'97 bmw 740 il or lexus ls400

[M0RDECHA1 MANDELL]

I have the bmw right now and it kicks *** but I'm a little bored of it. I was at this dealership the other day and they have a mint 97 lexus ls400 black on black and it is sweeeeeet! So far my first impressions are great with this car and it rides as smooth as silk.

The owner is willing to trade me straight up and mine has 100,000 miles and the lex has 80,000 miles.

what do you all think? Is this a good trade for me?

[marshmallow15]

i would keep the 740il, id take my parent's 530i sport over any ls400 any day. that's just my opinion though. im not really into the ls400.

[plusinfinit]

Hey thats a real dilema, they are both nice cars but personally i would stay with the BMW only because it is German. BMW has more experince and tradition in building cars than Lexus does. I believe that even in 10 years from now your BMW 7 series will have more value than that Lexus 400.

[M0RDECHA1 MANDELL]

well the way I see it is that my bmw is wayy more athletic than the ls400 when it comes to handling and high speed lane changes ect. The lex on the other hand is probably the smoothest ride I have ever experienced and is more roomy then the 740il. The other thing is looks. The 740 looks sweet but not as intimidating as the lex which I like. The lex just looks bulletproof and mean. The 740 just looks like an extended 5 series.

This is a hard decision as both have different strengths and it depends on what you want in a luxury sedan. Both of these cars are pimp and I recommend them for someone that wants an affordable, reliable luxury car. I luv my mx-3 but the girls I deal with want to ride in a car that feels like a living room on wheels.

I have a week to make a decision and I am leaning to the lex. my bmw is silver on grey leather and the lex is black on black which looks more luxurious.

[curtklze]

1) black cars are scratch magnets, if you wash the car it will get scratched, and evey piece of dust or dirt will show on it, so you will have to wash and wax it every 2 days and dust it every morning and night to keep the paint looking like a mirror.

2) the BMW is out of warranty now, so you will have to pay for the front ball joints , front sway bar end links, and rear ball joints that it probably needs now or will need in about 30,000 KM, also you will have to pay for the BMW Inspection 2 maintaince service when includes paying for the oil change, 8 Platinum spark plug changed, fuel filter, air filter, micro filters, and about 3 hours of labour, also the 740's have performance tires which wear a little faster than regular tire, so you may need 4 new tires and you cant put shiit ones on cause you WILL feel the difference and it will ride like craap, so you will have to pay about 1,000-1,600 CDN for 4 tires, also you may need a brake job which will include fornt and rear pads, rotors and brake pad sensors approx. $788.00 + tax CDN.

If you go with the 740IL get the 18 inch 5 spoke rims from the 740I sport package, they look so sweet on the 740 .

<img src="http://auto.consumerguide.com/images/au ... 002LRG.jpg" alt=" - " />

3) insuranceon both cars will be insane.

<small>[ December 25, 2003, 01:05 PM: Message edited by: curtklze ]</small>

[marshmallow15]

curt, does bmw have power packages available for an 03 325 or 530 (such as dinan or ac) that doesn't void the warranty? or is there no way in getting around voiding the warranty to do 'performance' mods.

[curtklze]

My dealership sells dinan parts, I belive that they DO NOT void the warranty, I will check on monday to be sure.

I belive that if its only somthing like intake and exhaust you sould be ok, but if you chip it or supercharge it, that may void the warranty.

I know that if you use a K&N or simmalar style of re-useable filter and you put too much oil on the filter after you have cleaned it, the oil will ruin the MAF sensor.

But again I will check on monday to verify.

you could check dinan's web site and maybe give them a call and see what they say.

But there are no FACTORY BMW bolt on performance part like TRD for toyota or MOPAR PERFORMANCE for Chrysler.

Just have to buy an M car I guess

Actually if you have ASSS LOADS of money you could swap in a 400 H.P M5 motor into the 3 series, they fit just fine I belive that you can buy M3's in the USA that way from the factory, But we dont get them here in canada

<small>[ December 25, 2003, 06:43 PM: Message edited by: curtklze ]</small>

[marshmallow15]

the m3 or m5 would've been my first choice too, but i made a deal with my parents that they could drive the 325 whenever i didn't have work or school so they wouln't get a lot of miles of the 530, and i had to put up quite a fight just to get the sports package. oh well im still very grateful. bmw thinks of everything before putting together a car

[M0RDECHA1 MANDELL]

So it looks like most people here would keep the 740il. So nobody has any thought of the ls400? I have been searching for reviews and found nothing but good things about the lex.

I found insurance to be quite low for both cars as well. I guess most people that own them are responsible people and not high risk.

driving both cars I could honestly say that the lexus is the smoothest ride I have ever come across and it is extremely well made.

[marshmallow15]

well i guess one of the main reasons for that is because bmw concentrated a lot on their suspension performance, so i guess the 740 would be a stiffer than the ls400.

[curtklze]

I would say the lexus is a better deal, the quality is the same but they usually cost a bit less, but I owned a black car and it was the tuffest ride when it was clean, but it was such a ****** to keep it clean, I will NEVER own another black daily driver car again!!.

I dont know much about the lexus you are thinking obout getting so I cant really give my opinion about it, but its brobably a super car since its made by toyota.

I know how expansive the 740IL is to maintain, if the lexus was silver or grey I would say go with the lexus, But I HATE black cars.

Sell the 740 and buy a silver 400.

[M0RDECHA1 MANDELL]

<img src="http://photoserver1.trader.ca/autotrade ... 12-16.jpeg" alt=" - " />

This is the badboy I'm getting. Of couse those wheels will be for snow as I plan on putting newer ls400 wheels on there. Curt, you are right about how much this bmw is to run and I don't want it to suck anymore money from me.

The lex is not cheap either but it is a lot cheaper then the BMW. Also just a note on all 97 BMW 740il's you cannot just open the rear windows without a huge pop in your ears. This was the only design flaw I have noticed but other then that this car is a serious luxury sports car and handles amazingly good for its size.

I guess I am just looking at dollar per dollar here and the lexus wins hands down. Also a combined mpg of 20+ is amazing for a 4.0 v8. the bmw got me 18.

[marshmallow15]

definitely get a diff color lexus if you want it daily. i have a black 3-series now that i traded my other car in for, and it is a PITA to keep it clean from swirl marks and dirt. its also garaged now and still is a pain in the arse.

[cjthor]

Just to let you know on Dinan. If you have the items dealer installed the warranty is kept.

[marshmallow15]

yaye that's good news to hear.

i was also told yesterday by my salesperson that if you do any 'cosmetic' mods, it will not void the warranty such as bumpers or whatever. but he wasn't sure about things like suspension.

anyways, unless that bmw comes with free maintenance from the dealer (which should be expired already i think), i think the lexus would be a better choice maintenance-wise.