Buyer's remorse: Should I have bought a 420 SEL instead of an LS400?

"TeenageCarNut" (1995lexusls400) 07/29/2015 at 13:59 • Filed to: None

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So I am extremely happy with my purchase of a 1995 LS400 with 82,000 miles. But the more I think of the 420SEL, the more I fall in love. Now I’m thinking I should have bought the Benz instead of the Lexus. My budget was $5,600. Did I make the right choice? Discuss the pros and cons of each below.

Rico > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 14:03

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The Lexus is going to be more reliable than any Benz of that year. Period.

itschrome > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 14:04

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110100100

which is both my answer and a tattoo I’m getting

itschrome > Rico 07/29/2015 at 14:06

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this is the truth but I can’t help but feel the ‘benz would have a been a sweeter ride when it did work...

Party-vi > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 14:07

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That Lexus is common as hell and uses Toyota parts. The Mercedes uses Mercedes parts. I’m thinking you did good with the Lexus, but good god does the 420SEL look nice.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 14:08

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You made the right choice. That’s probably one of the last old school Benzes in the sense that the German engineers won out over the German accountants, but the Lexus really raised the bar.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 14:08

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I think the Lexus was the better choice. The Merc is built like a tank and is reliable, but at the end of the day the LS is a Toyota and will probably outlive the sun. Of course, I don’t like Mercedes so my opinion is biased. Plus, the V8 in the LS has a mod community behind it and I don't generally think Benzs do.

Rico > itschrome 07/29/2015 at 14:10

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Definitely, it also looks much better than the Lexus inside and out. But it sounds like the OP was on a budget so in that sense the Lexus was the more sensible choice.

TractorPillow > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 14:11

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I had a 86 420 SEC; parts were expensive, but it was a way cool car. You are a teen, you did well getting a Lexus

JGrabowMSt > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 14:15

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Take my advice, love the Lexus. Owning a Mercedes is very much like a marriage. Owning a black Mercedes is well, let’s not get into it...

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 14:15

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If you want to make the LS fast, there are parts out there. If you want to make the SEL fast, good luck.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 14:17

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For a first car I feel the Lexus is the better pick. Both are tanks but if something does fail the Lexus will be much easier on you!

Also I know a girl at school with one that has over 360k miles on the original engine and it’s still going..despite being beatto hell

sony1492 > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 14:19

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Part prices are cheaper on the Lexus. Repair costs will be vast with either of them.

MultiplaOrgasms > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 14:20

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I thought it was slow, had sub-par handling, questionable reliability in your price range and lacks aftermarket?

itschrome > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 07/29/2015 at 14:20

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If you want to make the LS fast, there are parts out there. If you want to make the SEL fast, good luck. drive the SEL more than once a month, good luck.

FTFY

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 07/29/2015 at 14:24

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Then there is Matt Farah’s of the same vintage.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 14:30

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I looked at both before I got my first car. The W126 is probably cooler, but the LS400 is the better car. Certainly it is cheaper to work on and newer, and does everything else just as well.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 14:32

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You made the right choice. Both are reliable machines, but the Lexus is more so and parts for it will be way more easily available and cheaper. Much better as a first car.

RallyWrench > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 14:43

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Both are great cars, but the Mercedes has that extra bit of class, and I personally prefer its interior and road feel. The Lexus, however, won’t consume your bank account to get past 200k miles. While I love the W126, having worked on them for most of 2 decades, the Lexus is faster, quieter, easier and cheaper to care for, and is one of the most reliable cars ever made. I could run off a list of things the 420 will require to keep it up to par, almost none of which are cheap. They are fairly DIY friendly though if you’re mechanically inclined. All things considered, you did well to grab the Lexus, especially with such low mileage.

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 14:45

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You need to learn how to take care of your car first before you can buy a Benz.

That being said, it’s kind of stupid to go HID headlamps and I have no sympathy if you do.

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 14:47

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I had a ‘89 560SEL, charcoal gray over oxblood leather. It was really nice looking, ran well, and I only paid $1900 for it with 109k miles on it. It’s the car I was driving when I met my wife 7 years ago, which is kinda cool.

When I bought the car, it didn’t have a radio in it, so I brought it to my local Mercedes dealer to have them find and input the code for the radio I bought for the car. A few hours later, they call me up and tell me to go to the next nearest Mercedes dealer because they no longer have the tool they need to pull the code.

I go in to grab my keys, and the service writer says to me (an unemployed 23 year old picking up my $1900 Mercedes) that they did an inspection on the car, and he just wanted to go over a few things they recommended doing. Head gaskets, rear main seal, valve cover gaskets, transmission pan...you name it, they recommended I do it. The inspection was 2 pages single spaced, and the grand total for everything they recommended was right about $11,000. I told them I might bring it back next week to have them fix the headlight wipers, since that was only going to run me $65.

Oh, and after that I found out that you couldn’t just replace the radio head unit because of some weird amplifier system MB uses, so I had to get a whole new audio system installed to the tune of $1100...though it was excellent. I got bored with the car and sold it about half a year later.

So yeah, maybe you’ve got a little buyer’s remorse. We all do that...I just bought a 2008 Crown Vic P71 and I can’t help but keep looking at them to see if something better than what I got comes along. But your LS400 is the vehicle that forced Mercedes Benz (and everybody else, really) to totally change their cars...it’s the vehicle that created the modern luxury car.

I mean I’m the last guy in the world who should be telling people to stick with what they’ve got. I’m 30, and that P71 is something like the 38th car I’ve owned since I was 16. But I’d suggest instead of lamenting what you could have bought, start doing some of the stuff you want to do on your LS400...it’ll make you feel a lot better when you dive into that and start making that car your own.

Or, sell it and buy a Mercedes. Either way is fine.

VonBelmont > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 14:56

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Put it this way: At least you got to choose your first car, instead of having your parents force you into some dreadful econobox or mommy-wagon.

TractorPillow > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 15:22

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look up how much oil a 420 engine takes. also that thing loves gas.

Textured Soy Protein > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 16:43

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Your wallet certainly thinks you made the right decision.

Shark-Attack > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 17:15

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Mercedes has more expensive parts, slightly. And all the locks and a few other systems are run by vacuum so if your battery dies and you need to work on something have fun sucking on 30 year old rubber hoses. All in all though, super easy to work on, very reliable once sorted out, would take over the lexus in any circumstance that allows you to do your own wrenching.

Shark-Attack > itschrome 07/29/2015 at 17:28

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Have we ever owned one here? Or is this just a knee jerk reaction to the name “Mercedes-Benz”. Pre chrysler mercedes (96) are some of the best made cars you can buy under 10k.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 17:54

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if It were my money i’d have gotten a W140, but that’s because i’m a fanboy.

I’ll say this. the benz might seem cooler, but the only thing that will go cold is your blood when you see a parts/labor/service bill for one.

You made the better choice by buying a lexus

signed

-Mercedes fanboy

MM54 > TeenageCarNut 07/29/2015 at 19:11

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Maintenance.

Fred von Halem > TeenageCarNut 07/30/2015 at 00:02

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You made the right choice!!! Enjoy that LS400, I’ll be looking for a 400 or a 430 in a few years.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > TeenageCarNut 07/30/2015 at 01:08

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I’m trying to figure out what this reliability nonsense is that everyone else seems to be going on about. 126’s are mechanically solid. Sure they will have they quirks of whosits and whatsits not always working, as I’m sure the Lexus will also since it’s no spring chicken either, but they will never leave you stranded. They’re also simple, and can be a great platform to use to learn about cars.

That being said, you can’t really go wrong with that Lexus, especially considering that it’s really not very boring as far add a Lexus is concerned.

THAT being said, the Mercedes is so much cooler.

There is no right or wrong here, just enjoy what you have for a while.