1993 Lexus LS400 or Mercedes 300e?

Question

I am buying a used car, and narrowed it down to 2. Either Lexus LS400, or Mercedes 320E.

I like the reliability of the Lexus, but my experience with Lexus/Toyota vehicles is that they are so boring to drive I almost want to fall asleep on long trips.

My experience with Mercedes is that they are more pleasant to drive than Lexus, but maybe more upkeep.

Answer 1

I favor the LS 400. This car was built like a tank. I have seen them with hundreds of thousands of miles and still running like new. The older Benzes had a good reputation, too. Anything built before they became Daimler-Chrysler is probably still a good car. I would test drive them both and pick the one I like best. It's almost certain that the Benz will cost more for upkeep, but it may be worth it if you prefer its other strengths. On cars that old, the most important thing is how it was taken care of.

Answer 2

That model Lexus is luxurious but I always found it a bit bland...I always liked the early 90's SC300-400...it was the one everybody wanted..until the GS became the in thang...the 98 GS was the best..in burgundy or all yellow...but I've seen LS400's done Vip Yakuza style with sleek widebody kit, suicide rear doors, tinted windows, Air ride suspension, and 19 or 20 inch Chrome rims...but then again, it's a Japanese car...who better to pimp them than the Japanese gangsters.
The Benz 320 is cool but go back a few years and give me that 1986 to 1991 Benz 300E with the AMG widebody kit, custom grille, and BBS rims wrapped in Pirellis..18 to 19 inches ..deep dish with spacers and Brembo brakes.
Benz has been done to death with Brabus and AMG...there is hardly any customization or personalization...Lexus is a high end Toyota and it's hardly been messed with...it's a bigger car...and the flagship..while the 320 is like the economy Benz...Big boys buy the S, CL, or SL 500 or 600...better yet the 55 AMG's.

Answer 3

The 320E is nice, and it is a substantial car. The repair bills can be quite expensive though. The LS400 is slightly bigger and the repair bills will be lower....

I worked for JD Power from 1991 to 1993 and Lexus killed the competition in almost all of our surveys.

I am partial to German cars though because I like driving.

Answer 4

Buy the 320E if you want a reliable car that's still fun to drive. These were some of the best cars Mercedes has ever built.