Fatnslow

Hello all!

After joining to research the forum and ask questions, I decided to pick up a 2001 LS430 in that gold color.

I found her on Craigslist in a nicer part of town being sold by a car guy. The first owner leased her and put 10,000 miles on her. The second owner bought it and put an additional 110,000 miles over the next decade or so. They were pretty rich and maintained her well. They took it to a local maintenance shop to maintain it where the owner bought it from them after they picked up a newer Lexus. The guy bought it for his mother but she did not like the color, so they immediately put it up for sale and I bought it.

Timing belt and spark plugs were changed and it was well maintained mechanically.

Exterior wise, it has some bumper scraps and paint chip dings. Rust free (miracle for Michigan). Never driven in winter, always garaged. Someone keyed her recently so she needs about $1000 worth of paint job on the hood, door, and bumper. Interior has some signs of wear and the seats are worn but not torn. Side mirrors show the typical signs of needing a DIY fix.

Clean history and title. I picked her up for $6000. It seemed like a good deal to me! I'm deciding if I should pay for the paint job or just get her vinyl wrapped. I plan on owner her until she gives up the ghost, but from what I see on longevity, it might be a long while!

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Congratulations and welcome. Post up some pics when you have a chance. Don't forget to maintain that transmission and differential as well.

98SNAKETR

Congratz

I'm looking at a pair of 430's myself (an '01 and '02) for about the same price.

Both look super clean from the listings, but the '01 has less miles

Fatnslow

Thanks for the heads up on the trans and diff fluid. The fluid looks a little red but not very clear, so it may be time for a flush.

I spent about $120 to fix both side mirrors and replacing the truck struts. I just flat out replaced the driver side mirror guts (mine wouldn't adjust and would just skip gears) for $70 off e-bay. This took about an hour or two as I was taking my sweet time. The hardest part was trying to reconnect the actual mirror to the plastic back plate. I thought I was going to break the thing. I just got mad and pushed harder and it finally clipped into place.

The passenger side mirror motor was turning and skipping gears for no reason, even when the switch was on off. I cleaned the contacts, tore down the mirror and re-tightened the motor housing after giving it some fresh lithium grease. After the driver's side mirror, this took me like 15-30 minutes. It never had a problem since. I bought a new motor for it off e-bay for $10 and ended up not using it. I can save it for a rainy day.

Truck struts were like a 5 minute job and cost $40. Sucker feels like it weighs 100 lbs without the struts helping.

Can't believe Lexus wanted like $1800 for all that stuff. The only thing that is giving me issues are the license plate screws. They are completely rusted on and I broke the heads off trying to pry them off.

Good luck on the search for an 01/02! Definitely take them for a drive and don't be afraid if either one has similar symptoms like mine. It is easy and cheap to fix. If they do, it makes for a great bargaining chip and you will be the one laughing on that deal! "Oh, geez. The mirrors don't work? Lexus charges about $700 per mirror...reduce price nao!"