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1998 Caddy STS vs 2001 Lexus LS430


JLAWS

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We had snow in the Northeast and my Lexus isn't as stable in the snow and my previous car the STS. Coming home there were a couple of time I needed to run thru stop light because if I stopped I know I would probably get stuck!!! The fwd STS used to plow thru blizzards with confidence. Gotta give a point my my old Caddy. ;)

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Well I for one feel much better to know that! :lol:

Now that you have been driving your jet-black Lexus for about 2 months whats the verdict, besides Caddys potentially being good snow plows? :lol: You have not commented on the two cars yet the differences, the handling, the power, the syling, the quality. :unsure:

I want to know this especially. Forget about the car for a moment, how do YOU 'feel' driving the Lexus verses how you felt driving the Caddy?

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I'm glad to hear you testify! We have a little snow in Michigan from time to time and I'm worried that the 2005 STS won't be as good in snow as my 2000 STS.

But, beyond that, I'd like to join Scotty in asking how you FEEL when you're driving your Lexus vs. your Caddy.

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I'm glad to hear you testify! We have a little snow in Michigan from time to time and I'm worried that the 2005 STS won't be as good in snow as my 2000 STS.

But, beyond that, I'd like to join Scotty in asking how you FEEL when you're driving your Lexus vs. your Caddy.

I think the 2005 will even be better, IMHO! I'm praying that you get a big storm so we can find out! :lol:

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Why would the 2005 STS's be better? Are they all all wheel drive?

AWD is an option with the Northstar V8 cars.

Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond)

"When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?"

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It really is too bad the automotive media pushed so hard for RWD vehicles. They offer little-to-no real performance advantage in the real world...at least for a large luxury car such as a Cadillac. And the benefit of FWD is enormous during the winter months. I live in North Carolina, where winter weather is scarce, and it still doesn't bother me that the front wheels drive the car. In fact, I don't mind not having to worry about u-joints, propeller shaft balancing, and rear differential fluid changes, and the increased power loss through that extended driveline.

In the rare event that we do get bad weather here, like we did Christmas weekend, the ol' FWD sleigh (the minivan in this case) pulled through it like a champ.

Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond)

"When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?"

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I'm glad to hear you testify!  We have a little snow in Michigan from time to time and I'm worried that the 2005 STS won't be as good in snow as my 2000 STS.

But, beyond that, I'd like to join Scotty in asking how you FEEL when you're driving your Lexus vs. your Caddy.

I think the 2005 will even be better, IMHO! I'm praying that you get a big storm so we can find out! :lol:

You know Dasher, it just dawned on me that the 2005 is rear wheel drive, you raise a good question.

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I'm not a very big fan of the Japanease made Lexus compared with and American made Cadillac, I think that the 98 Cadillac is a much bertte car.

user posted image

Defending Northstar perf a qtr mile at a time!!!!

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I also agree I prefer american made vehicles rather than japanese vehicles. Some arent so bad though it all depends on the car!

I also agree with you on that there are a few Japanese made cars that aren't to bad.

user posted image

Defending Northstar perf a qtr mile at a time!!!!

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But, beyond that, I'd like to join Scotty in asking how you FEEL when you're driving your Lexus vs. your Caddy.

Alright guys here is my review of the Lexus LS430 after 3 months of ownership. First off I'd like to point out that the original sticker price of my Lexus brand new was $63K in 2001, over $13K more than the 98 STS new.

Lets start with style. When I went to the dealer just to "look" at it, I was blown away and started to make moves to buy it. Maybe the black color was just the right color for the Lexus. Alot of people say the 2001 to 2004 Lexus just looks like a big Toyota Avalon. I'd say it look like the current Mercedes S Class, which alot of my friends thought when they first saw the car . The LS is about 5 inches shorter than the STS but looked so much bigger, probably due to the longer wheel base. The exterior just seemed "tight" no big gaps especially in the wheel wells. I used to fit my whole arm at the top of the wheel well of the sts but with the lexus you can barely fit your hand at the top of the wheel. That gives it a sense of sportiness rather than the floaty american barge like look and ride. I noticed even the new STS still has that same wheel well gap appearance especially in the rear. Nothing on the outside of the lexus seemed "flimsy." It is the same weight as the STS but it has that appearance as if it weighs 1000lbs more.

Now for the interior, again just higher quality. Real wood trim all over the place. The front leather seats are HUGE almost the size of a recliner. Alot more head room and s more rear leg room in the back even with the front seats all the way back. The rear leg room of the STS made no sense for a full size sedan. Slam the door and it shuts like a vault. You feel in your ears the air pressurize :lol:

Start the car and you can't even tell it on even when the car is cold. No cold start knocking like the STS. The "lexus greeting" never gets old. A huge lexus logo appears on the Navi screen with a womans voice greeting you... oh yeah the side mirrors flap open and the purplish headlights at night focus up and down till it's the right level (always catches the eye of a passer buy :huh::huh: . . You control the Audio, climate and Navi thru the screen or thru reg buttons. The Audio system is unbelievable. 6 CD in dash changer, change disk thru touching the screen!! When listeing to the radio stations you can choose between 8 preset stations on screen, 16 total and get this, each station shows you what song is playing!!! For climate control you can make the vents move back and forth.!! There is also a menu for reminders such as birthdays, oli changes, tire rotations, over 20 events. A voice recorder which allows you to record a 5 minutes message. I made a cool "exit greeting" something an airplane pilot would say B). And the final masterpiece is the Nav system. You can punch in any address or place of interest like a mall or land mark. I am so bad with directions that Nav is a God send. A nice pleasant woman's voice tells you when and where to turn accompanied by a chime. The screen is detailed and splits in half to magnify the directions. It informs you how many miles til the next turn so you know when to get into a certain lane. Ive used it several times and traveling is alot less stressful. No more dealing with Mapquest paper print outs :lol: Also the controls are voice activated but I haven't bothered/mastered the system yet, can't seem to say the commands clear enough for the system to recognize.

Now for the ride and performance. I have the "sport package" with stiffer bushings, bigger sway bar and 17 inch wheels. The ride is firm. Not as soft as the caddy but handles huge bumps better. The caddy seem to bottom out when I hit big potholes, The Lex takes them on better and doesn't feel as if I blew a strut. It's more planted to the ground. The handling is about the same and I dont see what the big deal is with a rwd car except when I punch it I'm not battling torque steer, but it was never a big deal in the STS. The Lex has a 5 speed tranny and you can choose between sport, normal and snow. The 4.3 vvti engine puts out 290hp and 320 torque and would blow the doors off the STS at any speed. Alot more punch. On the highway at 90 it feels like im doing 60 in the STS. No vibration and little wind noise. When I used to do some "spirited driving" on the highway with STS the tranny would kick down and the engine would roar, waking up the Mrs who then told me to slow down. Same driving scenario in the Lexus but different out come. When Flooring it up to 120mph, I have to turn the radio down all the way to hear the engine!!!! No vibration just a wonderful sounding muted refined v8, I guess what a high revving Ferarri would sound like. The brakes are far better, the front and rear calipers are about twice as big as the STS and there is almost no brake fade at high speeds. The tranny is butter smooth in normal mode. In sport it revs higher and shifts harder. What is cool is the tranny will down shift automatically when you apply the brakes going down hill and when it's raining the brakes will apply lightly to keep the rotors dry.

Alright I think I covered everything. I could still go on. The Lexus is superior to my STS but that us expected since it's $13k more. Take away the Navi screen and the gap closes signifigantly, But i'd still chose the flagship Lexus. Far more room, faster, better on gas, known for reliability, and has a classy look. I notice far more stares and compliments for the Lexus just in stock form. I plan to buy the 2005 18" chrome 5 spoke wheels and add dual oval ehaust tips which will enhance the sport package. Driving in the Lexus I feel like I'm in the same league as those Mercedes and BMW owners. If I'd bought the new STS, Id probably feel like those Chrysler 300c owners. It's eye catching for a while and now a days just as advanced as the imports but once the novelty wears off it's another "American car." Not that I care what others think but imports just seem to gain more respect than domestic no matter how great domestics may be. That is evident when comparing imports vs domestic car resale value.

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