Full-size luxury sedans now cheaper than the new Camry

If you browse Toyota’s official website, you’ll find the 2025 Toyota Camry has a suggested retail price of $28,700. The new ninth-generation Camry (2025-present) is now just a hybrid model, with its stunning 51 MPG combined fuel consumption setting a new standard of efficiency. But what if we say you can buy one of the best full-size luxury sedans ever for less than the new 2025 Camry? Listen to us.

The 2025 Toyota Camry may be nice and very fuel-efficient, but is it more valuable than the fourth generation (2007-2017) of the flagship Lexus LS 460 sedan? While the Camry may be more efficient now than ever, the Camry is less versatile than before, as performance-oriented V-6 models and economical non-hybrid models have been cancelled. Toyota chose a "one-size-fits-all" approach, but the size they left behind was expensive. Let's compare whether it's worth considering a slightly older Lexus LS sedan instead of the new Camry when the Lexus is cheaper than the Toyota.

To provide you with the latest and accurate information possible, the data used in this article comes from a variety of manufacturers and other authoritative sources, including Toyota. The real market examples provided are within a 100-mile radius of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

Camry? no thanks. Hello, Lexus.

If you browse Toyota’s official website, you’ll find the 2025 Toyota Camry has a suggested retail price of $28,700. The new ninth-generation Camry (2025-present) is now just a hybrid model, with its stunning 51 MPG combined fuel consumption setting a new standard of efficiency. But what if we say you can buy one of the best full-size luxury sedans ever for less than the new 2025 Camry? Listen to us.

The 2025 Toyota Camry may be nice and very fuel-efficient, but is it more valuable than the fourth generation (2007-2017) of the flagship Lexus LS 460 sedan? While the Camry may be more efficient now than ever, the Camry is less versatile than before, as performance-oriented V-6 models and economical non-hybrid models have been cancelled. Toyota chose a "one-size-fits-all" approach, but the size they left behind was expensive. Let's compare whether it's worth considering a slightly older Lexus LS sedan instead of the new Camry when the Lexus is cheaper than the Toyota.

To provide you with the latest and accurate information possible, the data used in this article comes from a variety of manufacturers and other authoritative sources, including Toyota. The real market examples provided are within a 100-mile radius of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

Camry? no thanks. Hello, Lexus.

2013 Lexus LS 460 Performance Specifications

With so many high-quality used Lexus models you can buy for under $28,700, this price point makes our choices so wide that it's almost surprising. We recommend doing what any other sensible value seeker will do, which is to start with the best choice first. There is no better Lexus sedan than the Japanese brand flagship sedan Lexus LS. While it might be crazy to recommend a used Mercedes S-Class as an alternative to the new Camry, the slightly older Lexus LS might be more suitable. However, there are five generations of Lexus LS, but which one is the best? Let's analyze it.

The value of the second-hand fourth-generation Lexus LS

The fourth generation Lexus LS (2007-2017) is the first choice for price points of $30,000 or below. This generation of Lexus LS has undergone two facelifts, one is a smaller facelift on the 2010 model, and the last and larger facelift on the 2013 model. While the mechanical foundations of the fourth-generation Lexus LS have not changed throughout its life, these facelifts do bring a major styling revamp to the flagship sedan.

The 2013 and above are the most popular because they feature Lexus’ signature “spindle” grille for the first time. Still, you can still buy these 2013 and above models at a low price, as their current KBB fair purchase price is $16,465, a fraction of the price of the new Camry. The new 2013 Lexus LS 460 sedan costs $72,900, so you can get a truly top-notch luxury car for just a few cents.

The biggest problem with second-hand Lexus LS

So we know that a used Lexus flagship sedan can offer great value, but what is the biggest problem with the used Lexus LS, generally speaking, not just the fourth generation? Availability. If we look at the sales history of the Lexus LS, the 2013 spindle grille facelift is the last time that the Lexus LS sold 10,000 units in a year. Since then, the number has been declining year by year, with only 2,163 units sold in 2024, a record low.

This is also considering that 2024 is the best year in Lexus' entire history. The less-selling Lexus cars only have sexy LC and RC coupes, but that's not surprising. The second-hand market reflects these low overall sales, so there aren't as many models to choose from as many as you would like. For every ten GS or IS cars, you will find an LS car. This is something to keep in mind when browsing the second-hand market.

Why is Toyota Camry so expensive

So, as we have repeatedly emphasized, new cars are expensive. In addition, the manufacturer's suggested retail price is also a lie. However, this alone does not explain why the Toyota Camry is so expensive. Once considered the absolute champion of people, it is now a high-end model that can rival luxury cars. Well, this drastic change doesn't happen overnight. So, let's take a quick look at the past and see how the prices of Toyota's leading sedans have soared over the past few decades.

If we go back a decade ago, the 2015 Toyota Camry LE basic model had a MSRP of $22,970, the Hybrid LE model had a MSRP of $26,790, and the top V-6 model had a MSRP of $31,370. Looking back a decade ago, the cheapest 2005 Camry was the STD model with a manual transmission, starting at $18,195; there were no hybrid models at the time. The top-notch model is the XLE V-6 model, which costs $25,555.

The inconspicuous Camry has now become a luxury car like the Lexus LS

As you can see, the entry-level Camry was a car that sold for less than $20,000 in 2005, but its base price has since risen by about $5,000 every decade, while wages for people outside the highest 1% have not increased significantly in decades. The end result of this unfair and unfortunate situation is that now we have a very expensive Camry but don't have the money to buy. Toyota and other major automakers have not only been keeping up with inflation, but are also actively stimulating inflation.

That's because, once upon a time, the $30,000 price point was considered the entry-level price for high-end or luxury cars. Even a decade ago, finding a new economy car with a suggested retail price of less than $20,000 wasn't difficult, it was just what people expected. However, the average price of a new car in March 2025 was $48,641, which is a totally ridiculous price for any vehicle, let alone a “ordinary vehicle.”

That's why you have to be crazy, desperate, or both to buy any new car because in 99% of the cases, it's a depreciating asset. Yet, somehow, people still find themselves working on new loans at dealers every day, as if everything is fine. Now, it seems that only the American dream filled with debt and an imminent bankruptcy remain.

Financing, used car market and transactions in 2025

The prices of the new Toyota Camry and new cars are often ridiculously high, meaning smart and value-conscious consumers will have to consider other options. Thankfully, the used car market offers nearly unlimited options at a huge discount. Although “high-priced” pricing has spread in the used car market since 2020, used cars are still more likely to buy good cars at amazing prices than new cars. At least in the used car market, cash is still king, and if you have about $30,000 to spend on a car, you have a lot of options.

2017 is the last model for the fourth-generation Lexus LS 460 sedan, so these prices tend to be the highest in this generation. The fair purchase price of KBB is $23,821, but our search for current prices and availability in the second-hand market tells us a different story.

One model that caught our attention immediately was the 2016 Lexus 460 with a range of 71,238 miles and a price of $15,900. Is the 2025 Camry equipped with a square exquisite analog clock in the center of the dashboard? No. A more beautiful 2016 Lexus LS also caught our attention, with a mileage of just 42,211 miles and a price tag of $41,950, both because of its higher price and surprisingly low mileage. The $25,000 price range is definitely the best choice, and we found several clean models with a range of around 70,000 to 90,000 miles.

If you choose a price below $20,000, most options tend to have an average mileage of over 100,000 miles, but there are still good options. So you might be spending around $30,000 to buy a new Camry, but when you can buy a top-notch luxury sedan like the Lexus LS for under $25,000, it’s hard not to find it worth the money.