Stereorob

oh I know that problem already! theres still a million good examples of Ls460s. they are still too expensive for kids to buy as cheap drift cars to thrash around. try looking for a perfect early 2gen Ls400!! those are down to scrap value, they are 20+ years old and just about all of them have been abused and or cut up by drift kids. it took me 6 months!

Stereorob

haven't updated in awhile because A, after working at the dealership for so long in the service dept I get to see these cars at there worst and when they go bad they really go. plus I got scared away from them when I realized just how complex these cars really are. and ended up getting a 2014 mustang convertible instead of a 07-09 Ls460 because it was a screaming deal that I couldn't say no to. -it was my fathers and he sold it to me for $6,000. the car is already paid off so I have plenty of equity in it, plus I had my fun with it but truth be told im already bored with it and im finding myself driving my 95 LS400 pretty much all the time and the mustang mostly just sits in the driveway and maybe gets driven twice a week. I love my Ls400 and youd have to drag me kicking and screaming from it, however its 21 about to be 22 years old. its a high mile hero that's never let me down but heros eventually die. sadly my father passed away last Monday which im still crushed about as loosing him was an absolutely devastating blow to my family. he was only 57.

anyway im getting the itch again and im starting to put my feelers out. ive talked to many early Ls460 drivers and have had mostly positive feedback. there is a guy that comes in with a 07 with 285,000 on the clock that has never had a single problem with his car, and most of the others I see have well over 100k on them and are still running and driving fine. id say 2 out of ten have major issues which really isn't bad. since my dad is gone it wont hurt his feelings if I dump the mustang -it would have really upset him, so im going to pick back up my hunt again. now, finding the right one. 460L executive package. they gotta exist!!!!

roadfrog

And keeping things in perspective, I'm sure the "MAJOR" issues are pretty minor. Control arms and maybe air ride. All of which are pretty minor in the automobile world. Both of these "major" problems can be remedied for under 2-3 grand.

SW17LS

Really sorry to hear about your dad! I lost my dad young too, although not as young as your dad was...

CRowe14

Very, very sorry to hear about your Father. I hope you will be able to have peace with the memories that you were able to forge with him while he was there with you. Prayers and condolences to you and your family.

Regarding the car hunt, I just advise to practice patience, as it will pay off. But also be aware that the more loaded the LS (executive package), over time, those additional features/items things will need to be fixed. It is an LS and the probability of things going wrong is lower than most any other luxury brand, but the risks are still there.

I am sure that you are aware of this, but I bring this up because I recall you making mention earlier in thread about your concern for the cost of the vehicle, cost of repairs and your income situation.

Best of luck with everything.

comotiger

CRowe14, well said.

StereoRob, sorry to hear about your dad. Stay strong, and maybe you should keep the Mustang just a bit longer if it meant so much to him. You might miss it more than you think...

CRowe14

Comotiger, thanks for the kind words.
And you actually bring up a great point. Ironic because I was thinking the same thing and thought perhaps I should have added that point while I was composing my entry.
SteroRob, comotiger brings up a valid point. Of course the choice is yours, but perhaps you should wait a bit before making the decision to sell the mustang. From the sounds of it, there is no rush for you and you don't necessarily "need" another car. The LS will be there, and I assume there is sentimental value there with the Mustang.
Either way, take your time

Stereorob

I probably wont be giving up the mustang anytime soon. my dad loved that car but sold it to me cause he wanted something more practicle. funny how it all came to be. in november 2013 he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. a few days later he bought the mustang. theres "mid life crisis" cars, and my dad called it his "end of life crisis" car. he had several major surgeries and tons of chemo and by xmas of 2014 he was doing really well. got his color back and his weight back, doctors told him he was cancer free. -they had caught it very early. he was still on a preventative monthly chemo regiment but he was doing very very well. so well that doctors across the state wanted to talk with him because pancreatic cancer is basically a death sentence and it looked like he beat it. anyway life went back to normal. he went back to work and realized he wasn't going to die in a few months so he sold me the mustang and got a BMW 740i (4 doors) last summer the cancer popped back up so he started taking more intensive chemo treatments which by then were starting to wreck his body. doctor wanted him to try some new revolutionary medication that was supposed to do away with chemo that killed cancer. the condition was 70/30 that it would work. the condition was though is that he had to go off his chemo for several months before going to the new meds which he did. last time I saw him was November 4th. I was at his house with him for several hours shooting BB guns. -something he always loved to do. we talked about all kinds of stuff and ill remember that day for the rest of my life. he was a little weak but seemed okay. he did have some stomach pain but he chalked it up to something he had eaten earlier. we talked about the trial medication and that's when he told me he had a 70% chance which was good. we had made holiday plans and he was very optimistic about everything. he loved life and had absolutely no interest in dying, and he really didn't think he was going to. as I was driving away from his house I had that "feeling.." later that night the stomach pains got really bad. so bad he went to the hospital where they discovered new tumors all over his body. they also discovered an infection in his stomach that had started to spread through his vascular system. they started pumping him with antibiotics and scheduled him for emergency surgery the next day (Saturday) Saturday morning he began to decline rapidly and started to hallucinate. turns out the infection went sepsis and his organs began shutting down. they put him in a medically induced coma and on a respirator till they could figure out what to do. they got him stable but realized it was already too late. sunday morning I got a call from my aunt in hysterics telling me to get to the hospital that dad was dying. I dropped everything and flew down there. he was grey, hooked up to all kinds of machines shaking and unconscious. doctors came in and told us he had no chance of recovery and all they could do was keep him comftrable.. -not what any one of us wanted to hear. they did say they could wake him up and he could possibly go to home hospice but he might only last a day or two. family flew in from everywhere to say goodbye which was absolutely horrible. unfortunately I did not get a chance to say goodbye to him as he had re-married a gold digging ***** who didn't love him a few years previously and SHE made the decision to pull the plug on him. so they unhooked him and gave him what was basically a lethal dose of pain meds. I held his hand as he passed away. 20 people were in the room crying and holding on to him as he went. he wife just stood outside the door. that was the most horrible thing I have ever gone through in my life and its still just settling in that he is really gone. my dad was a great guy and we were very very close.

he fought the cancer tooth and nail for 3 years. he wasn't ready to go. avg life expectancy after diagnosis for pancreatic cancer is about 6 months so he beat the odds. died almost to the day he was diagnosed 3 years before on November 6th. it just sucks that he didn't get to grow old. he wont ever get to be a grandpa or see me get married. my dad looked very young. hardly any grey and he looked like he was 35 all the way up till the end. we used to go out to bars and everyone thought we were brothers.

anyways, it doesn't matter at this point but my dad was well off and I got his IRA, his savings, and his life insurance. I could buy a brand new LS460 along with an LX570 and a GS-F and still have plenty of money if I really wanted to, but I just cant justify spending that kind of coin on a deprectiating asset. so here I am. now I just gotta find the car.

ill be keeping the mustang for awhile. but keeping up a 2007 Ls460L executive package car wont be a big deal. just gotta find one.

SW17LS

Thanks for sharing your story, sorry again to hear about your dad.

He may have loved that Mustang but as a father myself I can tell you that paled in comparison to he much he loved you. Until you have children yourself you don't understand what that sort of love is. I have no doubt he would want you to have what you want. When you're ready and the time comes I wouldn't hesitate a bit to trade it in and get what you really want.

Do give yourself time though, still very fresh. I found that the gravity of it didn't really hit me until several months after my father died. You ever need anybody to talk to about it just PM me.

Doublebase

Wow, what a terrible thing. Whenever I hear pancreatic cancer, it always makes me feel terrible for the people who have it, and the people around them. Sounds like your dad was very brave throughout his battle. I feel bad for what you're going through right now.

Stereorob

pancreatic cancer does one thing. it kills you. that's it. no getting out of it.
anyways im keeping myself busy as much as I can. I haven't had much luck looking for the right LS460. I want the L with executive. found a few luxury ones that were pretty well loaded but no executive yet

AJT123

Sorry about your father, I know how rough it is. I just lost mine last month, too. Like others who have chimed in, it's devastating to lose a parent at such a young age. 34 is way too young to be burying parents (in my case).

Stereorob

ok. brake actuator question.. since everybody knows just as sure as the sun comes up and sets everyday, the brake actuator is going to fail, eventually..
when I get the car would it be a good idea to keep it off auto and use it sparingly? im in central florida so hills are not really a thing here. I speak fluent Ls400 but not Ls460. still trying to learn about these cars. I need to be aware of whats in store for me. plus im pretty hell bent on an 07-08ish one. A, cause they are affordable and B, they can do some cool stuff the new ones cant. also, im wondering if I should wait till the Ls500 comes out because im pretty sure these cars are going to depreciate like a rock. my concerns are..

brake actuator
navi screen / ML system failing
air suspension
starter
fuel pumps
control arms.
electrical gremlins

I know the air suspension is going to go nomatter what. theres no running away from it.
the starter is the repair of doom on the Ls400, not sure if the 460 inherited that nightmare
the 460 has 4 fuel pumps -WHY? im sure one will fail eventually.
ive personally seen ML units fail in these. they give off this annoying pulsating chirp that wont go away.
everything in these cars is computerized.. EVERYTHING. did you know that there is 19 electronic processes that need to happen to start the engine from the time you hit the button? seems like these cars are easy to **** off.


reason im asking about this stuff is because ive been driving Ls400s for many years. my current 95 now has 202k miles on it. ive driven it to death, and very hard. ive managed to get away with driving it 4 years without it crapping the bed. just basic oil changes belts wiper blades and brake pads. everything on the car still works. think I can expect this same kind of reliability from a 460? the 400s are brick ****house tough. from what ive seen, some of the 460s get really cranky as they age. infact it scared me away from them for awhile after seeing some of them fail here. even some of the guys I work with strongly recommended I don't get an early 460 because they are way more expensive to maintain. when I get one im planning on keeping it till it blows up. atleast ten years.

thoughts?

Nospinzone

Sorry to hear about your Dad, my condolences and also to AJT123.

I'm not so sure the brake actuator has to fail. I have 105k on my car and no problem.

As far as all the other things you listed, insert any other brand of vehicle and your chances of a problem only get higher.

roadfrog

I lost my mom when I was in my early thirties and just lost my father, so I understand what you are going through. It's tough, especially if you were close to them as I was.

The concerns you have about the LS is relatively minor. I'll address some of them here:

brake actuator: Yes, it's problematic, but can be addressed by the "recall" or extension to the warranty that Lexus has announced.
navi screen / ML system failing: As you may have read here at CL, there are a few shops around that will repair the amp for about 700 bucks. That said, mine has never failed.
air suspension: These can be replaced for about 1200 bucks with aftermarket Arnott components
starter: I think I've read of one failure here. The good news is, they are no longer mounted at the rear top of the engine and are far easier to service, being located in the conventional spot under the vehicle
fuel pumps: Again, never heard of any failures there.
control arms: These are definitely troublesome. I'm dealing with that right now, but am comfortable replacing them myself for about 500 bucks.


electrical gremlins