LS460 vs. LS 460 L

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Oct 6, 2021 | 08:28 AM

#31

SW17LS

Lexus Fanatic

Joined: May 2012

Posts: 68,075

Likes: 3,870

From: Maryland

They sold a lot more SWB models than the LWB models so that makes sense.

If all you can find is a SWB, I would still get that. The SWB is a great car too. I also wouldn't worry about the air suspension, the air suspension is great...just budget to repair down the line.

Oct 11, 2021 | 07:47 AM

#32

rcboneyard

Rookie

Joined: Mar 2008

Posts: 39

Likes: 11

From: Utah

Keep Searching!

Quote:

Originally Posted by mannye

As someone who is now on the hunt for a "new" LS 460, I'm finding the L to be pretty thin on the ground. In stark contrast to the 430 which was way easier to find. Not that there aren't a lot of 460L models for sale, but to find one that hasn't been previously crashed with low (under 70K) miles is, so far, impossible.

The most comprehensive website is, I think, cars.com and after a good hour of searching, I can only find L models (15,16 and 17) with either super high miles or at small dealers with low miles but all with "minor" crashes. I don't believe anything I read about "minor" crashes. A truly minor crash would likely not get reported. "Airbag not deployed" means little IMO, as I have been in a few of those where the front end was still toast after the "minor" crash.

I would welcome any suggestions for finding a good low mile RWD, conventional suspension, LS. Or I may just have to take back the '06 LS430 from my daughter and restore it. I would also love to hear if you guys think I'm being too picky or unreasonable. Frankly, the search for a decent one is exhausting and I'm about to just buy an early 2000's Lincoln Town Car and wait until this stupid chip shortage ends floods the market with cheap used cars in a year or two.

My "hunting" was a TWO year event - purchased 18 months ago 1500 miles away - 2007 LS460L with 54k miles. ALL sevice records at Lexus dealer by 85 year old senior that took the vehicle to dealer EVERY month and told them to perform ANY maintenance needed. Invested $20,000 including air fare, travel, hotel, registration, Dealer inspection prior to purchase, etc. Third Party Dealer had listed on eBay (long story). Good luck on your search!

Oct 20, 2021 | 12:45 PM

#33

greygoose1

7th Gear

Joined: Apr 2021

Posts: 7

Likes: 3

From: TX

Quote:

Originally Posted by mannye

The most comprehensive website is, I think, cars.com and after a good hour of searching, I can only find L models (15,16 and 17) with either super high miles or at small dealers with low miles but all with "minor" crashes. I don't believe anything I read about "minor" crashes. A truly minor crash would likely not get reported. "Airbag not deployed" means little IMO, as I have been in a few of those where the front end was still toast after the "minor" crash.

Long time lurker, very recent LS owner (from an LX). I've been a car buyer (for Toyota dealerships) for right at fifteen years. So, this isn't necessarily the case. The big thing to remember about CarFax is that most of their data is scraped from insurance claims and police reports.
- If a car hits a pedestrian, there's a police report. Doubt that person did much damage to the car.
- If a person makes an insurance claim for anything, it ends up on the CarFax.

The second thing to remember is that the severity is based on the cost to repair, barring additional information (frame, structural, etc). A car that has been hail damaged will show 'moderate' to 'severe' damage and this doesn't affect it's drivability. A car with $3500 headlights will get a 'moderate' rating for the exact same thing a cheap car would get 'minor' for because it cost more to repair.

Carfax incidents usually come in three variants: 'Damage', 'Collision', and 'Accident'. There's usually absolutely nothing wrong with a car that has a 'Minor' or 'Very Minor' damage. When you get into 'collision', 'accident', and 'moderate' or 'severe' ratings are when you should be leery.

More information.