scottgolf

glidesul, what kind of problems are you having with a 430?

I took my exwife to see the car, she is pretty smart about things, and before I told her what I thought, she said the car didn't have the nice wood or the rich looking interior, she said it looked more "plasticy" However, I will say this, the car has a hell of a good motor and trans.

Thanks to all that have replied so far.

Thinkin: thanks for your comments. I agree with you 100%

dejavu157

iTrader: (2)

maybe the wood and leather sucked cuz it was a base model ls460?

GLIDESUL

This is what I replaced is the 3yrs 60,xxx milles 02 ul . I put on her. 02 sensors, coil and fuel injector #5 , plugs, timingbelt, water pump, and I need lower control arm bushings and a cat for up front bank 1. Everything I listed was wear and tear but geesh. Not that major but expensive. Buying this is gonna really suck. I have like 150,xxx miles on her 2 date

ghenley

I'm a big Lexus fan having owned two LS 400's and an LS 460 (but not the LS430). I've test driven the LS 430 many times. My 2 cents is that, even though I like the LS 430, I very much prefer the LS 460 to the LS 430. It does feel luxurious to me, but is not without problems. The biggest advantage, however, is that I prefer the increased power of the LS 460, which is very noticeable.

That being said, I don't think it is worth trading your 430, plus cash for the 460. While I prefer it, I'm not sure it's worth what you'd have to pay to get it.

Greg

Stu

I am curious, where do you use the increased power of the LS460 ...

scottgolf

Thanks guys, keep the thread going, and please everyone feel free to put in your 2 cents worth. This is how we learn by reading and seeing things through other peoples eyes.

I agree the 460 had tons more power, I listed the motor as one of the big plus items of the 460.

I also agree with do i really need that much power in a daily driver? probably not.

It may have been a base model I drove, I don't know the difference.

scottgolf

glidesul, just be glad you don't have an american car, it would have cost you way more by 150k. I still have a cadillac i bought for my business, it has 155k on the clock, and we have put way more money in it than we ever should have. Just be glad that you got off as lucky as you did. you could have been like me, and trust me, if I could go back in time, i would have bought a ls instead.

AlexusAnja

Just like OP, I don't feel that at this point the LS460 is worth the $20K difference because I don't feel it has $20K worth of "extras" over the LS430. As for power, that's always better to have, but the LS430 has sufficient power in every day use. Also, even with the better torque and 8-speed, the LS460 is only 1/2 sec. faster to 60 mph than the 430... can you really feel the 1/2 sec. shaved off?

As for interior, the 430 is dated, very dated... while the 460 even if it looks like a bloated IS as some mentioned, it's still more modern in design. Quality I'm sure if going to be a miss on some vehicles, but I think overall they will still be very good.

The "no deal" point for me is the exterior of the 460. The exterior already looked very Camry'ish, and now with the mid-cycle refresh of the front, it looks even more Camry'ish than before. My 430 is fine enough with me that I'll wait until the 5th gen. LS and see how that looks and wait until 2021 to get a nice 2016 model.

Sentinel

I like look of the ls430 better then the ls460. Before I bought it I debated the 2 models and the looks were very close to me the ls460 being more modern, the ls430 being arguably more handsome

CG lover

we considered a 460 the first year they came out,, wife and I took one out for a drive,, we both thought there was going to be something to grab our attention but there was not,, so after a half hour driving around town and highway we headed back and said no thanks,,

perhaps a drive of their latest may be enough difference to get us interested,, would like that long body for the added rear leg room as I am 6'4" and anyone behind me could use the extra inches,,

keep saying my next car is going to be luxury but also the highest gas mpg I can find,,

Derry

edarte

Well I had a 2001 430 for nine years and it was definitely a fantastic car. It required zero maintenance other than normal wear items. I loved the quality of the vehicle and the ride was perfect. My wife and I drove across the US and Canada several times and never once felt tired from the drives.

However I have to say that I never loved the exterior. The back and sides were “OK” but I could never get used to the front with those guppy-like headlights. The (IMO) much improved design was the main reason I traded the 2001 in on a 2009 (plus I wanted AWD).

I love the new design and feel joy just looking at the car (something I never really experienced with the 430).

I find the interior as good as the 430 and really appreciate the technology (Nav, etc.).

I enjoyed the power of the 430 but you can certainly feel the increase in the 460 in the seat of your pants. The additional power is not something I needed but do enjoy the occasional opportunity to exercise it.

Coming from the 430, I certainly did not experience that huge step up in quality/features/ride that I felt when I first moved on from my former ES. In fact the reason I bought the 430 in the first place was that my test drive of a newer ES was disappointment (even though the ES was also the best car I ever had at that time) . Once I drove the 430 I was hooked.

Obviously we get used to the quality of these vehicles so it is hard to be wowed by the next iteration of the same model.

I am glad the AWD came with the air suspension though. Lexus has definitely changed the ride in responses to past reports of the 430 being too cushy. I find the 460 without the air suspension to be unpleasant compared to the 430 but with air I can set it just they way I like it.

I do find that the 460 is more prone to problems than the 430. Not sure if this is just due to the increased complexity of the car or if the renowned Lexus quality is suffering. Either way I have to wonder if the 460 will be as maintenance free as the 430. I have had the brake actuator TSB done and I am still waiting on a fix to cure a severe transmission shudder.

But I don’t know any other car I would rather have – especially for the money an LS costs.

2SAVVY

Scott,

Thanks for posting your thoughts and starting this thread. I have been going back and forth for over a year with moving over to a 460 from my 430 but like you I cannot justify the extra cash needed to move into a 460. I disagree with your interior assessment thou the 460 is much nicer than the 430 with exception to the wood grain treatment. However the grey wood (Not sure the name of it) looks amazing. As for the exterior on the 460 I sometime mistake it for an ES at first glance. However when you MOD the 460 she is amazing with 22's and a drop. I would always drool when I saw Rom's & Asilverbullet's 460L.

My 430 has a 120,000 kms on it and drives like its still new. I maintain her very well so I can't see myself trading it in for a 460 anytime soon. As for the speed argument between the 2 cars I don't see the difference.

sojah

iTrader: (1)

i'm presently trying to convince myself that a 600hL would be the next likely step for me in the next 0-12 month time frame but my mind keeps wandering to the s600 (benz 07+). i would like to keep it in the lex family but i am not passionate about the 460,, so should i be any more passionate about the 600hL??

our cars get better mpg than the LS600hL, but the 600hL's headlights are much cooler looking so far this is what i am basing my upgrade decisions on

what is the difference between the ls600hL and the 460L??

amcdonal86

As a former LS400 and a current Jag owner, I believe I can probably give a relatively unbiased opinion as I own neither LS430 nor LS460, but am familiar with what appeals about a Lexus to buyers.

I think the LS460 just looks more modern, more fresh and more limousine-like than the LS430 does. LS430s are a dime a dozen it seems and when I see one, I feel like I'm seeing a Japanese Buick. The LS460 has less of a Japanese Buick vibe.

Now it may just be that you don't care about a car's image when you're driving it, but in my opinion, luxury cars are just as much about image as they are about refinement and engineering.

By the way, I never found the LS430's interior console to be particularly good looking. Looks sort of frumpy, especially when compared to the LS460's advanced-tech looking console.

slclexus

CaddyOwner,

Seriously, I just spit three or four ounces of a boutique brew all over my monitor after reading your reply to the guy who dissed Caddies. "Ahem..." Are you a freakin' comedy writer or what?

So understated ... especially playing off your screen name.

This was the best laugh I've had all week. Thank you, sir.

Doc