Scotty, my name is Gerardo, I am one your followers, I like your honest recommendations and admire your knowledge. Would you please give me a recommendation? I am interested in buying a reliable long-lasting car, low-cost maintenance, and I am putting my eyes on Acura TLX Type S or Lexus IS 500. Which is your advice?
Both are great cars. Test drive them and make a decision. The cost depends on how long you want to keep the car but considering that both are luxury cars, the repair costs are high for both.
For the lowest cost projected maintenance, get the TLX non Type S, with the 4 cylinder engine. No timing belt, inline configuration (non-V), Honda quality.
Between the two, I would guess the IS500 would have slightly long term lower maintenance cost. Because it uses a timing chain.
I have yet to drive a TLX, so I can’t say about performance. But I must say, I was spoiled test driving the IS500 F Sport with the V8. That thing screams, and makes the regular IS’s feel paltry.
I much prefer Acura/Honda handling overall though, even though it has a timing belt. I don’t the specifics for the TLX, just generally speaking.