Stefs818

Hello everyone,

I am thinking about buying a used 2001 LS430 with Ultra Luxury Package. The car is well-kept, clean title, and timing belt was changed too. It's a Lexus CPO car with 2 owners. It has 120K miles on it now. The owner is asking for $12,000.

My biggest concern is the air suspension. If I need to repair it, how much will it cost? How about other major issues?

Oh, btw, I know this is a very nice car, but it is already more than 10-years old. How much longer can I keep the car for? Another 10 years? Most of the time I drive in the city and only put 20,000 miles at most per year....

I need some advices since I am not familiar with this car...Thanks a bunch!

bmore430

Air suspension is the weak point and to replace with oem parts and labor can run 1k on up per strut. You can swap out to factory non air suspension or coil overs as well for much less expense. The engines and tenants last 300k plus with normal maintenance.

writes123

Personally, I think 12k is a bit high for an 01 with 120k. Before purchasing my 05 with 123k I was seriously considering an 01 UL with 88k from a SoCal dealer for 11k. I also looked at one with 133k for 7k. I think I recently saw a 01 UL with 152k for 8.3k or so on CL. It was well maintained from the looks of it.

I'd take the VIN to drivers.lexus.com and see the history of it as well. Since it has a transmission dipstick I'd look at the fluid condition as well.

Regarding the air suspension, many members would swap out the air for standard shocks and struts (KYB with OEM or AM springs). It'd probably come out to 1200 or so by my general estimate. If you want to keep the air suspension, the air shocks can be found online for around 700 each OTD. My mechanic charged me $70 labor for each strut to install.

It'd be a decision to make based on multiple factors. Air suspension is by far the UL weakest component and 120k on original air struts is likely near the end of **** life particularly the front struts since they support the majority of the weight from the engine and driver. On the lexus VIN site you could see if any of the struts were replaced before. They would usually go through a dealer to replace those items.

The key would be to take a good look with a lift from a trusted independent mechanic. The common issues I found on the 01's that I looked at were the leaking air struts (usually the 2 front ones), leaking valve cover gasket, transmission fluid condition (D&F or flush via torque converter), power steering fluid condition.

Also @ 120k, I'd look into if the spark plugs and thermostat were changed already. From my experience lexus dealers don't often swap out the thermostat with their TB and H2O pump service. It's a pretty basic DIY service.

In general I'd do a full fluid change/exchange on any car that I acquire. Coolant, transmission fluid, oil, differential fluid, power steering fluid.

sscheuri

I took ownership of my 2001 LS430 UL in August 2010 with 53k miles (third owner). I took it to a Lexus dealer initially for service and the service advisor said there was a small leak in the front passenger air strut.
Fast forward to 106k miles now, still no issues with the strut.

The car has not had any mechanical issues but I am dreading the first air strut replacement and recognizing the spring/strut alternative. I do plan on keeping the car a long time, and nothing really compares to the air suspension.

XJSFan

I would just look for an LS430 without the air suspension...

jasonson

Thanks for the info on the UL everyone

Stefs818

Thanks for the info~

I got the VIN and went to the Lexus website to pull the service records. It had the 90K mile service done at the dealership, before "preowned detail". There is no service record after 90K miles service...I guess the car was taken to some other places for maintenance....

I don't see the any of the struts were replaced according to the Lexus website. Guess I am taking the risk of fixing/replacing air suspension in the near future.

I am going to negotiate the price with the seller. Is $10K a more reasonable price?

Thanks!

writes123

For me, I think 10k is still too much. Of course, if the car is in top notch condition after a mechanic checks it out., it may be worth the "extra" cash.


Black Book Trade-In as of 02/24/2014
Clean Average Rough
Base $10,455 $7,855 $4,750
Options $0 $0 $0
Mileage $300 $450 $0
Total $10,755 $8,305 $4,750

Those are the values I use when I was determining what was the best bang for the buck. I would definitely allocate some funds at least 1200 (if switching out the air) or around 1500 (if switching out the 2 front air struts). They will likely need to be changed "relatively soon due to age and mileage. That's just the nature of the air socks. Also, the front lower control arm bushings are usually cracked by the age and the mileage. They run around 75 each and my mechanic charged 120 labor for installing the 2.

The bushings and air struts are very important when driving on rough roads. My steering wheel would rattle in my hands. I was regretting my ls430 purchase until I finally got them fixed and now the rattle is completely gone. definitely not something to be put off if you expect to enjoy the 430.

You could utilize your mechanic's report to negotiate the price. Chances are he'd get a very low value on trade-in for the car.

I personally like to get the best deal, but if time and needs are more pressing....

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

KBB and Edmunds are just estimates. It's really all about what the market supports. 10 - 12 is not bad. Plus, UL tend to always be priced a bit higher because of the extra options. Considering that 98-2000 LS400's still go for 10K you may not get it that low but you can try. Good luck and don't be afraid of the air suspension. Yes, it will eventually fail but it may not fail till 200k. And it's not that bad to swap out.

I paid full KBB retail for my 04 UL from a Lexus dealer but I have no regrets. 120k on these cars is nothing.

writes123

To address how long the car would hold up, I'd say it'll hold up as long as you want to keep it. 600k from a Riverside dealership service advisor. The interior usually holds up really well especially as an UL interior.

Mechanically, the key would be the water pump and timing belt along with the standard 90k service along with the thermostat. Transmission fluid service would be also important in my mind. Especially easy for service on the 01-03 models vs the 04-06.

10k is not bad. I've have to spend a good 2-3k along with my time and effort to bring my car up to my standards. Each car and owner is different. I'd definitely factor in the cost of spark plugs into the overall price. Usually the dealer charges 5-600 for the job. Of course a good DIY job or a independent mechanic would run you cheaper.

BTW, if located in the SoCal region there are a number of good independent lexus mechanic alternatives.