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Looking into buying a 2004 LS430, need some advice.
Hey all, one of my neighbors is finally selling his 04 LS430 with a 172K miles on it for $7500.
I don’t know much about LS430’s since I actually already own an 07 LS460 L which I love dearly, but I have always heard great things about this gen, and how they are the best LS’s ever made even from folks over on the 4th gen forum.
First off, my neighbor is the 2nd owner of the car, and he has taken great care of it. He’s owned it for about 7 years and he’s selling the car because he wanted a crossover and now he owns a 2017 RX350.
He did the timing belt 2 years ago, and has a lot of service records. The car is in really good shape for its age and honestly it doesn’t look like it has almost 200K miles on it.
The car isn’t loaded or anything and just has the premium package he says. I’ve been spoiled with my LS460 since it’s fully loaded with the ML sound system and air suspension.
I really don’t care for the added goodies in this car since I feel the less that can go wrong the better.
Anyways my first thoughts when I got into the car and drove was how nice the interiors are in these LS’s.
I think the quality is better than than in my LS460. The door panels feel thicker and nicer to touch, no creaking or plasticky feeling anywhere really.
The seats are even more soft, super thick and plusher than in the 460’s. The piping and how large the front seats are make them very supple to sit in. Way nicer than even in the new LS500.
The doors close with a nicer solid “thunk”.
The car was very quiet to drive and I could barely hear the engine run. The ride quality was also very nice and smooth but not as smooth as my LS460 L model.
The body structure feels a little more rigid and tight I would say and nothing squeaks or rattles.
This is why I always like older Toyota and Lexus vehicles is because even if they have 200+K miles on them, the bodies still feel nice and tight.
Overall the car drives and rides great. Does anyone recommend what I should look for in terms of problems if I do decide to buy it?
And is the price fair for the condition and mileage? Here are some pics of the car.
Considering that you have driven the car and it's a Cali car....Make certain that the transmission shifts smoothly and properly. If so.... at that price, you could always get your money back. If your neighbor starts talking or you take too long to decide, the car will be gone. Good luck.
Offer $6500 and work up to $7k. Should give you many years of trouble-free service but just know that it's still a 19 year old car and things are going to come up.
Thanks guys for the suggestions. The more I research these cars, the more I realize how great they are.
He did say he will hold it for me until I decide what to do. If anything he said he would rather sell it to me
because he knows that he will still see the car around and he likes that. So hopefully we can work out a deal very soon here.
My daily driver is my 07 LS460L but If I do buy this 430, then I would alternate between the 2 cars to keep the mileage down on them.
I just noticed he has the phone number on the rear window. I suggest you move very fast with your decision making. These cars go very fast!
Listen to BOCA! It's obviously advertised for sale to any who drives by and likely on the internet as well.
Someone will show up with $7500 cash and it will be gone.
I'm not suggesting you can't negotiate but whatever you do do it asap.
Listen to BOCA! It's obviously advertised for sale to any who drives by and likely on the internet as well.
Someone will show up with $7500 cash and it will be gone.
I'm not suggesting you can't negotiate but whatever you do do it asap.
Listen to Bradland! He definitely knows what he's talking about! lol Seriously, if you really want this car, don't wait another minute. This "neighbor" of yours ultimately wants to sell the car to the first reasonable offer. The price is already more than reasonable. As the Nike saying goes.......JUST DO IT!
I was at work and he called me and told me someone offered him $9,000 for it since he had other people interested in the car as well. He said the money spoke and he couldn’t pass up the offer.
I wasn’t going to pay $9,000 for the car and I honestly couldn’t afford that price.
Oh well, I’m not going to dwell on it. It was a nice car, but I’m sure I’ll come across another one someday like it.
Im definitely a fan now of these cars more so than my 460. It is better built with better materials, was quieter and felt more isolated to drive than my 460 after thinking about it.
I was at work and he called me and told me someone offered him $9,000 for it since he had other people interested in the car as well. He said the money spoke and he couldn’t pass up the offer.
I wasn’t going to pay $9,000 for the car and I honestly couldn’t afford that price.
Oh well, I’m not going to dwell on it. It was a nice car, but I’m sure I’ll come across another one someday like it.
Im definitely a fan now of these cars more so than my 460. It is better built with better materials, was quieter and felt more isolated to drive than my 460 after thinking about it.
there will be opportunities in the future. I agree the LS430 is better built. I drove a LS400 a bit in the 90s and in 2008 considered a LS460 but was not impressed. Lexus started with LS to build the best car without considering too much cost, just to show they were capable of making one. Obviously they had to make some money to make these cars stand on their own in the long run. In my opinion the LS43 is closer to the best car mentality era than the LS460.
there will be opportunities in the future. I agree the LS430 is better built. I drove a LS400 a bit in the 90s and in 2008 considered a LS460 but was not impressed. Lexus started with LS to build the best car without considering too much cost, just to show they were capable of making one. Obviously they had to make some money to make these cars stand on their own in the long run. In my opinion the LS43 is closer to the best car mentality era than the LS460.
Yes, you let a “gem” slip through your fingers. There will be others to chase but that will always be the one that got away. No surprise that someone swooped in and offered $9k.
However, not sure why the 460 you have is not sufficient. If you plan on keeping the 460 the mileage racked up with daily use shouldn’t be an issue. And, you could use some of the funds you would use on a 430 and make some upgrades to your 460. Maybe suspension parts or wheels/tires for a better ride.
The ‘14 460 we have had now for 7+ years (acquired in late ‘15 used) is holding up well (but the wife only puts 6-7k a year on it).
Yes, you let a “gem” slip through your fingers. There will be others to chase but that will always be the one that got away. No surprise that someone swooped in and offered $9k.
However, not sure why the 460 you have is not sufficient. If you plan on keeping the 460 the mileage racked up with daily use shouldn’t be an issue. And, you could use some of the funds you would use on a 430 and make some upgrades to your 460. Maybe suspension parts or wheels/tires for a better ride.
The ‘14 460 we have had now for 7+ years (acquired in late ‘15 used) is holding up well (but the wife only puts 6-7k a year on it).
That’s great. I really like the looks of the 2013+ refresh models.
My 460L is an awesome car as well with every loaded feature you can imagine for that year besides not having the Executive Package and DVD display.
It runs and drives great with no issues, I actually recently purchased new Continental tires for it which made a huge difference in the ride quality, but I just feel that the 430 was engineered for complete isolation and quietness, while in the 460, it’s still very quiet and smooth compared to other similar luxury cars for its day, it’s definitely not as isolating and vibration free like the 430 is when driving over rough pavement is where I felt the biggest differences.
The 430 reminds me of the older Cadillacs and Lincoln’s from the 60’s and 70’s with that “isolating” “hovering” above the ground feel which I love.
Screw this new modern, rough stiff riding BS suspension system that all ride like crap. I also hear that even the new LS500 doesn’t ride like the older LS’s from the past which was geared heavily towards comfort and smooth ride vs sporty handling.
05-30-23, 06:45 PM
Looking into buying a 2004 LS430, need some advice.
