Even as a sports car guy, I do love a proper executive sedan. There’s likely a bit of tradition behind it, but the fact is that big luxury sedans are undeniably fit for purpose, the purpose being the Manhattan to Montauk run in absolute serenity. These often aren’t the cars mortals like you and I can reasonably buy and run on a sensible budget, but there are exceptions to every rule. If you want something exceptionally nice, not too old, and not European, how about a Lexus LS 460?
Sure, it might not be as widely beloved as its predecessor, but it’s still a serious luxury machine, and a huge step forward in modernity. Best of all, you can now buy one for the price of America’s least-expensive new car. Not a ragged one either, but a pretty nice one.
While the world of cheap used luxury sedans is a scary one, that Lexus badge has to count for something, right? So, if you’ve fancied living the Forbes life on a TMZ budget, grab a snack and let’s dig into the dominant Japanese flagship of the late 2000s.
What Are We Looking At?
If the Lexus LS 430 represented the end of old luxury, the LS 460 was the start of a new era. With available toys like automated parking, digitally displayed tire pressure monitoring including the spare, a 16-way driver’s seat, air purification, lane keeping assistance, automatic emergency braking, and a 30 GB hard drive, this was a Japanese flagship sedan for a digital age.
Of course, the LS 460 didn’t quite cast aside classic obsession to detail. The paint is wet-sanded by hand between layers at the factory and only applied after the body goes through prep by a six-axis robot. Each chrome trim piece around the windows is a single plated zinc casting polished by hand, the wood interior trims were crafted by Yamaha’s piano division, six hours went into buffing the leather upholstery on every LS 460, and the headlight innards were inspired by Baccarat crystal.
Not only was this the first LS to be sold as an LS in Japan, it was also the first LS to use a timing chain instead of a belt. That’s because the numbers in the name of the LS 460 indicate the presence of a 4.6-liter 1UR-FSE V8 with both port injection and direct injection, good for 380 horsepower. It came mated to the first eight-speed automatic ever fitted in a production car. The result is zero-to-60 mph in six seconds during Car And Driver testing, and velvet smoothness that, when paired with optional air suspension, really lets the big Lexus waft.
It’s definitely not a sporting experience, and you do get slow water bed oscillations over expansion joints, but the isolation is truly modern luxury car stuff. At freeway speeds, the loudest thing in the LS 460 is the optional Mark Levinson audio system, a 19-speaker affair that feels ahead of its time given recent industry-wide focus on premium sound. This flagship sedan received a few updates over the years, including a light facelift and self-healing clearcoat for 2010 and a heavier facelift including a new dashboard for 2013. Regardless of the model year, it’s a six-figure experience, but you don’t have to spend six figures to get it.
How Much Are We Talking?
Thanks to the magic of depreciation, you can now buy a pretty nice LS 460 for the price of the cheapest Nissan in America. A brand new Versa S stickers for $18,330 including freight, but something like this 2007 LS 460? Well, this one sold for $18,000 on Bring A Trailer. At the time of its sale, it had only covered 43,000 miles since new, and has the right sort of options. Mark Levinson sound, navigation, heated and cooled seats, the rear roller blind, a heated steering wheel, the sort of luxury stuff you’d expect. Best of all, it was owned in California, so the underbody is spotless.
Looking for something newer with the tradeoff of Lexus’ later mouse-controlled infotainment system? This 2013 LS 460 sold on Cars & Bids for a mere $16,504. Alright, so it did have 135,700 miles on the clock at the time of its auction, which is a lot, and it also had a minor hit on its Carfax, but it’s also equipped with the Ultra Luxury trim. We’re talking four-zone climate control, power rear door sunshades, butterfly rear headrests, as much luxury as you can get without going with a four-seat configuration. Add in semi-aniline leather and southern ownership, and it might be tempting despite the mileage.
Alright, those are two extremes, so what about a happy medium? This 2009 LS 460, up for sale in South Carolina, has a clean history report, a reasonable 89,370 miles on the clock, Mark Levinson sound, a heated steering wheel, navigation, and a price tag of just $13,900. Michelin tires are a pretty good indication that this unit was cared for, and it seems like a lot of car with a ton of life left in it for downright sensible coin.
What Could Go Wrong On A Lexus LS 460?
Here’s the rub with the LS 460—it feels far more modern than its LS 430 predecessor, but it has more problem points. Obviously, the expanded availability of air suspension wasn’t a positive for overall reliability, but even if you search for one riding on steel springs, you’ll need to budget for the brake actuator. See, the LS 460 had an electrohydraulic braking system that interpreted the driver’s pedal inputs and then told an actuator how much hydraulic force to apply. Unfortunately, those actuators go bad frequently enough that Lexus issued a goodwill warranty. Now that early examples are out of that goodwill warranty, you’re looking at around a $2,000 bill to have the actuator replaced.
What about other issues? Well, the LS 460 loves to eat front upper control arm bushings, so expect to do those every 50,000 miles or so if you’re in an area with particularly pockmarked roads. There’s a small chance radiators may suffer internal failure and mix coolant with transmission fluid, but a new radiator’s less than $300 for the part from the dealership, and should run you well under $1,000 installed. Oh, and several owners have reported wind noise from the triangular trims ahead of the front windows, which won’t leave you stranded but is annoying. The fix for that is cheap, simply removing the trims, using sealant to fill the a recess in the door stamping, and reattaching the trims.
Should You Buy A Lexus LS 460 For Nissan Versa Money?
Obviously, a Lexus LS 460 won’t be nearly as cheap as a Nissan Versa to run. However, if you can keep a slush fund for the brake actuator and, if so equipped, air suspension, the LS 460 is one of the most reliable second-hand flagship sedans you can buy. So, if you’re feeling a bit brave but not S-Class brave, why not consider an LS 460 for Versa money?
Top graphic image: Bring A Trailer
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I’ve always thought that the 460 is quite a bit better looking than the 430 (totally just my opinion) and of course the 430 has an insanely good reputation as being the absolute high point of Lexus quality before things got too heavily reliant on complexity and electronics.
SUCH a tempting car for the money now. I suppose I’d stick with the steel springs but insist on the Mark Levinson sound system (like, how many Lexii are I going to own in my lifetime?).
I talked to a Lexus Master Tech about my LS460 and he said they are pretty problem free. Then he commented…”But the LS430s…those just don’t hreak, ever.”
Yah, I’ve sat through a quite a few LS430 videos on Youtube over the years even though I seriously doubt that I’ll ever be in the market for one myself (since I tend to make much less sensible choices when buying used cars 😉 ) The amount of praise everyone from owners to mechanics to auto journalists/vloggers heaps on the 430 from a reliability/build quality standpoint is almost embarrassing. Statistically, there are a few specific components that can wear/fail, but not many and not often.
Still, I think the 460 is actually an attractive car for a big sedan, whereas the 430 has a bit of an oh-so-slightly goofy look… maybe due to the greenhouse proportion vs the body, and the headlights/grill relationship? I dunno, but something’s definitely there there.
I did exactly this and bought an ’08 LS460 in ’15 with 80k miles for around $20k and drove it for 8 years. It was essentially flawless up to 130k miles before my older son totaled it (nobody hurt, thankfully).
When I bought it I was told “This car will ruin all other cars for you.” It’s true. The build quality of these rigs is astounding. They are works of art. I don’t have an LS right now but I get wistful sometimes…
You ruined so good machine. opss your son, sorry.
Or you could just get the Nissan Versa. For all the LS460’s features and gadgets, it’s missing the one feature that makes the Versa the better car: the Jatco Xtronic CVT. Unless your idea of luxury is unpleasant gear shifts, terrible efficiency, and constant maintenance on that conventional automatic transmission. Yuck!
This never gets old. Or maybe it does. Do you have a second account/username for serious posts? I don’t care either way and get a chuckle out of your commitment to the theme.
My nephew is currently dailying a sort of rough SL460. It’s neat, and has plenty of scoot, but there are some quite-to-the-car parts that are unobtanium, and some funkiness with things like the maintenance reminder that has timed out and cannot be reset that just reminds me that it’s an old luxury car.
Several years back I had a neighbor who was a big Lexus LS fan. He had a mint LS400, a mint LS430, and a nice-but-not mint LS460, the last of which was his daily driver. He eventually traded the LS460 for an LS600h, but never quite fell in love with it the way he had the LS400 and LS430. The newer LS460/600h had fancy gadgets and a more luxury feel than the older ones, but he never felt they had the “run forever” feel of the LS400. In his mind, the LS430 was his favorite because it was a blend of the best parts of the LS400 and LS460. I personally agree, timing belt notwithstanding.
I had an uncle who traded a Mecedes 250 in on a LS400 when they first came out, back in 1989. He drove it until he passed at age 93 earlier this year. I don’t know how many miles he had put on it, but I have to believe it had many more miles to go.
Hanging out on Lexus owner forums, I hear so many stories about repair costs on these, and the Car Care Nut on YouTube is not a fan. G.K., earlier in the comments, has some fascinating insight.
I’m quite happy in my 2004 LS430 daily, which I took over from my father after he aged out of driving. “The end of old luxury” sounds about right, but I do love its stately presence on the Washington beltway, classing up the commuter lanes and driving so smoothly that my daughter named it “Cloudy”.
As a Lexus service employee i see more of the thumbnailed LS460 variant than any other model in the catalogue for non service interval related repairs for it’s array of issues. Though they do seem to hold up as well as most other rival luxury sedans of the era.
Now THIS one I can finally get behind 😀
Yeah, Toyota makes the best cars, and what’s better than Classic Toyota Quality with the added luxury and prestige of Lexus?
I’ve had both a 2008 LS 600h L and a 2011 LS 460 L AWD.
The brake booster is a big issue, and there’s not a great way around it. You’ll have to involve a shop, or the dealership.
Yes, the control arm bushings are an issue, and these tend to like OEM parts, too, so no skimping there.
There’s also the valley pan gasket, which is between the cylinders and difficult to access, but when it goes, it leaks coolant down the back of the engine and onto the transmission bell-housing.
And then there’s the sticky dash issue that affected various Lexus models of this era, principally the ES, IS, GS and LS sedans between 2006 and 2012. Lexus replaced them under a goodwill campaign if they were under 10 years old, which is why my LS 460 practically had a new interior, but they’ve all aged out by now.
Finally, the Lexus leather needed care if often didn’t get, so plenty of these have filthy, cracked or torn upholstery.
Oh, and my LS 600h L ended up needing a traction battery, purely for sitting around. The Toyota/Lexus hybrids with the NiMH chemistry will last if you drive them, but not if they’re babied with low mileage. I have a friend with a 2010-era LS 600h L that’s pushing 300K miles on the original battery purely because he drives it all the time and you regularly see Prius hybrids doing half a million miles, but mine had 120K miles at 15 years old. Cost was around $4,200 for a refurbished battery from Greentec (they were fabulous) and it still didn’t get anywhere near the advertised fuel economy.
It’s not that any of these is financially ruinous, but they’re expensive repairs, in terms of labor and parts, and a couple of them will rapidly have you rapidly approaching a substantial amount of the car’s value. On top of that, you tend to pay the Lexus tax for these because of their perceived value, but at the end of the day, you’re spending a lot of money for a fairly outmoded, anodyne car, often in rough shape. It’s not as simple to maintain as either generation of the LS 400 or the LS 430.
Couple that with the fact that it’s hard for me personally to find them with all the desirable options (LWB, adaptive cruise, AWD), and I don’t really think the juice is worth the squeeze unless you find one that’s been super maintained. Me, I’d probably instead find an S 550 from 2010 or 2011, which gives you the facelift on the W221, but with the tried-and-true M273 (5.5-liter N/A) V8, instead of the problematic early M278 (4.7-liter twin-turbo) V8. There’s a lot more aftermarket support for the W221 and it’s a lot more abundant with the correct options.
However, should you want one, there were three phases of the gen. 4 (XF40) LS:
Final PS…my 2011 LS 460 L AWD had matte wood grain, rather than the shiny stuff. I thought it made the car look a lot nicer, and I haven’t been able to find a pre-2013 since then that had that.
^^ COTD for the valuable detailed shopping guide from an expert. ^^
I wonder if the matte woodgrain was done aftermarket. I’d be tempted to change gloss -> matte if it were my ride.
Very nice! I was coming to the comments to highlight several of the issues you noted, but you did it for more exhaustively than I would have. Well done!
OK, but have you considered its very rare V8 hybrid sibling, the LS 600h? Here’s one in the Portland OR area for $10k and here’s a parts car to go with it.
I had one. Yes, it was a hybrid V8, and the 5.0 at that, albeit detuned. While Toyota called the transmission a CVT, it was entirely their 8-speed, just with a motor-generator in place of the torque converter, technically giving it infinite ratios. Also, like all of Toyota’s longitude hybrids, it had mechanical AWD, instead of the electric motor on the non-dominant axle for e-AWD.
Still, you’re looking at a cool $4,200 to replace the traction battery with a refurbished one if it fails, which I foolishly spent on mine. Well, that was in late 2023. I don’t know how much it’d cost now.
Beyond that, they’re more novelties than particularly good cars. The only draw of the LS 600h L was that it came with all of the goodies that were optional on the LS 460 (LWB, AWD, adaptive cruise, air suspension). But I say stick to the regular LS 460 if you really want one.
I dunno, seems like the ultimate “a faint whoosh and it’s gone” executive sedan.
Gonna buy a Q-ship, buy this. That underhood shot gives me nightmares though. As if the first owner ever even popped the hood. If I was not addicted to Hybrid fuel economy I’d consider. I make a lot of long haul highway runs.
I bought a 2017 LS460 AWD a few years ago. The last of the V8s and all. It’s a magnificent beast. Incredible as a highway cruiser and I never expected a Toyota product to have such a great engine. It sounds sweet as it begs you to get deep into the throttle at every opportunity. Beautiful interior with impeccable build quality. Mine does not have the air suspension, so no worries there and control arm bushings were replaced under the CPO warranty, but they are a known weak point. Annoying, but not something that leaves you stranded.
I thought about this earlier this year as well. Though the only one I found nearby was around $25k with over 100k on it. Seemed like a bad idea to finance and while an ES350 isn’t as cool of a car, a newer, lower mileage one felt like a better idea for the price.
The ES 350 is basically a Camry/Avalon with more noise insulation and better materials. It’s not going to be as cush or powerful as any LS, but it asks virtually nothing of you and probably has the lowest cost-of-ownership of any credible luxury car, in terms of purchase price, depreciation, maintenance and fueling. As of 2012, it’s not even rated for premium fuel.
There’s a lot of value in that.
That was my though when I considered getting a lexus. An es is one heck of a car, for great prices used. I decided to just stick with my current car, but a 50k mile es is very tempting.
There’s a reason they’re so cheap, the suspension is uber expensive to put right if it breaks.