lexusdog

iTrader: (1)

Well I couldn't stay away from an LS430 very long. I sold my 04 LS430 CL a few months ago and have missed ever since. Went out and bought a C5 corvette and was disgusted with it a week later. Not a good idea to go from a high end luxury car to a crappy GM product with plastic interior! lol
A few weeks ago I was walking out of a local restaurant and a super clean Flint Mica LS430 parked right next to me. I asked the owner if he was looking to sell it and it just so happens he was thinking about trading it in this month. It is a 04 ML Flint Mica with Ecru interior. It has the ML sound and Navigation. It is spotless and has been garaged kept with only 80k miles. Original owner who had it serviced at Lexus from day one. I ended up striking a deal with him and picked it up this week. I still find it hard to believe how nice these cars ride.

I took a few pictures yesterday.

Johnhav430

congrats! Let me know what you plan on doing service-wise, because mine is at 82k, and I just got it 2 wks. ago....they changed the oil, so I figure I'll wait maybe 3k (I know it can go much further) and replace it myself with synthetic...I already have 7 WIX oil filters for it LOL and 3 WIX air filters, but I pulled the air filter and it's brand new...

lexusdog

iTrader: (1)

Congrats on your new ride. This car came with a stack of maintenance records so I wont be doing to much to it anytime soon. It had the t-belt and water pump done at 70k miles. For you, you should do your t-belt and water pump in the 90-100k range. But see if your local Toyota dealership can do it at a cheaper rate than Lexus. Other then that, the cabin air filter and rotating the tires are all that you need to do with your mileage. Good luck with it!

Johnhav430

Thanks! I put in a Denso cabin air filter also last Sun....ok, I just bit the bullet--I called a Japanese indie to quote the timing belt and water pump--they are going to call back. (since I do see comments on the website, I'm going to ask if they install customer parts)

The weirdest thing is I went to the Toyota dealer to get some of those push pins under the hood, and the Toyota dealer said they don't have them? lol Went to Lexus and he charged me 95 cents ea., which I think is list....I broke them myself, they were all in place when I got the car...

edit: survey (indie) says....$775. Not bad, right? I wonder how much more for the 3 seals, I didn't ask about that....

jimbosr1

i hear you on the cheap a$$ interior on the c5.i had a 04 corvette and the interior was a big disappointment.
i was going to buy a c6 but bought a 93 sc400 and havent looked back.once you own a lexus its hard to go back to cars with a crappy interior.

tallcaguy

LOL is a Corvette one of the standard "alternatives" to an LS? We also see the "regret I sold my LS" story. Have a very nice 04 Cypress Pearl ML Sports. It is a slightly firmer "luxury sports" but not quite the same "plush" experience as my recently sold 01 Base. That was simple reliable ultra smooth. Lexus really nailed it when you can relax and drive an ultra quiet big sedan w one finger on the steering wheel. It's been a whole week but am checking Craigs/CarGurus/Autotrader. LOL anyone have an 01-03 Base (light interior) that they want to sell? Somewhere in Nor CA. Less than 100k.

Johnhav430

This reminds me of when I was a little kid, I remember (though nothing on the web substantiates) that multiple Indy race car drivers preferred the Mercedes Benz 500 SEC as a personal car. Meaning they like driving luxurious cars, not necessarily sports cars, in their spare time.

I love driving my BMW 335i, I don't think too many cars feel quite like it (the steering is perfect). But when I did that 150 mile commute (took 4 hours) through 4 major traffic backups in the NYC metro area, the LS430 really shined. Not joking....there is something about it. I can't believe these cars can be had < $15k. Lots of nice cars can be had used for < $15k, but you can't afford to drive them and they're not reliable (Audi A8's and BMW 7's)...here's to the LS!

tallcaguy

They really are exceptional cars. Also unbeatable in bang for the buck. I briefly thought about a 460. Drove it and just didn't inspire. I don't think there's anything comparable for 15k.

wnyjazz

Did you see this one?

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5809688801.html

Not a base car though.

lexusdog

iTrader: (1)

That is a good price. I think at Lexus it is around $1600. I would check the Toyota dealer as well, I think their price might be similar to an independent shop. Plus you know the job is done right.

lexusdog

iTrader: (1)

Smart move. The SC400 interior is far superior to the corvette plastic garbage interior.

lexusdog

iTrader: (1)

Yeah I think so. The Corvettes look very nice and have tons of power, but they are sloppy overall when it comes to fit and finish. Especially the interior.

It certainly is hard to live without an LS for very long. Good luck with your search!

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

The new ones have a much better interior and look great but lord are they expensive. Also very difficult to get out of... lol I about had to crawl out of the darn thing. I miss my 430 but not enough to get another. I'm going to wait a bit longer and pick up a 13+ 460.

Jabberwock

LS460s are great but be careful about the front end suspension on used LS460s. I was talking to a Lexus service advisor and he said they rebuild LS460 front ends regularly at $4500 per rebuild. Some are worn out at 50k miles.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

This why I want a 2013 and up. These are the years Lexus got it right. Took them a while but they finally did it. Also, those insanely high rebuild cost for older 460's are from people who drop their cars off at the dealer and get raped. You can get it done - parts and labor for about $1400 for control arms via independent shops. That is still expensive and disappointing.

There are some other issues early 460's have too with engine hesitation due to valve noise triggering the knock sensors as well as brake actuators and ML amp failures. But at least Lexus extended the warranty for the actuators. They are great cars but the early models are definitely not as reliable as the 430.