greg3852

So my wife told me yesterday that if I get rid of my Suzuki Hayabusa that she would "allow" me to get a new car. I'll list options down below on what I'm thinking and see how you guys feel. I'm not sure how I feel about getting rid of it. I am a speed freak and am trying to hit 200mph, but I did have a crash on it over the summer and am still suffering some effects from it. I've used all of my nine lives and I know this. It wasn't my first crash.

I don't want to spend over $40k as I am cheap. I can get a lot of car for that money. I drove an RC350 F sport today and I need the V8 and size of a 460. I love my current car and it has no issues. Has 74k miles, ML and comfort plus package. I want the bigger L version and adaptive cruise. Other than that it doesn't need to be there. I don't care or want F sport.

Option A) Keep the bike and my current 460 and do nothing

Option B) Sell the bike and grab a newer 460L ( I want the longer version)

Option C) Sell the bike and grab an 08 or 09 600hl

Gbp

Does the $40K include any proceeds from the sale of your bike?

What mileage is acceptable to you for buying a used LS460?

R Z

Well, if I were spending your money, I'd go for the 460L. When you say newer, I'm guessing newer than your 2007? If so, then with your money, I'd jump on a 2012, which should work within your budget. I do not believe there is a 2013 L with reasonable miles in that $40K range yet.

As for the bike, if you're asking me, I say bye bye bike. I spent 2 weeks in the hospital back in 75 after meeting up with a panel truck. My brother in law broke his back on his HD and was in intensive care a month. You've had more than one crash, and that for me was too many. I love speed, but I love life and I chose to never ride again. But of course these are all my opinions.

Good luck with your decision.

CRowe14

You know, I have to say that I agree with R Z.
But the thing is with me, is that I've never owned a bike, had a period where I wanted to have one and came close, but was scared away when 3 out of 4 of my friends that owned bikes where in pretty bad accidents within a 6 month time frame.
That in conjunction with the news of the coming of my first child.
That pretty much did it for me.
In regards to the car choice, while not owning my LS for very long, I have already decided that when it comes time to purchase another vehicle, I will be seeking a 600.
Reasons being the extra power and additional features.
I was fortunate enough to find an L in great condition when I purchased, and I simply enjoy the look, feel and space too much and do desire for the next LS to be the same.
I'll also be honest and say that 600's have a mystique to them, in part, due to the fact that there aren't many on the road.
In conclusion, continue to get better, sell the bike and hunt for that 600 (and obtain a GREAT warranty)!

roadfrog

I voted for the 460L. As much as the 600 has that extra mystique and power, the extra weight (which I believe is 900 lbs), negates the extra power in the 5.0 litre motor. 0-60 times are the same or even lower than the 460. I'm also not yet convinced that hybrid is the way to go and the economy numbers just don't make sense to me.....they just aren't that much different from the 460. In fact the hwy economy is slightly lower, so unless you drive mostly city, you won't see any gains. Combined mpg is the same for both cars at 19 mpg. Keep in mind that the 600 is only 50 hp more than the 460, so that isn't a lot to make up for that nearly half ton of extra weight. I'm also not a fan of CVT transmissions.

I echo those here who have concerns about the safety of bikes. I've almost lost many friends throughout my life who rode. My wife always said that if I ever signed papers for a bike, I can also sign the divorce papers at the same time. LOL.

greg3852

I personally do not like the 13 and up front end. I find the 12 and lower to be a classier looking, timeless car. So I would probably look for a 12.

Been riding bikes since before I could drive legally. Currently have the two Harleys and a Big Dog to ride, so there is no shortage of V-twins at my house. The thing Ive noticed in the past few years has been the cell usage. People just don't pay attention. Everyone is on their phones. Although it didn't cause my crash, it is crazy. My first crash was me being an idiot and doing stand-up wheelies. I deserved that one..This most recent one was medical related. Best they can figure is I passed out, which has never happened before. I was on a turn and brought the bike upright and drove directly into a curb. I hit my head (full face helmet) at about 40mph and was out. I woke up in Boston Medical Center the next day and have no memory for about 24hrs. Still no reason or cause has been found, but they did find other issues I would have never known about, so maybe it was a good thing. I have the crash on my GoPro as well. Weird to see yourself moving around with absolutely no memory of it. Still suffer from some really frustrating short term memory loss but other than that no major injuries.

As for the car, maybe an L with UL package?

dal20402

There's one reason to go 600 instead of 460... smoothness. Where in the 460 you can feel each shift, and sometimes have to fight the dull-witted transmission to get what you want, in the 600 you just get creamy buttery power at any speed or throttle opening.

So if you're OK with the way the transmission works in the 460, get another 460. As noted by posters above it's cheaper, much lighter, and possibly faster. But if you ever find yourself thinking "Stupid transmission" when driving your 460 you should at least find a 600 to test.

Personally, I would LOVE a 600 if only you could get a RWD SWB version. The L is too big and the AWD/L combination is just too heavy.

riknchar

I'm in the camp that says 600 all the way!

If you were contemplating buying new, the 600 makes no sense whatsoever -- it's almost $50K more expensive. However, I have found the depreciation hit to be even heavier on the 600 than the 460, which makes buying a low-mileage 5-6 year old 600 a pretty compelling purchase. I think if you did a one-to-one comparison between a 2008-2009 600 and 460L, you'd find the price premium for the 600 has dropped to only around $5 -10k, and you end up with every option imaginable (plus some that can't be found on the 460L at any price).

I've owned both, and can attest for the intangible (but very real) difference between the 460 and the 600. As others have noted, the 600 is quite a bit heavier, which I actually count as a positive feature, since the car was built to feel substantial, planted, and supremely comfortable. The additional power brought on by the hybrid technology overcomes the weight gain and adds amazing refinement and smoothness to the whole package. The hybrid technology was never intended to provide sterling fuel economy in the 600; its purpose was to provide V12-like power delivery, and it does that quite well I think.

I've seen some pretty incredible deals over the past couple of months on low-mileage 2008 600s. Seems like the price of that year really dropped when the Lexus dealers could no longer Certify them. They produced more that year than any other, also, making them more available on the used market.

I think there may only be a dozen or so 600s registered in Nebraska. I've never actually seen one "in the wild," so the exclusivity factor is very much true. I do see 460s fairly often, but never 600s.

Good luck in your search!

CRowe14

Ahh...so after reading two post in particular from Roadfrog and riknchar, I quickly realized what I do desire and like as well as didn't take into consideration/forgot about regarding the 600.

The AWD is what im not sure I'd be a fan of, and momentarily, I had forgotten about the extra weight.
Though the 460 is a heavy car (the 600 being heavier), I actually enjoy the fact that it simply feels heavy; substantial.
I also think that (as I'd have to drive one, but hearing/reading what people have said) the speed/hp specs between the 600 and 460, on paper may not translate as adversely as one may think.
Even when I used to frequent the GS forum, owners of the 450h preferred the "feel of power and smoothness" opposed to the 350. More so the smoothness though.
I'd have to say it the same with the 600. When people do mention the ride, the element of smoothness almost always is mentioned. I think that's what I'd like to experience in this car.
The 460 is already a very smooth, refined and to me-powerful car. But id honestly like to experience for myself what the 600 is all about.
I'd like to test drive one just to do so, but as riknchar said, they're pretty rare and they hardly ever come up in my area (or I don't catch them).

netinfant

If you ask me, I would definitely go for the LS600hL! The headlamp unit along would make all the difference. Plus if you had already experienced 200mph in your face speed, try to experience 160mph behind the windshield in a "boat".

Unsober1

Ya the transmission in the 460 is garbage. It's a..... Well it can only...... One of the best available. Have you ridden in a car other than the LS. I gonna go out on a limb and say it's one of the smoothest out there. It might not alway find the right gear for power, but smooth it has figured out

dal20402

It's very good when it's being driven very gently. Put your boot in it a bit more and it gets confused. I often seem to have a choice between one gear higher than I'd like and one lower than I'd like. And when you lift off it often retains a low gear too long, even with ECT PWR off. Like almost all conventional automatics out there it's also easily confused when you are going uphill slowly (something you do a lot on the many steep driveways around here) and it's easy to get a very harsh 2-1 shift in that situation.

It's no worse than any other conventional automatic (except maybe the 8-speed in BMW products, which seems telepathic) but those minor annoyances just don't happen with the system in the 600.

jainla

If you want exclusivity then the 600 is the way to go. There are not that many on the road, so you'll have to search, and at any given time there are only about 30 for sale in the whole country. So the pool is small. I waited 15 months for the perfect one to appear (and I'm pretty sure I'll never see another one like it again). The pool is shrinking as prior posters have indicated as the sales were strong in 08/9 and dropped off markedly from there.

You won't have much choice in color or options but fortunately most of them are loaded. Ignore the EPA numbers as typically I get 22-23 mpg in mixed driving and high 20's on long trips (and this is not in the slow lane). Plus the midrange power punch is markedly stronger than the 460.

I agree at a $50k premium new the hybrid is hard to justify; but with the much smaller premium on the 08-09 models it's a lot more palatable. If you're ok with the smaller trunk I think the exclusivity and unique drive experience are worth it.