The Apex Toyota... [PIC]

Introducing the 2008 Lexus LS 600h L hybrid AWD luxury sedan, which was built to compete with full size Mercedes and BMW V12s. Its battery assisted 5.0 liter V8 offered 389 HP. Stocked with every luxurious trim and all the electronic gizmos and gadgets you could imagine, it weighed 5115 lbs which was enough to wear out the upper control arms at 50,000 miles. It was also prone to Traction Battery failure which meant when this warning light came on:

You needed to immediately pull over before before the car became inoperable. Another problem with that system is it needed constant air flow from an electric fan and if the fan got even dirty, you'd get another warning of "Hybrid System Overheat" which again required you to pull over, shut down and wait for everything to cool. Both of these problem were very expensive repairs. So stuffed with internals the car was big on the outside but small on the inside making it a comfortable 4 seater rather than the customary 5 seat sedan. Its ride was Rolls Royce-like but its maneuverability was rather heavy making a Rolls seem like a ballet dancer in comparison. At $120,000 new, the depreciation on these cars were as steep as a used Ferrari that hadn't seen maintenance in 50,000. You know the bill will be at least as much as you paid for the car. On this Lexus, you also have to factor in the $7000 battery replacement in your future. Early (2008 -2011) models go for up to $12,000 and later models (2013-2016) go for between $25,000 and $35,000.  I find it kind of amazing that production of this car went on for so many years. Perhaps the very rich thought opting for this hybrid over Mercedes and BMW was a virtue signal to their peers and didn't do any research beyond that.

Model by AUTOart: