Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

2008 Lexus LS 460/460L

124»

Comments

  • ljflxljflx Member Posts: 4,690
    Houdini,

    I haven't posted in ages. I've finally looked back in because I'm looking at SUV's. I've got my car since May 2007, have about 22K miles on it and love it. The more I look at it the more I love the styling. Naturally it's been flawless and I couldn't go back to the 430 after ths experience. You've got a great car in the 430 but the 460 raised the bar a lot in power, luxury and most particularly, styling. The only thing I'm annoyed about is they didn't have AWD when I leased. The gas mileage on the 460 is also noticably better, particularly on the highway.

    Charlie - Hope you are enjoying the car and that things are well in this economy. My business is doing very well but I'm in media information and that holds up very well in downturns. In fact I've been busy as hell and almost forgot about this place. We're also doing a lot in our house as I'm building out my "Godfather" study now that my daughter is 10. She's owned the room now for 7 years and I want it back. In this real estate climate we decided to pass on a lot on Pawley's Island, SC and do more work on the inside of the house. We spent a fortune on the yard with a natural pool in 2003 so now we are spending on the inside as the kids are old enough. In fact we ended up caving in to NJ Design magazine and they are going to feature our pool and backyard in their spring pool issue. My son loves his G35 and with him driving more and more I hardly drive it at all anymore. We just made the college circuit runs this summer and he just applied to a bunch. I'm in the market for an SUV and don't know what the heck to do. I have the GX now but I've grown tired of it as I've had it for 5 years. It's been flawless and therein lies the problem as that reliability never makes you want to leave Lexus. Drove the LX and it is phenomenal and very luxurious (basically an LS460L in suv form) but my wife doesn't want something that big and I want MPG. I always thought oil was a hedge fund spike so I'm not expecting high energy costs anytime soon (in fact I just bought $1.95 87 octane and I've seen a few $1.85 stations) but I still want MPG. I'm considering the ML and the Highlander and am very intrigued by the Highlander hybrid. I can't write off the GX just yet because it does hit the sweetspot as well.

    Tag - briefly looked at the other board and read that you were hospitalized. I hope that it was minor and that you are OK, my friend.
  • bmlexusbmlexus Member Posts: 755
    Hello Houndi, long time no see.

    I guess your correct LL has become a bmw lounge, but to tell you the truth, I am also more interested in bmws, I just love the x6 after testing once,

    But I do acknowledge that it won't last long, and isn't reliable :sick:

    You are correct that the LS430 visibility is a lot better.

    Did you test the genesis before taking the LS?
  • bmlexusbmlexus Member Posts: 755
    I'm considering the ML and the Highlander and am very intrigued by the Highlander hybrid. I can't write off the GX just yet because it does hit the sweetspot as well

    May I suggest to stay away from the ML, its unreliable, and to me, the interior is very ugly.
  • bmlexusbmlexus Member Posts: 755
    It's been flawless and therein lies the problem as that reliability never makes you want to leave Lexus. Drove the LX and it is phenomenal and very luxurious (basically an LS460L in suv form

    That is why I am also so keen to get a Toyota Lexus, but thier suvs are to big for me.

    You are correct, the LX is a LS460 in a suv form, with a commanding driving position and great visibility.

    Have you tested the new cruiser, Its also very comfy and same body structure as the LX.
  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,325
    Hi BML,

    Actually I drove the Genesis a couple of months ago and I was very impressed with it. I think it is a very good automobile but it was just not for me. If you haven't driven it you should. Let me know your impressions.

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,325
    Len, good to hear from you and thank you for your response. It is great that you are doing well at something you really like and are good at.

    I agree that the 460 is much more automobile but I just feel more comfortable driving the 430 for some reason. It seems less formal and is just the perfect fit for me. I like to think that I am a lifelong learner, so my taste may change in the future. :)

    A couple of months back I also traded my 2000 LX in on a 2007 model. Kind of weird because with very minor changes the two are practically identical and drive and handle the same. I really liked the 2008 LX but just could not bring myself to spend over 80 grand. Got a great deal on the 07 and actually like the interior better.

    Don't be a stranger !

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • ljflxljflx Member Posts: 4,690
    Houdini,

    It's been so busy and I never did like the way Edmunds splintered everything. It seems like a lot of boards died at that point. But I'll post more. The car is so great that there's almost nothing to post about though.

    On the SUV front the LX is driving me crazy. It is so perfect. I drove it again yesterday. My wife has taken over the LS leaving me to drive the GX on my longer business jaunts. The GX rides great but that LX is a dream. I don't know - I'm just lost on this SUV front. I did look at the ML yesterday and I agree with bmlexus that the interior leaves a lot to be desired. MB is running a great lease deal on this now but I don't think I'd be happy in that interior for 30-36 months. Except for the interior, I liked the ML's styling, ride and handling. The LX has special incentivized pricing now and the dealer is getting me a quote. I'll also look at the LC and I remain bery intrigued by the Highlander in both ltd and hybrid form. But the LX is in a league by itself.

    I've got till Dec 9th on the GX and with thanksgiving it's a short month so i'll be deciding in the next two weeks.
  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,325
    FYI. About 3 months ago when we were shopping for the SUV we looked at a new 2008 LC.

    Remember, at that point gas was much higher and we were offered a great deal on the LC. It is not quite as nice as the LX but...the one we looked at and drove had most options incl. nav and listed for about $71K. It was offered to me for $59K . I was flabbergasted at that price and would have bought it but my wife insisted on the LX.

    The LC was a brand new unit with about 30 miles on it.

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • bmlexusbmlexus Member Posts: 755
    Actually I drove the Genesis a couple of months ago and I was very impressed with it. I think it is a very good automobile but it was just not for me. If you haven't driven it you should. Let me know your impressions.

    I will look into it.

    But I just don't seem to like sedans anymore, my cousins and uncle's are responsible :P because they all own suvs, from the new cruiser to the new lx570.

    After driving these suvs, I just can't go back to a sedan.
  • bmlexusbmlexus Member Posts: 755
    ...the one we looked at and drove had most options incl. nav and listed for about $71K. It was offered to me for $59K . I was flabbergasted at that price and would have bought it but my wife insisted on the LX.

    $59k :surprise: that was a very big discount :surprise:

    I think the new cruiser would have been a better choice, but I guess its not your decision.
  • bmlexusbmlexus Member Posts: 755
    On the SUV front the LX is driving me crazy. It is so perfect. I drove it again yesterday. My wife has taken over the LS leaving me to drive the GX on my longer business jaunts. The GX rides great but that LX is a dream. I don't know - I'm just lost on this SUV front.

    I insist on getting the LX, without looking any further.

    Its superior to all other suvs, nothing comes close :shades:
  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,325
    Yes, the LX was for my wife so she made the choice. As the saying goes, she got the gold mine and I got the shaft ! :)

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • ljflxljflx Member Posts: 4,690
    "I insist on getting the LX, without looking any further."

    If it were only that easy. You see this is not a financial issue. If it was I'd figure out a way to overcome that. This is a wife issue and she wants no part of anything that big. I can get the LX with a list of $83K at $1299 for 42 months with zero down and they'll also pay my last month GX payment. But the wife doesn't want it. She loves it as a passenger but not as a driver. I'd take it in a heartbeat as it's the best SUV I've ever been in - by far. Highlander Ltd or Highlander Hybrid Ltd is the favorite right now. If you look at the Highlander close it looks like a smaller LX. What Lexus should have done is morphed the GX off the new Highlander when it got updated instead of the old 4runner. A higher MPG Lexus at a level over the RX would have been smarter than a lesser level gas guzzling SUV to the LX.
  • bmlexusbmlexus Member Posts: 755
    higher MPG Lexus at a level over the RX would have been smarter than a lesser level gas guzzling SUV to the LX.

    Couldn't agree more.

    If she wants a midsize luxury suv, X5?
  • ljflxljflx Member Posts: 4,690
    Have never liked the X5. It's an SUV - so interior comfort, quietness and plusher ride rule over sport. The LX scores 10 to the 10th power in all of those (dealer let me hold it about 3 hours yesterday so I checked it out thoroughly). As well we need a third row for the bigger family occassions when we need seating for 6. We initially thought we'd pass on that as my son is off to college next September, hence the ML had some consideration. But we re-thought it (which is why the LX started floating around). So you see I've got too many limiting factors. I liked the MB GL a lot but if I'm taking that size I'd opt for the LX. Before this LX then I'd have preferred that GL. But all that is irrelevant as both are too big. We have a nice mix of cars now - the super plush LS460L which I love, the GX which is plush and a great SUV, but I'm tired of it (plus I hate taking any last year model of anything) and great sport luxury in the G35. I loved the 3 series for that spot too but the interior of the G35 was a lot better to us, hence our decision there. Money was no issue and in fact BMW had deals so great at that time that the 3 was a tad cheaper.
  • ljflxljflx Member Posts: 4,690
    Ruled out the Highlander today. They just wanted way too much on a lease of the Highlander ltd and I'm too spoiled by luxury. I can only imagine what they'd want for the hybrid and never even bothered to ask. Truth is the Highlander was so high a lease cost that I felt stupid by not going back to Lexus or trying MB. But we didn't have a chance to do a lot with SUV's today as we're very busy with other things. But late in the day - near closing and after ruling out the Highlander - we stopped in the Benz dealership. My wife astonished me when she said the GL felt a lot smaller than the LX even though it is 4" longer. It is narrower and lower profile so that nust have done it. To her the GL was an enlarged GX whereas the LX felt like a boat. Build quality on the GL looks top notch. It's now the front and center favorite. Salesmen told me he can give me a great deal. We'll see early next week when I see him. It was so late in the day that we never test drove it. I did drive it once a while back and was very impressed with it though and I very much like the styling, so it might very well end up being my first MB. Would be an interesting garage with an LS460L, an MB GL and an Infiniti G35.
  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,325
    Women are funny critters. When my wife first drove the LX she also thought it was too big. The drivers seat was not adjusted correctly for her. It was too far back and too low. After I adjusted it to fit her properly, she loved it.

    In our test drives she felt that the new LX actually felt and looked smaller than the old one. Go figure.

    Any chance of a diesel GL? Good luck.

    PS: Took our first road trip this week end in the new LS (2006). I am happy to report that after the round trip of a little over 400 miles I really love this car. MPG on the trip was a little over 25 mpg and that included quite a bit of in town driving and quite a few freeway jam ups. Couldn't be more pleased.

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • ljflxljflx Member Posts: 4,690
    The LX 570 just feels much bigger than the GL even though it's 4 inches shorter. It's just the way the vehicle is set-up. It's definitely wider and feels a lot wider. That and the ground clearance and height of the vehicle is what does it. But the LX is the most comfortable vehicle I'ver ever sat in.

    I've no interest in diesel. It seems that the dealerships here are having a hard time selling or leasing the few they get in. Seeing the big discrepancy in fuel prices between gas and diesel isn't helping. Yesterday I saw 2 of the 3 grades of gas under $2 and 93 octane was barely over $2 at $2.09. Regular was down to $1.79 at this station. Diesel was $2.99 at this station. There are some stations in southern NJ that now have all three grades of gas under $2.
  • bmlexusbmlexus Member Posts: 755
    Hello,

    I was just wondering, did you test GL benz yet?
  • bmlexusbmlexus Member Posts: 755
    On the SUV front the LX is driving me crazy. It is so perfect. I drove it again yesterday. My wife has taken over the LS leaving me to drive the GX on my longer business jaunts.

    I don't get it? Your wife has taken over your LS460.

    The new GL will also be hers? What about yourself? Continue using your old GX?
  • ljflxljflx Member Posts: 4,690
    We took the GL on Friday. My wife will drive it occasionally so she has to feel comfortable with it. I'll drive it most often though. When we took the GX she said she would rather I drive the LS and she drive the truck. That worked out for about 3 months and then she pulled the rug out from under me and took the LS away.

    My son will take the Infiniti G to college next September. if the economy looks better at that time (and I expect it to as much as I expected oil to collapse) we may take the new RX as a 3rd car as I like it and we have a need for two AWD vehicles.

    First impressions of the GL are very positive. It rides great, handles great for an SUV and is very luxurioius. The DVD player plays without any power from the car and resumes a movie where you left off. The only real negative is Lexus is light years beyond Mercedes when it comes to a navigation system. On the other hand Mercedes lets you have so much more blue tooth freedoms and treats you like an adult leaving you to make decisions on how to use your cell while driving. Lexus seems to fight you to the point of defeating blue tooth technology if you are trying to initiate a call. Overall I expect the GL to be a very satisfying experience and it's nice to have a Benz and a Lexus in the garage.
  • bmlexusbmlexus Member Posts: 755
    So finally took delivery of the GL. Is it the GL550?

    Congratulation to you and your family, Hope you guys have a wonderful time and many happy miles with your new car.

    Did you trade in the GX?

    If you'll get the new RX, the GL will be yours permanently

    How the LS460 running? Any wind noise troubles like other LS owners?

    Well, Lexus will always have the best navigation system, after all Japanese are the kings of electronics plus reliability.
  • ljflxljflx Member Posts: 4,690
    Took the GL for a 150 mile spin yesterday and we really loved it. The GX comes off lease in 10 days.

    LS460L has been fabulous. No issues at all, extremely quiet and very satisfying MPG to boot. Best car I've ever driven and I love everything about it EXCEPT the blue tooth limitations caused by Lexus lawyers. S-class is at the same level when I tested it. The MB dealer by me had a brand new 2008 in the show room with a special protective finish and a $5K AMG look package (not an AMG car). It was a $99K MSRP and they had it priced to $83.5K and the sales guy told me they'd let it go on sale or lease at $81.5K! There are some great deals in this economy. It was also the equivalent color to the LS460's smokey granite.
  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,325
    If I don't go broke in the meantime, my plan is to trade up to a cpo LS 460 in a couple of years. I hope the deals are as good as the 430 I just bought. 2006, cpo, 29,000 miles, crystal white, $34,500. I also got approx. $10,000. trade on my 02 RL.

    Congrats and enjoy your new ride. I am probably shallow but enjoying a new car is one of the great pleasures in life to me. Not too much left as I am pushing 66. :)

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • ljflxljflx Member Posts: 4,690
    "Not too much left as I am pushing 66."

    Don't ever underestimate. My mother's 91 and in January I leased her a new camry (and it had to be a 6 cyl). She sold her car (2001 camry which had 80K miles - all driven by her) and pocketed the cash while I sprang for a 3 year lease for her. She still drives 12K miles a year, reads without reading glass, nor has she ever needed distance glasses and would rather drive home at 10PM then stay the night (and it's a 30minute drive), and she also complains about slow drivers. Last year she got pulled over for speeding on a state road after leaving my house to go home. The cop stared at her drivers license in disbelief, asked her if she was really the age shown (she looks more like 72) and let he go with the warning to drive slower.
  • ljflxljflx Member Posts: 4,690
    It's the GL 450 in Pewter with rear seat entertainment. I really love the color and have not seen any in that color. MB is famous for their silver color but I think the GL and ML do not look well in that color. Pewter has a darker silver base, can almost look beige in certain sunlight angles and has a much richer (to me at least) shinier look.
  • gjo12gjo12 Member Posts: 3
    Hi, new to this site. I have a 07 LS460(built 10/06) that has a popping noise when you depress the brake pedal at slow speeds. you can also activate the noise by pushiing down on pedal when at a stop. Dealer says never heard of it, replaced the pads and rotors, which helped fix another problem with "grabby" brakes, but this noise still persist.Has anyone had this issue, and if so, how was it fixed?
  • tagmantagman Member Posts: 8,441
    Well, well...

    Your name came up today in the LL forum, (link title) (link title) so I did a quick search, and voila... here you are! Wow... from what I can see, it appears that a congratulations is in order for your purchase of a MB GL450. Good luck with it! I had no idea, as it has been such a long time since we last chatted briefly about your quest for an SUV, and I really don't visit too many forums around here.

    Glad to see you are still kickin'. I truly hope all is well with you and your family. And, of course, I certainly hope the recent economy isn't messing with you as it is with me. My company has many clients throughout the country, but a significant number of them are quite directly within or tied to the automobile industry, so the result of that situation is obvious.

    BTW, my family went to NYC for Thanksgiving. This was because my daughter had been invited to participate in the Macy's parade. So, we all stayed there for a week, and had an absolute terrific time! Saw so many great sites and I visited nearly every deli I could find... LOL! Man, those sandwiches are the best ever.

    Just FYI, the LL forum has changed quite a bit, and has never been a classier place since its inception, and I have no doubt that your comments and opinions would be more than welcomed and appreciated there. I, for one, would value them.

    IIRC, you purchased an Infiniti G35 for your son? If so, I hope it's worked out for him. And... how's the LS460L been treating you?

    Anyway, congrats again on your new SUV!!

    When you get a chance, please stop by and say hi. link title

    :):):)

    TM
  • cyclone4cyclone4 Member Posts: 2,302
    What have I been missing here? I use to peak at this siste almost daily and then finally gave up several months ago. Len, I had no idea you were back here posting. I am very happy to hear that things are going well for your business. I have to get some work done now, but I will do more catching up in a few hours.
  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,325
    The remark about my age was more tongue in cheek than real concern. My wife and I are in great health and we hope to hang on for another 30 years or so!

    Great story about your mom, thanks for sharing. I have a very close friend who just turned 87. He regularly plays golf in our group and sometimes shoots in the 70's. He is a retired medical doctor, has authored several books, and just a fine man who knows how to age gracefully. He is very spiritual and is heavily into things like karma and reincarnation, etc. I think he may be on to something.

    Keep me posted about your experience with the GL. My feelings about Mercedes are rather mixed at this point but I wish you the best with it. Any time I drive one it just sort of feels "crude" compared to Lexus.

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • cyclone4cyclone4 Member Posts: 2,302
    Len (ljflx),

    It is awesome to hear from you again. I use to peak at the LS 460 forum on a daily basis for months. There was no one posting anything of any consequence. So, I basically forgot about it starting this past September/October. I had no idea that you started posting there again in early November. Just by coincidence, I asked Tag (on the LL forum) yesterday if he remembers the discussions he use to have with you about hybrids VS. diesels. I was rather amazed to learn about a month ago that Tag had a complete change in his thinking about hybrids and is now on board (I believe he purchased a Ford hybrid for his daughter recently).

    Your great insight about the oil bubble BURST was a thing of beauty. What an incredible collapse. Of course the main concern now is the world wide economic collapse that is hurting so many people. I was warned about a year ago that this was coming by someone I had been communicating with about various commodities for years. Fortunately, my wife and I sold just about all our stocks we owned (had to argue with the stock brokers that I was getting out) quite a while ago and we only have a couple of mutual funds left. My son and his wife did not take the advice and they have lost 40-50% of the value in their account. But they are young and will be OK at the end. The individual mentioned above has a huge difference of opinion with your view about the economy next year and beyond. He sees a rally of the Dow close to 10,000 during the next several weeks (month or so) and then a monumental collapse next year down to 5,000. He sees the dollar plummeting from these levels like it has never done so before while gold rallies to $2,000-3000 the next couple years. He has been buying a lot of physical gold. In my opinion (even though he has been dead on to this point), he will be proven wrong. I do not see this country going to the crapper. I have tremendous faith in our new administration. When Obama speaks, people listen. I think that you will be closer to reality than he is starting in 2009. By the way, what good is gold if it gets as bad as some think? I am not buying an once of the "junk" . Also, I think that $35 or even $25 crude is definitely within reach. Who would have thought a year ago that we would see gas prices this low again? In my area 10% ethanol is going for $1.50 per gallon as of early this morning. It is likely less than that at this minute.

    It is great to hear that your business is doing well and that your family is healthy. It's also good to see that you are open minded about cars. Who would have thought a few years ago that you would own a Mercedes. In this neck of the woods, We have extended the lease on my wife's RX400H for a year (now expires at the end of April, 2009). At that point we are going to lease the next generation RX hybrid (RX450H) coming out in the spring. It will be more energy efficient and have all kinds of bells and whistles. Let's hope that you and I are right and someone else I know is very wrong about the economy for next year and beyond.
  • mcescher2mcescher2 Member Posts: 7
    I need to drive a slender, light, four foot ten inch child in my 2008 Lexus 460. Does anyone happen to know much about whether the seat belt and/or the air bags for the front passenger seat would be OK or not OK for this child? Thanks.
  • topgun7topgun7 Member Posts: 412
    I have some wind noise issue that my Lexus mechanics confirmed but there is no fix from Lexus (no TSB that he can applied and he does not know how to solve it..). I follow a "triangle fix" described in this thread and the problem is greatly reduced... I understand some of the 07 and 08 has this issue.. Hopefully you can use this fix as well...

    http://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls460-ls460l-and-ls600h-forum/352398-ls460-wind-- noise-fix-continued-discussion-29.html
  • drywashdrywash Member Posts: 1
    My 08 460L is pulling to the right, I had the dealer check it out, they said the left front tire was bad and replaced it, its pulling to the right agian, the first time in the shop the car had 2200 miles now the car has 3700. Does anyone have any idea what the problem might be???
  • cyclone4cyclone4 Member Posts: 2,302
    When I was inquiring about the recall (fuel line pipe) on my 2008 LS460L today, my salesman also informed me that at long last Lexus has a true "fix" for the wind noise issue. It is coming out this next month.
  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,325
    Just keep taking it back until they fix it to your satisfaction. I might suggest that you ask to have a tech ride along to see first hand what is happening.

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • mcescher1mcescher1 Member Posts: 37
    How do I turn off the message that I need an oil change (after I have this done at my local speedy lube shop)?
  • cyclone4cyclone4 Member Posts: 2,302
    The fix, which I was told would be coming out in February, has obviously been delayed. The salesman now tells me that it may be another month or two. Also, the dealer has not heard what exactly this new "fix" entails. I sure hope it is the "triangle fix" discussed on Club Lexus. Here is the link below: It is an incredibly long discussion. The real fix was discovered by jmcraney. You will see his name countless times on the discussion.

    http://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls460-ls460l-and-ls600h-forum/352398-ls460-wind-- noise-fix-continued-discussion.html
This discussion has been closed.