nautica602

I am looking for a low mileage LS430 here in AZ and stumbled on a Moonlight Pearl 2004 LS430 with 70k miles, Navi and Mark Levinson. Dealer is asking $18.5 not including fees. Total came out to almost $20,800. Vehicle has two owners. Front and Rear bumpers will be repainted by dealer. Everything else looks clean. Is this way too much? I offered $17K, but they would not budge. What is a reasonable price? I know it's getting harder to find one with low miles and this color, so maybe that's the reason why the price is so high.

My other option is to keep my 2007 LS460L with 72k miles. Almost mint as well trying to sell for $28k. I use to have a Crystal White 05 LS430 base and wanting to go back. The LS430 feels more refined and smoother even though the interior does feel dated while owning the LS460.

tkbalt

Mint (if that is what it is) 430's are valuable. Does the vehicle have a documented service history (preferably at a Lexus Dealer)? CarFax clean? No body repairs? 30K and 60K major services done? Tires&brakes new and / or without much wear? Michelin Primacy is a top quality tire for this vehicle.

You did not mention if the "dealer" was a Lexus dealer. If not, I would take it there for inspection.

Yes - 18K is over the top. But you are buying condition - not model year. Books show this vehicle at 13 to 15 - so it has to be mint to get near 18.5.. If it is and you love it - well then...... If not - keep looking. They are out there - and are truly outstanding vehicles.

We had a 2003 and it was the best driving / riding care we ever set foot in. It was a low miles, mint vehicle. And we probably overpaid for it. We drove it 3 years and gave it up because it handled like ***** in the snow - now driving an LX570.

warminwisc

If yur sold on the car negotiate on t belt job, change fluids etc. Does it come with a warrantee? If no warrantee at that price I would walk if it is from a Lexus dealer.

I am sure tk had probems in the snow, however I love 04 in the snow with good tires. Even when I drive it fast the rear will slip but always comes back.

nautica602

Car looks almost mint with the exception of some interior blemishes. The vehicle does have documented service history from the dealer. The car is being sold with no warranty at a Lexus dealer. Clean carfax. No body repairs, just the front and rear bumper are being repainted at their expense. 30k and 60k have been completed. One chrome wheel is curbed real bad and the other 3 are good. Tires still have a good amount of thread.

Does $17.5k sound like a good price? I can try for that.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

I paid 18.5 for my 2004 UL with 104k miles. It was pretty much full retail but the car was about as mint as they come. Single owner, full service history at the dealer, new tb/wp, brakes, tires, door speakers and a few other things. Also, a very unique color combination. Originally, the Lexus dealer wanted 23.5...LOL

I tried and tried to get down more but they would not move. It's a fair price. Not great. Get them to throw in a new tb/wp or just see how things go. It's due on age not mileage. Good luck negotiating.

Edit: You're going to pay more at the Lexus dealer vs private owner but they offer cream puffs more often.

tkbalt

Good point on Timing Belt and Water pump as a point of negotiation - That is a $800 - $1000 service, is due now based on age and in 20K based on mileage. Interior issues (whatever they are) and curbed wheel are also points of negotiation. My experience is that the dealers are very proud of their pricing - and very hard to move.

warminwisc

My experience is they collude on pricing with the residuals on leases, auctions and low ball trade ins mark em up 5 grand and tell ya they can't move on prices and end up making 3500 bucks with a little negotiating. They actually list a residual/auction price and a retail price which is 5 k more than auction and residuals for the dealers all to see in the car game where they are the dealers and house wins.

The LS in question listed for 19,999 then down to 18,5000 to give ya something in the deal. If ya look at autotrader all the LS's in the area are about the same price given miles and color.

Auction was prolly 15,000 ish prolly gave the guy less than that.
Used cars are where they make profits along with service.

Best deals are end of month and ones that sit on lots for a while for whatever reason. This oe has sat less than a month.

I would insist on a warrantee of at least 3k from a dealer. Ya never know why it was traded. I bought mine this summer, with a trade in so the price is hard to follow, and was able to speak with the owner which can be done at the dealer if you ask and they want to call the previouse owner and get his OK to speak with you.

warminwisc

Or sometimes check the glove box there is a name and phone number of previouse owner. This has become rarer and rarer to find as remember "House Wins". I am sure even the invoice numbers are rigged with holdbacks and "spiffs" set up so "House Wins"

XJSFan

I would think $17,500 would be top dollar if I was buying it. Why do they have to paint the front and rear bumpers? Old people trying to parallel park... LOL.

NERCCERT

Nautica,
Purchased an '04 LS 430 61K miles Navigation & Mark Levinson (blown subwoofer) very clean in and out for 18,800 out the door Burbank CA. I liked my '91 LS 400 for 400K miles the LS 430 is super nice, hope it lasts as long. The '91 was sold to a guy where I buy my tires and his wife loves it.

ma61

I wouldnt say $18k is WAY too much, its not a bargain but it doesnt sound unreasonable coming from a Lexus dealer.

fensterlip

You didn't say but it's probably a Modern Luxury edition which with that mileage should be closer to the 15 to 16 range. The curbed wheel will cost $200 to clean up.
I sold a 2004 ML for $14800 a few months ago that was immaculate with 90K and bought an 04 Ultra Luxury edition with 65K on it that wasn't pristine for $16400 so maybe that will help.
It sounds like a so-so deal but isn't awful.

Jabberwock

Tough to repair a chromed wheel. Ask them to provide a new wheel or take 350 off final price so you can find a replacement wheel. Make sure they give you full set of keys - thats at least 2 master keys not one master and a valet key. I'd push for TB services being done because car is 9+ years old regardless of mileage. Their own service department would tell you that the TB needs to be done immediately on a 2004.

But here is bottom line of negotiating for any car on dealer lot...it is always a question of the time value of money and buyer demand. If it is a fresh and really mint car that just got on the lot they expect to sell it fast and they are gonna hold firm on price. They would be fools to lower price on a fresh high demand car. So if they get a car they know will car generate a lot of buyer interest early they will demand full retail and rightly so they are in business to maximize profit.

Here is the other side of the coin - a car that sits unsold costs them a lot of money. The car is depreciating every month, it also takes up valuable selling space on the lot, and many car dealers have a loan on every car sitting on the lot (called floor plan) and they pay interest on it monthly. If the car sits for a few weeks then there is definitely room to negotiate price. The longer the car sits, the more they will negotiate to lower price or make repairs etc. Also there is always more negotiation room at end of month due to sales quotas and floor plan payments. If its an average quality car and it has been sitting you should be able to get it for about $1000 over wholesale trade value.

For LS430s in high demand market areas (like DFW where I live) the really low mile mint cream puffs sell almost immediately at the price the dealer is asking.

nautica602

Thanks for all the responses. This is just a regular model with Navi and ML audio with no air suspension. The dealer just posted it a few days ago online with no pictures, so it's a new trade in. The dealer was planning on refurbishing it before taking pictures and posting it online. I will see what I can do in a few days after they take care of painting the bumpers and back chrome wheel (older couple who probably cant see well). I want to make sure what I am purchasing looks good. I will see if I can get it to at least $17.5k-$18k and maybe have them warranty the paint and do the timing / water pump replacement. I am just hoping this vehicle won't sell right away.

BradTank

It's overpriced, even for a dealership. I'm amazed they didn't jump at your offer. They probably paid $10-$12k for it. If they make all of those repairs plus do the timing belt service, $17k is more than fair.

I try to go out of my way to buy from dealerships, when it's all said and done, you overpay by around $5,000 when you factor in their fees plus sales tax. That usually easily covers all maintenance, repairs, insurance, tires, etc for your entire ownership.

Personally, I would keep what you have if I were in your position. You have a Lexus in mint condition with relatively low miles. To get a car that's older and been through a few owners for only a little less money seems like a trade I wouldn't want to make. What is it about the LS460 L that makes you want to sell it? Is it the "less smooth" ride? You could maybe get a set of smaller rims, that would make a big difference in that department.