1997 Lexus LS Reviews - Page 2 of 2

Aside from bringing the car into the mechanic to make sure everything is tight, and the fluids are fresh, not too much other than a brake job, but that is normal on any car.

I have owned BMW, Mercedes, and most recently a Volvo. I was tired of the huge repair bills that these cars can rack up. My wallet went from $500 to $0 in record time with the Euro cars.

I bought Lexus after hearing of the remarkable reliability and durability. What I found thus far is that the car lives up to its reputation to be a solid and reliable car. It has the creature comforts one would expect from a semi-upper end luxury sedan, BUT here is my personal view of the rest. I think that Lexus could have improved upon the car to be less generic Toyota looking, and add some class and style like the Euro cars.

The Nakamichi premium stereo is a joke at best, and the performance is so-so at best in comparison to the others, BUT you do get a much bigger bang for the buck with Lexus. If you have extra money to keep the Euro car on the road, I highly recommend it over Lexus. If you are looking for a bargain that keeps on ticking for little money, do the Lexus, but just be prepared to expect less performance, less style and more Japanese feel. So it has its pluses and minuses in my opinion.

When it comes down to it, I would rather have a Lexus that starts and looks like it is standing still at 100mph, rather than own a Mercedes that looks like it is going 100mph on the side of the road.

My timing belt needed replacing at 100,000 km.

Extensive brake work was likewise required at that point.

The paint finish (black) does not hold up well over time; chips and scratches to the metal accumulate easily and the surface is a sea of fine lines.

The front tires (Michelin) lose pressure independently and randomly.

The seat warmers gave up the ghost early into the cold season.

Less than a year into ownership, the right front strut mount is making a most annoying noise (say goodbye to another $500!) ; what's worse is that I had to diagnose it myself after 2 Lexus dealers couldn't get it right.

An expensive acquisition that, so far, has failed to deliver on the car's reputation as a solid, long-term performer.

Service work required within 2 months of acquiring the car, used, from a Lexus dealer added to 10% to my purchase cost, followed by another $500 less than a year later.

Considering the target demographic for this car, it's startling to have to fight with an interior design that is an enemy to cell phones (yes, we're talking hands-free) and garage door openers.

Add to the above cup holders that, due to an over-padded center armrest, cannot properly hold anything, but the smallest cup, and one begins to wonder where all that category-leading design is actually to be found.

Trunk space is just okay - hardly a world leader.

And what's the point of packing in that thirsty V8 muscle (with an added-power mode, to boot) when the vehicle is not going to be up to it when cornering?