JFNash

What is the collective value of a brand new LS460's parts?

I've always wondered what if you bought a new $70K LS460 and sold it in parts, how much would you get for it?

I suspect a substantial difference in $ value between a parted out LS460 vs a new LS460 sold as a whole - in favor of the former, and I think that the majority of the value is in a few parts (think engine, transmission gear, differential gear, entertainment system, ...).

What do you guys think?

Devh

Interesting question. I have parted out two cars and It was a eye opening experience. You are making the assumption that buying the car whole is cheaper then buying the parts form the dealer which is true but the reality is entirely different.
The first car I parted was a Dodge Stealth which I totaled years ago. The stealth in general was unreliable and as a result I was able to net over nine thousand dollars in the part out and the insurance company paid me four thousand for the car after the buy back.
The second car was an MR2 Spyder and because the car is reliable it didn't make much money and I was left with many parts that I still have and will end up junking.

Parting out a car is labor so you need to factor that in along with shipping and dealing with potential buyers. It's work so there is no free ride to making money but it is a money making opportunity if you work hard at it.

Your best prospect would be a totaled European car.

robert1408

I would guess that the parted out value of a new LS (or any car) would be affected by a few things.

1) Nearly all repairs needing parts on a newer car will be either warranty repairs using dealer sourced parts or collision repairs using new parts or new aftermarket parts. So your new parted out Lexus would only be of interest to moders, an iffy market for sure.

2) Only parts interchangeable with older LS's would be in any demand.

3) Some really high dollar stuff like infotainment is exclusive to 2013 on. Demand will be very limited.

4) engines, trans and diffs won't be in high demand for years. I think it's a buyers market for this stuff now.

5) I'd venture that the part-out of a new LS would never even get close to $70k. Or even $20k...

6) High dollar part-outs sometimes makes sense on exotics, but only on damaged of wrecked ones.

7) As an individual, parting out a complex car that sold in limited numbers could be a chore. Unless you sell the stuff in cheap lots you'd likely have to sit on that LS stuff for a long time.