nelsona

Hello,

Let me pre-face my post by saying that I'm not trying to start a flame war, but merely get trying to get a variety of opinions on an upcoming car purchase.

My current vehicle is a 2000 Integra which has been giving me problems for the last 5 - 6 years. Repairs have been a constant headache during that time and it's simply no longer worth it to put any more work into the car.

I've been looking at some new and used cars for the last few months and have narrowed my search to the following vehicles.

1. New 2016 Honda Civic Touring ($28,000.00 - $29,500.00)
2. New 2016 Toyota Camry ($34,000.00 - $35,000.00)
3. New 2016 Honda Accord Touring ($35,000.00 - $36,000.00)

4. Certified Pre-Owned 2014 Lexus ES 350 ($32,000.00 - $35,000.00)

Note: The 2014 Lexus CPO's range between 8,000 and 25,000 miles (there are 3 - 4 that have caught my eye).

All vehicle are fully loaded / top trims (including the Lexus with the Ultra Luxury Package, Mark Levinson audio, etc).

So the question I have for the forum is, given the options listed above, what would you choose and why?

The Honda's seemed like a slam dunk as my brother has an old 2001 Civic with nearly 213,000 miles on it (which I'm currently borrowing), but I'm worried with the CVT's in the new Civics.

Furthermore, I've heard quite a few complaints from people regarding the uncomfortable ride / seating in the new Accords as well as, to a lesser extent, the slightly louder ride (due most likely to wind noise / insulation issues).

Toyota, Lexus and Honda all offer reliable vehicles with pretty good warranties, but I was leaning toward the Lexus due to its especially good reliability, comfortable ride and styling.

That being said, I doubt any of the vehicles listed would be a bad choice, so making a choice isn't so clear cut.

Any thoughts?

Or put another way, what would make you hesitant to purchase a used Lexus?

The major issue I've found with Lexus is maintenance and repair costs, but that can mitigated to an extent by bringing in a Lexus to a Toyota dealership for maintenance and repairs.

Also, given that the Lexus ES and Toyota Avalon are based on the same platform and share many of the same parts, repairing a Lexus ES shouldn't be that much more expensive than an Avalon (which isn't to say it will be cheap, but given their reliability, shouldn't be something you'll end up doing that often).

Thank you,
Nelson

ezone

The 4 cylinder Accord has CVT too, since 2013.

Drive a few for yourself before you listen to others.

The local Toyota dealer in my town won't touch Lexus.

nelsona

@ezone: Thanks for the heads up about your local Toyota dealer not accepting Lexus vehicles.

I never thought to ask my local Toyota dealer if they accept Lexus vehicles. I just assumed that they did (which is apparently wrong).

That will definitely change whether it makes to sense to pickup a Lexus opposed to a Honda or Toyota.

Thank you,
Nelson

ezone

Your local Toyota dealer might take in Lexus work, but it's a good idea to ask ahead of time.


Our Honda dealer will take in Acura work (but cannot do their warranty work, obviously).