Lexus: GS 400 vs BMW 540

In article <Rytkd.22853$bellglobal.com>,
"George Johnston" <ca> wrote:
 

In that very same market comes the new Acura RL, interestingly enough.

> What are the advantages of a 400 over the 540? I am in the market for a 

I'd go for the GS if you want a more luxurious car and a more troublefree
car. But if you want to drive the car at all aggressively, the BMW is the
car you want. It's also available with a manual tranny.

- Mark

In article <svBkd.599019$8_6.331616@attbi_s04>,
"markjen" <net> wrote:
 

Good point on the manual transmission.

But keep in mind that Honda, who has always made their cars sportier
than not, is probably playing that card pretty heavily with the RL.

I'm assuming you're refering to older models as both of these cars which
have now changed engine displacement and thus name badges.
I have 2000 GS400....love this car; beautiful interior, excellent sound
system, more powerfull, faster, and better braking than the 540....not to
mention about 4x more reliable(Consumer Reports). However, the ride is
softer than the 540 (but not by much), but with this you lose much of the
precision and control the 540 possess on twisty roads, along with its
aggressive handling which produces superior slalom scores---the lexus has
down right slopy handling for a luxury sport sedan. But,I could not get
over the spartan interior of the BMW, and loved the speed and reliablity
of the lexus(85k and no trouble thus far).
hope this helps
Jay

George,

For what it's worth I'll share my feelings on this. And I'll qualify it by
stating I've never owned a Bimmer 540. But I did own a BMW 5 series (535)
for several years and now drive a GS 400 (both auto drive, no special
handling package, etc.). I purchased both used from the same small dealer
who sells luxury models (both were first time lease releases with about
55-58,000 miles on the clock). The BMW in the handling department was
superior, and I believe BMW is the best handling sedan short of spending a
TON of money. But the GS 400 handles almost as well. The GS is smooth and
powerful (which I'm sure the 540 would be also), but I'm saying all this to
get to this point: the BMW line is plagued with many repairs and cost where
the Lexus is virtually fault free. I became quite close to my independent
BMW repair man (used to race Bimmers around Miami area) due to the many
visits I made for repair. I saw the same BMW's (and other German makes and
Volvo) around his shop for several years, so I know my car wasn't a
particularly bad lemon - others had the same repair problems. When I bought
my Lexus I suggested maybe he would take on the Lexus line for repairs. He
jokingly, but I believe seriously too, said if he depended on Lexus repair
for his living he would go broke, as they don't break much. Was good for me
to hear anyway.

If your primary objective is handling and sportiness I would venture the BMW
would be the choice, just based on BMW's stellar reputation for handling.
But if you're looking at the overall picture of sport, handling,
acceleration, braking and quality of construction and freedom of repairs,
the Lexus would be my choice.

I'm more of a pragmatic, older driver (61 years) so I like a mix of
sport/dependability. I hope this is helpful in some way.

Harold Williams

"George Johnston" <ca> wrote in message
news:Rytkd.22853$bellglobal.com... 

"George Johnston" <ca> wrote in message
news:Rytkd.22853$bellglobal.com... 
Better preformance, nicer interior, better looking exterior. I looked at
both and chose the GS400 a few years ago. Only the M5 is quicker, and too
expensive.