freeflight

Hi there,

I am considering a used 04-06 LS430 or CPO 11-12 LS460 as daily driver, about 400 miles per week. The LS430 has great reputation of comfortable ride and high reliability.

How is the LS460? Is it as comfortable and reliable as the LS430? Anything to pay special attention to when shopping?

Thanks,
Kevin

tbilisi79

I would go with a 460.
While LS 430 is a great car, I feel the design is dated . Lexus copied the w140 Mercedes which was made from 92-99 . It still looks great but it's easily forgettable.

460 on the other hand is one of a kind. There are a lot of elegant details inside and out.

Drive them both, see which one you like more .

460 will hold its value a bit longer too I think. 430 will need a timing belt / water pump changed at 90k miles

Wandl

It also depends on supply. Good condition Ls430s are not easy to find and I've seen many that actually cost more than a Ls460.

Drive both - I personally think Ls430s are quieter (they have 100 less hp), smoother. LS460s have much better features and amneties, assuming you would see value in usb and things like that. Not to say Ls460 isn't quiet or smooth but depends what is your daily driver right now.

And I would lastly recommend a 2011, not necessarily a 2010 (control arms I think were redesigned in 2011 onwards).

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

I agree with pretty much everything said here. I would wait until the new LS460 is released as cost will come down a decent amount if you decide to go with a 460. I would also keep in mind that your maintenance expenses will be higher with the 460 in general. Either way, both are fantastic choices. Low mileage 430s still have great market value considering their age and are becoming harder to find.

R Z

Greetings. An interesting dilemma, but at the end of the day it depends on what you want in a car. if it's price, look for the LS430. I drove an 05 LS430 for 6 years. A well built dependable car. I always felt like an old man driving it, because of it's boxy shape. Oh wait a minute, I am old . . . . but I digress. The nav system is effective but very antiquated. You have to buy dvd's that mount in the trunk. The timing belt has to be replaced every 80K or so. With a ML sound system, it's value added and that is a big plus. I installed a Vais unit for my ipod and it sounded great. For the most part, I liked and enjoyed owning the LS430.

Last October, I traded the 430 for an 08 LS460. I liked my 430. I LOVE my 460. The sleek lines are just killer and I really think it's a classic look. The inside offers so much more luxury. When I get inside, I feel surrounded by awesomeness (cheeky). The feel of a warm steering wheel on a cold winter day, sitting under a shady tree in a park watching a movie in full surround sound with your ML system, loading one cd with 12 albums of mp3's, storing a music collection on the hard drive, accidentally not closing the door all the way to have it close for you, the truck closes with a touch of a button, and if you get the 11 or 12, add bluetooth audio, usb for your music, and more than I can recall.

At the end of the day, it comes down to what you decide. Take a look at both, drive them, mess around with the features and go for it.

Wandl

what the heck...just buy both. Alternate driving them throughout the week.
Then write your review for us.

Ya? =)

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Kevin,

Tons of threads on this topic if you take a moment to search!
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...ht=ls430+ls460
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...ht=ls430+ls460
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...ht=ls430+ls460
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...ht=ls430+ls460
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...ht=ls430+ls460
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...ht=ls430+ls460
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...ht=ls430+ls460

etc etc. Instant answers, no waiting!

keegan500

They're both works of art. Luckily before I switched from my 430 to the 460L I was able to drive it for a while. After you look at both you will appreciate different things about them. The 430 is quieter yes but the 460 is just waiting to be unleashed. For me, Ill always miss my 430 but wouldn't drive anything other than my 460. Once you take a look at both im sure you'll go with the 460.

Unsober1

Can't go wrong with either. It sounds like most current 460 owners were previous owners of 430's. If this is your first one, then I would say the choice for you will have to be your own. But remember, "us" guys who previously owned 430's now have 460's for a reason 😉

roadfrog

All the LS's are without a doubt the best luxury cars you can buy. Heck...best car you can buy regardless of class.

For me, there is no comparison with a dated 430 or 400. I just find the 430 to be just too boxy, plain and lacking any character. It also looks too much like an older MB.

airchomper

Let me be up front about my bias - I drive an '01 LS430.

I think the 2005/2006 LS430s are the high watermark of lexus quality (rivaled only by the 1999/2000 LS400). But their price is frankly ridiculous. (And 2004's which have a fair amount of issues seem to be piggy back on the pricing).

The trick to the LS430s is finding one with a good service history. And you need to make sure the transmission got fresh fluid at least by 100,000 miles, but ideally around 75,000 miles. Most didn't. And their transmissions are ticking time bombs. The price of a good LS430 can often exceed the price of a good LS460.

The LS460 gets better milage and by all accounts drives better. It really think it'd be smoother and be quieter than an LS430 if they ran the same sized rims - the LS430 of lore (quiet and smooth like a magic carpet) had 16 inch rims, by all accounts an ls460 on 18s is quieter and smoother than an ls430 with 18s.

And LS430s have crappy infotainment systems. The mark levinson system blows - figuratively, and literally amps and subwoofers. No aux jacks on any LS430s ever. No audio streaming over bluetooth. And a GPS system that's more likely to crap out than get you to your destination. Only get an LS430 if you like the idea of a '90's loaded car.

But, the LS460's value will plummet when the next gen LS hits the dealer's lots.

And you know what's a good deal now? The '01-'03 LS430s. Why don't you get an LS430 with a timing belt service done; swap out the differential, power steering, and transmission fluids, and drive it until the LS460s become a good deal? You can get 01/02 LS430s for $9k all day long. Put 50k miles on it, sell it for $7,500 and get an LS460 for $14k rather than 20k now?

freeflight

Thanks everyone for so many good suggestions. I have been in a 430 many times, will test drive 460.

I drive 25k miles per year. Timing belt and water pump is a $1k-1.5k service for 430, definitely need to factor that in when looking. Timing chain is a plus for 460. Does 460 use d4-s injection? Or I have to worry about carbon buildup.

11-12 CPO 460 is about $38k to $42k in socal. A bit high in my opinion, perhaps I can wait a bit till next gen for the price to fall.

I drive a IS right now. Long commute over concrete freeway pavement is noisy and tiring. That's why I am looking for a more comfortable daily drive. Bluetooth is important. Nav isn't, I am used to live traffic update with waze and google maps anyways.

freeflight

Thanks for the links. I admit I didnt do a lot of research before posting.

I just went through them. Somehow they left me an impression that 430 is more reliable. Probably a good idea to get a plantium warranty with 460.

freeflight

430 is a possibility. Low mileage 04-06 430 are priced very high in SoCal. I have seen a 05 430 with 45K miles priced over $20K! I didn't know about the transmission fluid change requirement, will look for maintenance records online.

nemisonic

Hi, LS460 won car of the year many times, get that one.