Starting the search for a LS600h

jpjsavage · September 25, 2016

I've really enjoyed the two LS400/ I have owned, and having driven around in a Honda Jazz for the last two years which I am sharing with my son, I think it it is time to get my own car again!

I'm 90% sure that I would like to try and find a LS600h as my next car. The only reason I am a little unsure is that I am still toying with the idea of a newer LS460.

Budgetwise I won't want to spend more than around £18k on this.

Any thoughts on the two models or tip offs on potentially good purchases would be appreciated.

Thanks everyone.

Malc · September 25, 2016

...... I'll follow this thread with interest .............. I did toy with the notion of a used Ls600 and or maybe a Ls460 .................. then reading the thread about the guy with the Ls600 and a warning dash light resulted in a new engine etc under the used car warranty, just to have replicated the issues some short time later and a relatively simple fix ( I think ) by an old fashioned ( Lexus ? )mechanic with a spanner etc and maybe zero cost.

Then there's the air suspension and the hybrid Battery packs longevity question ................. I don't know, I just find it all very very scary ............... then my need for a replacement car for the 22 yr old Mazda 323f came along in my ex-bro-in-laws 56 plate Honda Legend ............. no air suspension etc ....... not so scary ( and amazingly the Mazda just passed this month yet another MOT with zero cost ! ).

But you have of course made up your mind and £18k will buy you a choice of a great number of cars ............. good luck

ps chatting with another mechanic guy ( from my usual indy ) he's telling me that he's having to yet again upgrade his plug-in diagnostic equipment AND that many of the warning light appearances on dashboards are a result of age related slight deterioration in wire ends corrosion or whatever it's called and there mostly probably isn't anything really wrong with the bits and pieces ( like engines, gearboxes etc ) that the diagnostics tell one there is !

Good Luck whatever

Malc

The-Acre · September 25, 2016

I agree with Malc, I've seen several LS600's in London and coveted them every time, but I'd be terrified at the thought of it going wrong. It's a rich man's car that will need rich man's deep pockets to maintain it. For that reason alone I choose an aged limo, if it goes seriously wrong I just scrap it and loose very little money. Good luck with whatever you decide. Maybe spend 18k on having the Jazz stretched, it'll cost you less in the long run!!

jpjsavage · September 25, 2016

1 minute ago, The-Acre said:

I agree with Malc, I've seen several LS600's in London and coveted them every time, but I'd be terrified at the thought of it going wrong. It's a rich man's car that will need rich man's deep pockets to maintain it. For that reason alone I choose an aged limo, if it goes seriously wrong I just scrap it and loose very little money. Good luck with whatever you decide. Maybe spend 18k on having the Jazz stretched, it'll cost you less in the long run!!

Love the idea of stretching the Jazz! It takes about 20 mins to get to 60 as it is!

The-Acre · September 25, 2016

1 minute ago, jpjsavage said:

Love the idea of stretching the Jazz! It takes about 20 mins to get to 60 as it is!

There you go, I've given you a new business idea. Obviously I expect some kind of reward when the country is awash with 18' Civics, Jazz's and Yaris's, and you've made so much from it that you're driving your brand new LS600h special edition+!

jpjsavage · September 25, 2016

Lol

Chris Skelton · September 25, 2016

Wire corrosion! Memories of Citroen's plug/socket hassles. Nothing changes?

Coming from Hi-Fi, where you clean up your contacts.....

ambermarine · September 25, 2016

I wrote an extensive prognosis on this very subject four years ago when I started looking for a replacement for my Mark1 LS400 .

The issues brought up in this thread were the same as I mulled over before I finally opted for the coveted 18k miles 14 year old mint mark 4 that I found for £3750 on eBay.

I had already decided that was the road I was taking before I found the eBay purchase,to put it in a nutshell the Mark 4 LS400 is and still is the best car Lexus ever produced simply because it was 17 years in production and the development of that car was never matched anywhere else in either time or money.

That being said we are four years down the line and good examples of the Mark 4 are difficult to find as the good ones or staying put just as mine is.

So the debate for me lies with others as I am content with situation I am in and as far as cars go that contentment is worth its weight in gold.

jpjsavage · September 25, 2016

7 hours ago, The-Acre said:

1 hour ago, ambermarine said:

I wrote an extensive prognosis on this very subject four years ago when I started looking for a replacement for my Mark1 LS400 .

The issues brought up in this thread were the same as I mulled over before I finally opted for the coveted 18k miles 14 year old mint mark 4 that I found for £3750 on ebay.

I had already decided that was the road I was taking before I found the ebay purchase,to put it in a nutshell the Mark 4 LS400 is and still is the best car Lexus ever produced simply because it was 17 years in production and the development of that car was never matched anywhere else in either time or money.

That being said we are four years down the line and good examples of the Mark 4 are difficult to find as the good ones or staying put just as mine is.

So the debate for me lies with others as I am content with situation I am in and as far as cars go that contentment is worth its weight in gold.

I agree entirely! If I could find another mint LS400 I'd be very happy with that too! They are superb cars. I've been looking for a while now and have yet to find one that quite fits the bill.

Tulpen · September 25, 2016

I've been the owner of a 2007 LS460 for over four years. Previous to that I had a 1994 LS 400 which I bought in 1997, and kept for 15 years.

I've had no problems with the 460, apart from a corrupt programme in the parking computer, which was fixed by the Lexus garage very cheaply. The car will be 10 years old next year and still looks new. All the various gizmos still work as advertised and I hope to keep the car, at least, as long as the 400.

I toyed with the idea of upgrading to a 600 but, in my opinion, it is just a bit too complicated for really long-term ownership. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful machine - but I think the hybrid drive has the potential for some very expensive bills down the road.

My Lexus 10 year care package runs out in a few months and I have already found a really good Indy with all the kit to look after the car. He did say that the test equipment needed for the 600 was too expensive for his garage.

The 400 was, and is, a lovely machine.......but they are getting pretty long in the tooth. I'm sure many will continue to give years of trouble-free motoring.

However, if you are thinking of updating, the 460 is a great way to go.

jpjsavage · September 26, 2016

Thanks for your detailed reply. Lots of food for thought there.

Dale_V · September 27, 2016

Ive a 2007 LS460, excellent condition, FLSH.... i bought it in march and after a long hard think, i put a genuine lexus warranty on it (£1500 for 1 year) ... im SO glad i did..

1 air suspension leg went down about 6 weeks ago

The car is currently at lexus again and has been for the last 2 weeks... while they fit £9000 yes ( NINE Thousand pounds) worth of parts under warranty...

These cars NEED a warranty on them, unless you have deep pockets

oh and the lexus service ive recieved has been shocking, ive been spoken to like crap, had my keys thrown at me in the dealership showroom and im currently in discussion with the dealer principle

The quality of the newer lexus' compared the the LS400 is not comparable, the service and brand has gone downhill in my humble opinion.

jpjsavage · September 27, 2016

31 minutes ago, Dale_V said:

Ive a 2007 LS460, excellent condition, FLSH.... i bought it in march and after a long hard think, i put a genuine lexus warranty on it (£1500 for 1 year) ... im SO glad i did..

1 air suspension leg went down about 6 weeks ago

The car is currently at lexus again and has been for the last 2 weeks... while they fit £9000 yes ( NINE Thousand pounds) worth of parts under warranty...

These cars NEED a warranty on them, unless you have deep pockets

oh and the lexus service ive recieved has been shocking, ive been spoken to like crap, had my keys thrown at me in the dealership showroom and im currently in discussion with the dealer principle

The quality of the newer lexus' compared the the LS400 is not comparable, the service and brand has gone downhill in my humble opinion.

Ouch! Sorry to read about your experiences but thanks for sharing them all the same. As you say, a warranty was a very good move on your part but there is no excuse for poor customer service like you've experienced. I would have thought Lexus should have done a lot better.

Tulpen · September 28, 2016

9,000 pounds, ouch!

Could you give us a list of what it is that needs repair/replacement? Also, how many miles has your 460 done?

Dale_V · September 28, 2016

its done 94k. Ive done about 3k in my ownership.

new power steering rack

brake actuator and other brake related items

window regulator

once this "issue" is sorted, ill start a new topic rewiewing the ls460, itll also include my dealership experience

cruisermark · September 28, 2016

LOL - everytime I make my mind up some bad review comes up and disheartens me - i look forward to your write up with interest

Malc · September 28, 2016

this is so scary ................ can't see me ever replacing my Ls400 now

A buddy has/had a V reg big Jaguar, beautiful car, worth nothing, had it years, almost from new and now given it to his son who too has deep pockets ................. just before he gave it to him last week a radiator hose went ( not bad longevity ) the £25 hose cost £850 with ( main dealer ) fitting ........... a pig of a job it seems !

He's replaced the Jaguar with a brand spanking new Jaguar AWD XF or summat .. sit up and beg big bugger, looks good; can't imagine the likely bills after warranty though

Oh for old fashioned cars with longevity eh !

Long live our Ls400s

Malc

ambermarine · September 28, 2016

I can understand Dale V when he denounces the quality of the late Lexus models I have spent a lot of time in the States in the last fifteen years and monitored the perception of the Lexus owners over there .

The general concensus is that they are a quality car and outperform the competition on most levels but they do go wrong and are expensive to maintain when they do.

Most users of the higher end Lexus models there are more models for sale in the states than here lease their cars for three or four years and have moved them on usually before the problems occur and anyway they will all carry a three year warranty for the lease period so they are not that fussed .

The Lexus dealerships in the states mainly move any stock after it is three years old and comes back from leasing into the aftermarket and do not sell them from their showrooms ,this as the affect of diluting feedback on reliability as a lot of this stock is maintained by indies.

In any product environment the art of capturing the market is the building of a product at any cost that captures that market,Toyota did this with the Lexus LS400 and it cost 100m dollars they now have to get those investments back and they cannot continue to build cars at any cost hence the fall in reliability.

Tulpen · September 28, 2016

Dale,

Re: the power steering rack problem.........did you have various warning lights and the steering wheel off-centre?

Dale_V · September 28, 2016

5 hours ago, Tulpen said:

Dale,

Re: the power steering rack problem.........did you have various warning lights and the steering wheel off-centre?

No, the steering rack was knocking over uneven surfaces

mr2lad · September 28, 2016

Ls600hl owner now for 2.5yrs best car ive ever owned,

SH20 · October 1, 2016

Although the 600 was not on my shopping list the LS460 was. Apart from the significant difference in road tax the 600 enjoys about 50% less than the 460 I never thought the bhp, the 0-60 or the mpg marginal differences justified the purchase of the 600. I guess for me the Battery pack would be the one item that would put me off if I was buying a used 600.

Interesting that Lexus no longer offer the LS460 in their new car model range, only the 600 hybrid and at £100,000 in the UK would make it a car that only purists might consider. The last LS460 was around £70K I think and I could never see how a £30K difference was warranted for the Hybrid 600, although it is fitted with every extra known to man except the night vision which is the only option you can have at £1500.

I bought a 2007 460 and never looked back. The best car I've owned by far. The quality stands out as the most obvious factor for me and having had it for 12 months would recommend the car without hesitation. I even have an ex showroom trim selection case for the LS range circa 2007 which I never get tied of looking at.