toddwiens

Hello everyone, I am looking for a 2004-06 LS430.
I am new to Lexus. I've owned Porsche's, Mercedes-Benz & Jaguar.
I've owned an Avalon for 7 yrs and it's been a fantastic car. So I figured that an LS 430 would be a great combination of luxury, room, style and reliability.
But I don't know what to get and what to avoid.
I'm reasonably familiar with the option packages.
Should I avoid a Nav. car? I've heard the air suspensions are super high $$ to repair. Avoid them?
What about mileage? If I get a nice 50K mile car, will it need to have a major service at 60K?
And, if I find an 80K mile car, will it need a timing belt at 90K?
Any helpful advice is greatly appreciated.

warminwisc

Like an Avalon, but V8 RWD no comparison in my book. Nav is fine bluetooth comes with it Jab is right NAV is outdated but hey car is tried but true. Air can be costly usually above 150k it goes out coilovers are 1500, reg susp is nice also. No real 60k service unless ya like shelling out dough. These things are cheap to keep unlike the German brands. T belt at 100k or so, fluid changes every 50 k, do not turn the rotors if the brakes do not pulsate and go to a Yota or private garage. Look for a well kept well documented car and yur golden. Almost 175k miles on 2 ls's and 600 dollars in out of ordinary repairs. The LS is getting up there in age and some new cars do compete on a smaller chasis, non v8 non RWD, so drive some other cars.

Can ya fill us in on the German/British repair experience?

Legender

Warminwisc just about said it all... I too went from Avalon to Lexus after 15 years with the Avalon... and night and day difference. If you liked the Avalon, you will love the Lexus. I've always referred to my Avalon as a baby lexus... but the LS430 and even the LS400 are so much better. Great ride, reliability, dependability. And because of who bought these cars originally at the high price, generally well cared for, always garaged and barely used... easy to find nice clean ones, even in the 100k range with great maintenance and upkeep.
You need to drive them and find the one with options and features that you want. And yes, timing belts are important... but often times, you can find them with less than 90k miles on them and the timing belt is already done because the dealer sold it to the previous owner. Due diligence pays off.

ls430lover

welcome to the board, its pretty easy to select what you want
select price range based on budget
then look for ls430 that was serviced at a lexus dealer with records
then check make sure it wasnt hit and painted
if thats the case buy the one that makes you happy with color in and out with proper mileage based on above
then sit back expect normal repair costs, expect tires brakes etc.. and expect a 1000 to 2000 a year in repair
the rest is done for you best car ever made from 01-06, if its features and look you like the 04 05 are the best buys on the market right now, dont expect to get a deal but by the car at a fair price and you will have 200000 miles of enjoyment... when you do get it start putting in mobil1 extended performance synthetic, chevron techron fuel system cleaner and stay on top of fluid changes for the longevity i said above,
hope this makes it simple it should be simple lexus over engineered the ls430 for all the reasons we love the vehicle.. i am still amazed every day how enginerred they are, the car is not perfect..
one last thing expect 20mpg combo in city/highway if you want a fuel thirsty car look elsewhere
cheers

ls430lover

forgot to add the following
if you get air suspension with ul, expect failures over time if they werent replaced and over 100k
when you buy any of the years there are front bushings in front suspension that over time need to be replaced the rubber gets hard
also you asked about differences the 04-06 has the 6 speed transmission i believe the 04 had a recall so when we say look at service records make sure it has been seen during recall early in its life

toddwiens

I appreciate your reply!
My main concern with the Nav option is that if it went out, I would not be able to control a lot of other things. Like A/C, stereo and such. Is that the case?
Also, is the Levinson system that much better than the regular audio setup?
Toyota dealers are set up and familiar enough to work on LS's?

As for my repair experience. I have owned 2 M-B's. One, a 300 Diesel, was an absolute tank. It was almost the slowest car ever made, but out on the highway, it moved pretty good. 5 cylinder. It was pretty bulletproof, like a lot of the older Benz's. It was an '81 and had been in my family since it was brand new.
Then, I had a 300 SEL. Big car. Straight 6. Another great car. Lots of room. Maintenance was very good. Helps to have a mechanic that I would trust with my family's life. Once you get past about 1995, M-B's get more troublesome. Like any car, you just have to know the right years to buy and the bad years to avoid.
Which brings me to the Jaguar. Jag's have a not-so-great reputation. But, you just have to know what to buy.
I have a 1996 Vanden Plas.1995, 1996 & 1997 were the years to get.
These cars have the AJ-16 engine. 4 litre inline 6. This engine is the result of Ford putting millions into Jaguar while they owned it. They only had this engine for 3 years. Then they came out with the 4 litre V8. Problems. Until about 2003.
My Jag has 76K miles. White. Tan interior with Cream color piping. Diamond polished wheels. Long wheelbase. Perfect leather. The Vanden Plas have full Connolly Leather interior with contrasting piping. All of the wood trim is walnut with Boxwood inlays. The interior is perfect, with the exception of the sagging headliner. Common problem.
But, it's been a great car. Ice cold A/C. You can get to everything under the hood with ease.
I'm just ready to get something else.

toddwiens

It's funny you should say that about the Avalon as a baby Lexus. When the new Avalon came out in 2000, the magazines said it should have been called the LS 399!

toddwiens

You give a lot of great info, but one thing you said doesn't make sense to me.
You said to expect normal repair costs, tires, brakes, etc. But then you said to also expect $1000 to $2000 per year in repairs.
That $1K to $2K, above the normal wear items, makes this a costly car to own. Not a reliable, well engineered car.
Everything that I have read says that the LS430 is one of the most reliable cars ever made. Ever.
I'm just not sure what you meant by that dollar figure.
Can you explain it better for me?

toddwiens

BTW, what is Semi-analine leather?

ls430lover

todd, your over analayzying this. if you buy an 2004 avalon, a 2004 chevy or ls430 the costs for things to go are normal and should be expected. too many buyers of the ls430 think the car doesnt break down and doesnt incur problems, you have electrical parts, alternators, starters, ball joints, timing belts, serpentine belts, fluid changes etc etc.. as these cars get older and years of mileage and age all these items will fail.. the caveat is the parts used in the car are overengineered and generally wont fail as often or half as often as the competition.
i was trying to set expectations.. when these questions are that important i suggest you buy a new car like a honda accord or something like that. for 20 k you will have peace of mind and getting a great car
cheers

toddwiens

That makes sense.
I purchased my 2000 Avalon in November of 2006. Other than oil/filter changes, tires and an alternator belt, I haven't had to do anything to it.
I guess I've been pretty fortunate.
I'll keep all of that in mind.
Thanks for your reply!