Sounds like we do have similar tastes and are similar ages, I graduated HS in 1999.

Yeah I would much rather have this SL than a newer one.

 

Love the R129 SL's. Still trying to wrap my head around the title of this thread as to call even a 2007 LS460 a beater is to me an oxymoron aside from perhaps a salvage titled and or damaged one. While I could have certainly financed a much newer LS, I simply wanted to own my LS outright and not have car payments and while the upgrades in the newer LS's are certainly nice, it is not to me groundbreaking. YMMV.

 

I have, unfortunately, seen many LS460s that are beaters lol

 

Jeebus...where?!

I will say, last week I saw a Porsche Cayenne which had achieved full-on beater status.

BTW, my beater cars/trucks...they may look like junk, but everything works (including the A/C, power antenna, sunroof, etc.), and they're in near-perfect mechanical condition. Sure, any of them may, at any particular time, lack a hood, fender, bumper cover, grille, or the like, but there are times that's what you can afford to own/drive or fixing it is truly pointless and a waste of time/money.

Mine also tend to be in quite good condition, inside. I've had people mention this, previously.

"Wow, this is in really nice shape...why don't you fix the outside?"

Have you tried to find/price a fender and a front bumper cover for a '95 Mercedes E320? Yeah, I didn't think so. But, y'know...the power headrests work...

 

I too have not seen a single janky 460 out in the wild nor have I come across many/any that would meet that criteria on AT or Ebay. Perhaps on CL that might be a few examples where they are riding on 22s and have been modified in an urban fashion where some might spend more on wheels and some such than proper maintenance, but I truly believe that to be the exception to the rule. I would imagine Southern Florida might have a disproportionate number of janky ones.

 

In NE/SE DC, in NYC, Philly, cities like that I have seen rough LS460s. I have also seen them in the islands as an example.

 

I'll admit when my old LS430 was getting over 220K, it was really starting to show it's age. And things started popping up and I was in no rush to fix them (unless they were car damaging issues of course). I almost thought about it as a beater... it was tired and I could feel it.

I'll miss that car....

Spend some time in NYC and watch for LS's.... talk about rough ones. Bumper marks were common that is for sure.

 

That's for every non-garaged NYC car.

 

Oh yeah, I've seen some beat ones in NYC

 

NYC is decidedly the exception to the rule and I have seen damaged late model MB's, etc... My parents met at NYU and my father attended a joint NYU/Cornell MD PHD program and I used to go to the city quite often. Having a nice car in Manhattan without a parking garage or the blessed few with a garage included with their house seems to me to be folly.

Then again, with most likely the best public transportation network in the country and cabs a plenty, it is not exactly suburbia where having a car is all but essential.

 

I too have seen beat up 460's in NY, but then again most every car in NY is beat down. That has to be the worst place in the world to own a car. But I have never seen an LS460 in the islands, definitely seen my share of LS400's and LS430's but never a 460. Where have you seen them?

 

Besides that. Here in CT, I drive about an hour to work on RT 95. So I see a lot of Lexus cars. As for beat up LS460's not too much, a few over the years with some bumper scratches but, nothing major but, I do see a lot of LS400 and LS430s that are beat up (ES300's too)

 

I can't remember which island specifically but I e definitely seen beat LS460s in the islands

 

Daily driver that I treat as my pride and joy. Best of both worlds.

 

Well put.