colfax

JLAWS on another thread said:

​​​​​​Unless you paid no more than $7500 for your LS460 and can do most of the labor yourself, then I'm sorry to say that you bought a money pit.
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Well, I bought my 07 SWB 460 a year and a half ago for $11,000, and I felt that was indeed a good price back then.
It had 104,000 miles on it and immediately needed front brake rotors, pads, and new tires -$1200, I still felt good about my purchase.

Fast forward to present time with 120k, three months ago I spent $3000 for all new suspension components, control arms, shocks,
and this was done with my 25 year mechanic who know personally and trust 100%, a Lexus dealer would have been $5500.

Yet to be dealt with but coming up will be the infamous Brake Acuator, I supposed that will cost what $3000?
And soon enough a new water pump, belt, idler pulleys, etc, and down the road, new motor mounts, my god the labor on that!!!
So soon enough I will have around $20,000 into this car, and I am still ok with that. That is what a KIA costs new? No thanks.

So is the LS460 a Money Pit, a nasty sucking cash draining POS? I suppose one could make and back up that assertion.
But here's the thing, I did my reading and knew this when I bought it, I bought a 70k car for 11k and the $9000 more I will have into it
makes it mechanically pretty near back to bullet proof for many many more miles.
I will favor that decision all day when I consider how wonderfully smooth and powerful, how luxurious to me this car is.
However, I do understand it when people beat it up as a stupid money wasting purchase.
Doesn't it always come down to - you don't own a car like this if you can't afford it going in?

Nospinzone

Well once you have a car that is going north of 100K miles, there are going to be maintenance items, and you have the right attitude about it.

I'm not so sure that "coming up will be the infamous Brake Acuator, I supposed that will cost what $3000? And soon enough a new water pump, belt, idler pulleys, etc, and down the road, new motor mounts.....".

You might have to, but then again maybe not. I'm at 140K and have none of those repairs.

SW17LS

You have the right attitude about it. A car like that is not about the money thats in it. Its a great car of a very high caliber, and you can't replace it with anything near comparable for what you have in it.

The issue is when people buy one for $11,000 and then think they can just drive it 20k miles a year and it will be just as reliable and maintenance free as a new Corolla, which obviously is a ridiculous assumption.

R Z

Considering you are driving a car that when new was north of $70k, to have it mechanically sound for a $20k investment is smart money. It’s a great car and one, if not the best 460 made. You enjoy that sweet ride!!

JLAWS

Yeah, I agree that an LS430 is MUCH cheaper than an LS460 to maintain. My 2006 Camry has some of the same materials as the LS430 and it show No sign of wear. The interior seems indestructible like my old 1994 Camry which I gave to my cousin and see every other month. The only thing that failed is the center console armrest and that occurred during her time of ownership.
The 2001-2003 LS430s are probably the most reliable ones with 5 speed transmission with a dipstick to check the fluid! At this point the ones without Nav would be the best to own. Just wish the LS430 just had a timing chain or even was a non interference engine then It would be even better. Some will say the LS430 is ancient, well the LS460 compared to new cars on the road and their current technology makes the LS460 look pretty dated also.

JLAWS

I bought my 2008 LS460 with rare comfort plus package with 90K miles in 2017 for $15,800. I did all the following repairs below over the 2 1/2 year of ownership. I needed to do the trunk latch motor, Radiator and Hid bulbs a few months after ownership. Everything underlined was mandatory maintenance repairs. Everything else was me spending over months to make the Ls460 drive like new. My total Labor cost was $185!! Now imagine what the total cost would be for someone that could not do any of the work and went to the Lexus dealership or had no close relationship with a reliable mechanic.
I walked away from my LS460 Sept 2019 for $12,800. I decided to jump ship before the value really plummets and major repairs cost like the brake actuator starts to pop up keeping it a few years more. Yes, you get a lot of car for the money buying a used LS460 but at 10+ years old you have to ask yourself, do you want to spend the time and money repairing failing wear and tear parts or buy something newer and not as luxurious but with less of a concern for repairs for the next few years. Some members recently purchase 2013+ LS460 nearing 100K and well over 100K miles for mid to high $20K . For that budget I would buy a 2018 Toyota Camry V6 XSE with around 30K to 40k miles for around $23K.

2013 door trim update $50
HID bulbs $180
Radiator $150
$70 antifreeze and Freon
Sway links $80
Labor $50
Leather dye $50
Trunk latch motor $275
4 Upper control arms $160
Ball joint Boot $25
Navigation Trim $240
Front Struts and mount $265
Labor $75 (total cost to rebuild both strut assembly)
$50 hood struts
Belt, Belt tensioner and Pulley $140
Rear struts $230
$60 labor (Total cost to rebuild both struts assembly)

Doublebase

I think you bring up some good points...you have a good attitude towards it. But this is where I’ll rain on the parade a little bit (just a little). Age and mileage. As the car ages, things will wear and there really is nothing you can do about it. Paint, rubber, and plastics. There’s just nothing you can do. The paint will fade. The rubber will dry. And the plastics will crack. Unless of course we are talking about a garage queen...not driven...hidden away from weather and sunlight. Now you could keep up with this stuff, but it’ll cost you a fortune.

Now that’s ^^^ time. Let’s talk mileage. You haven’t driven all that much, yet your car has 120,000 miles. You are soon to be heading into a point in an engine’s life where it’ll either consume oil and become a bit of a problem...or it won’t. I reached that point with my LS460 at 150,000 miles. By the time I traded it in at 178,000 miles it was consuming a quart every 1,000 miles. So that’s where I reached my correlation point. I had already dealt with the control arms (twice actually), the blower motor, normal “stuff”. The brake actuator was indeed right there knocking on my door step (it was noisy and it needed replacement). The paint was starting to look a bit rough. The interior plastics were worn/melted on the arm rests. And THEN the oil consumption hit. Big time. Now I had myself a true money pit. And a little earlier than I expected.

So I think it depends...it depends on mileage, age, price, and just how much one intends to drive the vehicle. You apparently don’t drive all that much, but if you did, I think there is a chance your purchase could have become a “money pit”. However if you don’t drive much - put only 10,000 miles on a car per year - you could probably get away with driving a Ferrari and remain unscathed. Especially if you only keep it 3-4 years. Honestly.

I drove mine a lot and I probably would still have it if not for the oil consumption.

SW17LS

I actually drove a nice LS430 the other day for the first time in a long time. My mechanic bought one off of one of his customers. Its just so old and dated, its not comparable to an LS460. Its a nice car, don't get me wrong but from another era.

And YES things do fail on LS430s, he did $4,000 worth of work to it (what he would have billed for) to get it in good shape (thats why the owner sold it to him because it needed that work), it has 132,000 miles on it. YOU have had no issues in 152,000 miles and thats great, plenty of people here have 460s that have had no issues in 150k miles too.



The LS460 is dated compared with new cars too, but its nowhere near as dated as the LS430.

It all depends on what you want. I am not a used car person, I wouldn't drive any car with 100k miles on it. I always caution people against buying these cars high mileage and expecting them to be like a Camry, they are much more complex and sophisticated cars and there is a lot more that can go wrong. If you're somebody though thats into cars and a car is more than transport for you, and you appreciate the benefits of an LS, and can afford the additional repair risk, I would absolutely buy a 2013 LS over a 2017 Camry. Its a ton more car, is it going to be more expensive to maintain, of course. Better things cost more.

As a car person I could never drive a Camry.

Schiben

The comment mentioned in the first post was in response to my 1 month review. I think it's a little harshe to call old cars money pits unless you've gotten a deal 25% below market value. But, everyone is entitled to their opinions. Some people won't own a car outside of warranty. Some won't own a car past 100k miles. Some people won't own anything made in America. Some people won't own anything other than a Toyota. I don't believe my LS is or will be a money pit. I only have one month of data and opinion though. If my current spending rate continues I'll add the "money pit" label. I HIGHLY doubt I'll have to continue to spend as much money though. And, I don't believe I've spent an exorbitant amount yet. My gripes are with the timing (1 month and 750 miles), my own failings when looking for and buying a car, and some gripes about a flagship car that I'm not alone on. My belief is I can do better than average with my choice of cars, mechanical ability, and general care in operating my vehicles. I think I'll get there.

SW17LS

Everybody's definition of what a "money pit" is is different too. To some people, having to repair anything on a car classifies it as a "money pit".

JLAWS

My initial budget to straighten out a used car is $1,000. If I starts to get well past that and expensive surprises pop up then I start to get nervous. Then I start to ask myself "what the hell did I get myself into!" Then you realize you should have spent a few thousand more on another car.

I'm not all "Camry crazy" now that I am driving one. It has opened my mind to explore other vehicles especially if I am spending $20K. I'm asking myself should I be buying a used luxury car nearing 10 years old and be on guard all the time if something expensive breaks or something that drives and performs very well, and a lot newer.

SW17LS

I think if you're going to be "on guard all the time if something expensive breaks" you aren't in a mode to buy a car like this, and you should buy something newer and less sophisticated.

That doesn't mean the higher mileage LS purchase is a bad purchase for people of a different mindset though. Like I said, I buy new cars...but I have several times in my life kept those cars longer than I typically do and spent money to repair them vs just buying a new car because they were much better cars than what I would have been in a position to buy at the time.

As an example, the residual buyout on my lease is $32,000. If I was only able to or willing to spend $32,000 on a car when this lease is up, I would absolutely buy out this car I have and keep it over buying some other new $32,000 car. I'd rather drive this car with 100k miles on it and take the risk of fixing stuff here or there than drive a new ES, let alone a new or used Camry.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

I call it a 1998 LS 400. Literally nothing has broken on this car in 240k miles. I was looking at the dash and leather because it's been sitting outside for the past 3 years and other than the top of the steering wheel peeling the dash and seats are in great condition. I've moved on from the car physically and emotionally lol but I try to drive it once a week or crank it up twice a week and let it idle. The 430 was a definite upgrade to my 400 in every category except looks imo. The 460 might be a bit dated compared to newer cars but that dash in the 430 is practically ancient looking.

I changed the tb twice, did engine mounts, replaced the starter, cam seals and bought a new radiator which were the only major repairs on my 400 which only cost me the price of parts since I did all the labor myself. I put good money in that car over the course of 18 years of ownership and would never describe it as a money pit. Sure things can break without notice on an older 460 but I'm betting it doesn't. All issues are well documented like control arm which I feel are way over blown price wise mainly do to the dealer giving outrageous quotes for OEM parts using the book for labor. I've changed the front upper and lower for under $300 in parts and my own labor. THe upper bushings were still good but the ball joints had way too much play. The bushings in the lowers were ripped to the point where you could hear the metal clank. I also had to change my heater core but that was due to the PO pouring stop leak in the system instead of addressing the real issue.

I have complete confidence in the 460 to carry the reliability torch of previous LS vehicles that I have owned and If something breaks I'll just fix it and move on. I definitely won't be in the forum complaining. We should all know what we are getting into with these cars and It seems ridiculous to me when I read threads bashing the 460 for what are known issues with easy fixes most of the time. I'm not saying that's what the OP is doing but we see that quite a bit around here.

R Z

And this comment coming from someone trying to buy a 460. Ha.

Striker223

This. I could have bought a $30000 460 but the entire point of me leaving my jeep was to NOT have to fix anything due to my annoyance of doing so on personal cars. The 430 once leaks are fixed is hilariously good even at 210k plus it left me more money to do stupid stuff on my truck, like a 4 link conversion and custom rear axle.