Going from an M3 to a Luxobarge, anyone?

[r0cketm0nkey]

I've actually debated this for a while...to make a long story short, I've been trying to retire my go-fast rhetoric and settle with something a bit more civilized. Changing tastes and whatnot. I actually swapped from an Evo to a Camry of all things at one point, only to get my current E92 M3 after swapping from Camry to a G37 Coupe.

The E92 M3 has been great, there is really nothing I can fault it for, save for maybe the fact it's a coupe and it has massive doors, so it's hard to ingress and egress. But here's the thing...when it comes to performance, it will never beat my past 600whp Evo. I've dumped an entire car's worth in mods into the Evo, and it just won't be beat, especially now that I'm no longer dropping my life savings into modding like I used to. Even when I speak with friends about the M3's performance, I always sort of footnote how it doesn't compare to my old Evo, etc...so I know unconsciously, I'm always a slight bit disappointed, I guess?

On the other side of the coin, I've realized that I'm really liking this luxury thing. Performance aside, it was very comfortable to drive, and it can be switched from a canyon carver to a city cruiser with a touch of the M button. Additionally, I've purchased a used 2002 Lexus LS430 UL, and despite its age, it is still far more comfortable and luxurious than most of the cars I've encountered, and I go to my share of auto shows. I really dig the old school looks and the insane comfort it provides.

Which comes to my current dilemma. I now have a chance to purchase a 2013 Lexus LS460L UL AWD (which is very rare in itself, though not as rare as the Executive trim), but I will have to trade in the M3 should I choose to do so. Strangely, my 22000 mile M3 is worth around the same price as the 50000 mile LS460L, but it says a lot about Lex's resale value too. That aside, I'm genuinely on the fence. Both have been well cared for, and both my M3 and the LS460 are in very good condition. One is a grand tourer, and one is a Luxobarge. My question is: has anyone sold a performance car and traded it for a Luxobarge? Did you regret your decision? Did you end up going back to the grand tourer or high performance family? Keep in mind this is assuming you can only have one. I already have a daily driver in the 2002 LS430.

[Montaver]

If its your second car and want something a little more GT in nature why don't you look at the e39 M5? They hold their value well, strong torquey engine, 6 speed manual, still look fantastic and make a great relaxed cruiser. Given you already have a Lexus for wafting around in doesn't really make sense to me why you would double up.

[Shiza]

It sounds like you need to supercharge the M3. You'll forget about the Evo

[MrGatsby]

So you want two Lexus luxobarges instead of one Lexus luxobarge, and one phenomenal sports car? I fail to see the point...

You complain that the E92 doesn't feel as fast or sporty as the Evo, do you think the LS460 will feel faster, or sportier?

Besides, as far as luxobarges go, the Lexus would be towards the very bottom of my list. What's the asking price on the Lexus? If its the same as your 22k mile M3 it must be high 30's low 40's. If that's the case, for the same money you could find anything from a slightly used Jaguar XJR, Mercedes S class AMG, BMW M5, to a Porsche Panamera. The aforementioned cars will give you that comfortable, luxury feeling but also satisfy your sports cravings. The Lexus is far too tame in comparison.

[Z K]

I have yet to run a faster lap time in my M3 on track compared to my old lightly modified Evo... that said, the M3 is a pretty good performance car. I've tweaked it more for performance rather than comfort. In stock form, it is not very impressive.

As for going for more luxury, after the M3 got modded for more track performance, the comfort aspect of the car was kinda compromised. I can still drive it every day but it's no longer a comfortable car for every day use. I purchased a newer Audi A4 to drive every day and it's been great.

[Transfer]

Sure maybe go luxobarge, but Lexus? Nah, I'd stick with BMW. I'd say M550i but sounds like you may be on a budget if looking at used Lexus.

[pbonsalb]

How about a 2015 E63 AMG BiTurbo S AWD? At least it’s fast, unlike the Lexus. I would like one. My 08 E90M3 is my luxobarge beater for now.

I also have a much faster other car, a built motor turbo E36M3 that makes about 700 rwhp on pump gas plus meth. I drive it nearly as much as the E90M3 just because it’s so much fun.

[K-M3]

Originally Posted by r0cketm0nkey

I've actually debated this for a while...to make a long story short, I've been trying to retire my go-fast rhetoric and settle with something a bit more civilized. Changing tastes and whatnot. I actually swapped from an Evo to a Camry of all things at one point, only to get my current E92 M3 after swapping from Camry to a G37 Coupe.

The E92 M3 has been great, there is really nothing I can fault it for, save for maybe the fact it's a coupe and it has massive doors, so it's hard to ingress and egress. But here's the thing...when it comes to performance, it will never beat my past 600whp Evo. I've dumped an entire car's worth in mods into the Evo, and it just won't be beat, especially now that I'm no longer dropping my life savings into modding like I used to. Even when I speak with friends about the M3's performance, I always sort of footnote how it doesn't compare to my old Evo, etc...so I know unconsciously, I'm always a slight bit disappointed, I guess?

On the other side of the coin, I've realized that I'm really liking this luxury thing. Performance aside, it was very comfortable to drive, and it can be switched from a canyon carver to a city cruiser with a touch of the M button. Additionally, I've purchased a used 2002 Lexus LS430 UL, and despite its age, it is still far more comfortable and luxurious than most of the cars I've encountered, and I go to my share of auto shows. I really dig the old school looks and the insane comfort it provides.

Which comes to my current dilemma. I now have a chance to purchase a 2013 Lexus LS460L UL AWD (which is very rare in itself, though not as rare as the Executive trim), but I will have to trade in the M3 should I choose to do so. Strangely, my 22000 mile M3 is worth around the same price as the 50000 mile LS460L, but it says a lot about Lex's resale value too. That aside, I'm genuinely on the fence. Both have been well cared for, and both my M3 and the LS460 are in very good condition. One is a grand tourer, and one is a Luxobarge. My question is: has anyone sold a performance car and traded it for a Luxobarge? Did you regret your decision? Did you end up going back to the grand tourer or high performance family? Keep in mind this is assuming you can only have one. I already have a daily driver in the 2002 LS430.

I'm on the same fence as you .... looking seriously at the xjr575. Will let you know how it goes .... on my test drive , that thing DID NOT FEEL short on power. Haven't decided yet but we will see.

On the Lexus side, I test drive a GSF recently . Very comfortable and luxurious with very decent power , albeit quite a bit less involving. I guess depends on what u r looking for.

Can you keep both ?? I do tend to agree with others on this thread about getting something other than a Lexus .... lots of exciting cars out there as compared to the Lexus

[r0cketm0nkey]

I guess I should clarify a bit...if I'm going to get the LS460, I'm NOT looking for performance, just the most comfortable ride with the reliability to boot. It sounds super boring, because it is. I know there are others out there with better performance for the dollar and still get the relative comfort, but I do plan to keep it for a good while. Reliability concerns, it's hard to top Lexus.

I'm just curious if anyone looked back and ever thought "maybe I should come back" kinda thing. Because I did once, for what it was worth, and I frankly don't want to do it again. It's either I go hella boring luxobarge or just drop the idea and keep my M3.

And yeah I'm trying to not add to my bills. My M3 currently is worth high 30's, and the Lex is around the same range.

As far as keeping both, I have juggled with the idea. I actually can do it, but I only got one garage space...really don't want two cars in the street when it's just me. Makes no sense lol

[K-M3]

Originally Posted by r0cketm0nkey

I guess I should clarify a bit...if I'm going to get the LS460, I'm NOT looking for performance, just the most comfortable ride with the reliability to boot. It sounds super boring, because it is. I know there are others out there with better performance for the dollar and still get the relative comfort, but I do plan to keep it for a good while. Reliability concerns, it's hard to top Lexus.

I'm just curious if anyone looked back and ever thought "maybe I should come back" kinda thing. Because I did once, for what it was worth, and I frankly don't want to do it again. It's either I go hella boring luxobarge or just drop the idea and keep my M3.

And yeah I'm trying to not add to my bills. My M3 currently is worth high 30's, and the Lex is around the same range.

As far as keeping both, I have juggled with the idea. I actually can do it, but I only got one garage space...really don't want two cars in the street when it's just me. Makes no sense lol

Well .. if it's reliability and comfort that u r looking at , I don't think anyone can fault Lexus for being the top dog in this ... they just are .... plus one of the best customer service around

[M3D]

Originally Posted by Montaver

If its your second car and want something a little more GT in nature why don't you look at the e39 M5? They hold their value well, strong torquey engine, 6 speed manual, still look fantastic and make a great relaxed cruiser. Given you already have a Lexus for wafting around in doesn't really make sense to me why you would double up.

This is a great point. Years ago I owned an 03 E39 M5, a 94 600hp Supra and a 02 Ford Lightening. I found myself grabbing the keys to the M5 almost every time. It was so comfortable and had plenty of power. I ended up selling the other two because I never drove them. Then I traded the E39 M5 in on a 06 E46 M3 Comp Pack. I loved the idea of the high rev motor. Then I traded that in for a 2011 E92 Comp 6sp. My E39 was like new condition and super low miles when I traded it in. That was a mistake. I miss that car badly. That car is the best of all worlds. If you don’t want a stick. Maybe go a whole new direction. Macan GTS?

[Richbot]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

How about a 2015 E63 AMG BiTurbo S AWD? At least it’s fast, unlike the Lexus. I would like one. My 08 E90M3 is my luxobarge beater for now.

I also have a much faster other car, a built motor turbo E36M3 that makes about 700 rwhp on pump gas plus meth. I drive it nearly as much as the E90M3 just because it’s so much fun.

We just bought a 2015 E63S last year as I've mentioned on here before.

If you want cushy you want something else. It's got massaging seats and whatever, and it's comfy compared to a track-focused car, but the ride is nowhere near the comfort of a Lexus LS. In full-floppy-shocks comfort mode, it only rides marginally better than my M3 and most of that is because of the extra half-ton of weight and longer wheelbase. It has 255/35-19's which must be inflated near max pressure because they're so small compared to the GVWR of the car. The transmission is also nowhere near as low-stress as the gear butler in the Lexus. The E63 demands a lot of attention from the diver (for us, a feature not a bug, but it sounds like the opposite of the goal here) for a luxury barge.

But I also don't get why OP wouldn't just drive the '02 LS430 as a daily and get something a little riskier if you want something fancy, like an S550. Or a Bentley. If the LS430 is going bye-bye, yeah, OK, stick to Lexus so the car will never let you down or give you up or turn around and desert you

[BayE30]

This thread makes me sad.

I understand the appeal of a comfy cruiser, but you already have one... also, Lexus has to make the most old man centric sedans ever, they are soo numb. But hey if that gets you off, then do it.

My e90 m3 is my "luxobarge" as its soo soft compared to my track oriented e30, or my stiff riding ass x5 truck.