The beauty of early 90s luxury cars

[eljefino]

You also have to remember the Japanese had to carve out a name for themselves; Lexus and Infiniti were brand new in 1990.

Infiniti was about six months behind Lexus and had to run ads to compete for attention... but didn't have a car ready so they were just waves crashing on a beach.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I sat in -- didn't test drive, just sat in -- a 2002 LS 430 about a year ago. It was indoors, with a car on each side, and the windows were down . . . and I could still barely tell that the engine was running until I got out and stepped around to the front of the hood. Talk about smooth.

Regarding my late '86 W126 Mercedes S-Class, that beast was solid too. The streets here made the back seat squeak, but it ran beautifully, even after being slammed into while parked and having every body panel on that side scarred or dented. The doors still opened and closed without any trouble; the car did not rattle, and the back seat squeaked no more than before the accident. I shoulda kept it.

 

[CBR.worm]

We had two of the first generation LS400's not only were they perfect (if a bit boring), the dealer service was great. They replaced all four tires for free on one after we hit a railroad tie, causing a bubble in the sidewall.

The guy who bought our first one from us continued to drive it until just recently. The white paint and body still looked like new. He had some issues with the gauge lights, but very minimal issues for a daily driver, first model year car that was on the road for 20+ years. I still like the clean straight lines and clean interior.

 

[SLCraig]

I love the cars you mentioned too, and I really miss the Nissan of yesteryear. That was when the G20 was on the road (SR20 powered), The first VQ30 Maxima in 1995, and the gorgeous Infiniti J30T. I have always wanted one of those, such a rock solid car too.

I hate that they have nothing I like anymore. Such a shame.

 

[hattaresguy]

Meh 1992 S600, nuf said.

The LS400 scared the [censored] out of Mercedes in the same way the NSX changed Ferrari.

Remember in 1990 you had Mercedes, Jaguar and RR/Bentley. BMW and Audi were not really players yet, no one else really was either. So when Toyota came out with the LS they took notice. Honda was never really in the same world.

Mercedes spent $1B building the W140. The W140 was so good it outlived the LS400 and survived until the Maybach died in 2013.

Having said all that, 20 years after the W140 was introduced the number of firsts, technology, and attention to detail it offered are still second to none. The W140 was the best car you could buy in the 1990's and even today you have to spend over $50k to buy a sedan that can best it. I test drove a 2013 550I awhile back and I would not say it is a better car at 80 than my friends 1995 S600, it might be slightly better, and that's subjective.

 

[hattaresguy]

Originally Posted By: Spazdog

I read "'90s Luxury Cars" and thought of these first:

The V6 Legend made more horsepower in it's 2.7 variant. The later 3.2 made quite a bit more.

And not only is it weak, the engine is terribly unreliable.

The "Chrysler Imperial" (real Imperials are their own marque) had a wonderfully plush button tufted Mark Cross leather interior and thick soft carpet harvested from the finest of teddy bears at FAO Schwarz....and that is the nicest thing I can say about it. Actually, the 3.3 isn't bad and it makes as much horsepower as the Cadillac HT4100, but it powers a big K-platform.

aaaannnd the Continental.Like Ford said, "Let's bloat out a Taurus, give it the bad V6 that has head gasket problems, a rear air suspension that will fail prematurely, a self destructing AXOD-E and a bad PCM. That's what we will do with one of our most respected Lincoln names!" At least the bloated K-car had a really plush interior and an okay engine.

I wonder how Amati didn't come to be. Clearly it wasn't the FWD domestic competition. Didn't take much to beat those.


Sadly in the 1980's and 90's American cars were not in the same world. The 2014 CTS OTOH is showing how the current world is changing. But in 1995 no American car could come within a mile of anything European or Japanese.

 

[mclasser]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Sadly in the 1980's and 90's American cars were not in the same world. The 2014 CTS OTOH is showing how the current world is changing. But in 1995 no American car could come within a mile of anything European or Japanese.


Cadillac just couldn't compete.

From Wikipedia:
"Approximately 5 percent of 1989 LS 400 sales went to buyers employed by rival manufacturers, including GM, Ford, and Chrysler. When the LS 400 was disassembled for engineering analysis, Cadillac engineers concluded that the vehicle could not be built using existing GM methods. Industry publications noted the LS 400's precise panel gaps, and the subject became a common evaluation standard in road tests."

 

[dishdude]

I might get flamed for this one, but I thought the '94-'96 New Yorker/LHS was a heck of a nice car. It was an elegant looking, comfortable, and a great driving car.

 

[kschachn]

Haha yeah, I forgot about that! Awesome parody. "40 MPH on a rough road" or something like that.

Originally Posted By: KB2008X
Cleaving diamonds ? Nah.
SNL had a skit with a rabbi performing a circumcision in the back seat of a late '70s, full-size Ford LTD while it was racing around to prove how smooth the ride was.

 

[Robenstein]

I had a 1992 Buick Riviera. That thing wen 279k miles before it died. The transmission gave out. Got great fuel economy for its size and era(33mpg on the highway), had nice leather interior, and only left me stranded once when the alternator gave out at 170k.

I also inherited a 77 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham 4dr hardtop. It was a stark reminder why the domestic labels got into so much trouble. Outdated, low horsepower 440 gas guzzler, bad "lean burn" proto electronic engine management system, automatic climate control that worked when it wanted to...same with the radio. Sadly the car only had 60k on it when I got it. I slapped some big chrome rims I had laying around on it, buffed it up to make it pretty, and sold it to some thug wannabee for 2,500 bucks.

 

[97tbird]

Lexus SC / Toyota Soarer:
Created in 1991 - still looks GREAT!

 

[KB2008X]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
I might get flamed for this one, but I thought the '94-'96 New Yorker/LHS was a heck of a nice car. It was an elegant looking, comfortable, and a great driving car.

No flame here. I loved the styling of those. Smooth and clean. Being a die hard Mopar owner at that time I wanted one of those badly, but just couldn't bring myself to buy and drive a front wheel drive V6 everyday. And, no, the engine being turned the right way didn't help.

When they were available I did try to rent one from Thrifty every time I was out of town. Definitely a nice car.

 

[KB2008X]

Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Lexus SC / Toyota Soarer:
Created in 1991 - still looks GREAT!

A timeless beauty for sure.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: Brybo86
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
My '94 LS400 has more than 350k miles on odometer, the engine is as smooth as cars with 60-100k miles. Very little repairs, maintenance are minimum. It's a very solid car.

Do you run premium fuel all the time? Or what is your schedule?

I ran premium gas until around '97-'98, I tried regular around '98-'99 and made several trips to Vegas. The engine lost about 15-20 HP at higher RPM in winter which was okay even going up steep hills outside Death Valley. But it lost more than 20-35 HP in summer heat and I had trouble accelerate up those steep hills. Next summer I had no problem with those hills with premium.

I had been using regular gas the last 8-10 years, for normal driving I could not feel the differences between 87 and 91 octane.

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Meh 1992 S600, nuf said.

The LS400 scared the [censored] out of Mercedes in the same way the NSX changed Ferrari.

Remember in 1990 you had Mercedes, Jaguar and RR/Bentley. BMW and Audi were not really players yet, no one else really was either. So when Toyota came out with the LS they took notice. Honda was never really in the same world.

Mercedes spent $1B building the W140. The W140 was so good it outlived the LS400 and survived until the Maybach died in 2013.

Having said all that, 20 years after the W140 was introduced the number of firsts, technology, and attention to detail it offered are still second to none. The W140 was the best car you could buy in the 1990's and even today you have to spend over $50k to buy a sedan that can best it. I test drove a 2013 550I awhile back and I would not say it is a better car at 80 than my friends 1995 S600, it might be slightly better, and that's subjective.


The W140 was the last engineers' Mercedes Benz. Daimler Benz could no longer develop cars on their own terms.

Lexus caused Daimler Benz to restructure. That in itself is significant.

 

[artificialist]

Back in the day, those cars were rock solid reliable. However, I frequently now deal with many of the where repairs to the extra electrical gadgetry. The V8 powered Lexus models are the worst because they have electrical parts not shared with simple Toyota models. I once had to replace a $700 lighting module on an old Lexus LS400, because the lights were out. A Lexus ES250 or ES300 would use simple relays and switches on the steering column only.

Does a 1989-1994 Nissan Maxima make this list? I find they last for ages without much trouble. It amazes me that it shared so much with the 1985-1988 Maxima, which was simply a good engine in an awful car.

Many 90s Buicks and Olds are still alive in Florida, but I cant tell if they were great cars, or they were owned by elderly people who couldn't do much driving.

The Mazda Millennia might have been a great car, but the 2.3L supercharged engine cost so much, a 1995-1999 Maxima cost less and had similar power.

Acuras with longitudinal FWD were nice in many ways, but I dread having to work on one because replacement parts are difficult to find.

 

[hattaresguy]

Originally Posted By: mclasser
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Sadly in the 1980's and 90's American cars were not in the same world. The 2014 CTS OTOH is showing how the current world is changing. But in 1995 no American car could come within a mile of anything European or Japanese.


Cadillac just couldn't compete.

From Wikipedia:
"Approximately 5 percent of 1989 LS 400 sales went to buyers employed by rival manufacturers, including GM, Ford, and Chrysler. When the LS 400 was disassembled for engineering analysis, Cadillac engineers concluded that the vehicle could not be built using existing GM methods. Industry publications noted the LS 400's precise panel gaps, and the subject became a common evaluation standard in road tests."




Its sad considering until the mid 1960's American cars were the best in the world.

 

[hattaresguy]

Originally Posted By: Spazdog
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Meh 1992 S600, nuf said.

The LS400 scared the [censored] out of Mercedes in the same way the NSX changed Ferrari.

Remember in 1990 you had Mercedes, Jaguar and RR/Bentley. BMW and Audi were not really players yet, no one else really was either. So when Toyota came out with the LS they took notice. Honda was never really in the same world.

Mercedes spent $1B building the W140. The W140 was so good it outlived the LS400 and survived until the Maybach died in 2013.

Having said all that, 20 years after the W140 was introduced the number of firsts, technology, and attention to detail it offered are still second to none. The W140 was the best car you could buy in the 1990's and even today you have to spend over $50k to buy a sedan that can best it. I test drove a 2013 550I awhile back and I would not say it is a better car at 80 than my friends 1995 S600, it might be slightly better, and that's subjective.


The W140 was the last engineers' Mercedes Benz. Daimler Benz could no longer develop cars on their own terms.

Lexus caused Daimler Benz to restructure. That in itself is significant.


Oh yeah, the attention to detail on the W140 was just insane. I love working on them.

My buddy has a super mint time warp S600 and its still so good. If your on a road trip on a straight road you can edge it up to 100+ and the other people in the car don't notice. The V12 is just turbine smooth.

No one can build a car like that anymore, to much competition and people no longer understand or value real quality. Its all about flash and technology.


A perfect example of this is the Bentley Arnage, its still a better car than the GT but the GT survives and the Arnage is dead.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: artificialist
Many 90s Buicks and Olds are still alive in Florida, but I cant tell if they were great cars


Some of the best imo. I had an Olds Trofeo,my dad had a Delta 88,my gf had a Delta 88 LS,and her parents have had two Delta 88s (they still have one).

 

[Robenstein]

Indeed, the GM 3800 (especially the Series I) is a exceptionally durable engine. My dad still drives his 1989 Buick LeSabre. It is coming up on 220k miles with no engine or trans failures yet. The Series II engines were good except they had that plastic intake plenum that would cause coolant leaks.