lexusbeto

Im wondering if its a good deal ? just heard some bad stories about 7k invoices for a battery on a this lexus, wondering how reliable this car really is

bigblack06

iTrader: (20)

So the traction battery was replaced or are you saying just horror stories about the price of having to get it replaced.

Brabusx2

the battery price go down every year, my car hybrid battery was replaced last month and the invoice shows $5400 parts + labor even tho CPO covered them, mine is a 2007 with 80k miles

703

The traction batteries can go out at this age. Not that uncommon on the GS. Replacement cost is around 5k.

JLAWS

Pass. You can get an 07-08 Gs350 for that price. No crazy repair cost to deal with.

NickTee

Considering the extreme complexities of the hybrid system, I would avoid it like the plague. The batteries, motors, and the entire system is complex and expensive. The advantages over a GS350 are just not there, especially at that price point.

LovezLexus

Do it! I have no regrets

jbuffett

There are 12 GS460's for sale in the US under $20K. Any one of them will cost you less to own/operate over the next 10 years than this GS450H, mostly due to the battery being a ticking time bomb, but also for all the other extra costs of owning high-mileage hybrid cars.

rl9010

I second this opinion. All the fear in cost of ownership of the flagship gs is bs. It is a solid car that delivers a driving experience unlike the other gs models.

The best way to decide is to drive it to see if you like it.

That's how I decided on my 450h and don't regret it one bit... Ok the trunk size is tough sometimes...but the way the car drives makes me overlook it. It's also pretty rare.

NickTee

No offense, but that opinion is complete bogus. Just because your experience has been fine doesn't mean every one will be fine. That is something called a generalization fallacy. The fear of the cost of ownership is very real for very valid reasons, reasons you dismiss without any substantial evidence as to why potential owners should not be wary.

I'm happy for you that you have had issues, but that doesn't mean you can simply blow off the cost of a $3,000-5,000 battery pack, motors, controllers, etc. Another thing, is that this price is actually fairly close to the price of a 2007-2008 LS460. Just a thought.

Champstar

I say do it only if you really like the hybrid system, and set aside $1500-$2500 for new battery. When I bought mine, I set aside some extra cash knowing I will likely have to replace the battery in the future. I called around and was quoted $1800 for a re manufactured battery. Knowing that I still bought my Gs450h with much more miles than yours. After 7 months and 15,000 miles, no problems so far.

rl9010

generalization fallacy eh...

Perhaps I am not as practical as you.

I do see the hybrid system as a huge advantage for driving feel over the gs350. That alone would warrant a purchase of a 450h vs a 350. But I do see your point... The potential cost of a failed battery pack ,although more on the rare side for owners, could be a fear. This is considering the number of GS450h cars out in North america compared to the voices heard in the failed battery thread. It is an unreasonable fear when looking at those numbers.

I stick by my original piece of advice " The best way to decide is to drive it to see if you like it." and then i'll add "and if you choose the hybrid, put aside some money for battery failure although the chances of that are also pretty rare"


The point of this is to not write off the 450h based upon the cost of a potentially failed battery pack.

jbuffett

I don't think it's GS350 vs GS450H -- the number is a misnomer, it is just a 3.5L V6 hybrid.

I think it's GS450H vs GS460. If you plan on owning this car to 200K miles, which would you want: the one-off hybrid with the CVT that isn't used anywhere else in Lexus' line-up (in its RWD configuration), or the V8 with the 8-speed that also comes on every LS made since 2007?

NickTee's right, for the price of the 450H you're getting very close to used LS460 prices. I can justify the GS460 over the LS460 for performance reasons, but I have a hard time justifying the hybrid. It's a far more complicated machine with many more parts to break, for a negligible MPG difference.

mr. tetsuo

iTrader: (3)

when i was in the market a few years back, i test drove a 350 and a 450h. ended up purchasing the h because the driving experience was worth the price imo. i had heard horrid stories about the pack, but if i got the 350 i would keep thinking about how the h was more enjoyable to drive.

my advice would be to try both or the 460 to see what suits you.

and for what its worth, i serviced mine at the dealer and the service person said at that location they have only replaced 1 hybrid battery pack and it was to a rx400h.

703

I drove a 450h and a 460 but got the 460 instead due to boot space. 450h is a slightly quieter car at parking lot speeds and had better grip during acceleration due to more weight over back wheels. The 460 feels like a luxury cruiser and the 450h feels more like a technology show case.

At the end of the day, lack of boot space on the 450h is embarrassing for such a big car. That meant I wouldn't be able to pick up friends or families from the airport or take road trips in, so that was the decider.