Hi Rick, great to know you are liking this attractively-priced 2012 car. I am puzzled why you think the car still has the original warranty. The new car warranty is 4 years or 50K miles, whichever comes first. Your car with 67K miles is long past the factory warranty. It will not qualify for the Lexus Platinum VSA. In any case, without an air suspension or other fancy gizmos like DRCC etc to worry about, the extended warranty is not needed. Good luck!

 

I think it may just have some powertrain warranty left? The powertrain is warrantied longer than the general one.
My 2012 LS460's powertrain warranty expires this March. Was put into service 3/15 and has 54,900 miles.

The Lexus you are looking at still sounds like a great deal. I'm sure they can clean up the front apron to close the deal.

I opted for an extended warranty, even though mine does not have air. Just concerned about the electronics, mainly.
CNA came through best for me at $2,500 for 5 1/2 years/48000 miles, which fits my amount of driving well. If you check with a few auto dealers that sell CNA, regardless of the make of the dealer, you can negotiate it down pretty well.

CNA has been good for me, both with a MB S500 and a GMC vehicle. No questions, no hassles. PM me if you are still looking for a warranty, and I can let you know the dealer that was most competitive for me.
Good luck with the car decision!

 

Strike that date. It was put into service 3/13. Powertrain warranty is 5 yrs, maybe $75k miles.I just bought another vehicle a 2014 and confused the two dates.

 

Comotiger: The Lexus dealer told me he could Certify any Lexus less than 6 years old with less than 70K miles. He also said that I'd be eligible for the Lexus Platinum warranty on this 2012, since it was still within the Powertrain Warranty (6 years, 70K miles). I know the Platinum Warranty can be bought for a great discount via a couple of specific dealers often mentioned on this forum. I'm just not sure I'd get my money's worth out of the Platinum Warranty on a 2012 base model LS460 without air ride. Not as much to go wrong, which is a good thing!

 

Only thing really is the brake actuator, and the control arms.

 

Even on a 2012? I thought they fixed these issues mostly on the 2010+.

 

 

You still see sporadic issues. There was a member a week or so ago who said he had control arms replaced on his 2013.

 

I see 2011-2012 LS's that had control arms replaced all the time with well under 100K miles, some under 50K miles when you look up the history, the issue was not fixed with the redesign, maybe just not as bad but they still fail prematurely for many cars.

 

The Lexus was traded in at a Dodge store, so there's no CPO option directly. However, the local Lexus dealership is owned by the same person that owns the Dodge store (although the two stores don't always "play nicely" with each other, according to the Lexus sales mgr). The Lexus dealer said they could bring the car over to their dealership and do the full CPO inspection/repairs/certification on it if I'd like (cost would be $500 for the inspection, $1400 for the Certification, plus any repairs required to meet the CPO standards). But the dealer also said he thought I'd save money if I simply bought the Platinum Warranty without messing with the CPO certification costs (he knows I'd likely buy the Platinum warranty from the on-line guys recommended by this forum, and was being upfront and honest with his advice, which I appreciated). I think the car might need new brakes, but everything else would check out fine for the CPO inspection. I'm still trying to decide if I'd be satisfied with such a basic LS460 after coming from the LS600hL and Genesis G90...

 

My guess is going to be no...

 

The local Lexus dealer also has a decent used LS candidate that I checked out yesterday. Here's the link: https://www.lexusofomaha.com/Vehicle...-NE/3146146853

This one is an L, and has the cold weather package, the luxury value edition, the semi-aniline leather with suede headliner, power door sunshades, and ML audio (price when new was $79,425). It has a flawless Lexus service history, including the 90K mile service recently done. It does have AWD and the air ride suspension. Looks like the air shocks were all replaced at 25K miles for some reason. The car looks great and drove perfectly. It's offered at $22,900, and since my dealership is a + dealership, there is no way to negotiate a lower price.

Upsides of this one would be the longer wheelbase, air ride suspension, and nicer leather interior. Downside is no warranty, with the possibility of expensive repairs (control arms, air ride suspension) along the way.

Thoughts on this one vs the 2012?

 

I did not know that they still offered the self park option in 2010. Are those snow tires on the wheels? Overall i think it's a nice car.

 

All said and done, I have a feeling you won't settle for a moderately-optioned car after having experienced the 600hL and the G90, so the following point may be moot.

While I shouldn't be second-guessing a Lexus salesman, I am pretty sure the Platinum VSA has to be purchased before the new car warranty expires (4 year/50K). You can check on the Lexus site. I am not buying the 6 year/70K powertrain warranty logic. In any case, please contact Toby Rivers or Troy Deitrich about this issue for future reference.

 

You're probably right, Steve and AC... Some things I wouldn't miss, but others I really would. I could definitely tell the difference in the leather quality between the base and the non-aniline. I really do like the extra leg room in the back (I have a 10-year old who is growing bigger by the day). My search will probably continue for now. If the 2010 L model at the local Lexus dealer was a bit more attractively priced, I'd likely go that route, but there's no negotiating with this + dealership, unfortunately...

Thanks to everyone for the great comments/advice!