2011 LS 460 from 2002 LS 430
06-20-14, 07:30 AM
#1
Driver
Thread Starter
2011 LS 460 from 2002 LS 430
I am a very infrequent poster on here but been able to follow some very interesting discussions and learned a lot about the various intricacies of these cars.
I buy my cars used and look for low mileage 3-4 year old cars and keep them 8-10 years. Prior to my LS430 I drove Mercedes and BMW's.
I owned my LS 430 for a little over 10 years and put approximately 100K Kilometres on it. I was always meticulous in keeping service and maintenance up to date . Tthe car survived two accidents one where it demolished a Pontiac Grand Am and another where it killed a nice Buck the opening day of Deer Season in California.
The lack of Bluetooth, XM and an integrated GPS plus the age of my car started my search.
I walked on a deal on a 2007 460L from my dealer when price quoted issues raised it's head, and i had previously made a verbal commitment to buy a 2010 460 Sport after a test drive. " I will be back to buy it in the morning, get the paperwork ready." only to find out the next morning that I was driving a car already sold
I am older and have time on my side and being Canadian I see occasional US cars imported into Canada pop up for sale.
Sunday I found a 2011 LS 460 with 22k miles for sale at a non Lexus dealership and the price adjustment for a US car was close to $20,000 less than similar cars on the Lexus Canada website. Clean US Carfax and insurance file in Canada
I had a simple wish list. because i want to minimize long term service costs, much of which i gleaned from this list.
1. RWD
2. No air suspension
3. Any colour but a light interior colour was preferred
4. Needed built in GPS
5. I had had a ML stereo in my 430 so was indifferent to that.
The deal to 15 minutes and I sold my old car to my Accountant and had the Dealership run it though their books to save tax. I paid 3K more than i had negotiated on the 2007 460L with executive seating that had had a front end hit of minor consequences and 8 k less than the '10 460 sport both cars had 25 % more mileage and no mileage.
Many LS 460's sit on the Canadian Lexus Dealers lots for 4-12 months according to my spread sheet i kept and i was likely more aware of the market's demand than the Dealership where i bought my car
It seems like a nice car and I am having new tires and a full service done this morning. I will write a review in a few weeks on what i like / don't like. It will be boring but helpful to other old guys.
Interestingly I still have a year of full Lexus warranty on the car, plus the longer power train warranty
The car has a bit of the idle noise and i already fixed that by turning on the radio
I buy my cars used and look for low mileage 3-4 year old cars and keep them 8-10 years. Prior to my LS430 I drove Mercedes and BMW's.
I owned my LS 430 for a little over 10 years and put approximately 100K Kilometres on it. I was always meticulous in keeping service and maintenance up to date . Tthe car survived two accidents one where it demolished a Pontiac Grand Am and another where it killed a nice Buck the opening day of Deer Season in California.
The lack of Bluetooth, XM and an integrated GPS plus the age of my car started my search.
I walked on a deal on a 2007 460L from my dealer when price quoted issues raised it's head, and i had previously made a verbal commitment to buy a 2010 460 Sport after a test drive. " I will be back to buy it in the morning, get the paperwork ready." only to find out the next morning that I was driving a car already sold
I am older and have time on my side and being Canadian I see occasional US cars imported into Canada pop up for sale.
Sunday I found a 2011 LS 460 with 22k miles for sale at a non Lexus dealership and the price adjustment for a US car was close to $20,000 less than similar cars on the Lexus Canada website. Clean US Carfax and insurance file in Canada
I had a simple wish list. because i want to minimize long term service costs, much of which i gleaned from this list.
1. RWD
2. No air suspension
3. Any colour but a light interior colour was preferred
4. Needed built in GPS
5. I had had a ML stereo in my 430 so was indifferent to that.
The deal to 15 minutes and I sold my old car to my Accountant and had the Dealership run it though their books to save tax. I paid 3K more than i had negotiated on the 2007 460L with executive seating that had had a front end hit of minor consequences and 8 k less than the '10 460 sport both cars had 25 % more mileage and no mileage.
Many LS 460's sit on the Canadian Lexus Dealers lots for 4-12 months according to my spread sheet i kept and i was likely more aware of the market's demand than the Dealership where i bought my car
It seems like a nice car and I am having new tires and a full service done this morning. I will write a review in a few weeks on what i like / don't like. It will be boring but helpful to other old guys.
Interestingly I still have a year of full Lexus warranty on the car, plus the longer power train warranty
The car has a bit of the idle noise and i already fixed that by turning on the radio
06-21-14, 12:43 PM
#3
Driver
Thread Starter
I have just signed up for US equivalent of OnStar that Lexus offers and I pay for XM.com in the States to save money.
It is like Net flicks US (we subscribe) versus NetFlicks Canada which costs more and has fewer shows.
A few of the techs at the Dealership I go to drive US imports.
Clean accident free already imported US Cars sell at a discount to the equivalent bought in Canada.
06-22-14, 09:38 AM
#4
sounds great man , im driving an 03ls430 with low mileage and I love it , but I think its only a matter of time now until i end up in a 460.
Im just worried about all the extra issues that I keep hearing about, but the extra size, power and luxurys keep bringing me to the 460 section of the local classifieds.
it seems that there are ALOT of 460's for sale at any given time, the 430's seem to sell VERY quick and finding a good one with low mileage can be hard.
I would assume this is because of the higher cost, worse gas mileage and the reliability issues.
Im just worried about all the extra issues that I keep hearing about, but the extra size, power and luxurys keep bringing me to the 460 section of the local classifieds.
it seems that there are ALOT of 460's for sale at any given time, the 430's seem to sell VERY quick and finding a good one with low mileage can be hard.
I would assume this is because of the higher cost, worse gas mileage and the reliability issues.
07-03-14, 07:33 AM
#5
Driver
Thread Starter
So I have had the car a few weeks and thought an update was in order. I divide it into vehicle updates.
Since I bought the car I have
replaced the tires and had a four wheel alignment done
I als had the car checked over at the Lexus Service department that I use.
purchased Lexus Safety Connect - works in Canada you just need to purchase it with a US Address. (not a problem I have a US Post Office Box),
Bought a set of new OEM 18" Rims (From a 2007 460) for my winter tires ($400.00 for the set) plus tires sensors. I will get the snow tires in the fall when the early sales are on.
I live in Vancouver and drive through the mountains on a regular basis in the winter and yet bought a car with Rear Wheel Drive. You may wonder why I didn't want AWD. Four snow tires and traction control combined with reasonable winter driving expectations have kept me on the road for 40 plus years of winter driving. I carry chains if it is really bad and the two times I have been in the Ditch in the winter not surprisingly both occurred in 4WD / AWD vehicles. I prefer the lack of complexity in AWD for slightly better fuel economy and what I view as improved handling.
I have purchased colour matched trim strips for the car's sides. (I park in a lot of public
parking lots) and I have the Dealership's detail person buff and polish the car.
The car looks brand new now and as a step towards vanity I bought plane chrome license plate frames.
Driving the Car
Seat -Initially I found the seats not as comfortable but the more I drive the car the more I get comfortable in it as the seat remoulds itself to my butt and forgets the original owner's cushion indentations
My 460 is eerily quiet compared to my 430 and I am running the same tires on both cars and I had just replaced the tires on the 430
The 460 feels much quicker from a stop and the highway merge is rocket like and the engine accelerates the car with far less drama
Radio - I had a ML in the 2002 LS 430 and the 460 has the base (Non ML )radio. It is not quite as nice but having Sat Radio and Bluetooth makes up for that.
The trunk seems a bit smaller when you open the lid in the new car.
Both cars a light on the road and do not feel as planted on the road as my Mercedes S Class that I owned before the LS 430. Countering this is the fact that Mercedes in not firmly planted in my wallet anymore.
The subtle upgrades through the car are very nice
Do I miss my 430 not a bit however I would not be unhappy if I was still driving it.
Since I bought the car I have
replaced the tires and had a four wheel alignment done
I als had the car checked over at the Lexus Service department that I use.
purchased Lexus Safety Connect - works in Canada you just need to purchase it with a US Address. (not a problem I have a US Post Office Box),
Bought a set of new OEM 18" Rims (From a 2007 460) for my winter tires ($400.00 for the set) plus tires sensors. I will get the snow tires in the fall when the early sales are on.
I live in Vancouver and drive through the mountains on a regular basis in the winter and yet bought a car with Rear Wheel Drive. You may wonder why I didn't want AWD. Four snow tires and traction control combined with reasonable winter driving expectations have kept me on the road for 40 plus years of winter driving. I carry chains if it is really bad and the two times I have been in the Ditch in the winter not surprisingly both occurred in 4WD / AWD vehicles. I prefer the lack of complexity in AWD for slightly better fuel economy and what I view as improved handling.
I have purchased colour matched trim strips for the car's sides. (I park in a lot of public
parking lots) and I have the Dealership's detail person buff and polish the car.
The car looks brand new now and as a step towards vanity I bought plane chrome license plate frames.
Driving the Car
Seat -Initially I found the seats not as comfortable but the more I drive the car the more I get comfortable in it as the seat remoulds itself to my butt and forgets the original owner's cushion indentations
My 460 is eerily quiet compared to my 430 and I am running the same tires on both cars and I had just replaced the tires on the 430
The 460 feels much quicker from a stop and the highway merge is rocket like and the engine accelerates the car with far less drama
Radio - I had a ML in the 2002 LS 430 and the 460 has the base (Non ML )radio. It is not quite as nice but having Sat Radio and Bluetooth makes up for that.
The trunk seems a bit smaller when you open the lid in the new car.
Both cars a light on the road and do not feel as planted on the road as my Mercedes S Class that I owned before the LS 430. Countering this is the fact that Mercedes in not firmly planted in my wallet anymore.
The subtle upgrades through the car are very nice
Do I miss my 430 not a bit however I would not be unhappy if I was still driving it.
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