IS vs. BMW vs. SHO....was: Re: [Shotimes] OK...OK.....was: convention news

[George Fourchy]

On Sun, 20 Jul 2003 01:39:42 -0400, BJamesjr@aol.com wrote:

>The Lexus wants to be a BMW.  

Actually, I don't consider this car to be a wannabe anything.  I have a friend at
work that had a late '90s BMW 5 series, and after listening to his horror stories
regarding multiple fuel pumps and water pumps.....which require some HUGE wrench for
a giant nut on the front of them, I'm not interested in any BMW.  Another friend at
work...even crazier than me!!...just bought a 2001 7 series (along with a 2002
Boxter, in the same week), and you need to study the book for 20 minutes just to
move the seats.....the ergonomics of that car were (was?) designed by aliens!!  

Just because a car has a famous name doesn't make me want to have one....I've been
impressed with the customer satisfaction and build quality level of Lexus ever since
they came out, and I also have taken close notice of the build quality of our RX for
the two years we've had it (plus getting a good look inside it while the front was
apart in April).  Not a creak, rattle, buzz, or anything louder than a soft whoosh
of the a/c.  I think this IS 300 series is just Lexus' idea of how a car like that
should be, and I'm perfectly happy to agree.   I'll put it up against any _STOCK_
SHO on any track, after I get a set of Pilot Sport A/S tires on it.   These RE040s
are too soft in the tread.

My biggest complaints about the car are the fact that the door lock buttons lock
when being pushed forward, rather than backward, like SHOs, and also the fact that
the shift buttons on the wheel are not totally logical....rather than being on the
front and back (top and bottom) of the wheel, I'd rather they were more logical in
direction of movement, so I'd not have to think for a split-second which way I want
to go.   Both of these are simply designers' choices, and are of no real
consequence....they just require getting used to.  All the tough things this car
does it does just fine, as was shown on the track, and every day since then in the
fast lane of I-90.

George