upper Mercedes line. But at the prices you can get these for with low milage I can't imagine a better car deal. Most everything about this car stands over the test of time. Any problems or dislikes are relatively minor.

Not recommended to those who really *need* to be in an M3, 540i, or S6/8. ("Ronin" car chase types)
Not recommended to those who can affort a nice black S-Class. :-)
(Style and design buyers who don't mind spending big)
Recommended to anyone else looking for quality that is hard to match.

Similar Products Used:

I'd be interested seeing how a used S430 compares in terms of cost of ownership and reliability. Or maybe 540 or 7 series, otherwise I'll look for another LS400 next time I'm buying. Hmmmm.... 430 sounds even better.

Comfortable, safe, quiet, and reliable. All I want in a car. I get 20/26 mpg and raves from all who ride with me. I sell Real Estate so it is a large population compared to the family car.

Not as responsive in corners as I would hope. I was used to driving an Acura Legend.

I bought this car when it was eight years old and it had 68,000 miles on it. It has 99,000 now and all I do is aim it, pay for it and change the oil (Mobil 1). My 16 year old and his friends think it is a "cool" car. That surprised me. They like the room, the leather seats, and the rock CD's I play. Buy one if you like the strengths above.

Similar Products Used:

Much better than my Cadillac Sedan Deville or my Lincoln Continental.

Strong, smooth, quiet engine. Lots of luxury. Rock solid reliability. Classic if not flashy styling that will look good in time. Decent handling (much improved over the original '90 version). This car is a full sized cruiser, not a sports car. If you want something that handles better, you can buy my BMW 540i if I can get it out of the shop long enough. The LS 400 looks great in Black. Less so in the lighter colors, I think.

Latest styling tweaks. I prefered the '95-'97 look, especially the wheel design, better. Seats are fine, but optional sport seats with more bolstering would be nice. In fact, a sport version would be awesome. Oops, the new 430 already has that!

First of all, I would NOT RECOMMEND many of these "reviews" by teenagers and those who have obviously never even driven this car. Be wary of those. Two references to "not enough power" on '98 + models show how unrealistic they are. Is 0-60mph in 6.3 seconds just not good enough? My "sporty" '540 auto could only do it in 6.6 seconds. And as for the guy talking about lowering it...side skirts...etc.....decide for yourself if that's for real. If you want to mess up a car, go buy a civic to soup up.

Similar Products Used:

'97 BMW 540i. The Lexus is more refined, better built, and actually faster!!!!...but the BMW has more style, better handling, and a certain BMW quality that I can't define. The BMW breaks a lot(little things mostly)though. The Bimmer has been in the shop 5 times in 7 months. Thank God for extended warranties. I would never buy a BMW w/o one. I would buy a Lexus without one. That's my main advantage. I can drive this LS400 till 200,000 miles if I want and save on depreciation.

Can't even tell the car is on...Gorgeous interior...wood everywhere..incredibly comfortorable leather (Not cheap at all)

Absolutely no weakness...it is the perfect luxury car

Better than any of the cars listed above..Worth getting the Ultra Luxury Package and worth the $70,000 dollar price tag. Has everything you could imagine.And yes it all does work!!!Nothing broken on my car yet and probably for a long time to come. PERFECT!

Similar Products Used:

Bmw 740iL, Audi A6, Jauguar XK8

This car has everything that a home does, but without a stove, shower, and toilet. It has a mini refridgerator for goodness sake! You really feel like royalty when driving around in this one. The laser cruise control is a big plus.

Haven't come across one yet.. and i doubt that i will.

Lexus has yet again outdone itself with the new LS 430. The LS was a perfect car in its on right( i know because i owned one), but if there is such a thing as better than perfect..than the LS 430 is it. Looks great, feels great, and quieter than a mouse. I honestly dont see how anyone could not find this car to be anything less than perfect!

Similar Products Used:

Lexus LS 400, Mercedes S-class, BMW 540I