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My wife is looking at used 08 Lexus LS.. Just wondering if anyone has driven these? Looking for a large, comfortable family sedan with good technology. She test drove an 09 at the dealership and fell in love.. but not in love with the price tag. Is it worth the money, anyone own one of these? I'm advising her to keep her car another year, but she wants something bigger.
Hello. As a Lexus owner, I will recommend this site for more detailed data on the car you are inquiring about. Did your wife drive the extended wheelbase model? Do like the LS460L (extended wheelbase) model, or the shorter LS460 model better? I think the extended wheelbase is worth the extra $.
My Lexus LS is a very old model (1991), which was very technical for its time and is still an excellent car, despite being 18 years old and 219,300 miles.
I think the 2001-2003 LS430 models are very nice and not too costly... a good one can be purchased for around $11000-15000. I guess some really low mileage examples may run upwards to near $20K.
Here is a photo of the latest extended wheelbase model...
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/LS_600h_L_Verdigris_Mica.jpg/800px- (broken link)
compared to the oldest LS model... this looks like my car. This design dates back to 1983, which is when the Lexus LS400 began development. First prototype was in 1987, but the car didnt go on sale until late 1989 as 1990 models. These were also badged as Toyota Celsior in Japan.
These are 1990 models....
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Lexus_LS_400_UCF10_I.jpg/800px- (broken link)
I asked her to come in here, and she told me the 460L. Thank you for the great advice on this car, really good link as well. You must understand that we won't be serious for another month about buying but the LS seems to be a great car. I'm perfectly happy to spend the money on a 08-09 if she is willing to drive it 5 years -- she scoffs. She's spoiled and has leased cars. I personally think it will age well-- as that 91 model def. looks a lot younger than it realy is. I may rec. the GS to her if she has to have it be new.
I think the LS is certainly all your wife is looking for, but you may want to look at the Hyundai Genesis as well. Its getting rave reviews as a bargain Lexus. Similar looks, dimensions, amenities, etc.
Eh, she might as well keep what she has now if she is going to get that. I would gladly rather see her driving that as I would love to put the money toward a new boat.. I will drop your suggestion by and see what she says. I'd rather downgrade size for a different brand..
Yeah, I would go for the LS460L as well. Its worth the extra $ over the short wheelbase model. It looks more upscale, has a better ride and much more rear seat leg room. I have an extended wheelbase '88 Mercedes S-Class as well, but used to have a shorter wheelbase '85 S-Class and I love the extended wheelbase model better.
The LS460L would be a car I would not mind owning for 5, or even 10 years... I am sure she will be happy with it.
Yeah, these cars hold up well... you still see alot of nice 1990-94 (generation 1 LS400s) on the road. There are some "ragged out" models though. Even the old ones are very costly to maintain/service and some people cant afford the upkeep, but can afford the cars now and hence many are getting run down. Mine was a well-maintained car out of Atlanta and I have tried to take care of it, but my car is now due for engine mounts and it has a leaking power steering pump, which are very costly in parts and labor. Below is an actual photo of my LS. Its a 1991 and still in very good cosmetic condition... everything still works perfectly.... so far.
You will like the new GS as well, but I think you would be happier with the LS460L, even if you have to go with an 07-08 model. Good luck!
this white one is mine...
here is my old 1990 LS400... I owned this car in 2002-04. It had 265K miles when I sold it!
interior was still like new (I hated the color of this car! It was a good car though. )
Here is a ragged out 1993 LS400 I was considering... its rough!
Those Hyundais are nice, but too bad the Genesis is not available in a LWB model.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LSU Tiger Z71
I asked her to come in here, and she told me the 460L. Thank you for the great advice on this car, really good link as well. You must understand that we won't be serious for another month about buying but the LS seems to be a great car. I'm perfectly happy to spend the money on a 08-09 if she is willing to drive it 5 years -- she scoffs. She's spoiled and has leased cars. I personally think it will age well-- as that 91 model def. looks a lot younger than it realy is. I may rec. the GS to her if she has to have it be new.
Last edited by Tennesseestorm; 03-31-2009 at 09:54 PM..
My mom drives a Lexus LS460 and she likes it. I've driven it and it definetly drives nicely albeit not exactly the sportiest vehicle out there. The interior is top-notch and the she's never had any problems with it. The car is loaded with technology and yet she found most of it to be quite user-friendly. Her car also has that guided park assist (which she didn't want but dad thought it was cool) and it does work HOWEVER it takes a LONG time to get it to work right and it's fairly easy to mess up unless you know what you're doing. I really like the LS460 however it is spendy but I guess if one has the means...
The one thing you have to consider is that if you buy a used '08 with low miles, it will hold value well compared to any other vehicle in its' league. Since my parents bought new, it only depreciated about $20K (about 25%) compared to other vehicles such as a Cadillac DTS which can depreciate as much as 50% in two years.
Oh my, that 93 is well ragged out! Hah, I'll be sure to buy that for my kids. In fact, if I had a kid next year..add 17 years... it'd about the same as having 91-92 which would be perfect for a first car for them. I really wish my wife would get something sportier that I would enjoy driving more-- but she does pay almost half the bills, so she gets more than half the say in her car. I'd go for a Porsche Box or Corvette or something, some kind of ridiculous dream car at her age-- but she is thinking practical which is fine.
yes, i def. want a used 08 for her. Slight sticker shock but w/e its her part of the bills.
Yeah, that '93 is a local car and he only wanted $1800 for it, but it would take about $3000 to get it back up to par.
Thats true... if you have kids now, a new LS would be about the age mine is now. When my 1991 was new, I was still a freshmen in highschool and could only dream of a new LS400, which was about $41K in 1991, which was alot of money, but these cars rocketed in price as their popularity proved high after the first couple of years. I think the '90 LS sold for about $38K, but prices spiked up alot each year... by 1994, they were selling for near $50K... quite a jump over 4 years!
However even when I was in highschool, I was a fan of cars like the 1972 Cadillac, which I ended up getting, but as far as new cars, I wanted a new 1990-91 Toyota Celica, which ironically is the company that makes Lexus. During that time, my cousin thats a little older than me, her boyfriend at the time had a new red 1990 Celica GT. I was jealous. I still have a soft spot for one of those 1990-93 Toyota Celicas, but its hard to find one not ragged out by younger drivers.
Good luck with your LS purchase! Hope this info was helpful!
Quote:
Originally Posted by LSU Tiger Z71
Oh my, that 93 is well ragged out! Hah, I'll be sure to buy that for my kids. In fact, if I had a kid next year..add 17 years... it'd about the same as having 91-92 which would be perfect for a first car for them. I really wish my wife would get something sportier that I would enjoy driving more-- but she does pay almost half the bills, so she gets more than half the say in her car. I'd go for a Porsche Box or Corvette or something, some kind of ridiculous dream car at her age-- but she is thinking practical which is fine.
yes, i def. want a used 08 for her. Slight sticker shock but w/e its her part of the bills.
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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/LS_600h_L_Verdigris_Mica.jpg/800px- (broken link)
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