FlexnLexus

I’ve never driven an LS430 before but I always hear nothing but positive claims about them which I have considered buying one as a spare car in case something ever happens to my LS460.

qtrung909

i think about it all the time. i've owned my 2008 for about 10 years now. I've put it through a lot. It's almost at 160k miles. It has its faults some that i did (failed attempt of making it a vip build) and some because of its age. The only real major maintenance that has been needed was a starter. It gets its regular oil changes and tire rotations. If i were to find something new, it wont have the executive rear package. it doesnt get much use but its nice knowing its there. But its a nice beater that gets me to and from work. I also really enjoy not having a car note.

FlexnLexus

True, especially with prices for used vehicles right now, owning a car without having to make payments on it has to be a relief in itself, since so many people that own a vehicle usually have a car loan.

Plus you really can’t get a better reliable luxury used car at the moment for the price, than an LS460.

I would in no way in hell pay over $30,000 for a new fully loaded Toyota Camry or any new mid-size sedan that’s half the car of an LS460 when I can spend maybe $15,000 on a super clean, loaded up low mileage LS460. It’s not even close. But some people just want the latest and greatest things in life.

703

The 2007-2012 LS460 is probably the least reliable LS, not something I want to keep for the long term.

ontheroad

When you say least reliable what key components are you talking about?

Vtallysx4

I leased an EV for my daily driver and find it hard to convince myself to get into the LS now, I love the car but it sits most days. My dad was driving it for a week while his car was in the shop and I planned on taking it out this weekend. Not driving it is the only reason I would think of selling it, even then, not planning on it as it is paid off and too good a car to get rid of. I wish there would be more aftermarket parts for it, I would love to give it a little more oomph. It is really weird to get back into after the EV because the EV is surprisingly comfortable and drives like a manual that's always in the perfect gear, especially with regeneration braking on high. It is small and nimble but moves like a V8 (like the Lexus it can make it's way into an opening without praying that the horses can eek out a little more power). Perfect for NYC roads as it can get out of it's way from a stop or a crawl- something I could never get a 4cyl to do, even my WRX. Anyway, I absolutely love my LS. I don't imagine trading it in or selling it, nothing for sale now seems worth getting rid of it.

Caflashbob

i purchased our 08 with 54k miles on it. Has 124k now. Plugs, oil, trans back flush, ac recharge, tires, Akebono brake pads and centric rotors, new interior courtesy of lexus.

had worn control arms. Still has them. Slight steering wander at 100 plus. Nice quiet fast torquey car with a motor that has no vibrations ever

FlexnLexus

i believe the major reasons why they are the less reliable vs say an LS430 is not because of its mechanicals, which are solid for the most part, but because of how much technically advanced the car is with its more modern intergraded electronics that’s more prone to failure, and completely redesigned suspension setup that truly made the LS460 to finally compete against the S-Class, 7-Series and the Audi A8 in overall size and sophistication.

I think Lexus really went all out with the LS460 when it first came out in 07.

Having 2 different types of cars (SWB & LWB) with additional features which only adds to the complexity of the vehicle, is what makes it less reliable than previous LS’s. Having rear automatic self parallel parking and radar (adaptive cruise) was a big deal back then.

The weakest points of these cars, is the suspension mainly the control arm bushings, brake actuator, ML amp, and oil burning on higher mileage engines. Those are the only major components that I can think of that can be super costly to repair.

But once those repairs have been done, these cars are extremely reliable and super smooth to drive vs the majority of all other sedans on the road.

703

brake actuator, control arms. Sometimes the ML Amp. Then you have the deal breaker like acceleration hesitation if unlucky:

http://carspecmn.com/ls460-and-ls600...g-andor-p2119/

I just think the 2007-2012 LS at this age is not the one to buy if you want trouble free ownership. Grab a nice example of say a 2017 model year. There has been many improvements.

xjokerz

Not everyone likes the mouse controller and the spindle grille, even if it wasn't in full effect.

703

I agree with everything you say. However, for a new owner buying right now of an old and used LS (10+ years old), one of the main point of buying a Lexus is to enjoy the Lexus experience which is trouble free motoring, and that can't be guaranteed with those model years. Even the ones where it has been fixed (control arms or ABS) they can't be sure that old or inferior aftermarket parts haven't been used, or poor workmanship of the repairs (lets face it, most owners of these cars at that age aren't the first owners, and would have a very limited budget going with the cheapest option to fix, bring it back on the road and flip).

Plus the newer model years have more advanced active safety systems (like LSS+). My view on buying is that, if you're not buying brand new, buy a used one that is just out of original warranty, so the car would have had all recalls done, all fixes done at the dealership with OEM parts, and thus you can still have that new Lexus experience. So a 2017 is a good model year for that.

ontheroad

Yikes valve guides sound scary, but can reprogram knock sensor? Being a deal breaker a new head? That sounds like russian roulette. At 124k it would have presented itself by now or its time to sell.

703

I had the knock sensor issue on my 2010 GS460. It already had the new ECU programming at factory.

Striker223

That hesitation is indeed the deal beaker, solution is to take the car out on a test drive HARD to see if the engine is a happy one or not. I pulled out of the dealer lot and up to 130mph on test drive and then launched the car 10 times and did 5 60-120s to check it. I got insanely lucky with my 07, new brake actuator, interior, arms, all within 10k miles of me buying it and it had low for year miles (130K) and while it did burn oil at first that's fixed now. I never thought I would get a pre-13 but somehow even in this car market I found a "perfect" one and talked them down almost 40% on top of it.

I still tell everyone to get a 13+ and avoid the early ones since they have far too many major issues that even DIY cost a lot in parts to the point it's not worth it. Then again.....people spend far more driving same age German cars so I guess it can be fine if that's what you want.

Striker223

That's the only true deal breaker on the 460, you need to pull the heads and have a machine shop get everything tight again and not be lazy on oil like the last guy was. You can test for this but just driving the car extremely hard, ANY hesitation means to skip it.