lexusjai

Hi All,

New member here and about to be a Lexus owner.
I was looking through few ads and found a 2009 LS460 with 202K Miles for $7.8K. The ad says few dings and scratches which I am going to check on weekend.
Brakes and control arms replaces this month.

Should I just go with KBB value or need to consider other things ? Never bought a used car before.

Thanks

mikesrx350

hi Jai, can you provide more info
do you mean brakes and control arms were replaced this onth
if so that's about 5,000 worth of work

I would check if the car was maintained at a dealer or not
dealer preferred

has the car been hit, or painted? I would bring a paint meter I wouldn't buy a car not knowing if it was painted.. a lexus dealer can help you too

and I would want to buy one with low one hundred mileage not 202,000 miles

for 10k you should be able to find a pre 2010 with decent mileage...

my biggest advice is be discerning with the car owner and how it was taking care of..

buying a expensive LS with expensive parts from an owner that cared about it and was meticulous is best practice

if you get the sense the owner did his own work, or used any garage etc buy another vehicle

good luck

Anfanger

Bring it to somebody who is familiar with such cars for an inspection. A closest Lexus dealership is an option too. Even the car has new control arms, it is better to confirm that. Check the suspension, oil and coolant leaks, transmission functionality, audio and AC. Wheel bearings and pulleys should be checked as well.

lexusjai

Thanks, yes the brakes and control arms were replaced this month.

I am looking for one with double pane or laminated glass. Most of the pre 2010 for sale nearby seems to be the base model. There are few UL,CL but with 250k+ miles.

Will check for closest Lexus dealership for inspection.

Still is it worth looking into 200k+ miles used LS UL,CL?

mikesrx350

I personally wouldn't buy one with 200 k or more

if there were not examples in California with limited volume I would say buy it if you like it
for 10 k you can get a nicer car with 100k on the clock...

good luck

JLAWS

You really have to ask yourself, why do you need to make a risky $8K purchase on a 12 year old luxury car with over 200K miles. Are you trying to "Ball on a budget?"
With the way thing are these days, most folks should be going into preservation mode and keep funds in the bank and build up a rainy day fund.

If your reply is going to be " My money, my life" ect, ect. then I suggest going to and registering at https://drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers. Enter the vin to get the Lexus service history on it. If there is not much maintenance on it then that price is not worth it.

To own these cars, I suggest having at least a $3,000 reserve for any future repairs that may pop up right after the purchase

fwhomeboy

Since this would be your first used car you ever bought, I wouldn't jump into this one. My .02 cents.

yyymmm31

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LS460 is more complex than the previous generations of LS models. As an LS460 ages, there are wear-and-tear issues that you'll have to handle. On several occasions when potential owners asked similar questions to yours, Steve (SW17LS), a veteran owner of LS models, said that LS460 repair and maintenance cost doesn't go down as the car's sale price goes down. It'll be expensive to keep an old LS460 going. You need to be able to do most of the maintenance and repair work on your own to keep the cost of ownership reasonable. Unless you have the technical skills like miket000, Afangar, and sha4000 who can maintain and repair their LS460s on their own, it is most likely that you will have a bad experience owning an old LS460. Then more fancy features a LS460 has, the more prone it is to repair needs and repair cost.
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TriC

A 200K LS 460 for a first used car is a bad bet.

Anfanger

It is a good project car, but it is not something you need to get if you are expecting worry-free experience.

mbarron37

At that age and mileage, you would need to get the car very cheap. Also, have a good savings stash for the repairs that will crop up. You could always get lucky and have limited to no repairs, but I would not count on it.

Personally, I would not consider a car with those miles, but that’s me. If you are comfortable with it and have extra cash for repairs, then go for it.

R Z

Hi. Me personally, I could not recommend you spend your money on that car and then expect it to be a flagship luxury car compared to today. Regardless of how well it's been maintained, it's over 200K miles. There are plenty of other things to begin considering besides control arms. Things wear down and will need replacing. The car could potentially become a money pit. That $7800 could quickly become $10K, $12K and more. Can't tell you what to do, but my recommendation is a big no!