Lexus LS460 Shaping Up to Be a Fantastic Bargain
The vastly improved Lexus LS500, a shift away from sedans, and many other factors have turned the LS460 into a great buy.
For the most part, values of Lexus LS400/430 sedans remain somewhat high thanks to continued collector interest. Sure, you can find some bargains if you look hard enough. But clean, lower-mile examples still command a premium above and beyond most other cars of this vintage.
Until recently, the Lexus LS460 was still bringing good money, too. But that’s what you’d expect from a recently built top level luxury sedan. However, that appears to be changing, as Club Lexus member Searosis points out in this Club Lexus thread.
“Has anyone else noticed that LS460 values are nosediving? I am appalled at how fast the 13–17s are free falling. When will this slow down? This is my 5th Lexus and 2nd LS, and for the first time I am sorely disappointed with resale. It seems the demise of the 4-door sedan is upon us.”
As FunFact points out, this sharp dive in values has a lot to do with the major upgrade that is the LS500.
“Considering that even clean 60,000 mile LS460s from 2008-2009 can be had for $16-18k, and many of the 2013 and 2014s are in the mid-to-low $20,000 range, it’s probably going to continue dropping for another year or two before it tapers off. The LS500 was a big upgrade after 11 years, and it seems some previous owners sprung to LS500s and older LS460 owners bought face-lifted models, causing the whole bottom to fall out.”
And jberger makes another excellence point regarding a major shift in consumer preference.
“It’s not just the LS, it’s all luxury sedans. The market has shifted dramatically away from the sedan platform in favor of SUV’s and trucks. Look at Ford and GM’s shift away from cars as the best data point. When the manufacturers decide it’s not worth chasing the sedan market, you know it’s not just a blip. It’s a long term trend.”
This obviously doesn’t soften the sting for folks that bought their Lexus sedans high. But qtrung909 notes that if you don’t sell for a loss, you really aren’t taking a loss.
“With how much I could get in trade-in on my car now, I would much rather keep it around as a daily or something to play with.”
On the flip side, this steady decrease in values is great news for those looking to buy. And for the prices Lexus LS460 sedans are currently going for, it’s hard to imagine that you can get more for your money. So we want to know what you think – are these steadily declining prices a good thing or a bad thing? Head over here and let us know!
