SW17LS

The question is fundamentally what kind of car do you want?

Do you want a big, soft, isolated luxury cruiser?

Do you want a fun to drive car that can also be pretty comfortable when driven on a trip?

Thats really the question. If you at all want a sporty car, you'll get tired of the LS. There is nothing sporty about it. I've had both, and for me the LS is the car that really speaks to me as a person...but I can totally see why somebody would prefer the GS.

Lashaun3

You're absolutely right, I have a 14 Gx460 and I love it, but sometimes I just want to get in my lighter, sportier car and go. So to mention getting tired of the Ls makes a lot of sense to me Thanks for the reminder!!

UDel

Sounds like you probably want the GS350 then, very sporty and fun compared to a GX and LS. I think it is the safer buy of the 2 because it has much less miles and they are known to be very reliable without many issues, they are pretty cheap to maintain. I still think the aftermarket warranty is a waste of money on the GS, I don't see where it would come anywhere close to paying out especially if it is just a year or two.

UDel

You will be very comfortable in a GS350, I am 6ft and was very comfortable in the GS and LS, LS will have more rear leg room. As for price/mileage of the two I think the GS is probably the best choice, around half the mileage, newer, once you get past 100K miles you may need to start replacing more things and more expensive things and they will be more expensive on the LS. The GS350 has much less trouble spots then the LS, the GS350 is a newer model so some things may not have come up yet for owners but overall they are generally very reliable and a safe buy from what I have read. The GS will cost less to own and maintain also.

I would be a little suspicious why that 13 LS is only 24K even with a little over 100K miles especially on carmax which normally marks their cars up about 2K with no negotiation, that price just seems a bit low.

Kennyr44

Years ago my good friend really liked my LS400 and decided to get a LS. Instead he settled in a GS. He said he was younger than me and it was sportier. After a few months he traded it for a LS430 admitting he screwed up his initial decision. He lost a lot of money but loved the LS. If you drive the LS a couple times and your not sold then maybe its not meant to be. I would think most LS owners are so smitten nothing else will do.

Lashaun3

You made a lot of great points, all of which I appreciate. They both show positive equity around the same amount(according to the NADA Clean Retail, which is what my credit union uses).The GS is really catching my eye with the appearance, especially from the back. I honestly think Carmax goofed on the price of the LS. It has a clean carfax, shows as a previous 1 owner fleet/lease. I just wasn't too sure it the cost to maintain would be significantly higher on the GS since it's an F-Sport, the insurance is only a few $ higher on the GS.

Lashaun3

Oh wow, that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid is making a regretful decision. Definitely helpful, thanks!

SW17LS

If you are somebody who is an LS person, then sure that makes sense.

However, it can go the other way too if you're somebody who wants a sportier car.

As for the Carmax LS, I bet when you see it it'll be really rough.

Lashaun3

It looks to be in pretty decent condition, so I really hope in person it will be. One of the exterior pics is above. And here are a few of the interior.

SW17LS

Gotta see it in person...

UDel

F Sport has staggered wheels, that is the only thing I would see as costing more to maintain then the LS with non staggered wheels since you have to buy two different tire sizes and can't rotate them to make them last longer, there is nothing else on the F Sport that would make it cost more to maintain over the LS, in fact the opposite is true, the LS will cost more to own and maintain then the GS. You could also always buy the same wheel size all around for the GS if you wanted to cut down on tire costs or buy 2 F Sport fronts to put on the rear, I am pretty sure that is possible.

That is odd the GS costs more then the LS to insure. SW17LS had both and said his LS was a little higher to insure but maybe that is because of age. The F sport does not have any hp gain over a regular GS so I don't know why they would charge you higher but who knows

SW17LS

My GS wasn't an F Sport but the trim like that shouldn't matter...

Lashaun3

Ok, good to know. Yeah, the GS was only around $20 difference for a 6 mth premium. And the hp on the LS is even higher than the GS, so I thought it was odd too, then I thought because the mileage dropped the value of the LS, it would cost more to replace the GS in a sense. But with it being so minimal, I didn't even think too much on it.

UDel

Was it a first gen GS? If so those were not so great, weak 6 cylinder only, and I could see him wanting the LS430 more.

For a 2nd Gen GS430 like I had I never really wanted a LS430 though I did slightly consider the possibility and test drove one. The LS was larger, quieter, smoother, no quicker/slower, interior was a little different, just a little nicer, don't remember it having any more features aside from maybe heated rear seats and power head rests/seatbelts, but my god did it handle like a boat compared to my GS430. After that I had no real desire of getting a LS430 over a GS, I probably could have lived with having one for trips as long as I had something that handled better for daily driving. The LS460 though handles much better and does not feel as big and I do like it but I don't think I would regret going GS350 F sport/lux package vs LS460 either way, they both have their pluses and minuses.

UDel

The mileage was probably it then, I forgot the mileage differs so much on them and you would have given mileage. The LS has a bigger engine and more power which gives it more effortless acceleration but it is still not as quick as a GS350 if you are talking 0-60.