2008 Lexus LS600hL: owner review

Prior to buying this 2008 example as an 11-year-old used proposition, I had been daily-driving a 2nd gen Prius most of the time for just over a decade, although a string of second cars tickled my inner car nut – everything from an Alfa Romeo GT to a Daihatsu Charade. I must admit, when I was looking for this car, my first desire was to buy a German V12 – either a 2001 BMW 750iL or a later Mercedes-Benz S600. However, having owned a couple of German cars previously, I cross-shopped both against the big Lexus. The E38 is a much more beautiful thing to look at, both inside and out. Beauty alone was unfortunately not enough to sway me, given the practicalities of owning a 20-year-old BMW and potentially quadrupling my fuel bill compared to the Prius I was stepping out of. The latter S600 is a quicker car, but more prone to failure, more expensive, and to my eye, uglier. The LS won outright. So I found a great example with 121,000km on the clock, flew 2000km to make the deal, and then drove it back home.