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I found owning a smooth Lexus paired with the rough riding vette to be the perfect balance for me, two polar opposite style of cars made it two completely different driving experiences and it was really fun.
I wouldn't be able to understand getting a second lexus or another luxury car, no point in that id rather just drive the LS I agree.
I'm in the same boat at the moment....
Have my LS as my DD and is perfect for the me and the kids and then in the garage i have a turbo 1989 Honda Integra with a built engine etc... which is rough a guts but i still love driving it just as much as the Lexus. I know my 4 year old boy prefers the Honda as its " Fast and Loud"
When I first bought my LS three years ago I kind if put it on a pedestal and parked it in the garage and drove something else to work. Everyone asked me, why aren't you driving the LS? I made excuses up, but honestly all I cared about at that time was washing and waxing it.
That lasted about nine months, now I drive the thing 500-600 miles a week. I take this thing everywhere...food shopping, mall, work, out to eat, anywhere. It's my DD. I still wash it - I keep it clean - but I don't go crazy anymore. And I maintain it religiously, but I'm at 152,000 miles. In two years I'll be well over 200,000...not sure if I'll keep it or buy something else. But the thing gets better gas mileage than my wife's Honda CRV, as long as it doesn't break it's a pretty damn good high mileage commuter.
I must attest that I would not expect the see this question on a model that is still being sold new for $70,000 plus and with 99% of sub 100,000 mile examples fetching at least $20,000 it truly would be the privileged few who would use a 460 as a vehicle for "slumming".
When I purchased my 2007 a few months back, it had 80 some odd thousand miles and was a one owner Southern car with a perfect service history. While I got an absurdly good deal and have already been offered $5000 more than I paid, I purchased it as a long term daily driver and was purchased with cash.
It would not surprise me in the slightest if a number of 460 owners also happen to own exotics. I happen to have a friend with a 991.2 era 911 TT and he also owns a GS that he drives about 60% of the time at least.
Much of this has to do with him having 3 children, but he is quite affluent and at least for him, he damn sure does not view driving his GS as driving a "beater".
We only have two vehicles so the LS 460 is my daily. It is far from a beater and I hope to still be driving it 10 years from now as it would probably still outperform many mainstream cars in 2027, just like how our previous 2006 LS 430 is still quieter, smoother, and better appointed than many new cars today (except for some tech). I love our LS 460 and it is the best car I've ever owned. I am very protective of the LS and so miffed that a rock got kicked up on the highway and chipped off some paint on the edge of the roof last week, right above the windshield. Another quarter inch lower and I would be replacing a windshield this week. Never thought I would be able to get into an LS, let alone my second one. I always thought in terms of new car price so it was always a pipe dream. I still appreciate that there are many great cars out there but not many that can offer the total package that the LS is. Just hope a careless driver doesn't smash into me, especially with family in the car. It wasn't easy finding our LS 460 and I don't want to relive that search anytime soon.
Since buying a second CPO LS a year after the first one, we use the 2012 AWD as a daily year-round driver (MO car) and the 2011 Sport (CA car) only in April-November. After seeing how clean the Aluminum parts under the 2011 were (never exposed to salt), I could not bring myself to drive it in winter. Several things result from this:
1. Mileage accumulation on the 2011 is only about 6000 miles per year, while the 2012 sees 11,000 per year.
2. This makes me feel like I'm treating the 2011 as an exotic collector's item (which it is not) and not using it enough to justify how fast it is depreciating. The way I've babied/treated it does not slow the depreciation, even though it literally still has the new car smell inside and is in new condition other than the tiny blemishes it had when I bought it. The next owner will be getting an outstanding deal, because it is in better condition than when I bought it.
3. I plan to do a fine-tooth-comb inspection on both cars before the CPO warranty expires. When I do this, I will take pictures of the underbodies of both cars to show the effects (if any) of 80,000 miles with salt exposure vs. 64,000 miles with no salt. This will probably make me wish I'd driven the 2011 more, because I haven't noticed any corrosion under the 2012 - just the powdery white oxidation on the Aluminum parts.
4. I've thought a lot recently about buying something to replace the 2011 that will increase in value in return for how I treat it. But at the same time, I do enjoy the lack of residual worry that other brands induce, which detracts from the ownership experience.
It's the best vehicle I've ever owned. I keep it running good and well maintained. No door dings, paint, interior and chrome wheels still look new. Not my daily driver and more of a weekend or highway car that I'm happy to own.
Between the LS and the Porsche if I only get to keep one, LS!
I've actually had my eye on a late 90s/early 2000s Mercedes SL500 as a weekend toy:
I need that like I need a full lobotomy lol.
You and I appear to like the same cars. Our favorite LS body style is the 98-00 and I also love the late 90's SL series (I like the ones with the light bar). MB was making some great cars in that time period- the S class during this time was also a great look and known as being generally very reliable. I just sold my S5 and my garage looks very empty so I have been perusing the web looking around at various older cars... Just this past week I was actually talking to my Euro mechanic who worked on my S5 about late 80's SL class vs. the late 90's SL's from a maintenance perspective. He recommended the late 90's due to some wire harness issues in the prior generation that is very problematic and expensive to redo. I was graduating high school in the late 90's and always thought this particular car was the ultimate symbol of class and had such a timeless design. It's really tempting to go pick one up...unfortunately my wife hates the look of these (she prefers the late 80's/early 90's SL's). I'm trying to convince her that I'm about 8-10 years ahead of the curve in what the next classic MB convertible will be..!
05-16-17, 02:30 PM
