Ascari_2

Rick,

I'd love a low-mileage (sub-45k mile) 600, but even the 2008 with Lexus certification would creep up into the price range that I'd rather stay away from. That coupled with a small trunk and the fact that over 90% of my driving is done on the express way I think will ultimately keep my in the 460. But if one did become available for the right price I certainly wouldn't be opposed to it.

WhitBaby

I bought my '08 LS460 new in '08. Here in CO we probably see as much snow as anyone.
My 2WD LS does well in the snow, the only drama occurred when encountering sudden stops. It's a pretty sure-footed beast, especially with the Snow switch engaged, but when stopping or turning on glazed snow pack or black ice it would wander a bit, as would most 4WD's in the same situation.
The second winter I bought 4 Blizzaks for the winter months. These snow tires all the way around relieve any braking angst considerably. They are mounted on wheels and the seasonal change out is pretty easy except for reprogramming the TPMS codes. Fortunately my dealer does the whole job for $58. He stores the tires/wheels at his dealership too.

We live in a hilly community west of Denver up against the foothills of the Rockies. We've never been unable to get the car up the hill and into the garage during our heavier winters.
On the rare occasions we get over 2' of overnight snowfall, and it's still coming down, and we have to go out, I take our 4WD Taco.

;->

riknchar

ASCARI: Understandable... I think the price for a CPO 2008 LS600hL with < 45K miles would end up between $45-50K at most Lexus dealers. You could definitely save money on a CPO LS460 AWD, and your highway fuel economy would likely be slightly better in a 460 vs a 600. I just got back from my first "road trip" in the LS600, and averaged around 26.5 mpg over 500 miles with the cruise set at 77 mph. I was happy with that, but I've heard tales of 28-30 mpg in the LS460s.

I do find the LS600 to be a bit quieter and a slightly better ride than the LS460 in all modes of driving (city and highway), due to the electric motor and the extra weight.

Either car would be terrific, though. Happy hunting! Rick

Ascari_2

Boy does this one look tempting.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...71102389&Log=0

Tee

WOW! 21K and some change on this one, look really clean too.

riknchar

That one is beautiful! And the price seems good for that low of miles. If it is all it seems to be, it would be a wonderful car to own.

You'll want to scrutinize the CarFax and run the VIN through the Lexus Owners' site to make sure everything checks out.

My only concern would be with obtaining a good warranty, since it's not being sold by a Lexus dealer. Do you have a good relationship with a local Lexus dealer? The way to do this deal (perhaps) is to convince your local Lexus dealer to do a "pass-through" transaction, where they actually purchase the car from the seller and run it through the Lexus Certification process, and then sell it back to you. This would add perhaps $1500-2000 to the price of the car, but you'd get the 3-year CPO warranty and you'd have the option to purchase the extended CPO warranty (taking you all the way out for 6 more years up to 125K miles) for around $2000. This is the technique I used and it worked great, and I've read that other people have had success with this sort of transaction in the past.

Good luck! Rick

Ascari_2

Rick,

Thanks for your feedback. I am actually very familiar with what you are talking about and would definitely go that route. Given that I drive a lot and would keep the car for a long time I do want the 6y/125k CPO. Owning such a high-priced/high-tech car, I definitely don't want to take a chance that something could go wrong down the road.

Ultimately, my biggest beef with the 600 (aside from an increased price) is its lack of trunk space. Part of my says that it's not really a big deal, but another part thinks that with one infant and maybe one more in the not too distant future having a place to stuff some junk would be useful. Then again, we live in the city and only drive our little guy around on the weekends.

riknchar

The trunk is definitely smaller in the LS600, especially the '08 model. If you plan on traveling as a family very much, I can see how it could be a show-stopper. I only have one child in my home currently (the others are grown and gone thankfully), and we had no problem with luggage space when we went on a weekend 500 mile trip last weekend. The trunk held 4 carry-on-sized bags with no problem, and I could have easily used half of the cavernous back seat if we had more luggage or baby stuff to bring along. I think if you take an extended test drive in an LS460 followed immediately by an LS600, including both cith driving and highway cruising, you'll see why those of us who own the 600 would have a hard time going back to a 460. But of course everyone's needs are different, and there are cons associated with the 600 as well (luggage space being the biggest one).

hfahmy

I would offer $41K and go to $42K at most on this car. I paid $43.5K for CPO with 25K miles that I found for the dealer myself and top it with $1.5K for 6-year/100K CPO. Read more here https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...ease-help.html

Also, at least take it to the dealer for CPO inspection.

Ascari_2

hfahmy: I saw your thread previously but for some reason have always skimmed through it without getting into the details (probably because I could never access the autotrader link). Wow you got one hell of a deal. I don't know how much of it was due to you trading in your 07, but $45k for that car with such low miles and a 6 year CPO definitely seems great.

Rick: I think the trunk, while being an issue, won't be the deciding factor. In the end if I can find a low-mileage 600 for a good price and have it CPO'd for 6 years, I may very well go that route.

riknchar

Wow, you really did get an amazing deal on a low-mileage LS600 from a Lexus dealer! I haven't seen one quite that cheap yet with that low of miles, especially not one that is Certified. I suppose if you have enough time to wait, you'll eventually find one at a Lexus dealer that has been on the lot for 60+ days that you can negotiate on. Since these cars are so unique, they probably don't sell as quickly as the more common ESs (or even the LS460s).

I paid $42K for my 2008 Certified LS600, but mine had 58K miles. It just happened to have a perfect service history and was the exact color combination I was looking for. I'm happy with my deal, but it would have been even better to find one with lower miles.

hfahmy

Strange thing is, right after I bought mine there was 2011 LS600 CPO with 62K miles black on black in a Lexus dealer in KY for $47K. It was owned by the dealer GM and was never sold...I called the dealer and they told me they had it on the lot for sale for more than 90 days because folks there are scared from buying hybrids. I was already tired from the buying process hassle and decided to let go, it was gone in few days after they dropped the price from $57K-->$47K. I also preferred the 08-09 shape better than the 10-12. So, my advise is to wait for the right deal but be ready to travel for it.