chimpigin

Hello all,

I’ve been looking for an upgrade to what I currently drive. I currently drive a 2017 Nissan Pathfinder 4WD platinum. Been kinda concerned with the overall reliability of the pathfinder after hearing alot about CVT transmission failures in these vehicles.

A little background. I have three kids (6, 3, and 1). My wife drives an Odyssey so we would most likely take that when the whole family is together.

I found a 2016 LS 460 AWD non-air suspension for ~$38k with 49k miles. It’s not certified and is sold by a Buick/Cadillac dealer. Carfax looks clean. Local trade-in. Regular maintenance, 1 owner.

Carvana is willing to buy my car for $26,200 based on the info I inputted on the site. The Nissan dealer I bought my car from offered $23.5k. I’m hoping the Buick dealer will give me at least $25k for my trade.

Looking for some advice here. Will I hate going from an SUV in terms of sitting higher and going in and out of the vehicle? Does that price seems decent for the LS? Outside of increased fuel price with premium fuel and the higher cost of oil changes, any issues to worry about for a 2016 LS? Control arms, brake actuators, etc?

Any and all input would be great. Hats off to you if you got through my entire post!


Thanks in advance!

Gumart1

Welcome to the club from another Ilinoisan! My other vehicle besides my 2014 LS and 2004 LS was a Ford Raptor which I just sold. So I can say I have experience with a height difference. The Raptor was a great truck. I don't miss sitting higher. I put more value on reliability, safety, comfort, ride comfort, noise, etc. It sounds like reliability is a major factor in your decision. That makes the LS one of, if not THE most reliable used car out there. From my understanding, the 2016 LS is going to be one of the most reliable of the 2013 refresh. Newer is better according to many here. Still, the wrong owner can ruin any car but it's less likely with a newer LS. I would recommend running the VIN on https://drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/ - where you can find the Lexus service history. Would the Dealer let you take it to Lexus for a complete inspection? The price seems fair to me but when I was looking there were many newer LS's that took a long time to sell. The issues that you mentioned are less likely on a 2016. I have 187k miles on my 2014 and haven't had those issues. I say go for it. Hope to see you around!

chimpigin

Hey gumart1,

Thanks for your reply. When did you buy your LS 460 out of curiousity? Curious about your maintenance items on that car. And since we experience the same weather, what are you averaging mpg’s?

I doubt the dealer will let me take it to Lexus for an inspection. I did enter the VIN on the Lexus owners site and see it was religiously serviced at the Lexus in Orland Park.

Going through cars often doesn’t make financial sense ever, but if I can get rid of my Pathfinder while the value is up, you only live once!

Gumart1

I bought mine just about 6 months ago. Prices are holding high right now. People have money to throw around. From memory, I replaced my passenger rear door self-closing and locking mechanism and installed new front KYB shocks as one of them was leaking. That's after a lot of original miles and the ride was still great. Some fluid and filter changes and that's all. I average 21 mpg with mostly suburban roads and maybe 1/4 highway miles. My 2004 with 307k miles is averaging almost 23mpg, though that car has much smaller tires on it. Both are RWD.

chimpigin

How’s the RWD with the Chicago winters? There actually a nicer certified one I like that’s a little bit of a drive. It’s the limited edition blue with with dark brown leather. It’s a 2017 too.

Was just nervous about the RWD.

Gumart1

I'd take a RWD with snow tires over an AWD with all-seasons any day. I had snow tires on my '91 and '98 cars and they did great in the snow and cold. That blue is my favorite color!

SW17LS

I had both an AWD LS460 (2015) and a RWD LS460L (2017) and drove both in the snow. The AWD is awesome in the snow, obviously, but the RWD was surprisingly drivable, MUCH better than my RWD LS430 and LS400 which were undrivable in the snow. With snow tires, I wouldnt hesitate to buy the RWD in your area.

LS is a great car, you will love it. I enjoy having an SUV in the family, but for everyday driving I always come back to a sedan.

greygoose1

In a couple of weeks I'll have a '10 600 to compare to my '14 460L. I'm getting the '10 cheap enough it'll be easy to flip if I don't like it.

I love the 460 styling on the exterior. The 600 is a bit bland, but no one's offered me a deal on a newer one so it is what it is. The key differences will be the 600 is AWD, AVS, and a few more bells and whistles. I'll be losing the BSM which is a pretty big deal. I'm shocked at how quickly (I got out of my old LX just a few months ago) I've come to love it. On the flip side, I hate, hate, hate the joymouse and miss touching my nav screen and the extra buttons to quickly jump to specific screens. Obviously the battery and AVS are big ticket items that will eventually need to be replaced but I'll be going from 130K on the 460 to 70K on the 600 and pocketing a good chunk of cash if/when I sell the 460. Also? I miss the 'floaty' feeling Lexus used to have before trying to get sporty and compete with BMW. Big excite about test-driving the 600 and making a decision.

RufusX

Nice, give us a write-up! As you might have seen in a different thread, I was seriously considering a 2011 600h as a substitute for my 2015 460L. And, like you, I was attracted by the extra bells and whistles (minus the BSM, which is a really good feature) but concerned about the big ticket repair items and potential lesser reliability. I decided to stick with the 460 and am very pleased with it. But I'm curious to know how you think they compare, especially given the major makeover in 2013.

TriC

To the OP: the asking price on the '16 seems ok. It's unlikely that a Buick store will pay more for a Nissan than a Nissan dealer, but stranger things have happened. Shop the Carvana number with Vroom, etc.

DroCityLex

iTrader: (1)

just got a crafted line with 49k miles for 40k L certified and 5 years maint pack

DerrickM

Sweet! Pictures please! (I have the crafted f-sport and curious if they're all the same).

Eldodroptp

The Buick dealership should be willing to send a couple of porters to drop that Lexus off at a Lexus dealership to do a Pre Purchase Inspection. You would have to of course pay the Lexus dealership for the PPI, if the Buick dealership were to balk even for a nanosecond on being willing to allow you to do proper due diligence on their car…. Run away.

If you can get the Buick dealership to bite on your trade at a number that nets you 0% difference between Carvana and their number considering tax savings, that’s a win-win.

On your Nissan, if you were to decide to keep it, change your CVT fluid, filter, and screen every 25k miles and you will have no real worries about longevity. What kills the CVT is lack of maintenance. Doing the service by the book, or worse, not at all, is fatal.

chimpigin

The buick dealer sold the LS I was a looking at months ago. I did sell my car to Carmax earlier this month.

Still looking for a used LS or possibly a new GX...