Stereorob

ive always had Ls400s but always wanted a 460. they are still kinda out of my price range but a friend of mine scooped one up to cross off his bucket list of cool cars he has owned, and wants to sell it. wants 5k for it which is a great deal considering it isnt a base model.

well, i dont have 5k and im broke anyway and busy getting work done to my 3 Ls400s. however, i DO have another car i really dont care for or drive that much. i also have a 2014 Mustang convertible, v6 auto premium package. 80k on the clock and its got some road rash.

he wants to trade me his 460 for my mustang i never drive, plus he will also give me $2k in cash.

2007 LS460, comfort package, ML,Navi, park assist, HDD, hot/cold seats, etc. normal road rash for the year but in overall okay condition. 190k on the clock.

car has been maintained. cosmetics are not perfect but its a cheap easy way for me to slide into a 460, finally.

should i do it??

DedBirdDog

MMR on the LS460 is about $4875. Retail *should* be around $9100.
MMR on your Mustang is around $10,250 with retail around $14,250.

I'll let you do the math here but I think he's playing Jesse James and you're the bank.

213374U

Not a deal I would take, unless it was meticulously maintained, all recalls performed, and all typical wear items were replaced within the last 15K miles. At 190K I would want to at least see that engine seals had been replaced, which is very doubtful.

If you don't have cash to fix a $5K 460, stay away. As an example, if you run into issues with your brake actuator (a common problem with an extended warranty from Lexus; 10 years from service date) it'll leave the car inoperable and set you back $2800 to repair since this car is beyond the extended warranty. I had the single most expensive repair of my life with my 460, close to the value of the car being considered in this thread when all was said and done.

Outofspec

Ado460L

Can't advocate for your purchase just based on what you shared with multiple cars and broke. Like was said, the repairs for one item or even bushings could make you more broke if you don't DIY. Hold off for now.

DriftGirl

iTrader: (6)

Solid advice...

theyll still be around when u get on your feet.

RayLS

Just wait. If you really want the LS then go for it BUT I suggest you keep the $2K in a safe for future repair. And do not go to the dealer for repair and/or maintenance.
My 2 cents.

Nospinzone

nsaldanh

Given that you work for a Lexus dealer I am sure you know what you are getting into wrt the car and it's maintenance costs. I think your friend is low balling you on the trade value of your mustang.

Also aren't you better off getting a lower mileage car from the dealership that you work for and trade in the mustang or sell it to someone else? I frequent your dealership -- having bought 9 cars from them, and I've seen quite a few 2007 - 2012 LS 460s for sale over the last 6 months.

PwrdbyM

I may be late to the party here given you'd supposedly made a decision. But my advice; drive the Mustang, sell the LS400s and save money each pay period.

Stereorob

okay so heres what happened.

im not really broke. i was over exaggerating i guess a bit about that. i live a pretty good life. im not making 6 figures like some of you guys, only about half that (for now). gotta work smarter/harder to get there, but ill get there eventually. i own a house thats totally paid off, im not making any payments on my cars aside for mechanical stuff when it happens. basically living a fairly normal middle class life -hell better then most folks i know honestly. i can afford the toys just not the serious or pricey yet .

im an LS400 guy first and foremost. ill never give them up and they will always be my preferred vehicle of choice, no matter how old, dated, or wore out they eventually get ill always have a couple of them. however, the time is approaching that they will no longer be able to be trusted as a main lifeline car, which the LS460 will be when the time comes, so it will have to be perfect when the right one comes along.

heres my LS financial plan, both historically, and projected.

my main LS400 spends an avg of 5 years as my everyday lifeline car. once they hit 23-25 years old, i retire them and use them as grocery getters or backup cars till they totally give out.

i have always spent an avg of about $4,500 on my main lifeline LS400. i do not mind paying a premium for a perfect one (like new condition) that wont need anything for awhile

historically, at least in my area, the Lexus LS absolutely takes a nose dive in price around 15 years old, which is about at the age ive always picked them up at. unfortunately they are all way over that now, and ive just had to deal with that as i REALLY dont like or want a 430. its just not the car for me, thus ive had to keep my 400s as my main cars a little while longer, so i can bypass the 430 and go right to the 460. given my LS master plan at 5 years for every main one, once my current (2000 LS400) reaches its 5 expiration/retirement date, will be 2022, which will place the 460s at 15 years old, and directly in the center of my radar. -by then they will have trickled down the food chain and aged enough to be able to pick up a clean 150-160k mile 07 for $4-5000.(my financial ability to aquire an LS).

ive been following this formula for a VERY long time with the LS400s, and it works. however, i know the 460 is a very different kind of car. its the first of the "real" and "modern" Lexus thats far more complex then the 400. i can afford to keep an LS400 on the road indefinatly, and they really dont give me alot of trouble till the hit that magic 23-25 year old 210k mile mark.

i do not know the LS460 as a car i live with everyday. i spend ALOT of time around them at work, but ive never lived with one. being that i work at a dealership, i get to see Ls460s from every walk of life. from the stance/slam crowd cars, to the young professionals, to the family cars of upper-middle class and wealthy families, to the rich old people that buy them new and only drive them around town. i know them as new cars as well, as i used to work in sales and got to spend alot of seat time in them fresh out of the plastic wrap. ive seen them at thier best, but also at their worst and know its a crap-shoot with them. ive seen many with high miles chugging away with absolutely no major issues ever reported by their long term owners, but others that have 70k miles and have been absolute nightmares for people. and i know when Ls460s start to turn on people, it gets real ugly REAL fast, so i have to keep that in mind. will i be able to maintain an old 460? will i be able to afford or even find parts for an old 460? will they last as long as the 400s, be as easy to work on, and as affordable as the 400s? wont know till i get there.

jaishanker

Hi Stereorob , i was really impressed with your feedback on the LS 460. well. Am residing in dubai and it was actually a dream for me to own a luxury car

In middle east we have plenty of options to choose from luxury cars ..and i recently acquired a 2007 LS 460 L american Spec car..it was imported to dubai in 2016. I decided to go with lexus because of its reliability and quality. Buying a 12 year old japanese is not at all an issue.they are not lile german cars. I have been using this car for last 9 months and so far there is no issues.
Everytime i get into the car..i feel happy and thrilled to drive. The car has currently clocked 130000 Miles. I havnt touched the transmission or brakes so far. Just regular oil change and maintenance.

Wen you look for a ls 460...dont worry about the mileage clocked..just look at the undrbody see if there is any leakages or something,brakes and control arms.

Finding spares for ls 460 in dubai is not an issue and we have plenty of spares available.
And all the best for your purchase ​​

SW17LS

I think you will find that the LS460s are not as easy to keep running when they're really old as your LS400s are. The LS400 is actually a very simple car, and that has a lot to do with its longevity, the 460 is a lot more complex...

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

The LS400 was built to a standard, not to a price. Indeed, rumour has it that Lexus lost $10,000 on every LS400 they sold in the US.

But that was then and this is now. Don't expect the 460 to be as reliable as the 400 and when it breaks, so does the bank!!!

SW17LS

That was a charge thrown at them by Mercedes, it was never true.

Its all relative. LS400s had their issues too. Starters were a HUGE job, a bigger PITA than the 460. We dealt with an intermittent starter issue for a year prior to trading our LS400 in because it was such an expensive job ($2,000 at Lexus, and that was in 2003). They needed the timing belt replacement every 90k miles, that coming up was a big reason why we traded the 400 in on the 430, it needed that starter, and it needed a second timing belt within a year or so, so we were looking at $3,500 in work and while the car was high mileage it was only 5-6 years old. Air suspension also failed on the 400 although later models it was a really rare option (ours had it). Early 400s had a lot of issues with alternators and power steering also.

The timing belt on the 400 and 430 is a big reason why I don't consider the control arms on the LS460 that big a deal.