I’ve been binge watching a ton of YouTube videos on LS430’s and how everyone that has commented on them have nothing but positive things to say regarding the LS430, while comments on the LS460’s aren’t always so rosy.

I’ve never driven or rode in an LS430 to make any claims on which model is superior. One would assume that newer the model, the better it is. But as we all know this isn’t always the case. For instance my mothers 2004 ES330 which I drove plenty of times in the past, was such a nicer car in overall interior quality of materials, and rode even smoother than my girlfriends 09 ES350 which felt like a cheap Camry to be honest. The interior of the 07-12 ES350 are horribly cheap and are no way near the quality or elegance of the ES300-330 generation. Sure the ES350 performs better and has more power than the ES330, but it just lacks that quality feel of the prior gen.

Back to the LS460, now to me my 07 LS460L is a very nice car, and if the LS430 is so much better, well, in what ways?

I’ve heard comments of owners stating that the LS430 is even quieter than the LS460 when it comes to road noise and engine noise, it rides even smoother and constructed better with even higher quality materials over the LS460. I will say that just watching vids on the LS430, the leather seat quality (which has actual piping on the edging of the seat that’s very expensive to produce) and comfort does look a lot nicer than the LS460 seats. The seats look a little wider and plusher as well.

As we know, styling is very subjective and personally the LS430 looks a bit stodgy and bland to me although it does have character since it does look like an old Benz. The interior door panels however look super nice, in fact better than the LS460 IMO with the wrinkle leather padding, but the dash, it’s rather ho-hum and pretty bland vs the LS460. I guess the color combination matters the most here. Personally an all black on black LS430 does look super nice with the chrome Mercedes style Lexus wheels. I actually see more black LS430’s than I do LS460’s which are more common in Silver, Grey, White or Blue.

I want test drive an LS430 so bad just to see what everyone is talking about. How the LS430 is the best LS ever made from owners are stating. Even owners that own both gens, all say that the 430 is better built and a smoother more quieter Lexus than the 460 is. I just can’t imagine another car riding even smoother than my 07 LS460L perhaps besides for an S-Class or an old Cadillac or Lincoln from the 70’s.

What are your thoughts? Because I am really contemplating on buying a 430 one day as a second cruiser since I’ve gotten hit with the Lexus bug.

 

In my opinion, the 460 is more technologically embellished which makes it more to deal with from a DIY service perspective. Also the design is a major breakaway from the original LS and the familiarity isn't there like it was with previous models. I've owned 2 430's and they were a breeze to live with. Just gotten my 460 a couple of months ago and so far so good. Good luck with getting a 430, they're selling for almost pretty much what a 460 goes for. God be with you if you want a face lifted version from 2004-2006. Asking prices are ridiculous!

 

Thanks man, yeah there’s one here locally for sale at a dealer, black on black It has over 128K miles but I believe it’s only the base model and they’re asking over $10,000 for it.

the LS430 does seem super outdated compared to my LS460 which is outdated by todays standards, but not like how the 430 is. The 430 would be more of a back up cruiser on the weekends, while my 460 is my daily driver.

Plus 430’s are hard to come by around here especially in all original form. Most ones I see for sale have been customized somehow, dropped, with body kits and custom wheels. IMO they ruin the cars look and value.

460’s are more widely available, but not by much. A 460L version are even harder to find, and if fully loaded, are even rarer and highly coveted.

 

I had a 430. While it was a nice riding car, it did nothing for me. The car looked boxy and out of touch. The console with that big honkin' screen surround ruined the interior for me. When I got the 08 LS460, now that was a game changer. I miss that car.

 

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...nd-joined.html

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...n-me-over.html

Those are my observations. The 460 is quieter for sure, even a sub 75k mile 06 nearly mint LS430 that is in my family that I care for doesn't compare.

 

Anytime man! Black on black brings in the money like flint mica over saddle. You'd think that it was a Bentley or something hahaha!!!

Kids are buying the 430's and abusing them. Everyone wants to be a VIP Yakuza stanced drift king! They'll be on the 460's soon enough...it never fails you'll see.

LS' are just hard to come by due to the fact that most people keep them due to the reliability and comfort.

 

Thanks guys for the replies. Good to know. Yes LS’s in general are pretty tough to come by for a good price especially the LWB version that is fully loaded.

Here in California you can find LS’s, but they’re still not common. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to find clean ones in other states where an LS are rarer than hens teeth. I mean I can only count a handful of times that I’ve seen another LS460 driving around locally, they are almost a specialty vehicle that only a few people truly know about and know how wonderful they are to own,

Used S-Class, 7-Series are way more common for sale. But they’re dirt cheap. There’s a reason why one doesn’t keep the old German flagships for decades, while you keep a old Lexus pretty much forever.

I still want to test drive an LS430 and see what all the fuss is about. I’ll keep ya guys posted.

 

So true! Haha Yakuzas I do think they are the Japanese gangster rides of today. I do see young kids driving 430’s for sure way more than the 460’s. I think a lot has to do with price and possibly the styling differences as 430’s are still cheaper to buy than a 460. A lot more customizations going on too with the 430 too.

 

I had both from new. The 460 is the better car, the 430 is much simpler and easier to work on, cheaper to maintain. The early 460s had some teething issues which have been blown up and embellished over the years.

 

LOL!!! Tricked out and trying to unload their 'builds' for big money! It's crazy but, that's the way it goes I guess hahahaha!!

 

You bought a LS430 new? I thought that (and the LS400) were both your father's cars and you had ES's back then?

I've also had both, both of the Ultra Lux versions, both with air suspension. My brief thoughts, probably also posted elsewhere

LS460 seats are better cushioned, LS430 seats feel better made and angle better for more comfort with leg placement on my preferred seating angles.
LS460 better technology, primarily on nav, sound imporvements and safety features.
LS430 is a tad quieter, but the LS460 is a tad faster. LS460 handles better.
LS430 interior materials feel a little better to me, but the LS460 has more bespoke touches
Back seat is better in the 460 but I also have the L version which didn't exist for the 430
As above, the LS430 is less complex so easier to work on. Generally more reliable IMO BUT it's also an older car so you are seeing more things pop up nowadays. I expect you'll see more on the LS460 once it hits an equivalent age.
LS460 more modern looking for sure.

Both are fine cars.

 

My dad bought the LS400 and LS430 but I was there and drove them a lot. The LS400 more than the LS430…I probably put 30,000 miles on the LS400 just myself.

Big plus for the 430 was engine refinement and smoothness. The UR engine just isn’t as smooth and refined as the UZ engine.

 

Luckily I will be able to test drive one soon because a neighbor of mine that I don’t personally know too well, I happened to speak with him today as he owns an 04 LS430 and I approached him and we started talking about his car and mine.

Well surprisingly he might be considering selling it because he has hip problems and needs a Crossover or an SUV to be able to get in and out of it without pain since the 430 sits too low for him and hurts to get into the car now. He’s an older guy.

It’s really clean too, it has a pearl white exterior with the tan interior and 170K miles. He’s done all the routine maintenance including the timing belt service 30K miles ago.

I asked him if I could test drive it sometime soon he said yes no problem. Maybe tomorrow or Friday I’ll come back and report my observations and honest truth about the car and what the pros and cons are vs the LS460.

 

Newer doesn't always mean better. It depends what you like. Both are great cars and each has obvious advantages over the other.

The 460 has major potential issues like the brake actuator and suspension problems, both of which are pretty spendy. The 460 is much more technologically advanced to the 430, naturally creating more possible problems.

The 430 is highly regarded because it was basically a continuation of the original LS and what it was about. The 460 was a major departure from what that was. They turned it into a sportier flagship which some people did not like. The 2007 and to some extent the 2008 had major problems that gave the 460 a bad reputation for quality. This was across the board with basically all Toyota/Lexus models (the 06 GS for instance was really bad as well) but that stuck with consumers. I think the 10 refresh fixed things and a lot of people seem to like the 13-17. I do but I might just put up with the screen on the 10-12 because I can't stand the mouse.

Personally, I like elements of both. I think exterior style the 430 beats it out but the 460 looks inside are nicer. I like the bigger windows and a more analog driving experience that the 430 offers, but styling of the doors is nicer in the 430, the wood options, the look of the gauge cluster, etc. I like more in the 460.

Just comes down to styling really at this point. The tech in the 07-12 is pretty outdated so it's almost on par with the 04-06 models in this area. Styling and tech was really what separated the two if you were wondering about what people thought when the 430 and 460 each were new.

If you test a clean 430 with suspension in good shape with 16 inch wheels, you'll be amazed at how it rides compared to your 460L.

 

Awesome, can't wait to hear your thoughts. I think you'll really like it.