MDXLuvr

My 69 year old Dad is thinking of retiring and wants to reward himself. He has a 2000 Accord V6 and a 2003 Lexus ES. He wants to get something nice as his retirement car. This car is supposed to be his keeper for a long time.

Budget: $45K-50K or so. I am guessing $6-7 for the Accord trade.

Choices: MB E350 Vs. Lexus LS460 CPO(2007-2008) Vs. Hyundai Genesis V6.

He initially wanted a MB E350 but isn't so sure about MB long term durability. I told him to get a diesel but he doesn't want one. What would you guys think? Pro's/Con's of these choices. I think the Hyundai is a great car but I question the long term durability of it.

devs2k

CPO LS.

My parents bought a 2004 CPO LS430 in 2007 for mid to high 30s. I suspect you can get a 2007-2008 LS for high $30s.

My parents extended the CPO coverage to 3 years from purchase or 100k.

They've been pretty happy, but its not 100% bulletproof:

These have broken between 35k (when they bought it) and now (78k)
-Cd Changer
-Parking Sensor
-Power Folding Mirror
-Back up camera
-Navi/multi screen
-O2 sensor
-Subwoofer

So why the LS? Great dealer service, a Lexus loaner every time, and a great ride.

rockville

What about a new Infinity Mx5 or Lexus GS?
I might also suggest the new big Lincoln.

fishfryer

Cobra - he deserves it.

Even an Acura, I love my TL, 2006, never a problem.

The Gasman

LS hands down. It's one of the 'big 3 luxury marques' for Indians, the other 2 being MB and BMW.

Plus if it's the retirement car it'll be problem free. This is the exact advice I gave my father in law.

devs2k

Our LS seemed to be unique in its problems. Most of the options that broke were new to the 2004 model year. I suspect newer models wouldn't have as many issues.

And +1 on the desi comment

The Gasman

Do you think Toyota quality has gone down or the car has become to complicated? My father in law's 1992 LS400 still runs like a champ. He's hard pressed to get rid of it because it's problem free.

madkimchi

Lexus LS. my dad bought brand new back in 2006 and never had any problems. very luxury and comfy ride just make sure he doesn't go cheap on tires. i bought my dad a new Michelins and it's so quiet and smooth.

hyundai's overall quality improved dramatically over last 10 years but i still don't see it as nice or luxury as lexus or mb. we have a hyundai entourage at work with 160k miles now and runs pretty damn strong and never do any major maintenance other than oil change.

devs2k

I think because cars have become more complicated. Mechanically, only the o2 sensor was at fault. Everything else has been electronic, and these are usually the problems that have plagued the Germans, who have arguably had these options for years prior to the 2004 LS. O2 sensors go out all the time, regardless of cars.

I had a 1992 SC300 with just under 200k when I sold it that ran like a swiss (assembled in japan ) watch. These were much simpler cars imo.

I honestly do not think you can avoid all these problems, especially with all the gizmos in modern cars. My father's philosphy is that a car will always break...

Why does he say that? Because he lost a tranny in his TL and Odyssey, his CPO Benzes have had issues, and even the venerable Lexus has problems. But at the Lexus dealer, they give him coffee/yogurt/fruit and send him on his way in a new RX and ES loaner.

I do believe tho, however, that there is a substantial difference in tactile quality even within the Lexus line. The ES feels substantially cheaper than a LS. Yes, there is a huge price difference, but I do not get that feeling in a 3 vs 7, A4 vs A8 etc.

madkimchi

for some reason honda's newer tranny has been a huge problem from 2nd gear grind and pop out to tranny completely going out. i have a friend with v6 accord tranny went bye bye right before 100k luckily she was under CPO.