Ascari_2

Having sold my F, I am now on the look out for my next car. I have been looking at the LS as the most likely candidate, but besides just agreeing to buy the next car for whatever amount of money our family if growing and we may be buying a bigger place soon also. So prioritizing our spending right now is a must.

So that brings me to my question. Assuming that a low milage 2008 is certified and comes with the comfort/nav/Levinson packages, what major advantage is there in getting a newer ('10 or'11) rather than the 08. Yes the big thing I would be giving up would be AWD and air. But the price difference between say an '11 with similarly low miles and AWD and the '08 seems to be pretty significant.

Any thoughts on this?

SW17LS

The big difference between a 2008 and a 2010 or 2011 is going to be the infotainment system. Starting in 2010 they have the newer system with enform, Bluetooth audio, USB input, XM built in, etc. On the 08 all you have is an aux in I believe. That alone would ensure I looked for a 2010+

Ascari_2

That is actually probably one of the least important things on my list. Yes Bluetooth audio streaming would be nice, but I am ok with using the aux input. And in my two years of owning the F, I never once used the NAV.

SW17LS

Then you could do something older than a 2010 and save some money. I personally prefer the styling of the 07-09

CJITTY

Maybe this existing thread on the topic will help you https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=609036

Ascari_2

Thanks CJITTY. I have looked at that thread in the past, but was hoping to get a more practical view from the owners.

One thing that has me concerned just slightly is that it was one of the early 2008 cars (actually built in 2007) which was subject to the VSR recall. But the service history seems okay. Does anything jump out at any of you guys?

riknchar

I believe the common "wind noise" complaint is more prevalent on the 2007-2008 model years than the 2010-2011 years. I had a 2011 LS460 with absolutely no wind noise. My 2008 LS600 definitely has some (although it's gotten much better by installing the newer "finned" triangles on the windows).

That being said, I really don't miss any of the "new infotainment" items from my 2011 when I made the jump to the 2008, with the slight exception of the streaming blue-tooth... But the built-in music hard drive makes up for the lack of streaming blue-tooth, in my mind.

You would definitely save some major $$ if you could find a nice 2008 LS460 that could be Certified by Lexus!

CJITTY

The Levinson system in the 2010-2012 isn't as good as the 2007-2009 based on my experience. Especially bass response

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

I have a 2007 that looks like it just drove off the lot. But it doesn't drive like a new car - it has 6 years and 66,000 miles of wear, tear and old age on it. It's just not as tight as a newer car (and by that, I mean creaks, tics and other miscellaneous and sundry noises that you just don't get in a new car). Coming from a BMW, this was very noticeable (the BMWs are built like a vault). If I was doing it again, I would buy the newest car I could afford.

Nospinzone

Based on your needs and situation, I think the 2008 CPO is the way to go. If not that one, then a CPO for peace of mind.

hjones4841

Good advice on the CPO. I bought a CPO 2011 LS 460 in December, got the 3 year CPO warranty, then bought another 3 years about a month ago. Being too old now to do my own repairs, 6 years of warranty is piece of mind.

Tee

Looks like the ML amp was replaced so that is one thing not to think about.

Tee

Service history looks good, don't worry about the VSR, for the LS Lexus estimated two-tenths of one percent (0.2 %) of something would happen but they recalled all of the affected VIN's anyway.