Comments by "Tony Sterbenc" (@tonysterbenc) on "Best and Worst used Lexus Models to Buy and Lexus Buying Advice" video.

  1. They're all similar enough that I'd buy by age (newest best), price, condition and service history rather than by model year preference. Don't rule out the highly similar and better-priced Toyota Avalon in your searching either.
    2
  2.  @babycakes8434  Careful not to generalize yourself right out of some nice used cars. Avalon interiors are definitely cheaper than ES, but each generation is different, and they're still better than Camrys. Also, that door trim is vinyl.
    2
  3. Some people say Yes. Others buy them because they don't know. A great many avoid the problem by leasing instead of buying, but obviously that's a financial bloodbath in the long term.
    2
  4. I think people would be well served, if their income allows, to be mindful how much of the cost of their purchases is finance charges, on credit cards or installment loans. I want stuff for my money.
    2
  5. "Knows zip." Who are you talking about? I assume not the host; he's an experienced Lexus master technician who's had his hands in all these cars up to the elbows.
    1
  6. I think the conventional wisdom is that the last years are the best ones. 2013 would be in that range.
    1
  7. They aren't the same. They share a basic chassis, but the GS is longer and nicer.
    1
  8. Even before Lexus started in 1990, it was the history of Toyota to be out-powered by competitors. Toyota has an intensely cautious corporate culture that despises failure. It's been reported that Toyota requires every model be designed to go 250,000 miles. As a result, many Toyota and Lexus engines look great on a spec sheet, but are so reinforced and understressed that they're slower than competitors over the road. Durability is what you get instead.
    1
  9.  @AlexSt-1  Alex, you can say it's "BS" because you disagree with them, but that is really their history. The cold fact is, enthusiasts have always been a very small percentage of the car-buying audience. And as for bankruptcy, Toyota just regained control last year as the world's #1 automaker, so that would appear to be a little while away yet.
    1
  10.  @AlexSt-1  You do know the Supra is a badge-engineered BMW built under contract for Toyota, right?
    1
  11. I've seen Mercedes models in particular that had terrible rust problems.
    1
  12. Scotty doesn't deserve him.
    1
  13. Some do, some don't. Best to look up the individual car you're considering.
    1
  14. Not really a Lexus chassis. Really, it's a less roomy but fancier Prius throughout. That's a good thing for economy and reliability, a bad thing only if you expect Lexus luxury that it doesn't have.
    1
  15.  @jimjackson4256  It's a slightly revised Prius chassis built on a Lexus assembly line, owned by Toyota.
    1
  16.  @jimjackson4256  You're welcome, Jim!
    1
  17. LS 460 was famous for extremely expensive suspension parts. In the first few years, a lot of them went bad. That's one of the attractions of the ES by comparison: much cheaper parts made of steel.
    1
  18.  @stevebalone4579  The LS 430 is a legend for good reason, as you know better than I. There's a post elsewhere on this thread that goes into more detail than I can about exactly which front end parts were failure prone in the first three model years; I think even the conventional-suspension cars were vulnerable. I have to admit I'm a bit surprised, since in some ways the LS 460 always struck me as a bit of a cheapout from its 430 predecessor.
    1
  19. The LS 430 was an upgrade over its predecessor the LS 400 in price, power and luxury. It's widely recognized as one of the best-made mass production cars ever.
    1