ls430lover

hi all lot of threads about our cars lasting a lifetime. we all know our cars are the most reliable and best built ever. i put together a list of mine with the issues so when people are asking others about buying a used one that can know what to expect in proactive maintenance and issue. the car has been nothing but good to me i am thinking of trading it for a 15 accord ex with leather, can get 7500 for my trade and it will cost me around 18 finananced. the accord gets about 38 mpg highway i am getting tired of the premium and 20 mpg. hope the info helps future purchasers have a realistic expectation of things that may happen. the one caveat to this is if i was original owner some of these issues would have been addressed under warranty i have driven the car since 89k without one failure mechanically.. i think its time to do this or i will have 4k in repairs, let me know your thoughtsspeakers blown with radio
window seals squeaking
rear window seal falling off back window
ECM fault vsc light on lexus said could be ecm coming home


550 / month in gas premium
blown sub woofer shaking speakers with volume
valve cover gaskets 800/repair
water pump never changed with timing belt needs to be done
spark plugs needed in 30k
driver seat cushion need replacing
arm rest leather worn
right window regulator gone 600 repair
power door locks don’t work 400/600 repair
trunk shocks blown hood fell on head 10 times
original suspension parts creaking from upper control arm
power steering pump squealing. lexus said just a matter of time
right headlight had failure happened twice over year
turned steering tilt auto off due to creaking

KING

iTrader: (1)

Good post for future owners, even though I have not had any of the troubles you listed. I treat my car like a baby, so she treats me back like a king and does not give any troubles

ls430lover

treat it with love and it will give you love, been doing that since 89k, fluid changes, mobil 1 ep, techron fuel system cleaner, the dilemma we all deal with if you use these as daily commuting vehicles is all materials have a threshold for failure, our cars have the highest threshold to failure in all components they put in our cars. but heres my dilemma, a starter is 800 or each major failure, so do i take almost 8k for a car i have 11 in and move forward. the gas savings is 50% a month which will get me a new vehicle, safer with new up to date technologies and materials like alumninum in key areas, and a no worry daily commuter, yes i give up the powertrain which i love, the ride and the emotional tie we all have to our cars. but the trade off doing 30 k a year with getting a car thats safer and a warranty and peace of mind with the 38mpg highway is starting to become a reality.. honda has a 0.9 % financing as well, the ride w fwd is going to be hard to get used to again...

Legender

Cars get old... cars wear out...cars need attention and money.
It's a personal choice. Sounds like the MPG, warranty are speaking to you.
The car payments would scare me off... that's a lot of repairs I could do on the Lexus and keep it in prime running condition.
No you won't pay for repairs on the Honda but you will be making those payments and your insurance will probably increase as your car is newer and more costly to replace.
I'd spend some significant time in the Honda and see if it's really going to meet your needs. Many of us, after sometime behind the wheel of the LS400 have difficulty going with anything else.
It does sound like you've talked yourself into the Honda, and those can be great cars also. Good luck to you in your decision.

KA8

iTrader: (1)

If you don't have time/ability to do repairs yourself, you're better off with a new car with a 3-5 yr payments. For me no more payments. Last car I had was a new leased ML350. Loved the car but hated the payments. So I decided no more payments. Now I'm in a 93 LS400 with 240k miles needing starter and valve cover gasket replacement. Of course I'm doing it myself. Starter is out and waiting on parts($160) and couldn't be happier

ls430lover

payements at 0.9% are 250 month if i finance
calculated 50% gas savings on 3k month of miles no premium and coming up with 350 in savings
i think i am going to do it just because if i repair one of the ten things that i need its a matter of another 20k something else is going to happyen.. thanks for your input safe driving

ls430lover

another factor is i am buying the ex with leather for around 24 which is 4 off list price,
with my trade financing around 17 with no interest the car in a year with the equity from trade will be worth around 22 with 25k on the clock
math is making sense
peace

Bocatrip

There's nothing like new!

jimbosr1

i sold my 1998 gs400 and bought a new 09 accord and i quickly realized i make a big mistake.the accord is the most boring gutless car i ever owned.it took me over a year to sell it even at a large discount.finally sold it and got my 06 ls.i wouldnt trade my ls for 2 accords.i hope it works out for you.

ls430lover

the new accord are not even in the same league, i know my 430 love it but to go and trade for an 05 0r06 with 22mpg average is kind of my internal struggle
had enough of the 600 a month in gas
the 14 accord for what it is fwd is a nice balance until the time is right to spend 40k again
safe driving

jimbosr1

if gas mileage is your only concern you should look at a prius.

JSDND1980

I bought mine almost 3 years ago with 114k and it now has 198K. It runs as good as the day I bought it. I've spent $$$ on regular oil changes, one brake job, new plugs, one new rear strut, one new set of tires, both blinkers on the trunk. I bought it with the front door locks not working and a seat bracket broken but I had those fixed also. I had the oil changed at the dealer the other day and the mechanic mentioned there's not a single leak under the car.

ls430lover

if i wanted a prius i wouldnt have driven the ls400 for last five years and ls430 last two,
i am a picky car customer, handling, safety, gas mileage, comfort, design, resale value are my criteria.
thats how i am making my decision
thanks for all the thoughts

BradTank

I would say your car has likely had a few more issues than most LS's, but 150k miles is for most people like owning 4-5 cars

Around 10k-12k miles a year x 3 years = 36,000 miles (about average for how long people keep a car)
36,000 divided by 150,000 miles = 4 something cars

So think about all the repairs you've had for the last 4-5 cars you've owned, add them up and compare to the LS for a different perspective. Looking at my car's repair history, there's only a handful of problems.

But I'll say this, if you're the type that has no intention of working on your car or don't want to, I can easily understand moving on to something newer when you start getting mileage that high as repair bills can add up. And the "headache" factor really starts coming into play.

Also, some people are more perfectionists than others when it comes to the car's condition, it's hard to keep an older car "mint" forever without constantly throwing money at it.

Financially speaking though, keeping a car is almost always MUCH cheaper. It's usually not even close.

ls430lover

brad thanks that makes sense. the real issue in my head is with the conglomerate of issues i dont want to put 800 in valve cover gaskets and then in 5k have a 900 starter go or alternator or whatever. i am trying to justify keeping it but i think it really is apparent if i can get a new car drive it for a year or year and half and can pay for it with the gas savings monthly it makes sense to take the 7k and the 4000 off deal to have a payment in the low 200 and have a warranty new tires, savings in gas and i will have to give up a little in comfort and ride.
just the window regulator on right window alone installed is over 500
the power door locks have driven me crazy and i cant do the work myself. even a set of michelins is another 700... so from a cost savings it does make sense, also we had at the time great braking system and i put new rotors on a year ago in the front but our cars are not as responsive in stop and go as the newer cars with good braking systems.. also the new offset crash test the older cars even with size would not hold up like the newer constructed cars with higher tolerances for front end collisions. so i am going to go with the new car and miss my ls.. cheers