Faults:

* Heater stopped working the first week I bought the car.

* The car overheated and the radiator went... I pulled over into a car park, and as I got out of it, I noticed a trail of coolant, which the dreaded vehicle had left behind.

* There was a very annoying issue with the starter motor the whole time I owned the vehicle.

* The driver's electric seat stopped working.

* The transmission had to be replaced (I just bought a used one from a wrecker as the unit was so expensive).

* The head lining was sagging.

* There was some odd issue with bulbs blowing in the head lights.

* One of the remotes stopped working completely. I had to go into the dealer to get a new key, which cost a huge amount of money.

* The car began leaking oil; this was the last straw and I sold it at the Auckland car fair for $2,500.

General Comments:

The vehicle is the worst I have ever owned. I was told that Lexus is a good choice if you want a reliable luxury car... In this case it definitely was not!

Break downs were a common problem, and whenever I took the car on a long trip, it was a nerve racking experience.

The worst break down happened one the Napier Taupo Road. I turned the car off as the traffic was very slow (my car made it even slower), and as the traffic began to finally move again, the car wouldn't start. I had always experienced starter motor problems with the car throughout the entire time I'd owned it, but this was bad. I got out of the car to find there was a long queue of vehicles behind me. Thankfully a truck driver helped me to start the vehicle. This took a long time and there were many aggravated drivers behind me.

The way the car drove was okay I guess. It was a bit of a whale on the road, and the interior was fairly comfortable. But I now know why vehicles like BMW, Audi and Volvo outsell Lexus, as they offer far better quality ride and materials.

I eventually sold the car in early March at the "Auckland Car Fair" for $2,500.

Owning a car like this was a tragic experience. It cost me a lot of money, which is a problem as most of the time I owned the vehicle I was a student paying rent and school fees, food, clothing etc for my three children. I should have kept the Volvo 850 I owned prior to this, which caused me no trouble whatsoever.

I will never buy another Lexus, and have replaced it with a 2006 Volvo S60, which consumers rave about on this website, and I am sure it won't cost me a bomb to run and be a worry whenever I drive it. I have owned the Volvo for a month (in the first month I owned the Lexus, the heater clapped out).

Thank you for reading... I hope this review drives you away from Lexus and into a Volvo.

Rachael

Faults:

Front suspension noise at 154000 KM. Frightening metal on metal squeaking appeared after new shocks were installed.

General Comments:

Lexus built a generally great car, and then put a terrible front suspension system in it. If you look at other sources, you'll find front suspension complaints are the most common.

It's a hybrid strut - control arm design that has the worst characteristics of both. All the parts are cast-iron, so they are heavy and transmit shocks into the body. The lower rear arm positions its bushing 90-degrees to its normal direction of travel, so it places stress on the lower ball-joint.

Then they specify low profile tires to further increase the stress on the system and shocks through the body. This is neither a luxury car - too stiff, too noisy, nor is it a sports sedan - bad suspension design and geometry.

Too bad because it's a reliable (except front suspension), attractive, well-made and comfortable car. I'm actually afraid to drive it now, even though two different dealers have inspected the front end and say it's fine.