Nice post. Mirrors my own thoughts in the main.
Mercedes,Audi, BMW,are not as reliable as they used to be perceived. Not as rare as they used to be and certainly not driven as respectfully as they used to be.
I`ve had 4 Mercs and one Audi. Never again.
I`ve had my GS450h for 5 years now and nothing, repea, nothin,g has gone wrong. Lexus is the "numero uno" for reliability on the Planet. By being reliable it is also by definition economical as costs for repairs are excluded from the calculation.
No doubt young Executive twirps will acquire F Sport models whilst the B.I.K. remains favourable and respectful Lexus driving will go out of the window, but that is for the future and we who are really in the minority will continue to enjoy what still remains a closed secret.