kalimski

Hello guys,

I would like to ask you for input on deciding between LS460L vs. LS600HL.

The 2007 nobel spinel mica 460L has 25k miles and costs $25k. Seller giving 6 months warranty. Service book is lost, but I brought it to Lexus dealership to be thoroughly checked, and they just suggested to replace the rear rotors, alternator belt and do the regular 40k miles service. All of this would cost me extra $1500. I have been watching this car since June and pretty much counted on buying it no matter what.

But today I discovered a hybrid for sale....

The 2008 white 600HL has 37k miles and I can have it for $32k. This car is far from my home so it would take a day trip to come check it and bring it to the local dealership there. There will be no warranty and there is nothing much I know about the car yet as the owner is on vacation now.

1. Do you think it's worth to do the extra miles to check the LS600HL? Would you prefer the hybrid over the 460 in case it turns out to be just fine after some thorough check at Lexus? How much money is the difference between 600 and 460 worth to you?

2. LS460L with executive package has pretty pathetic trunk space. Does LS600hL with exec.pckg really have even less?

3. Other than headlights, are there any other exterior differences between these two? (height?) I like the 600h more and I can't figure out why!


THANK YOU SO MUCH.

riknchar

Both are amazing cars, but the LS600hL has a few more options (in all likelihood). The price on the 600 seems artificially low, based on my watching the market for the past 6 months or so... I'd recommend obtaining the VINs for both cars and enter them into MyLexus.com to review the complete Lexus service history on each. It's quite possible one (or both) of the vehicles have been involved in accidents--especially given the low prices. I recommend you check out KBB.com, Edmunds.com, and NADA.com to get some reference points for pricing (if you haven't already).

I've owned both the LS460 and the LS600hL, and I can vouch for the fact that the 600 is truly the Flagship for the Lexus brand (although the 460 is a very close second).

Many people on this forum would not buy an LS without a warranty, but you'll have to decide for yourself what your tolerance for risk is. At the prices you're being quoted, you have some room for repairs (price-wise) and you'll still be getting a great deal.

Good luck!

greg3852

Both prices are very unusually low. I would be suspicious as to why? All things equal I would get the 600 for the gas mileage alone nevermind all the little touches.

hfahmy

Seems that OP is in Czeh Republic, agree prices are very low for US.

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

Ive been trying to weigh the pro's and con's of these cars , and for a working class guy like myself the 460 is really the best option.

The ls600 does get better gas mileage but its really not all that much.

It has an extra 50-60 HP but it weighs almost 1000 pounds more then the 460 so its not going to really be felt, its sort of like taking 2 steps forward and 1 step backwards.

Has a whole bunch of extra features that the average person does not need.

Lastly theres the extra cost of the 600 which is quite significant.

Don't get me wrong, if I was rich id just get the 600, but for a guy like me I would say the 460 is the way to go.

hfahmy

so, here is bottom line performance experience owning the two cars, 600 is much faster car on acceleration because of the added torque of the inline electric motor. 460 needs a heavy gas punch to get anywhere close. Also, it is much quieter engine if you are annoyed by the engine ticking of the 460 as I do. So if the above matters to you go with the 600.

kalimski

Thank you so much. I live in Czech Republic and Lexus brand, and especially LS is still struggling here, because of the extremely strong position of german premium three (RX sales are great though) If you want to sell your LS here quick, you have to undervalue the car big time. There are less than 20 LS for sale in this country at the moment, and most of them have been on the market for more than a year! Considering that, low price does not necessarily mean a shady history of the car here. I also suppose that any crash would come up during the Lexus dealer check (I am not going to buy a car without putting it on diagnostics)

I do not have a lot of money, so the price and also the gas mileage matter to me. I live in Prague and there is a horrible traffic, and I rarely do trips outside the city. After going through a large part of this forum, I concluded that the gas mileage of 600h is barely different from 460, but Greg3852 says otherwise so I may need to take a deeper look into it.

If I wanted a sort of CPO with some kind of longer warranty (which is very rare and there are like 3-4 cars on the market at the moment) I would pay typically $10k more for a much higher mileage car. Considering the outstanding reliability track of both 460 and 600, I figured that wouldn't make much sense. I am a bit worried when I read all the comments throughout the forum saying they wouldn't buy a car without a warranty. I mean, it's a Lexus right? What serious could possibly go wrong with such a low mileage LS? Recalls have been done, control arms aren't so much of an issue since the bushings are available, and if air suspension goes wrong, I can switch to springs for no more than $2500.

I do not more than 7000 miles per year, so I will probably never even reach 70k miles on neither of those cars.

dlbuckls10

The LS 460 L and LS 600h L are excellent vehicles but the 600h L is the top dog of the two. If you want the ultimate of the two then the 600h L is the one.

greg3852

My 460 in the city will average between 13-15 mpg. That is in stop and go and regular city traffic. Might be due to a heavy right foot but on average it is around there. If the majority of your driving is city, the 20mpg in the 600 would be great.

ClaytonW

I am also originally from the Czech Republic. I owned SC430 while living there and also spent some time test driving few LS cars there but finally purchased one after moving to the USA. Now I own 2014 LS460 AWD.
You are right. Although the price for the new Lexus in the Czech Republic is much higher than in the USA, after a year or two it will be substantially lower comparing to the USA. You already mentioned the reasons...
I would be very careful with purchasing preowned LS in the Czech Republic. 25k or 37k miles for such old cars are not very trustworthy. You probably know that for most cars in the Czech Republic (70-80%) the real miles are much higher and it is not very uncommon that the car with 27k has actually more than 100k and is also after a serious crash. So I would not care so much if LS460L or LS600hL but about the service history and the condition of the car.
Btw, I have good experience with Lexus Auto Duba Praha service. Although they lost their official Lexus&Toyota dealership status few years ago, they are really good and I still service my Lexus and Toyota cars from my Czech company there. I would take both cars there and asked them for their opinion.

kalimski

Thank y'all so much!

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

If the car checks out well, go for it, especially given the 6 month warranty. However, I wouldn't spend $1500 on rear rotors, alternator belt and an oil and filter change (sorry, 40k "service"). Can't think of any reason the rear rotors and alternator belt would need change after only 25k miles, other than to help send the dealership manager's kids to college (?!)

williakz

And even so, replacement rear rotors AND pads should run no more than $400 installed, tops. So that's over a grand for a belt and oil change? OUCH!!!

roadfrog

You will hear just as many say that they would never purchase a warranty (like me). I can go on all day why that is, but I'll let you decide.

As for performance, they are similar due to the 887 lbs weight increase in the 600. 0-60 times are virtually identical. As for fuel economy....negligible at best and hardly noticed.

The real reason one buys a 600? People will buy the hybrid Lexus for the same reason many buy mechanical watches instead of quartz watches.

CJITTY

as a former 460 owner who got a 600hL, I'm going to say do your homework, get the 600 if it checks out and then get an extended warranty through your credit union. And for the naysayers who think there isn't much of a difference....LIES! My 600 is much more fun to drive with the Hybrid CVT transmission..the torque you feel in a 600 is nothing like my 460 was. Not to mention the likelyhood it has every single option possible. Advanced PCS, executive package and massaging rear seats are usually the only options that are hit or miss when getting a 600