Riick

I'm looking at a 2003 LS430 with 89,000 miles. I've read the common problems, nothing sounds terrible,
I've owned 4 Toyotas over the years Celica, Cressida, and two Avalons, they were all almost repair-free.
OTOH, I have a old ('97) BMW convertible that I love to drive, but it loves to be repaired.

Anyhow, this 430 appears to be straight and pretty clean, only few flaws I noticed on casual inspection,
I also have a question or two about car in general

From cold, car did not start right up, required some cranking, which I find unusual for modern fuel-injected vehicle. Idle was smooth, acceleration good.

Why are people here worrying about spark plugs at 100k, those iridium plugs are supposed to be good for 150-200k... or has that turned out to be moonbeams?

Stereo (Standard not ML) acts strange, fader **** seems to move sound left-right.
Possible head unit, amplifier, or someone played with wiring?
Did I read somewhere that the Stereo's power amplifier goes out?

Also I'm not hearing the subwoofer doing anything.
Speakers with bad foam have a distinctive ugly sound, don't hear that. Disconnected?

Trunk struts will hold up lid at full UP position, and still hold it up at about 45 degrees.
Below that, it closes. Is that normal / good -or- needs Fix?

Steering wheel operation (up/down) (in/out) seems fine, did not notice any noise but will listen up if I decide to go forward.

Heard a creak from front end when I first moved off, with steering wheel full-cranked to right.
(But... was not able to duplicate it)
Could this be the moveable steering rack going the extra mile (or 10 degrees) at full lock,
that I understand Lexus used to get tighter turning circles? Or did I hear something evil?
Do those racks need servicing, lubrication, lubrication at pivot points?

Car has perforated leather seats, seat heating controls turn left (blue) or right (red) --
Does that indicate that these the heated & cooled seats?
I had the A/C on, and felt some coolness, but, wonder if it was all in my head.

Does the 2003 have the "lifetime-fluid" transmission setup, or can you still drain & refill easily?
(( FYI, talk about pricey parts: BMW sells their genuine "lifetime" auto trans fluid at roughly $60/gallon ))

Lastly... Ask is $11,500 -- reasonable deal in your opinion?

Thanks in Advance

.

BMW7_LS430

From cold, car did not start right up, required some cranking, which I find unusual for modern fuel-injected vehicle. Idle was smooth, acceleration good.
>> Most probably weak Battery or potentially a starter

Why are people here worrying about spark plugs at 100k, those iridium plugs are supposed to be good for 150-200k... or has that turned out to be moonbeams?
>> There isn;t much else to spend repair money on so owners are looking to do something.

Stereo (Standard not ML) acts strange, fader **** seems to move sound left-right.
Possible head unit, amplifier, or someone played with wiring?
Did I read somewhere that the Stereo's power amplifier goes out?
>> Amp can go out but it is not a typical problem on this vcar

Also I'm not hearing the subwoofer doing anything.
Speakers with bad foam have a distinctive ugly sound, don't hear that. Disconnected?
>> Sub is probably blown. See other relevant threads for options
>> Speakers could be bad too. Reconing should fix most of the speakers.

Trunk struts will hold up lid at full UP position, and still hold it up at about 45 degrees.
Below that, it closes. Is that normal / good -or- needs Fix?
>> Typical problem. See DIY instructions on trunk strusts on this board

Steering wheel operation (up/down) (in/out) seems fine, did not notice any noise but will listen up if I decide to go forward.

Heard a creak from front end when I first moved off, with steering wheel full-cranked to right.
(But... was not able to duplicate it)
Could this be the moveable steering rack going the extra mile (or 10 degrees) at full lock,
that I understand Lexus used to get tighter turning circles? Or did I hear something evil?
Do those racks need servicing, lubrication, lubrication at pivot points?
>> No idea

Car has perforated leather seats, seat heating controls turn left (blue) or right (red) --
Does that indicate that these the heated & cooled seats?
I had the A/C on, and felt some coolness, but, wonder if it was all in my head.
>> Yes, has heated and cooled seats

Does the 2003 have the "lifetime-fluid" transmission setup, or can you still drain & refill easily?
(( FYI, talk about pricey parts: BMW sells their genuine "lifetime" auto trans fluid at roughly $60/gallon ))
>> Do drain a refill at Lexus or Toyota dealer with Toyota WS fluid. Not easy to drain and refill. I am still waiting for others to do proof of concept and then planing to venture in to it myself. $8-$12 /quart. Cheaper than BMW but more expensive than off the shelf.

Lastly... Ask is $11,500 -- reasonable deal in your opinion?
>> Good price.

warminwisc

Good deal? A camry would prolly cost ya $8500 2003 XLE V6

sr20mofo

iTrader: (10)

sorry not a good deal at that price with the issues at hand. i would say 9k for that car

check out this thread to give you an idea what people got their LS for https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...-purchase.html

i say expand your search if you are heart set on getting an LS and fly out of state if you have to and find one that meets your criteria. if you happen to find one in the Los Angeles area, i can help you check out the car. good luck with your search.

Gene01

The WS transmission fluid (and sealed transmission) was used beginning in model year 2004 with the 6-speed transmission.
2003 and earlier were the "traditional" open design and used Type-IV fluid (and had a dipstick).

BMW7_LS430

Thanks for the information. I wish they had continued with the dipstick approach for 04+

Gene01

I would also like a dipstick, if only to check the condition of the ATF. However, the system is supposed to be "sealed" to avoid picking up water vapor from the atmosphere, which would complicate the design of the dipstick.
It does have the advantage of prolonging the effective life of the ATF, though.
I think it would be fair to say that the consensus is to refresh it (either via a fluid exchange or drain & fill, NOT a power flush), at 100K miles. For comparison, non-sealed (with Type IV rather than WS ATF) is probably a 30K interval.

fensterlip

I think this unit is a good start but not a good finish. If you had to buy it you probably wouldn't be kicking yourself but I think the bar can be a bit higher. I've seen quite a few and many offers have wandered by our forum here that probably would reflect a better value. Don't settle for a low price that will require a potentially large and unknown amount of money to get poured in to get it to your satisfaction.
I'm the kind of guy that can (too easily) fall in love with the first girl at the dance I take out to the floor. If you're even remotely like that I would build in some personal "brakes" or use a broker. My experience has been cheaper and nicer cars have come my way without me screwing up the process with my (ahem) emotions when I set aside my trepidations and use a broker. It has always been much cheaper and I've gotten nicer cars this way even if my ego took a beating. Don't we believe in experts after all? IMHO...

Riick

Gentlemen - Thanks for the information *and* opinions.
More I think about it more indecisive I am, but think that I'd rather over pay for
a *really* well-maintained car than buy something that will need maybe $2k
right off the bat, to put it in good condition.

If the P.O. let the radio speakers go to pot, and kept an OEM Dunlop (c.2003)
as the spare, what does that say about what else was neglected?
This car would really have to be bought right, or not bought at all.

I forgot to ask, when I drove that 430, at around 60-70 I heard wind noise coming
from bad seal (?) at drivers door or at drivers window. Deteriorated seals on doors
or windows a common problem? If so - can anyone point me to a fixit thread?

Thanks in advance - again

writes123

keeping the OEM as a spare doesn't really indicate neglect to me. I found a never used OEM full size spare in the trunk of my 05 UL. Some owners don't realize or never do spare tire changes themselves.

I personally would find it difficult to justify replacing a spare tire that is hardly ever used merely due to age. Now if there were cracks, bubbles, excessive tread wear, that'd be a different story.

I bought my 05 UL with 123k needing front LCA bushings cracked, 2 front air shocks leaking, needing 4 new tires, 40% brake pads left, tranny fluid (never done). Only recently major service was the TB @ 114k. That all figured into my price for the car knowing that I would need to put time and money into the car.

The time will not be compensated but I have the ability to know exactly what materials were used and how the service was performed vs. depending on someone else's dealer to do the job right. I've personally witnessed a Toyota dealership doing a shoddy job on my Lexus transmission fluid service though they claimed that it was all done correctly (wrong fluid, suspect method).

My car was "replaced" due to the quote for 2 front air shocks, front LCA bushings, and spark plug change at a Lexus dealership. That'd put some hesitation into most any owner. Doing these services at a Lexus dealership would be uneconomical to say the least. An independent Lexus mechanic using genuine parts was the way I went, saving a bunch of money in the process.
I would not recommend this car for that price but felt that the criticism of an OEM spare tire since 2003 would not be a reason against the car.

Riick

That spare had been well used, would guess at 20-25,000 miles.

I'm wary of old tires.
My current daily driver ('05 Avalon) still had the OE tires (produced in 2005) when I bought it in 2010 @ 11,000 miles.
Last March, one Michelin (that was now age 8) blew out entire sidewall while I was rolling at 70 in left lane of I-95.
I'd forgotten how old those tires were. and they showed no cracks or bubbles.
So, now cautious about old tires, including spares, ozone is everywhere, including your trunk.

BTW.... I'm also thinking maximum of $9,500 for that car, or, let them keep owning it. They've had it since November.

???? What does fensterlip mean when he suggests using a Broker ????

Jabberwock

If they have had it sitting on the lot since November 2013 it is a dog...plain and simple. I would not pay more than 100-200 over wholesale - that car is going to the auction soon if it sits much longer (usually 90-days) and all they will get is average wholesale. Look up what wholesale price is for that model, year and mileage on edmunds.com

Really nice used cars sell in a week and if the are real cream puffs they sell in a day or two max.