Scotty,
I am 15 and planning on buying my first car, I am wanting a midsize luxury sports sedan. Do you have any recommendations on a used car? I want something the size of a BMW 3 or 5 series or Camry to Avalon. I am not buying the car now so the price will change. What I have found so far is the Lexus GS 2017 and the BMW 540i 2017 or 2018. I prefer the 540i over the 340i. I know you don’t like BMW but this uses the same B58 engine that is in the 2020 Supra with the single turbo it also shares the zf 8 speed auto transmission. Would the BMW be reliable or not if not what are the trouble spots not found on the Supra that is on the BMW. What makes the BMW less reliable? Is the Lexus reliable also? Which is most reliable? Lastly the car needs to get 25 mpg combined. Thank you!
@bclaud8977
Oh, lofty aspirations! If I was just fifteen, …
Anyway, … you want a good first car? Go and find Acura TSX, manual. Does not matter what year, … as long as it is not trashed - independent check and approval by Scotty type is mandatory, prior to purchase! - get it and enjoy it!
… and as to other musings of yours? Forget ‘em, …
Best,
F.S.
I will add another interesting option to look at.
Lexus is 350
It has paddle shifters and the sport (metal) pedals.
BMW I would stay away from unless you know how to do a lot of your own work and even then parts prices can sometimes be a bit of a sticker shock. You want to put your money into gas driving the car not parts or repairs. When you do find one make sure to get a pre purchase inspection from an Independent Mechanic that you trust - family or friends recommendations or good reviews.
As HillBilly said: Congratulations on your first car when you get it !
@xtraba
Thanks for the recommendation I have a neighbor who has one down the street actually so I may test drive that!
Lexus will be the overwhelming response here, good taste though young man and grats on getting your first car : )
I'm f with Scotty on this. Look no further than a Lexus es 300. They are well built and have the glitches fixed. They are also the LEGENDARY V6 and get excellent mpg. They are very underrated.
@brandon-womack Thanks for the suggestion, I prefer the GS to the ES. I guess I have always thought of the GS as being more sporty than the ES. I considered the ES but the GS has rwd so I prefer it.
BMW is known for their solid build engines no matter the model or the size, you expect a turbo charged engine to last less but the 40i engine is a I6 and got a decent size so turbo charging it or even twin turbos wont be that bad on a 3.0L I6 engine as it is on a 2.0L 4 cylinder engine, for the transmission BMW used ZF transmissions since forever and they are ultra reliable transmissions so mostly you don’t have to worry about the transmission going out that easy unless the car is abused.
what you have to worry about is the excessive use of electronics and computers that might cause problems in the future, all the BMWs I’ve seen and driven were made in Germany and they are overall much better built than the ones in the USA.
the BMW is the more fun, powerful and faster car, Luxury wise they are pretty close to each other.
the Lexus will last along time thats for sure if the car was taken care of as the BMW will But most probably the Lexus will outlast the BMW, in general if you take care of any car it will last long to a degree that the materials that its made of and the expensive technologies will die out.
Are the maintenance costs as bad as people say they are on BMW and Lexus? How would they compare? Thank you guys for all the help it is truly appreciated! Keep the replies coming!
@hamza-farmawi
Thanks for all the information! If it were you which would you get? Does the Lexus have the same electrical issues as the BMW?
The over all maintenance costs of BMWs annually is more than that of a Lexus for sure, im not in the USA but in my country “Jordan” the parts for them both as the same model years are to be the same or very close. But as I’ve seen form Scotty’s videos Lexus parts costs much higher than Toyota parts so not because they are the same company that means their partner are priced closely.
If I were to drive the car I would take the BMW for the driving pleasure and experience of it, if it was for my (mother, father or sister) I would get them the Lexus for sure for the luxury and 100% undisputed relatability.
The plastic parts are the gripe on bmws. It turns fragile and cracks then you get mysterious codes and can't figure out why. Yes Lexus parts can be expensive, but they will start every time and outlast that bmw and be less expensive in the long run. They also save gas cost over the life of the vehicle
Could not afford my first car here until 25. The insurance in Ontario,( males <25) just for a beater was sky high.
