alredxiii

iTrader: (13)

Very soon there will not be very many 06 cpo since they can only be six years or newer!!!

MDSC

iTrader: (3)

Have u looked at the one in nj? It's 04 flint mica with black interior ul, they want 23k it had 53 k miles. It looks attractive I wouldn't mind checking it out it I wasn't 200 miles away. I just think its a big risk to drive that far and find some car that has been wrecked or damaged before . I got a local jag dealer with a 06 , ml 95k they want 22 I'm going to offer 20 and see what happens .

parkerjs

Lots of great points both ways. I wouldn't trade my UL for anything....air suspension risk and all. The standard suspension on any LS is very good, but the air ride is in a class by itself. I think I'd rather have a bag budget just in case rather than not enjoy that silky smooth ride every day.

One of the subtle touches that I don't think the CL has is the fade to black on the wood trim. It looks spectacular, especially with a black interior.

At the end of the day I'm sure you'll love driving whatever you buy.

jeroly

sorry for the delay in updating...
I looked at the 04UL - was pretty gross - ugly gold lines etched on both sides, black/black was intolerably hot and AC didn't seem to work well
I am having buyer's regret even before buying LOL - am reluctant to spend so much on a 6-year-old car even with the low mileage and good warranty.
It's the end of the quarter, however, so if I were to buy today I might be able to negotiate a better price.
I'm paying cash - does that improve my negotiating room or does a dealer expect to get $$$ out of the financing of a CPO?

Jabberwock

1. Patience is critical - wait till you find the right one in great shape - I suggest you keep looking at lots of them and you will then instantly be able to recognize a true cream puff when you see it.

2. End of month is best when buying and end of month end of quarter and end of first half is even better - maximum pressure on dealer to sell everything possible.

3. Dealer could care less about someone being a cash buyer. Its common for cash buyers to think they have leverage but in actual fact sometimes the dealer can get a spiff by bringing in a loan for finance dept so dealer prefers the "easy payments" folks. What they do care about is that the purchaser making an offer is a serious qualified buyer...so stress that fact - you can close the transaction immediately with no hassles - cash or loan..they will respond to that.

4. When negotiation is going on on a car you are serious about all you say is that you can close transaction immediately and will use cash or loan depending on desirability to you of terms offered - do not commit to either one - very important just negotiate drive out price on the car and nothing else. After price is negotiated and in writing then you can talk cash or loan and then do what's most favorable for you. I got a 3 year 1% rate like that once - I took it rather than pay cash because at the time it was cheaper that way given investment return opportunity cost on the cash. .

SW17LS

The CL package has the same wood trim as the UL as well as the same leather dash stitching, etc.

thinkin

Too true. The 430 is so beautifully suited to it's role, even a base or premium in good shape will delight you. The UL is icing on the cake - very nice icing, but the basic bespoke 430 platform is just so head and shoulders beyond the Toyota-shared models it may as well be from another planet. Drive and enjoy!

jeroly

Last follow-up:

I looked around some more but couldn't find any other good LS 430 listings in the colors I wanted with low mileage. Since I really needed to get something in the next few days for work etc., I went back to test drive the 06ML. It drove really well and is in pristine condition, so I took the plunge and bought it. I know that I overpaid but I wanted CPO which are almost impossible to find. However I'm really happy with the puchase so far. The SO seems to really like it, our houseguest feels like she's sitting in a limo with all the room in the back seat, and I am still in shock about how quiet the interior is; granted I'm comparing it to driving around in a convertible ;-) but even when I compare it to the ES300 I was driven in over the weekend it's like being in a tomb (albeit a tomb with a great stereo system!).

Thanks to all that provided advice and ideas for my car search. I look forward to occasional future participation in this forum!