What was your first Lexus, what Lexus have you owned and what Lexus will you get next?

[flipside909]

It's always interesting to know how people are drawn to Lexus. What was your first Lexus you've ever owned? What Lexus model first caught your eye?

The first Lexus that caught my eye was the first-ever LS 400 during the launch of the brand in 1989. I've grown up around Toyota vehicles all my life and was proud to know that the brand was ready to take on Europe & America's finest.

My first Lexus was my 2004 IS 300 (JCE10) in Millenium Silver Metallic. White is generally my go to car color but decided to change it up. It was literally a toss up between MSM and GGP (Graphite Gray Metallic) as that took me the longest to figure out on what to choose. The 04 model just came out in Sept of 03 and was ready to take the car on a surprise road trip to NorCal for the EOS meet at Lexus of Stevens Creek. I chose the IS 300 for many reasons. First it was Lexus' first true enthusiast sedan aimed at the BMW 3 series. Second it was fun to drive & third it had a ton of available aftermarket parts available for the Toyota Altezza (SXE10) from Japan. It was the best entry level compact luxury sports sedan at its time and had a great look. I regret not keeping my IS 300 but I definitely had lots of great times with it.

After my IS 300....

2007 GS 350
2009 IS F
2011 IS 350 F SPORT
2014 IS 350 F SPORT

With several new Lexus models out there, i'm not sure what I want next.

 

[krew]

The first Lexus that caught my eye was the LX 450 in 1996 -- the Toyota Land Cruiser is a rare beast in Canada, and the LX was pure amazing to me.

My first Lexus was a 1994 LS 400 in Metallic Silver. I bought it in 2006 as my first car, and it took me six months to find the right one. I had it up until last year, when the power steering pump leaked on the alternator and the steering rack went all at the same time. I replaced it with a brand new CT 200h F SPORT, which I love more than I ever expected.

Great topic idea!

 

[GSCT]

The first Lexus that really impressed me was the first generation SC - I thought it was just knock-out gorgeous but I never did drive one.

Our first Lexus was a 2008 IS250 with AWD. It looked, drove and handled better than the Mercedes C Class, rode better and was way nicer inside than a BMW 3 Series and best of all for us was its reputation of being bulletproof. It was by far the best car we had owned up to then, handled really well, was OK for speed despite having "only" 200 HP and was quiet and refined inside. The only complaints were somewhat twichy steering on the highway and a back seat suitable only for kids or amputees.

We traded the IS for a 2012 CT 200h F Sport, added a 2014 GS AWD F Sport and love them both.

 

[corradoMR2]

Ever since I can remember as a young child, I loved cars. Growing up, we had mostly domestics until our new 1.5 year-old '85 Mustang 2.3 (86 hp 3-speed-auto garbage) broke down on our family trip to Jersey . Talk about "Found On Road Dead". My dad had enough with the domestics and bought an '87 Camry that summer. A year later, an '88 MR2, then a '91 MR2, and more Toyota (and some Honda/Acura) products to this day. We had a taste for quality and reliability and there was no turning back.

For me, nothing beat the allure of the globally unprecedented craftsmanship, NVH, and styling of the LS 400 back in '89. Since then, with my strong allegiance to Toyota (and somewhat to Honda/Acura), Lexus and everything associated to it was immediately impregnated in my DNA.

Fast-forward, university, job, marriage, kids... and I got my first pre-owned '05 RX330 as we needed the room for two kids. I did have a couple other cars in between that one but the quality and latest Lexus design makes me me coming back!

 

[LexusTechSA]

I don't have my own Lexus yet, but I have been a Toyota and Lexus nut for as long as I can remember. Best vehicles on the planet . I currently drive a Toyota Hilux.

 

[oem_is300]

I have been a huge car guy growing up, and with my dad being a di-tech at Lexus I've naturally been a fan since I was young. I was really excited when they announced the IS300, and still have some of the early brochures from before it was released.

The IS is going to be my first Lexus, but most certainly not the last.

 

[RAL]

You could say I am of the 'older' generation ... newly retired too. My love for cars began as a boy back in the 60's. I'll never forget the first time I saw a silver 1963 Corvette 'Sting Ray' with the split rear windshield. And yeah I saw it in 1963 when it was brand new! My first break from domestics was a 1994 Toyota 4-Runner. I was amazed at the difference in quality in ever regard. After a Camry and two Avalons, I gave into the yearning of my mid-life crisis and bought a new 2004 Infiniti G-35 coupe in graphite. It drove as good as it looked! It was hard not to break the law in that car! ... It was so much fun! I am sure only the new RC F growls and handles better! Sadly the reliability of the Infiniti was just not there.

All along Lexus had a mystique that attracted me. A close friend had raved about his mother's LS 400. Then I drove my sister's GS 300. I was stunned by the quality and refinement. People noticed that car! Finally in 2006 we took the plunge. It was the end of August and Lexus of Louisville gave us a deal I couldn't turn down. We drove home in kind of a dream ... me in a 2007 ES 350 and my wife following in a 2007 RX 350 ... both in sleek obsidian! The neighbors didn't speak to us for weeks . It has been love ever since ... from the sheer pleasure and fun of driving down the road to the royal treatment we always get at the dealer. I love my current ES 350 Ultra with the panoramic roof. The Mark Levinson sound system is to die for! Our latest is a 2013 RX. I admit, it has taken a while for the spindle grille to grow on me, but we will never be anything but Lexus owners! ... and glad we are!

 

[krew]

We drove home in kind of a dream ... me in a 2007 ES 350 and my wife following in a 2007 RX 350 ... both in sleek obsidian!

Wow, double Lexus purchase on the same day! Wonder how many people have ever done that!

 

[RAL]

Wow, double Lexus purchase on the same day! Wonder how many people have ever done that!

We had just bought my wife's 5 year old Highlander at the end of the 60,000 mile lease for 17,500 ... because it had 106,000 miles on it! When I went to pick up the ES ... I happened to tell the salesman I would like to replace her car someday with an RX. He asked me to bare with him for a few minutes. I waited ... he came back offering me 17,500 for the Highlander and a 5,000 discount on the RX! ... I guess because it was the last day of August and they wanted to increase their monthly volume. I couldn't turn it down. I never thought I would buy one Lexus ... much less 2 at the same time!

 

[gdh300]

Well, I'm still on my first Lexus! I've been IS300 bound for only about 20 months. For the previous five years I'd been running a bargain bucket Primera and by it was switched on to Japanese engineering. Much as I loved the Primera, when the time came I wanted something with a bit extra. So I cast about for a six cylinder, from Nissan QX to Toyota Camry to Honda Legend, but I remembered how much I admired the original IS, and a 300 with the auto box seemed to tick all the boxes. It took a while to find one, the right one, but I'm glad I preserved. And we've had some great drives amidst the routine commutes. At a mere 14 years old, I don't plan on replacing it just yet, but I continually window-shop IS250s on the internet, just in case...

 

[ACEtheOG]

My first Lexus was my 2009 IS250 in SFP. I was about a year out of school and extremely excited about getting my first brand new car. I wanted the IS-F but obviously couldn't afford it at the time. The 2IS was just so much more appealing to me than the 3 Series or C Class. About a year later, I was looking at the IS-F but needed something larger and more practical so I got my 2010 GS350 AWD in Obsidian. About a year after that, an opportunity came up to get an IS-F (my parents where looking at an IS250 and decided to take over my 2009) so I pulled the trigger on my 2011 IS-F in USB. I loved the story of Yaguchi-san and the skunkworks team building the beast after hours. 3 cars over 200,000 combined kms and zero major issues. The ownership experience has been great, the cars are well built and the company consistently impresses me with their customer service. I'm now flirting with the idea of turning my 2010 GS into a 2016 GS-F LOL!

 

[Trexus]

My very first Lexus was a 1996 ES 300. I loved that car. I drove her to over 400,000 miles and a week later she got rear-ended. I'm sure if I still had my 1996 ES 300 I'd have well over 500,000 miles by now.

After my 1996 ES 300...

1996 GS 300
1998 SC 400

As of current...

2011 CT 200h
2014 GX 460

In the future...

Either an RC F or GS F

 

[krew]

As of current...

2011 CT 200h
2014 GX 460

In the future...

Either an RC F or GS F

I'm a huge GX fan, I like your current garage quite a bit. Add a GS F to it, and I'm moving in.

 

[Trexus]

I'm a huge GX fan, I like your current garage quite a bit. Add a GS F to it, and I'm moving in.

Thanks! My girlfriend and I use the CT for commuting which saves tons of gas and when we need the space for people and their stuff we use the GX. I'd like to get either the RC F or GS F for a weekend car.

It's cool that you also have a CT as well. I have over 84K miles on my CT and I'd like to see how far I can take her and love the mpg's we're getting. I notice I get more mpg's when I use premium unleaded gasoline.

 

[krew]

It's cool that you also have a CT as well. I have over 84K miles on my CT and I'd like to see how far I can take her and love the mpg's we're getting. I notice I get more mpg's when I use premium unleaded gasoline.

I almost always use premium gas -- gas mileage has been suffering with the cold weather, but we're still only filling up once every two weeks. It was a practical purchase for us (haha, luxury hybrid as a practical purchase), but I've grown to love the CT.

 

[mikeavelli]

Wow some great stories here...

For me the first Lexus that really caught my eye was the First Generation GS 300.. or "gangster" Lexus as we called it lol...then the SC and ES...I kept a Lexus 1993 brochure on my desk (crazy to think they only had 3 cars for a full lineup) and they had a pic of a white/black leather ES 300 in there that just memorized me. To this day the front end of this ES is one of my favorites (supposedly influenced by a Samurai mask). I think I got a little obsessed with the car..

What drove me to Lexus was a craptastic Hyundai Scoupe Turbo....it literally had a problem every day and every weekend I would be at Hyundai getting it fixed and between it being a Hyundai and me being 17/18 the experience was horrific. The final straw was the A/C Compressor went out for the 500th time and I wait all day at the dealer to get it fixed (literally like 8+ hours) and they call me to say its finished and I sit inside the car and turn on the A/C and it still doesn't work. I go to close my door and the DRIVER'S SIDE door panel is changed and beige! My car has a grey interior!!!!! I couldn't believe it...

Never again I told myself...my first car was actually a Nissan Sentra and as I posted in the thread "what if no Lexus" I did look at the Maxima and Q45...I wanted to stay with Nissan since the Sentra was completely reliable. But I didn't like the Maxima styling, it got pricier, the Q45 was out my range and the G20 and J30 were jokes to me.

We were actually looking at Mazda 929's for my mom (she just loved the car) and I look at the back of the lot and I see a white ES......I walk up to it and ask why is it back here. They explain its a manual transmission with black leather and no one wants it.

No one except me (they wanted to get rid of it so bad I actually broke even on the crappy Hyundai)

I'll never forget my mom looking like "wtf" when I got the ES the next day and she still had no 929 lol...and I guess you could say that ES started it all and nothing was the same...

(pic attached shows the momo real wood knob that matched perfectly and some white/black pedal attachments lol)

 

[bnizzle87]

I started with a Black Onyx ES300. It was just one of those vehicles we purchased as a family used to get us by at the time. Before then we were stuck with some gas guzzlers, as my parents were hauling us kids to school or sports games and whatnot. So this one was a nice treat. Steering was fantastic, much more nimble and precise compared to many newer vehicles today. I remember Dad always running it through the car wash on a Friday after school just so we'd have a nice clean car to pick up Mom from work. Little did he know, the antenna didn't retract all the way, and well, we've replaced that same darn part at least five times. Can't teach a dog new tricks, I guess.

Once I earned my driver's license, I stayed in the Toyota family. My parents designated me a 2002 Mineral Green Mica Toyota Camry, perfect for driving to and from college (being the eldest, there was no way my parents wanted me to dorm or get caught in some mischievous situations.....but had no problem letting the baby sis dorm when she came time to attend college), making the many Costco runs, and picking up chicks. The latter never really happened, since it was a Camry, but one can dream.

And in 2008, when I was researching new cars to purchase upon graduating college, I just fell in love with the IS F concept. Something that hadn't been seen before, tested, or even had any racing pedigree. Of course, I cross-shopped with the likes of the M3 and C63, with even the E63 as something to entertain my thoughts. But to have something fresh, something new and unknown....that was what I was after. I truly appreciated the ES300 and Camry, as both got me from Point A to B instantly and without peril. I just wanted something of my own to showcase my hard work and efforts.

And thus the next chapter of my life began. It's how I ushered in my 20s. Best decision ever.

 

[GiantsFan]

My first lexus was my current lexus! A 2007 IS250.

The main reason why? ... someone sold the BMW 330 I was getting out from under me! I was pissed at the time, but looking back, ... from all the friends and experiences I have made through the lexus community, ... my life just wouldn't be the same!

 

[phm14]

I've been focused on the RCF for the past year or so. I've only had my 2011 ISF for a year, and love it, so it will probably be a couple of years before I pull the trigger. None of the German competition is tempting me. All the auto media German car shills always forget to mention reliability. The GSF looks interesting, but it reminds me a lot of my ISF, so it doesn't make that much sense to me, with only 35K miles on the ISF, to take on the expense for something so similar. At this point, the RCF is my next Lexus. It's the car I would have bought if it were available a year ago.

 

[phm14]

The 1st car I bought myself was a 1974 Celica, which followed my 1st-a 1969 Olds Cutlass S, both of which I thrashed to within an inch of their lives. I have owned many Japanese sports cars, as well as Toyota 4x4 trucks for work and play. The many Toyotas I've owned always seemed to beg for more, after taking whatever I dished out, and held great resale value while doing it. I noticed when the LS400 came out, and was impressed by an owners testimonial on the Lexus. We were admiring his new LS400, when he told me he had bought it as a replacement for a previous LS400 he credited with saving his life. He had been t-boned at an intersection by a large 3 axle truck, which struck his drivers side and pushed him some 200 yards down the road before grinding to a halt. While the doors were crushed, the cabin remained intact and undistorted. That was enough for him to declare he would never buy a different brand of car. My car tastes have always gravitated to performance, and I wound up with a 2011 Lexus ISF I bought used a year ago with 28K on it. Love the car, and when it's time for something else, it will be another Lexus, most likely the RCF.