mafpolo

My wife has reminded me that I am prone to seller's regret. Al of your post make good points. I am seriously thinking of replacing the right rear air strut, or converting the car to spring coil. I believe that this will fix the five year old "lean to the right." However, as I posted earlier, lean or no lean, the ride is extremely good; especially considering it is a twelve year old car.

I have looked at other cars. The LS460 does nothing for me. A two seater is not for me (maybe later), so I have been looking at Audi's. We tend to buy low mileage CPO cars that are less than two years old. I know most everybody here will think I am nuts. However, I like the drive, design, etc. And my wife has an '05 A8 that had a few issues during warranty, but other than that it has been pain free. But as most of you point out, I will end up spending close to $50k (not sure what I would get for my car). I can invest that 50k (they are are offering ridiculously low rates to finance the car if I want to), and in three years, assuming no disasters in the market, etc., I don't believe I will lose more than the depreciation on any luxury car. Sadly, other than a 911, they all drop approx. 50% in three years...even Lexus.

The 430 to me is the best Lexus built thus far. I don't like any of the new ones. I wouldn't mind having a smaller car like an A6. I like the new A8, but it seems really big...bigger than the one we have, and I plan to replace hers with an A7 TDI as soon we start seeing CPO versions on the market, and when I can ply her hands off of the steering wheel (she still loves the car).

Not sure why I am giving all of this so much mental real estate right now. My car's value shouldn't be dropping too much in resale value right now, and there are CPO cars coming to market everyday. I do appreciate the input, an any other thoughts and opinions are welcome.

p.s. Some of it does have to do with the newest toys like bluethooth, LED lights, etc. The irrational

Bob04

Although I'm in the early 40's, I learned a valuable (and fairly expensive) lesson with my LS430 to LS460 back to LS430 experience. If you are happy with what you have, don't give it up just because something is newer and shinier with more features. I doubt maintenance cost will ever even come close to what you would sink in a newer car, and you might even up not liking the newer car as much as the old one over time. Or as in my case, hating it a newer car that you paid a lot more money for. Not a good feeling AT ALL.

If I can't find another 60K to 80K mile LS430 in 5 to 7 years when my current car is getting long in the tooth, I'll just keep it and dump what I need to in it to keep it going. If Lexus goes back to the old formula that made the LS430 so successful, I'll be first in line for a new one. But in that situation, I'll still probably keep my current LS430 as an extra automobile. To me, the LS430 is that good.

mafpolo

Bob, I have also heard that the 460 doesn't have the reliability that the 430 does. I guess my biggest concern is the air suspension. If I had known that the UL came with air I would have never had bought the UL. If I was tired of the car, it would be an easy decision, but I am not I still like it, even though the thought of a "new car" is alluring.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Mafpolo, is it leaning after you let it sit for a while? Is it a constant thing? Have you tried to adjust the height sensors to even out the car? The usual symptoms of a leak are noticing a drop in height as the car sits overnight and the compressor turning on often.

As far as converting the suspension, Sewell and Lexus of South Atlanta have good prices. KYB is the best and most popular "aftermarket" shocks. They are the OEM manufacturer. As far as springs go, OEM or Tanabe are great choices. You can also do coil-overs but their longevity is not as good. I swapped my suspension of my old LS400 for around $1200 out the door.

mafpolo

It does sit square occasionally, but it leans most of the time. To make sure I understand, to convert the car, all I have to do is remove the air struts and replace them with shocks and springs?
What are coil-overs?

Thanks

Stereorob

Thinking about trading it in for a CPO Audi? Ummm.. How bout you do this. Get a briefcase with 50 grand in it, set the briefcase on the dashboard of your Ls430, douse the whole thing in gasoline, and light a match. While you watch your money and your reliable car burn to a crisp, then, go find a bat (a old one full of splinters), bend over, and jam it up your rear end as hard and as far as you can, while you watch your car and your money burn, and then you will have a Audi lol. Sorry to have to put it that way but Audi makes some of the most overrated, worthless trash on 4 wheels you can buy. They are horrifically unreliable, brake down constantly and cost a fortune to fix, have some of the worst depreciation of any car you can get , and look dated and stupid after 10 years. A lot of people leave Audi for lexus. My trade-in lot looks like a Audi orphanage. We can't give them away. Heck I just helped a Audi driver into a RX this very afternoon! Seriously man if you want to get rid of your 430 cause it's old and you are scared of it, and you shouldn't be because they last FOREVER, get yourself a CPO GS350 or Ls460. DONT get a Audi! Of course if you are a mashicist and really hate yourself a lot, and hate having a wallet full of cash, and love to brake down all the time. You obviously are one of the VERY FEW I've heard of that have had good luck with audis. Last week we got a 2012 A8L in as a trade and yeah, it was drop dead beautiful, and blast to drive. But things inside the car already had hiccups like the power windows and the tilt away wheel.

warminwisc

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101148312

I believe Audi has improved but I respect your opinion

XJSFan

I think the new 2013-14 Audi's are decent but I also know people that have had many problems with older models... It is very true that repair bills on Audi's are very high... They look good but man, they are expensive to maintain. Sounds like a good woman... LOL.

mafpolo

Easy there Stereorob. My wife's 2005 A8 has had very few issues...those two were in warranty. One was when somebody slammed the trunk, and stripped the trunk motor. The other was a failure of the rear shade. A friend of mine had his 2004 until a few weeks ago and a 150,000 miles. I do think that Audi has really upped their game..and well above 2005. No question, I don't have the confidence in a new A6 than I do in a Lexus product. I want the CPO, so I can get out of the Audi before I am out of warranty. It comes down to, it is the only car I like if I sell my car. I still like my car. I like the way it looks, drives, the toys, and it does look like new. It has recently had its first repair ever. My only concern s that I am coming up on a major service, a concern about future reliability (even though it is a Lexus, and my concerns may not be realistic), and I don't like any of the new Lexus vehicles.

Also, regardless of which luxury car (with the exception of a 911), they all depreciate at about the same rate

p.s. I do prefer the Audi road feel. I wouldn't consider a BMW or Mercedes.

XJSFan

Sounds like you have made your decision. Enjoy your Audi...

mafpolo

My mind is not made up........I wish it was...either way. I am going through this decision process as if it were a major life decision. That's why I am posting, and asking for input from friends, etc.

BigBruiser

@ mafpolo - As stated many times on this forum the LS430 is a fine car. I'm on my third LS. One LS400 and two LS430's. I haven't seen too many repairs with any of my LS's.

A little history about my ownership.
1st LS400 - Purchased a '97 in 2002. Had it for three years then traded it for a CPO 2002 LS430 in 2005. Finest car I've ever driven. Got rear ended at a traffic light in 2010, car got totaled. Car protected me so well I wanted another one. While searching for a replacement I found a Cadillac DeVille that I wanted to try. A good road car(I drive a lot) but wasn't a LS. After two years got another 2002 LS430 with 121k on it. At 153k I began to feel like the timing belt hadn't been changed(just a feeling) since I couldn't find a history of it being changed. Lexus dealer informed me it hadn't so I got it replaced. 158k on it now. I do most of my own maintenence(brakes, throttle body cleaning, MAF cleaning, spark plug replacement, etc. thanks to the many helpful LS owners on this forum. THANKS GUYS!) and I've haven't had any issues with my LS.
I'll keep this car until it will not run again. You can add bluetooth, MP3 capability, satellite radio and just about anything the LS460 has for a small cost. I've convinced many BMW, Mecedes and Cadillac owners to try the LS430 and they haven't regretted their decisions. Two have went to LS460's and said they wish they still had their LS430's.
Bottom line...it's a mighty fine car and your decision but keeping the oil changed and paying attention to the sounds and feel of your car and taking the appropriate action will help it last a long time.

empringham

Coil-Overs are after market suspension that makes the car sit really low to the ground, they make the fitment from the lip or barrel of the wheel sit very close to the fender. The ride with coil overs is very rough, as they are very stiff. Trust me, if you're looking for comfort do not get coil overs, go for OEM suspension. Also, as far as my opinion on selling your car goes, i think the answer is simple. If you still love the car, keep it. Don't fix something if its not broken. I am planning to drive my 430 until it is completely used up. Im at 195,xxx KILOMETRES right now and the car seems to have a ton of life left in it.

PS: The photo is a LS on coil overs, but some of them go so low now a days it looks like air suspension.

campisi

I'm in a similar situation as you ... '03 UL with about 80K miles. Getting to where I need to spend some money - Timing Belt and accessories and worried about the Air Sus eventually needing to be fixed/replaced.
My thoughts are that this a freaking great car. My wife is still very happy driving it and that matters. It still looks and runs like new. I decided that I'm keeping this car long term so I started looking at Craigslist for a full set of OEM springs/struts and finally found a set that came off a car that was converted to coilovers. Sport suspension. He had about 25K on the struts when he converted the car. I paid ~$200 for the full set and it's been sitting in my garage for about 4 years waiting for the day the air goes out. So far, so good. I'll do the timing belt and keep the car for a very long time.

mafpolo

I need to find an oem set where somebody has converted to coilovers. I should post this here. You did well on your purchase, and you are right...i is an incredible car. Other than an A6, there is nothing out there in my price range that is as nice as my 2002 UL...or that I like as much. I love the A7, but I am not spending that much on a car. I don't like any of the Lexus vehicles right now. I like the Infinity big M sedans, but the dealer here is terrible, I don't know much about Infiniti, and the interiors need design work.