No. There are two wheelbases for the LS. The LS460 and the LS460L. Both the 460 and the 460L come in either RWD or AWD.

The L cars are definitely heavier than the non L cars, but not by a lot. The LWB does change the way the car feels, in a positive way IMHO having had both.

GS460 is nothing like an LS460.

 

 

 

Its a very reliable car lol, all you have to do is look at statistics to see that.

 

It is generally a reliable car but it has its trouble spots, too many in some people's opinions including mine for a Lexus flagship which can cost a lot of money to fix/address. It is not a Camry or Accord when it comes to reliability or cost of ownership. Some of the trouble spots are control arms especially and some other suspension pieces, melting dash, failing ML amp, air suspension if it has it, brake actuators, trim around sunroof. Issues with the LS will tend to cost more, in some cases much more then other Lexus models too.

You get the car that checks out from your thorough inspection and from a mechanic/dealer inspection and you get the best deal on so you can save some money for potential issues. There are too many variables to just go by whether it has history or not but no history anywhere can raise some red flags, it could be used as a bargaining issue. Some cars with little documented history can be really reliable while others with decent history can still have a bunch of issues. Your best bet to try to avoid reliability issues/cost is to narrow it down to a non AWD/non air suspension/non hybrid, 2009+ and go from there, the older ones with more miles will more likely have control arm issues sooner if it wasn't addressed and other issues, newer is generally better but you will end up paying a lot for that, splitting the difference with a 2011-2014 with less then 80K miles can hopefully increase you chances of a more reliable LS while not costing too much.

 

 

The important thing is to understand that it is a $80-90k car new, its expensive and its not deigned to be inexpensive to repair, its designed to perform really well. Its the most reliable flagship luxury car you can buy by far, but that sort of car is just more expensive to own than lesser cars.

Just be sure you're not so stretched by the initial purchase you can't handle potential repairs also.

 

Ok so now time has passed and still didn't pull the trigger on a LS just cant get pass the brake actuator after reading a few threads with horror stories and that's a 3000 or so job? Darn. Does anybody have one a ( LS ) that they had for years with low miles and then went 130,000 plus miles that didn't need the actuator done

 

I looked at a 2013 and a 2014 and the looks are boss but I think its out of my reach for my first lexus and only car at that ,man !!!!

 

Many have made it past 130K miles and beyond with the same actuator. If you buy these cars without a warranty then you should have some "set aside" cash for future repairs. If you by a warranty, you are paying upfront cash and you may not even need to use it for the 2 to 3 year coverage duration or the repairs were less than the cost of the warranty. Up to you to roll the dice

 

If you cant put your hands on a few thousand dollars for a repair you should not buy one of these cars, or anything else at this level. The opportunity for costly repairs is just too high.

The GS will have less opportunity.

 

Try to narrow it more down to a 11-12 LS with less miles, may want to look harder at a GS if you aren't having any luck with a LS.

 

FWIW, the brake actuator on my '08 made obviously bad noises for the two years I owned it, never was a true "problem", though. The brakes felt excessively touchy the instant you touched the pedal, but were okay, mostly, afterward. Putting better pads/rotors on it fixed this, so I'm hesitant to say it was the actuator doing it.

Tried to get a local dealer to at least acknowledge the actuator was a problem, and all they could do was look at the calipers and say, "those don't look stock".

They were larger brakes from the sport package on a LWB car, and they just could not wrap their heads around this being a combination.

I don't go to that dealer any more. Instead, I drive almost 30 miles to the other one.

Also, I liked my '08 LWB so much, after it was totaled in November, I found another LWB, this time an ultra-luxury one. No sport stuff on it, but they did put OEM 19" wheels on it, so it looks proper. Definitely rides slightly more comfy, too. Brakes are the standard issue ones, and honestly, they feel the same. I'm still going EBC rotors/pads on it, but over time.