For as long as I can remember I have wanted an LS. I remember riding in an LS 400 in the nineties and thinking to myself "traveling in a car can't possibly get any better than this". I have always looked around trying to find a decent example but now the LS 430s are all too old and I definitely am not interested in an LS 500 since I do not like turbocharged engines and want a V8. I found an LS 460 AWD in a seemingly rare color that I love with what I feel is the perfect interior combination. While I would have preferred a 2016 or 2017 this example is a one owner 2014 with under 70,000 miles and has had all maintenance done at a Lexus dealer on time according to schedule. It has a few flaws namely some paint blemishes and a dirty/worn driver's seat but my brother used to run a detailing business and said he can get the leather looking almost new and that he would do proper paint correction instead of the terrible touch up paint job that Carvana seems to have done. The previous owner seems to have put decent tires on it at some point before selling it to Carvana (I've run those Continentals before and they were superb) but the one thing that bugs me are some weird stains on the engine bay plastics and I'm wondering if anyone on these forums can recognize them or what they are from. Have you seen something similar on another LS 460? Do you think it could have come from a hood strut leaking out it's oil? There are no major repairs reported in the service history, just a couple of service bulletins and two tpms sensors that went bad over time.

While I don't think I would normally consider paying $29k for a 2014 LS 460, Carvana offered me an absolutely ridiculous amount of money for my current car that I just am not happy with after driving for 16 months (multiple recalls, multiple no starts due to some wiring harness issue). If any current owners or LS 460 gurus could help me out with what they think of the vehicle as it's being presented on Carvana's site I would appreciate it. I do plan on taking it for a pre-purchase inspection during the 7 day return window and will be using some of the positive equity from my trade in to purchase an extended warranty through my credit union since I've had good experiences with Route 66 warranties before.

Thanks very much in advance.

 

It's listed as sale in progress. Overall, it looks nice. Miles and age are good. It appears to be a base model, which has plenty of great features. If a hood strut is leaking, I wouldn't let that stop me. I would make use of Carava's return policy by getting a mechanics inspection done right away including OBD2 code check after putting on a few miles/hours to make erased ones reappear. have them check things like valley plate coolant leak, valve covers, brake accumulator. Also check for sticky/degraded vinyl interior.

 

Thank you. I have it reserved and I'm in the purchase process but it won't be available for pickup until two weeks from now. I already made an appointment for a pre purchase inspection at the local highly rated Lexus dealer and I'll also have my brother check things over in addition to using his scanner to check for stored codes etc. He's an ex technician so he knows his way under the hood. I just wasn't aware of what could have caused those stains on the engine bay plastic.

 

Love the bamboo. Doesn't look like it has the Mark Levinson audio system though. (EDIT: See later post; this does have ML system)

 

Many here, including me, insist on ML audio. I had my ML cranked when Ozzy Osbourne "Crazy Train" came on today!

 

Sorry, I'm mistaken. After zooming in it DOES have the ML system.



Yeah, for me it's a big deal. I've installed high end systems in cars before, but I wouldn't want to try that with an LS since there's so many speaker locations and they're not normal sizes. But for most people I don't think it's an issue.

 

I must be going blind and need new glasses. No matter how hard I tried to look, I am not seeing stains on the engine bay plastics, not do I see any photos of the engine bay.

 

It's impossible to see without getting the detailed image. Here's the link: https://vexgateway.fastly.carvana.io...8086.849&dpr=1

Zoom in to 250% ++ and you'll see what looks like rust stains on the driver's side.

OP: I wouldn't worry about this hidden cosmetic detail.

 

That plastic cover could have been off the car and set down on something that stained it. It's the things you can't easily see to be concerned about!! OP should read up on FAQ at top for common issues and have his friend look at these things. No guarantee that Lexus dealer will look for them. A typical 20 point inspection is so cursory it's laughable. A well informed buyer who has a list of things to check and knows what the symptoms are is the best defense. As I said earlier, low miles and 9 years old, it's more likely to be fine than have issues but best to verify. Don't believe that Carfax is completely accurate either.

 

Thank you for the reply, I have read through the FAQ and just about every post I can here on CL so I'll be sure the pre-purchase inspection checks for things like the valley coolant leak and control arm issues. It should be covered for brake actuator failure for roughly another 8 months but I also checked to make sure the route 66 warranty would cover failure and it will. I also never trust Carfax after having my car totaled in college. Years later I ran a carfax out of curiosity and it was being driven with a clean title and no history of any accidents. Now I use it more to see maintenance records and ownership history and to avoid cars from certain states. My last Mazda came from NJ and it was relatively rust free underneath which is another concern of mine. I was curious about the plastics in the engine bay because I have looked at many LS 460s and I had never seen any discoloration like that but really wanted to see if anyone here recognized it as a sign of a potential issue. Thank you again for the feedback.

 

I'm pretty certain our hood struts are primarily filled with nitrogen gas. And from the looks of where the stains are located, the cause is possibly due to oil spillage when filling and may not have been wiped clean thoroughly.

 

A local Porsche dealer listed a 2014 AWD with 11K miles for $38K a few months ago. The same color stopped me. I still wonder if it was a mistake for me to let it pass.

 

It looks like a good car, no odd panel gaps or evidence of previous damage. The discoloration on the left side engine compartment closeout panel is insignificant. I like that color combination - very tasteful and unique!

 

Interesting because the stains/marks go all the way up to the windshield cowl and the oil fill is further down towards the front of the hood obviously. My brother says the only thing he has ever seen discolor black plastic like that is green coolant which he says this car should never have. He also thinks that the car wasn't actually cleaned before being photographed and after doing some research this seems to be the case for some Carvana vehicles since they get detailed when they finally get delivered to the point of sale. Hopefully that's the case.

 

I've never seen it on an LS 460 in person but there is a fire agate pearl GX that I see around town and these photos don't do the color justice. It really shifts under different lighting conditions but this is what the color looks like to me most often when I see it during the day.