Hypothetical question LS400 mk4 v's LS430

Oldboy · April 13, 2016

Hi all

After 5 months of ownership I have more good thing about the LS 400 than the LS430. Mainly due to the fact there is less to go wrong.

I own a LS430 and it has made me think about a

LS400 !

But ....mine has been trouble free :-)

So, if you could have either model and both would be trouble free, which would you chooses ? Does the LS430 win because of the gadgets ? Modern look ?

Thx

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Scribe · April 14, 2016

If I could have either model and both were likely to be equally reliable I'd definitely have a 430 because the cabin seems a nicer place to be in - it's roomier, I think. But if old 430s were as reliable as 400s they would probably be more expensive than they are, which would rule them out anyway for some buyers.

If you have a reliable 430 there's probably not much point changing to a 400, which will be at least five years older than your car. There are so few really good ones around these days (at sensible prices, that is).

cruisermark · April 14, 2016

for me 430 any day!

initially when i bought it it took me a while to adjust from the 400 - the 430 is marginally noisier in terms of cabin noise and not as smooth however the extra easily compensate for that - if i had enough disposable income i would have an immaculate example of each mark !

p.s in over 3 years of ownership i have only had a parking sensor go, door speakers blown - cost £12 to repair and amplifier packed up costing £300 to repair

GrahamG · April 14, 2016

Mark, how many miles has your car done now and how many over the last three years?

Wish I had been pro active against the rust on my '95 Mk3 because I would still be driving it and it would be costing me virtually nothing. Too late I realised what a piece of engineering it was and that it would have been worth investing in rust proofing.

Completely happy with my LS430 and fortunately have the money to replace air suspension and silly bells and whistles if they fail but I do not have that absolute certainty that it will go when I approach it that developed over 15 years with the LS400.

Titch LS · April 14, 2016

I heard it from the horses mouth ; a Lexus technician told me that the 2000 mk4 LS400 was the best car Lexus has ever made (not including the gorgeous LFA, of course!) which incidentally, according to Jeremy Clarkson, was the best car he had ever driven. That's praise indeed coming from him,considering he once arranged for a tank to blow up an LS400 he had been demonstrating.

mikeyv · April 14, 2016

2 hours ago, Titch LS said:

I heard it from the horses mouth ; a Lexus technician told me that the 2000 mk4 LS400 was the best car Lexus has ever made (not including the gorgeous LFA, of course!) which incidentally, according to Jeremy Clarkson, was the best car he had ever driven. That's praise indeed coming from him,considering he once arranged for a tank to blow up an LS400 he had been demonstrating.

Would have been worth losing an LS, as long as the pillock promised to sit in it while it was blown up.

Must say the 430 interior does look nice, with one exception, the front drivers seat always looks a bit baggy, as if it's done a lot of miles with an ample posterior perched on it.

The-Acre · April 14, 2016

LS430 for me. We all know how reliable the LS400 is, but I actually think the two are worlds apart. As I've said before, they're both great cars, so it's all down to personal choice, but you need to try both before making that choice, and not just going by what others say.

Oldboy · April 15, 2016

Well the scores are in and it is a unanimous win for the LS430 :-)

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Malc · April 16, 2016

..... hahahahaha ........ I think I'm about to buy my g/f a 56 plate Honda Legend, 102k miles for maybe £4k to replace her probably terminally rusty Mazda 323f ....... maybe.

From my ex bro-in-law who loves the car, had it 4 years or so, but is getting his first and of course new company car maybe July'ish ............ a brand new Lexus coupe thingy

Wonder how they will compare, he's had about 4 Legends over the years and each has been brilliant..... and I must admit the cabin space and wizzadry looks amazing in this Legend.

Malc

Scribe · April 16, 2016

Malc, if you get a Legend let us know what you think. They've always appealed to me.

Titch LS · April 16, 2016

Malc, I owned a Honda Legend before swopping it for the LS that I have now. The Legend I had (2001) was almost a carbon copy of the LS in looks and interior cabin and it was a great car in many ways, but I have to say it was still a few notches below an LS when it comes to comfort, refinement and performance. The LS is creamy smooth, the Legend just isn't.

Malc · April 16, 2016

.......... I shall rarely drive it ........ I can't see anything ever replacing my Mk3 Ls400 !

But I'll be very interested to try to compare the new Lexus coupe thingy when he gets it.

Malc

Malc · April 16, 2016

.......... just looking at used car prices here, the same mileage and year Ls460 , say 56 plate with 102k miles might be about £8/9k, the comparable Ls430 is about £5 / 6k. The Honda Legend is to cost £4k and does have AWD

The Ls460 costs about £76k now, the Legend in 2006 actually cost, with every conceivable extra I'm told @£55k

The Ls should be more " silky " to warrant the price differential ............ but is it worth twice the price ..... I wonder !

Malc

bigjap · April 17, 2016

the ls400 is a wonderful old car ,unfortunately the old word is the problem for alot of people,not so many good ones about,after all the newest ls400 is 16yrs old,the obvious choice if you want something newer ,and lets face it, to be honest,something more modern, then its the 430.im sure whilst they are more complex ,not every car has a suspension failure,we only hear of the problems,on here, there are im sure lots going along without too many problems

The-Acre · April 17, 2016

1 hour ago, bigjap said:

the ls400 is a wonderful old car ,unfortunately the old word is the problem for alot of people,not so many good ones about,after all the newest ls400 is 16yrs old,the obvious choice if you want something newer ,and lets face it, to be honest,something more modern, then its the 430.im sure whilst they are more complex ,not every car has a suspension failure,we only hear of the problems,on here, there are im sure lots going along without too many problems

Well said. And as we know some potential problems can be prevented, others can be lived without if they do go wrong, after all, soft close doors are not essential!