TomCo

I'm planning to purchase a one or two year old LS 460 AWD in the near future and would like comments by current owners. Looking for things like is it reliable, how does it do in the snow, what kind of fuel economy are you getting etc.


Thank you in advance.

Lexusfreak

Well the LS first started to be available in AWD for the 2009 MY...so as of now the best you can do is a 1 year old one.

Have a look at the Lexus.com site to see the specs...she's heavy & has AWD so I wouldn't put fuel economy near the top of the list.

Overall, the LS is one of the most reliable nameplates in the industry....but specifically to an AWD model...it's too early to tell.

daryll40

Getting 15.5 around town on 89 octane in the hills of Western Pennsylvnaia on my 2009 LS460AWD that's now 6 months old. I got 16.9 MPG with my old 2007 RWD LS460 in the same driving. So it's costing 1.5MPG although the car is still new and I sometimes let it idle in the cold (like when running into buy coffee). But it's worth every penny for the little extra gas. 2 feet of snow here in Pittsburgh and the car, even with the OEM Bridgestone all season tires, is a CHAMP.

greg0723

you always use 89 in your car? have any problems if so?

daryll40

None so far

miniz

You will have trouble finding a two year old LS460 AWD, because none exist. You have 2009 and 2010 to choose from. You might be able to start finding slightly used 2010's, but if you are good, you could get a brand new 2010 for the same price as slightly used.

joeyb

I have 30,000 miles on mine and have had no problems.

As far as the AWD, it's just a TORSEN center differential as used on other Toyota/Lexus/Audi cars. I use Bridgestone Blizzaks in the winter, and it's just a hoot in the snow.

I get 22 MPG overall.

The only minor complaint is that the transmission occasionally searchs for gears at 35-40 MPH. This only happens once in a while, and only a few of us are picky enough to notice.

TomCo

Thank you for all the replies. My wife retires in Jan so I have a little time to find a used one. Good to hear it does well in the snow.

Buying a new one and losing 10 t 15 thousand driving off the lot does not make a lot of sense to me.

Nospinzone

Here's what you do. You say to her, "Honey if you work just one more extra year we can get an LS with ALL the bells and whistles".

The key is to entice her into keeping that income flowing!

miniz

Normally, I would say, go buy a used one. New cars rarely make much sense to purchase. But in this case, the car just got a fairly large face-lift and revision for 2010. I'd wait a little while and find a used 2010 later.