where are these ls460's that are 20-24k dollars that you speak of?i am interested can you provide some examples please? thanks jim

 

I would recommend the 430. I have been talking to my contact at the dealership about the same combination and he suggests that the 460 has almost twice as many computers and servos as the 430. His comment was that his mechanics love working on the 430's but not the 460's.

Good luck.

 

Thanks again everyone for all the great information, especially the link for the packages and initial pricing. That is really helpful.

The LS430 I found has one of the luxury packages with Mark Levinson, Bluetooth, Nav, Camera, etc. It isn't the Ultra Luxury package.

But you are talking to someone who is used to a 1991 LS400, so any package is a luxury package to me!! And my LS400 only has 132,000 miles on it, so I'll keep it.

LexusAMG, thanks for letting me know about your car for sale. Since I have a 1991, I wanted to get something newer than a 2001.

Not easy to find a LS460 for under $27K. around my area. (And I wanted to save some extra money for any repairs that might be needed/desired, and the extra insurance it is going to cost me (until I sell my wife's Honda.)

Tomorrow, my mechanic is looking at the LS430 I found. Since I tend to keep my cars a long time, the 72K mileage doesn't bother me too much. If I buy it, I'll have one of the earliest cars of the series and one of the last cars of the series. That is neat, my wife says.

Good point about the extra computers on the LS460. I guess that could be a plus or a minus, but not sure.

 

and they are all buy it now pricing not auctions with a higher reserve

check it out and to make it more appealing LS460's are going through the dealer auctions now as low as $19k with higher miles but I dont see Lexus as a mileage sustained car to own... meaning if it had 300k miles on it and the price was right I would buy it... i HAVE no fear of a high mileage car... i HAVE OWNED many with less problems then the low mileage ones

 

LexusAMG, I could not agree more! I have had exactly the same experience as you, and will take a super high miles, driven and maintained car over an overpriced low mileage one. Please see the thread I responded to today titled "LS430 Most Miles". I just need to convince myself I'm getting the best deal on this '04 UL with 290k miles for $10k before I pull the trigger. UL all the way - and I like the added minor changes in '04.

 

I would go for it unless u want my car... lol
The changes arent inside they are outside and in the front fascia from 2004-2006
I added the rear 2006 LED lights to mine to give it the newer appeal.....

Seriously if u want my car -- i have a 2001 UL for $12,500 obo with 113k one owner miles but honestly if this 2004 is like u say it is then go for it... but only if it is a Black on Black or Silver on Black... because the black interiors wear real well in these lexus's


important - read this why i got my lexus over any other one I could of bought....
My UL has the NAPPA leather and UL together ....its super rare to find...almost impossible actually... nappa leather is a sick *** leather found in AMG's from 2003 and up... I own 2 CL65 AMG's that were $200k new with the same leather in them as my Lexus

 

I've got a tan interior, and--while it appears that you, like us, live in Florida--that's a lot nicer color for us here in the hot Florida sun!

 

You guys do that, buy super high miles cars to save 6,7,8 k$ over a car just under factory drivetrain warrantee (preferably date of service versus miles.)

I will spend the $ k extra and get 100 k extra miles to burn before all the gizmos' and gadgets go out like is happening to mine now at 190k. I will also rest assuredly some joker didn't sell me his worrys with a slipping tranny or engine problem. I prefer due diligence, take your time, look at cars in person before i even make a offer and shy away from anything suspect. IMO thats the way to find a good car not some E bay List from some little car dealer you hope pans out.

My car I got in October of 08 55 k miles 04 Premium one owner still under warrantee I did not need. Still drove just as sweet as any non UL LS for 17k$ and now 190k miles I am ready to pedal it before some big ol bill kicks me in the teeth for driving a car with these many miles no matter what car it is and then I have to keep it or take a hit.. These fellas spending 22-24k on an LS with 30k miles are smart.

I hawked cars.com got the list before he even had pictures up first day offered.

Anyway just my opinion!

 

What are some of the problem areas with the LS460? I would guess the air suspension would be at the top of the list. I plan to keep my 430 for a while, but at some point I'll probably go to the next generation because it's going to be hard in the coming years to find nice 430s.

Regarding the higher mileage vs lower cost debate, there's definitely a sweet spot to be found. On my particular car, I found it was about $10,000 less for one with over 100k miles than one with "low" miles (like say 60k miles). There's just no way I was going to spend anywhere near that in maintenance in the 3-4 years I planned on owning it, so it made sense. There's also a lot less depreciation when it comes time to sell since the biggest hit has already been taken.

But on European cars, you have to buy low mileage or have some sort of warranty because you're going get killed with service. Lexus is one of the few luxury brands you can have high mileage without a lot of problems.

 

Just an update - Thanks to all that have responded with great information and suggestions.

We picked up the 2006 LS430 we purchased last night. It is a beauty. Indeed a big upgrade for us compared to the 1991 LS400.

As much as I would like to keep the 1991 LS400, I think it is time to sell her. We are retired now and don't need two luxury cars. So I'll be working on that.

Any ideas on selling would be welcomed.
Might put another thread in the LS400 board when I figure out what to list it at.

In the meantime, continue on with this thread about LS430 vs. LS460. Comments are very interesting to read!

 

we have had a 2003 LS 430 for approximately 6 yrs and love it....we recently purchase a 2008 LS 460...the 460 does have more bells and whistles, but frankly, the 2003 LS 430 is a better ride and roomier..

 

When the NAV screen on a LS460 breaks or deteriorates due to age, the Lexus dealer list for a new NAV screen on the LS460 is $13k....yes really. I'll pass on that action and keep my LS430.

 

what else is expensive on those cars? $13k for a nav screen?

I WILL STEAL ONE ****IT

 

Wow! That scares the hell out of me.

I really look down on Lexus for creating a possible scenario like that. People use the touchscreen just about every single time they get in their car, it could easily be something that needs replacing down the road. They should make sure an owner of their flagship product is able to repair their car in a reasonable manner.

If someone had to pay $13,000 to fix their navigation screen, I can just about guarantee you that's the last Lexus they'll ever buy, and my guess is lawyers start getting involved.

 

Correction to my previous post - a few years have gone by since original list was publish and the prices have gone down -
Current Lexus list price on new LS460 OEM NAV screen is $6893.00 - commonly offered on line discount price is $5387.00. There are also used and 3rd part units on ebay for a lot less. But still I'll pass on the 460.