When i bought my 2011 LS i tried to search for a car that did not have the options likely to fail. or options that added complexity over the car's life

I decided i wanted a car without

Air Suspension,
AWD,
Mark Levinson Stereo
upgraded rear seats

If one of you was going to recommend an LS 460 to a friend who wanted a reliable car that they would keep 8 -10 years how would you spec the "perfect" 460 that meets this criteria.

 

I think that about sums it up but I would like to add that it would have some kind of warranty for at least a year minimum incase there was something I may have overlooked.
If I had no choice but to buy one that had air suspension then once the system failed in one strut I would have converted the car to the regular suspension and used the remaining good air struts to finance it.

 

I would recommend a Camry.

Not that the LS is a poorly built car, but when I was buying the it I was buying it specifically because it has all those goodies. To me, that's part of the whole ownership experience. What I also factored into that ownership experience is the price of a Lexus-lacked warranty so that I could enjoy all those goodies without any headaches.

 

What does a camry has to do with anything. It's like comparing an RX 350 to a pontiac Aztec. I mean really?!?!? A camry is not even in the same league, and why wouldn't you point to another luxury car instead of pointing this person to a camry. You prolly hate your car or having serious problems with it or both. So if I wanted to buy a Honda Goldwing or a Harley Davidson would you recommend a BMX bike or Huffy. I mean the Huffy and BMX are reliable, waaaaaay cheaper, and easier to repair.

 

Don't really need the all wheel drive or air suspension, but the Mark Levinson is a definite must have, and the rear seat upgrade is also a must (for me anyway). A warranty would also be something to consider wether he/she has all the bells and whistles or not, cause any car can get pretty expensive when it has to be repaired outside of warranty.

 

I wouldn't mind having options that make the car what it is but for me it was dead weight I can do without. The reliability and drivability factor sealed the deal and made my car that much better.
It's great to have options to have no options so you don't have to pay for it or have them get in the way.

 

i stayed away from all the upgrades you mentioned except for the mark levinson. it really depends on your wants/needs. i wanted the same reliability (aside from the customary changing of the control arms, so far so good). the base LS has more than enough standard options for me. my only splurge was the upgrade in audio system because i read so many threads of people either saying you have to get the ML or regretting that they didn't get the ML. i didn't want to be one of the people who regretted not getting it...

 

The Lexus LS (luxury sedan) was design for luxury. That's why I purchase my LS 460 L because I wanted all the bells and whistles available. There's nothing wrong with less options. I've seen the strip down rental LS but regardless a base line LS will have problems. More options, more problems, not always. The "perfect" 460? Each to their own.

 

I think you completely misunderstood my response. The reference to a Camry was more figurative than literal. I actually love my 460L and wouldn't pick any other car for my daily commute (see the "do you still like your LS" thread for my thoughts on the car). But getting back to the point that I was trying to make originally, I don't think that an LS should be picked based on the "reliability" factor. It has an amazing air suspension. Yes I've driven both and yes I felt the difference between both of them before I even realized that one had air and the other one didn't. The car has one of the best audio systems (ML) on the market. It has wonderful amenities for the back seat passengers. It has useful gadgets such as PCS and dynamic cruise. And it gives you the extra luxury feel with things like leather-trimmed interior and the alcantera headliner.

Is there anything wrong with buying a base version, absolutely not. But is there some special reason to avoid each and every one of those upgrades which really set the LS apart from others, my answer is no.

 

Well actually I would avoid some of them money or reliability not being an issue. I would rather have more horsepower and less weight which is a double penalty for the AWD. Also the AWD doesn't have the turning radius as the RWD and that difference is very apparent when you park, especially in tight spaces. The way the car maneuvers around intersections is quiet apparent as well. It's really a personal choice between air and non air but to me I wasn't impressed so I passed. The BMW active suspension is miles ahead and you can really feel that system but the Lexus just felt mild to nothing.

 

Ok I got it now Ascari, but you really threw me for a loop with the whole camry connection. I started having flashbacks about my old 2008 camry xle that was having some transmission issues (nothing major just annoying). "My sincere apologies"

 

100% agree

The ML system was mandatory for my purchase. It's that good.

Just how unreliable do you think the system is that you would eliminate it from your criteria? I mean, there are relatively few posts that indicate this to be a problem area. Even if it does fail, repairing it at United is only 700 bones or so. Basically, the price of a top-tier head unit at your local audio store. No other factory system comes close to the ML audio.

 

No doubt on that brotha. Coming from a lexicon sound system in both Hyundai genesis's I owned awhile back pales in comparison to the superior fidelity of the Mark Levinson audio in my LS460L.

 

The ML is the best sound system I have ever heard in any of my cars. Of course, if you are like my wife, who says, "huh, what? I can't tell the difference", then you may not need ML. )

 

If I was advising a friend I would tell him/her to get all the options that they wanted. That person is going to have the car for 8 to 10 years. I wouldn't expect them to go all those years without an option they really wanted on the slight chance that it might fail sometime into ownership.