The time has come!

Can't do it sir. You can wait. It's being checked as I type this for mechanical soundness (as always with a brand spankin' used car). No sense in getting everyone worked up over the car if it turns out to be a lemon.



BTW, I said "Brand-Spankin'-Used. That's a Jeep term, if you didn't know already.



But it's not a Mopar. ;)
 
Like many other people have suggested, you should get a reliable car and drive it instead of getting a BMW or a Lexus. I know it would be a cool thing to drive around in one of those since I'm a teenager also, but why not wait till you're out of college and have a stable job and then you could get a brand new one of those instead. I'm 17 and I'm driving around in an 04 Civic and I love it. Even though it doesn't have power windows or door locks it has a CD player and thats all I really need. And besides it gets 30-33 mpg city. And it will last a long, long, long time.
 
Oh, we checked out that 528i today. Major holograms all over the car (that wouldn't realy have influenced the purchase anyway). One dent in the back bumper down low, and the usual wear. Looked good, but it was an auto with 124k on the clock. I'll take everyone's advice and stay from the German cars for now. Japanese cars are reliable, right?



AccordManiac- I understand this. However, I don't do anything because it's "the cool thing to do". On the contrary. If I was, I'd have a DSM or an old Jetta held together by duct tape (yes, there's one of those in the parking lot).



*Edit, thanks Scott :up
 
TW85 HHI said:
Overall, it is pretty hard to beat the reliability of Japanese cars.
Click to expand...



Which is why I've has nothing else since the late 80's. I know what I am getting with a Japanese car. Sure, a BMW is more exciting but lately, German cars are getting a reputation for poor reliability.
 
Scottwax said:
German cars are getting a reputation for poor reliability.
Click to expand...



I don't know if that is anything new but considering American cars are becoming more reliable, the questionable reliability of European vehicles is more pronounced. Oddly, Japanese vehicles had taken a slight fall in quality and the manufacturers are now working to bring it back up.
 
MongooseGA said:
About when did the Japanese cars begin to lose thier legendary reliability?
Click to expand...



When they started making them in America.;)



Seriously, though, certain brands such as Toyota and Honda have always been very reliable, even as their build quality shows evidence of cost-cutting (especially Toyota). I was very disappointed in the latest Altima from a fit/finish/materials perspective. I think certain brands like Mitsubishi have always had their quality issues, but it's only coming to light more since more people are buying what used to be a very obscure brand. As was mentioned earlier, the Japanese makes' minimal reliability issues are only more noticeable because American manufacturers are making important strides in the areas of quality and dependability, narrowing the gap, as it were. The Japanese advantage grows smaller with each passing year, but they still have a lead.



Glenn, I hope for safety's sake that the car you are considering has as many modern safety features as possible. A lightweight car may be fun to drive, but there are a lot of brain-dead SUV drivers out there asleep at the helm of a 5,000-pound vehicle (nothing against SUVs as long as they are driven responsibly, as any car should).



Good luck with your purchase! May it serve you and your detailing needs for years to come!
 
All the air bags availiable for the year, traction control...



I'm sure it's a very safe car. When I reveal it to you guys (cross your fingers for it to check out ok) you'll see that it's not some light weight car to throw around.



Quite comfy. :)
 
Infiniti of some sort?



It was during the 90s that Japanese quality dropped a bit, particularly Toyota. Toyota, with each recent redesign or new model, has been working heavily at giving (or exceeding) the same quality they became known for.



Honda had corrosion problems for a while (solved in the mid-90s as far as I know) and of course the transmission failures that I spoke of earlier.



Nissan has never been a benchmark though they are still reliable.
 
Can't count them on one hand.



Just barely makes it one 2 hands.



I can't give the exact year, but I'll say this car had a run from 1992-1999, then had a successor a little while later. ;)
 
Well, I was hoping that noone would guess until I was able to polish her up and post some beauty shots.



Kartoon, you ruined this entire thread!



Haha, just kidding ;)



Will be calling the mechanic in a few minutes to check up on her.
 
Maybe an SC400...



Although it would have to be a pretty old one to be under 15k.



If it IS an SC be sure to have a Lexus dealer look it over, not just a mechanic. They'll do it for $100 usually and while you're there they can print you out the entire service history. Lexus has a national database that logs every service ever preformed at a Lexus dealer.



Also, 4,000 miles a year is not always a good thing at all. On these cars (on any car) you can have dry rotting of bushings and suspension components, deteriorated wiring and sensors, damage from rodents.



Don't want to be a buzz killer but really think this through.



Come over to the us.lexusownersclub.com board and look through the SC section at common problems for the year and direct the dealer to look at them specifically.
 
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