O2 sensors for all 4 take about an hour if you feel so inclined, door actuators are $4 to fix or $140 if you don't feel like replacing the motor yourself, timing belt is about 3 hours and quite easy, starter takes less than two hours. Plus they do not actually break as much you seem to think

The 430 is literally one of the easiest cars to work on out there, a Camry is harder to service since the engine points the wrong way.

 

I've been a car enthusiast since I got my driver's license 20 years ago. I've owned 7 different cars in that time and not once have I purchased a car and thought "that was a good financial decision." I buy the cars I've bought because I enjoy them and I expect that they're going to cost me some money. If it was all about saving money, I would just buy a used Corolla. I say that as long as you know what to expect from a car and you're ok with it, you haven't made a bad decision.

Not everyone is going to get the best possible deal on a car and if someone wants an LS, they may be in an area where they're not all that common and they might end up paying more if it's the car they really want. Finding used ones for sale that are in good shape is becoming more difficult. Buying one that's close to you, but 2000 dollars more might make sense over a good deal that's on the other side of the country. That being said, I still think due diligence should be done to inspect the car properly before buying it to ensure that you know the condition it's in when you're buying it and you should compare it to other cars that are for sale around you, but I wouldn't fault someone for spending 11k when others are saying they're worth 7.5k. Maybe it's in excellent shape. Maybe it's the only one for sale within driving distance, maybe it's the only one for sale with a particular set of options or the color you want. There are a lot of variables with used cars that can make one worth more than others to someone, other than just mileage and years of age. Do your best to not get screwed, but if it's worth it to you as a buyer, then I see no problem with it. You're buying a car that was originally 70-80k for a fraction of that cost and even if you put some money into repairs, you're still driving a car that's much nicer than a new sedan would be at the same price.

 

Your stating that as if I have not already been down that road all on my 400 which has basically the same engine. These are all the potential issues that ppl complain about in the 430 forum so if you buy one and all these issues crop up in a short amount of time then you could say that the 430 is a piece of crap by the same logic that ppl come in here and complain about the 460. Yes they are cheap fixes for guys like you and I but to someone who does not DIY things and goes to the dealer or even an indie it won't be a good feeling. The starter is not an issue but lots of ppl in the 400 and 430 forum complain about it's placement. I can have the starter out in an hour with the manifold in 1 piece. The most difficult part is lifting and angling the manifold into and out of place since it is heavy. The actuators are a definite issue whether it's a cheap fix or not, just read the ongoing threads about it. The O2 sensors are not major but that drivers side upstream is not a cake walk and most ppl will mess up the connector if they are not careful. It gave me fits when I had to go behind the last person who did a hack job on mine. I'm not saying it's hard to work on the 430 but it's just as easy to work on the 460 if your so inclined. Control arms are cheap and the most challenging part is trying to line up the bolt on the lower forward arm. Lexus covers the sticky panels to some degree but if your not covered and you really like the car go to a junk yard or shop and have them redone. The big ticket item is the brake actuator which is not a cheap fix but if mine went out I would just buy one online and go from there. We have a different mindset from lots of other members when it comes to repairs and If I thought that the LS platform was problematic I would definitely move on to something else. I had no issue with my 430 and would still be driving it if it was not totalled but my personal opinion is that the 460 is a much better car. The 430 held up good in the accident.

 

Found this thread today and the timing is great! I am currently in a 2011 ES 350 purchased new by me now approaching 100k miles. Other than a serpentine belt and the Takata airbag issue, it has only required routine maintenance. I am strongly considering a move to a low mileage 2015-2017 LS 460 AWD. Test drove a couple examples recently and really enjoyed the vehicle. I am prepared for the generally higher maintenance and fuel costs that switching to the LS will bring. My question is whether the "big ticket" items such as brake actuators, control arms, motor mounts etc. are any less prone to fail in the later model year 4th Gen. LS compared to earlier models in this series? Thanks for any insight.

 

The motor mounts are not an issue with these cars but will have to be done at some point the higher the mileage. Actuators and control arms are less prone to failure in the 2013-2017 cars but a couple of members have still had issues. Most recently member SW had his replaced in his 2017. I would just tell you to get a very good inspection and pay particular attention to the control arms as well as check the service history on thr Lexus Drivers site.

 

THIS is exactly the point. Every used car of this caliber has potentially expensive issues, LS430 included. People buy these things expecting them to operate as new with no repairs needed when they are 10+ years old and thats just not a reasonable expectation.

Exactly. I was quoted $1,200 for the starter in my LS400, and that was 16 years ago.

I think they are likely less prone, but that doesnt mean the issues have been totally solved.

My failure was very unusual.

 

Thanks for the help, guys!

 

I have been driving LS 460 and 430 back to back for a while now. Once I am listening to ML in LS460 with 10" sub in the quietest cabin, nothing else matters.

There are more things to go wrong with LS430 but less expensive as opposed to less things to go wrong in LS460 but more expensive. (Provided yo work on them yourself. I do not recommend LS430 for anyone who takes them to a dealer)
As far as powertrain reliability goes, LS430 wins. I have read about transmission issues on LS430 very rarely. I have read those on LS460 much more times. In either case it is not an inherent problem with either model. I haven't heard about LS430 consuming oil as opposed to many with oil consumption on LS460. Oil consumption is not a major issue though. Just add oil.
Comparing 2013+ LS460 with LS430 doesn't make any sense to me. Price difference is enormous. If monetary comparison is to be done then I would have bought another LS430. They are way cheaper to start with. Regardless of potential repairs LS430 would come ahead. We have to consider them as 2 different vehicles from different eras and not put them against each other as if they are competing.

 

Could not have said this any better.

 

The 460 I had I got rid of at 112k miles, I bought it at 78k miles, for the amount of time and money I put into it I was not satisfied at the end of the day with the car I was left with. Quality went by the wayside with the ls460 there is no other way to look at it. Yes you expect to make repairs on an aging vehicle, even new cars have things fail but the list is way to extensive for the major failures on the LS460, at a 50k plus price tag new for the LS460 and flagship vehicle from an automaker that prides themselves on reliability and luxury I just didn’t feel it with the LS460.
There are many die hard LS fans in this forum that will stand by the LS name even after they have spent more in repair or replacement parts than their LS is worth for resale (if you do repairs yourself which I do most of the time, you must account for your own time spent doing said repairs and your cost/benefit of that repair). If you are looking at purchasing a used LS460 do your due diligence to the fullest and you may get a decent car, or you may get a “polished turd” any used car runs the risk of that but there are way too many “polished turds” out there in the form of the LS460 and for that I recommend you stay away and find another ride.
Many on this forum will get their feathers ruffled from this and have many reasons to disagree. I encourage everyone to list out their ls460 year, mileage, mileage owned, and repairs in that time frame and one will easily see the repairs and maintenance on this car are too extensive, it’s an LS460 not a Bentley, the car should be more reliable plain and simple and overall it is not.
I’m hopeful Lexus IS improving but I won’t spend my hard earned money on another ls460 until Lexus has proven the major operational issues have been fixed, thus far they have not.

 

I'm about to purchase (this week) a 07 LS460 with 82k miles, ready for the 90k mile service and with a really detailed, exact CarFax history of regular dealer maintenance. I'm optimistic that I'm making a long term investment in a car that will get my family down the road on many road trips, comfortably and without a worry about stranding us on the side of the highway or far from home. That said, I also am prepared to put more money into maintaining this vehicle than I previously have on my CPO Mazda. It was a great car that never needed maintenance but also was nothing special to drive, didn't meet our needs size-wise and has NO resale value. The way I see it, for $11,000 you're going to be getting either a newer car that's not worth that price, a medium-aged car with significant miles, or a an older car with even higher risk so it's a "six-of-one-half-dozen-of-another" situation. I'm not a gambling man so I'll stick with the reputation of Toyota/Lexus reliability and trust the people who have made the same investment gladly.

 

The bottom line is, name another flagship luxury car compared to the LS460 that you can buy that would have less costly maintenance? An S Class? 7 Series? A8? There isn’t one. I think it’s the sort of situation where if you aren’t able or willing to deal with potentially costly repairs you shouldn’t buy any old, used flagship luxury sedan the LS included.

 

The points made by previous posters, cannot be overstated. Learn as much as possible to turn your own wrench and save a ton of money- and learn something new in the process. I went through the same process with my 100 Series Land Cruiser. There are a ton of things that need to be replaced with age, but I know that at the end of the day- there's no more capable SUV ever made that can compare with the LC. I KNOW if it's accessible by vehicle, I'll probably be able get there. The same is true for the LS460, there's not much out there at a similar price point that can compare. That, and for the most part, the design (with a few exceptions) and layout of the Engine components are easy to remove and manage with fairly simple tools and methods.

That said, I DO have some build quality issues with the LS460- the use of cheap plastic engine harness clips (which can be a pain in the a$$ chasing down electrical problems) without secure fasteners- the materials quality R&D/selection that causes the interior panels to melt, regardless of the cleaners used to maintain them. But, to Toyota (Lexus') credit, they took care of the interior panels for me on a nearly 10 yr old vehicle, free of charge. Who else would do that? No one but Toyota.

 

Like I said before, the Lexus LS is the only flagship luxury sedan that I would take a chance of owning without a warranty nearing 10 year old or 100K miles and I don't even want to find out what it would be to maintain a German sedan the same age. One could just go to a car forum and find out.I bet there would be multiple non DIY repairs at or around or exceeding the cost of replacing the brake actuator which Lexus has generously offered a 10 year warranty on and lifetime (?) on interior trim parts!

I do have some sellers remorse selling my 2008 LS460. I could have just rolled the dice on the brake actuator not failing. If it did fail I had money set aside and planned on buying one online at a discount and have Lexus install it. My local Lexus dealer is ok with bringing your own oem parts.
...Side note, I think I would have kept my 2008 if it was an "L" trim comfort plus with no air shocks. Not holding out for an L trim always picked at me.

Bottom line, don't buy a used car many years out of warranty and expect not to pay for wear and tear parts. Don't blame Lexus for not being reliable when parts and labor are high on a LUXURY car. Take time to do THOROUGH research for parts & labor cost and what you can get your hands dirty to do yourself.

 

The current Lexus models are POS's, plain and simple. My LS460L has already had the dash and all door panels replaced under warranty, and the glove box, lower drivers side dash, lower B pillars, and lower Center console all still need to be replaced, but they refuse to do it, even though it is a flat out defect in materials. My 93 GS300 has 440,00 miles, and is still on the original engine, dash, door panels etc... and is not garage kept. It is parked in the Florida sun, and did not even have the windows tinted until less than 2 years ago. The dash is PERFECT!!!, and aside from needing a good cleaning, the door panels are perfect as well. I did replace the seats, but those get lots of wear and tear in 440k miles. The fact that my 07 needs all of these pieces already is total BS. Also, all front control arms were replaced by Lexus at ~60k miles. I have put nearly 200k miles on my GS300 since changing the lower suspension bushings, and never changed the uppers, or upper arms/ball joints etc... Never had an issue. Car got driven ~100 miles every day round trip for work. on my LS460L, so far in the last 2 months, I have changed the upper front control arms, installed the spring kit on the pads, replaced the radiator (****ing plastic end tanks), serpentine belt, valve cover gaskets, high pressure fuel pump gaskets and seals, VVTI seals between the valve covers and cam caps, spark plugs, replaced the POS plastic oil filter housing with an aluminum one when I changed the oil. Changed the transmission filter and did a full flush, Changed the diff fluid, Replaced the clock spring on the steering column, had to repair the ML sub in the back dash, replaced the air filters, etc... Some of this is normal maintenance, and that is all well and good. Some of it is BS. I still need to replace the Engine mounts, and lower front control arms, as well as the end links. I need to check the rear arms, as I suspect they likely have bad bushings as well, but have not sourced a supplier for them yet, and I will NOT buy them from Lexus. If the OEM crap is garbage, why put new garbage back in? The aftermarket ones likely have better built bushings in them.

Lucky for me, I can do all of my own work, so have saved easily $15k+ in labor costs from Lexus so far. Also, the brake actuator was replaced I believe it was ~70k miles under warranty, but I doubt the new one installed was a better design or made from better materials. Probably from the same MFG as all of the ones that are failing and just been sitting on the shelf for 10+ years. All I can hope for is that since I do my fluid flushes as they should be done, it will keep it clean and working. If not ,I will eliminate the POS and just ride with no ABS. $3k for that thing is ludicrous!

I informed the Lexus dealer of all of these issues when I got a spare key made. The guy I talked to claimed to be some sort of engineer for them, and said it is not "planned/designed obsolescence", but that it is cost cutting due to regulations blah blah blah. Bottom line is, they skimp out everywhere possible to maximize the money in their pockets, and the car is a POS. He said "But all cars are made this way". I told him "If I am going to end up with a POS no matter what kind of car I buy, why would I ever spend extra to get a Lexus ever again?". He looked pissed off and walked away. The parts guys that were there when the conversation took place said they have had tons of people complaining of the same things and basically had the same conversations with that guy, though not as bluntly as I did.