Lexus, Toyota or Honda?

Discussion:

(too old to reply)

ray

2008-03-30 00:21:07 UTC

I currently own a 2000 Toyota Avalon XLS and am looking for new wheels
(and the rest of the car to go with it). I have been happy with Ava
and looked at the new Toyota Avalon, Camry, and the Honda Accord. I
haven't looked at the Lexus ES350 yet because the dealership is about
a 2 hour drive from here. The reviews look good.

My initial conclusion is they all look good. The Toyota / Lexus are
somewhat quieter and smoother, the Honda probably more reliable.

I hear that Toyota quality and reliability is slipping and the 6 speed
transmission used in all the cars that I am considering has problems.
How serious are they? The Lexus seems nice but I am being told that
it must be taken to the Lexus dealer for warranty repairs, a 4 hour
drive round trip. Is this true, or can the local Toyota dealer handle
it?

I considered the Accura TL, but it does not come with cloth seats. The
Honda dealer was pushing the Nissan Altima. I don't think they are as
reliable as the Toyota. I recently rented Nissan Sentra for 2 months
in Hawaii. In 2 months due to failures we drove 3 different ones and
were not impressed. Any other suggestions for a nicer car that comes
with cloth seats?

Jay Somerset

2008-03-30 01:49:23 UTC

Permalink

Post by ray
I currently own a 2000 Toyota Avalon XLS and am looking for new wheels
(and the rest of the car to go with it). I have been happy with Ava
and looked at the new Toyota Avalon, Camry, and the Honda Accord. I
haven't looked at the Lexus ES350 yet because the dealership is about
a 2 hour drive from here. The reviews look good.
My initial conclusion is they all look good. The Toyota / Lexus are
somewhat quieter and smoother, the Honda probably more reliable.
I hear that Toyota quality and reliability is slipping and the 6 speed
transmission used in all the cars that I am considering has problems.
How serious are they? The Lexus seems nice but I am being told that
it must be taken to the Lexus dealer for warranty repairs, a 4 hour
drive round trip. Is this true, or can the local Toyota dealer handle
it?
I considered the Accura TL, but it does not come with cloth seats. The
Honda dealer was pushing the Nissan Altima. I don't think they are as
reliable as the Toyota. I recently rented Nissan Sentra for 2 months
in Hawaii. In 2 months due to failures we drove 3 different ones and
were not impressed. Any other suggestions for a nicer car that comes
with cloth seats?

Unless you want the "prestige" that goes with the Lexus marque, get
the Avalon. Much better value for the money. Honda is also good, and
lately, seems to have slightly better reliability than Toyota, but if
you were happy with your Avalon, stay with the brand.

From the sound of it, the inconvenience in getting to/from your Lexus
dealer would be a significant factor, even if value-for-money was not
a consideration.

--
Jay (remove dashes for legal email address)

W. Wells

2008-03-30 14:34:11 UTC

Permalink

I have a 2002 SC430. Have had one small problem fixed under warranty. It was
done by a certified Lexus mechanic not the dealer. I don't think you have to
go to a dealer for warranty repairs.

Post by Jay Somerset

Unless you want the "prestige" that goes with the Lexus marque, get
the Avalon. Much better value for the money. Honda is also good, and
lately, seems to have slightly better reliability than Toyota, but if
you were happy with your Avalon, stay with the brand.
From the sound of it, the inconvenience in getting to/from your Lexus
dealer would be a significant factor, even if value-for-money was not
a consideration.
--
Jay (remove dashes for legal email address)

Mike Piacente

2008-03-30 15:23:24 UTC

Permalink

If I'm not mistaken, it is Federal law that any warranty repairs (for any
make) can be done anywhere by anyone (even you) as long as you retain the
receipt(s) for the work done/parts bought. You can then send them to the
manufacturer for reimbursement.

Post by W. Wells
I have a 2002 SC430. Have had one small problem fixed under warranty. It
was done by a certified Lexus mechanic not the dealer. I don't think you
have to go to a dealer for warranty repairs.

Post by Jay Somerset

Unless you want the "prestige" that goes with the Lexus marque, get
the Avalon. Much better value for the money. Honda is also good, and
lately, seems to have slightly better reliability than Toyota, but if
you were happy with your Avalon, stay with the brand.
From the sound of it, the inconvenience in getting to/from your Lexus
dealer would be a significant factor, even if value-for-money was not
a consideration.
--
Jay (remove dashes for legal email address)

ray

2008-03-30 20:02:07 UTC

Permalink

Interesting! I knew that routine maintenance can be done anywhere. I
asked the local Toyota service department if they could do warranty
work on a Lexus, I asked the same of Honda about Acura. They both
said routine maintenance yes, warranty no. Do it yourself is probably
not the answer since warranty work usually entails some new part that
must be replaced that would require a trip to the Lexus dealer.

On Sun, 30 Mar 2008 11:23:24 -0400, "Mike Piacente"

Post by Mike Piacente
If I'm not mistaken, it is Federal law that any warranty repairs (for any
make) can be done anywhere by anyone (even you) as long as you retain the
receipt(s) for the work done/parts bought. You can then send them to the
manufacturer for reimbursement.

Post by Jay Somerset

Unless you want the "prestige" that goes with the Lexus marque, get
the Avalon. Much better value for the money. Honda is also good, and
lately, seems to have slightly better reliability than Toyota, but if
you were happy with your Avalon, stay with the brand.
From the sound of it, the inconvenience in getting to/from your Lexus
dealer would be a significant factor, even if value-for-money was not
a consideration.
--
Jay (remove dashes for legal email address)

Ray O

2008-03-30 20:17:15 UTC

Permalink

That is not quite the case. Warranty work can be done by another shop in an
emergency, but the vehicle owner has to pay the other shop and retain any
parts that were replaced and submit the receipt and used parts to a Lexus
dealer for reimbursement. An emergency would be defined as a vehicle that
will not operate or is dangerous to operate in a location too far to tow or
that is repaired when the closed dealer is closed. All emergency
reimbursements are through a dealer, not directly from the automaker. If
the dealer and/or automaker's rep finds that the parts were not defective or
if the repair does not solve the condition, the owner will not receive
reimbursement. If non-OEM parts are used in the repair, the automaker will
not warranty any further problems with the parts.

Also, some repairs require district service manager authorization, even when
done at a dealership. It will be difficult to get reimbursement for those
repairs if the customer did not contact the automaker's or dealer's customer
service department first.

The OP should purchase a car from an automaker with a dealer that is a
reasonable travel time and distance from his home or work.

--
Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

Mike Piacente

2008-03-31 00:10:31 UTC

Permalink

Post by Ray O

That is not quite the case. Warranty work can be done by another shop in
an emergency, but the vehicle owner has to pay the other shop and retain
any parts that were replaced and submit the receipt and used parts to a
Lexus dealer for reimbursement. An emergency would be defined as a
vehicle that will not operate or is dangerous to operate in a location too
far to tow or that is repaired when the closed dealer is closed. All
emergency reimbursements are through a dealer, not directly from the
automaker. If the dealer and/or automaker's rep finds that the parts were
not defective or if the repair does not solve the condition, the owner
will not receive reimbursement. If non-OEM parts are used in the repair,
the automaker will not warranty any further problems with the parts.
Also, some repairs require district service manager authorization, even
when done at a dealership. It will be difficult to get reimbursement for
those repairs if the customer did not contact the automaker's or dealer's
customer service department first.
The OP should purchase a car from an automaker with a dealer that is a
reasonable travel time and distance from his home or work.
--
Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

Outstanding as always Ray O. Thanks for the correct info.

Ray O

2008-03-31 04:46:35 UTC

Permalink

Post by Mike Piacente

Post by Ray O

Post by Mike Piacente
If I'm not mistaken, it is Federal law that any warranty repairs (for
any make) can be done anywhere by anyone (even you) as long as you
retain the receipt(s) for the work done/parts bought. You can then send
them to the manufacturer for reimbursement.

That is not quite the case. Warranty work can be done by another shop in
an emergency, but the vehicle owner has to pay the other shop and retain
any parts that were replaced and submit the receipt and used parts to a
Lexus dealer for reimbursement. An emergency would be defined as a
vehicle that will not operate or is dangerous to operate in a location
too far to tow or that is repaired when the closed dealer is closed. All
emergency reimbursements are through a dealer, not directly from the
automaker. If the dealer and/or automaker's rep finds that the parts
were not defective or if the repair does not solve the condition, the
owner will not receive reimbursement. If non-OEM parts are used in the
repair, the automaker will not warranty any further problems with the
parts.
Also, some repairs require district service manager authorization, even
when done at a dealership. It will be difficult to get reimbursement for
those repairs if the customer did not contact the automaker's or dealer's
customer service department first.
The OP should purchase a car from an automaker with a dealer that is a
reasonable travel time and distance from his home or work.
--
Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

Outstanding as always Ray O. Thanks for the correct info.

You're welcome! I guess all those years of quoting the warranty policies
and procedures manual to dealers stuck in my mind. ;-)

--
Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

john

2008-03-31 09:00:13 UTC

Permalink

Lexus is my opinion
_______
Used Car Donation
Car and Autos Zone
http://www.zone-car.com

Ray O

2008-03-30 01:27:14 UTC

Permalink

All of the cars you listed should be fine. The 6 speed transmission
problems have been solved.

I would pass on the Lexus as you do have to go to the dealer for warranty
repairs.

--
Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

Graybeard

2008-03-31 01:30:44 UTC

Permalink

Hi Ray
I also owned a 2000 Avalon XLS, and traded it at 90,000 miles. Bought a
Lexus ES350. My recommendation is to buy the new Avalon. It has a bigger
trunk, reclining rear seats, runs on recommended regular gas instead of
premium, is wider, higher, longer, and rides beautifully. Unfortunately, we
bought the Lexus because of the increased length over the 2000 - it wouldn't
fit in our garage with my workbench!
Graybeard.

ACAR

2008-03-31 12:29:31 UTC

Permalink

As Ray O said, Toyota's 6-speed trans. issues are solved so initial
quality for all the cars on your list is fine.

The Avalon and Camry drive differently than does the Accord. You may
prefer the more isolated feel of the Toyota products to the more
responsive Honda. IMHO, the dash design of the Accord is miserable
with all those buttons. But I like the exterior design of the Accord
better than the Camry. To each their own...

Take extensive test drives in theses cars, over the same roads if
possible and at night, if possible. You'll soon figure out which car
you like the best.

FWIW: I own both Honda and Toyota products. I found equal reliability
to 100,000 miles but my Toyota required less maintenance/repair
between 100,000 and 200,000 miles than my Hondas. I found Toyota
installs simply awful tires on their cars (worse than Honda) and I
suggest immediate replacement with decent tires. I use the customer
survey results at www.tirerack.com to get an idea re. tire
performance.