Lexus LS430 Comes with 9K Miles and Plenty of Questions
The simple story of this ultra low-mile Lexus LS430 turns into one of the most fascinating reads we’ve seen in a long time!
We automotive enthusiasts tend to lose our collective stuffing when we come across ultra low-mile cream puffs. And why not? For starters, these well preserved time capsules remind us of what our favorite rides looked like when they were brand spankin’ new. And they always make us wonder – what would possess someone to not drive a fantastic car like the Lexus LS430? After all, these things were meant to be driven. For hundreds of thousands, maybe even a million miles!
That’s why we were especially puzzled to see this 9,600 mile 2001 Lexus LS430 that surfaced recently on eBay. Now, it isn’t surprising that people would take something like an LFA and keep it in bubble wrap with an eye toward future appreciation. But the unkillable Lexus LS430? A car whose reputation for reliability, luxury, and supreme comfort precedes it? We just couldn’t make sense of the whole thing. And, it turns out, neither could the folks at Club Lexus. The barely driven “gem” was first spotted by eagle eye forum member LS430FL.
“Saw this on eBay. I guess it could be a good thing and a bad thing. You get a low mileage car but time and sitting is generally not kind to a car if not serviced regularly. Also some very strange things going on in the photos. Back seat leather missing and loose trim all inside the car. Not to mention crappy photos.”
Generally, you would expect a super low-mile car that’s been stored for 14 years to be in better shape, that’s for sure. And bad photos are always a red flag. But even they can’t hide some of the obvious problems on this Lexus LS430.
“Sometimes low mileage just doesn’t matter,” said bradland. “B pillar trim is missing, leather missing in center of rear seat, and the driver door panel is gone!”
“Any car with abnormally low mileage is suspect,” adds tallcaguy. “Well maybe if a little old lady only drove to church on Sunday in the summer. There’s no explanation why someone left a 70k car in storage for years? Missing door panel? I wouldn’t touch this car. Also note he has many other cars to sell. That’s also a flag.”
Obviously, these huge red flags are enough to make anyone shy away from such a risky (and potentially foul) purchase.
“I wouldn’t touch this car at that price,” adds Gronemus. “Probably wouldn’t want it at any price. Looks like a lot of work will be needed starting with a new set of tires, just for starters. I also wonder what it smells like inside???”
As TriC points out, this isn’t the first time this car has surfaced for sale, either.
“This car has been listed on the Detroit craigslist for at least the past couple of weeks at $15,000. The photos there were, to be charitable, not the best and there was no detail about what was done to it in or after storage. The seller did, however, focus on its car phone system! Although shopping hard for a nice LS430 up to that price point, I never even contacted the seller given the red flags.”
2KHarrier took the initiative to message the seller and ask him about the state of the interior. He claims (in broken English) that the door panels were “off and damaged somehow over the years.”
These details lead many to wonder if this “cream puff” LS430 is actually a victim of something else.
“With all the interior trim issues maybe it was a flood car,” says LS430FL,“That back seat with only foam in the center is strange too.”
“There are some very strange stains on the carpet on the trans tunnel,” adds TheTiRider.“I wouldn’t even consider this car without a thorough in person inspection. There seems to be a lot of red flags.”
But then, the sleuths at Club Lexus managed to dig up the real story. And just as people always like to say, sometimes, the truth is stranger than fiction! Gronemus kicked things off by locating the car’s service history.
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I went and registered the car over at Lexus Drivers. Here is the history of the car that’s available in the database. It’s interesting to note that the more comprehensive 15K service was performed when the car only had 5642 miles on it. The other thing to note is that the car had a record at 6258 miles on October 16, 2002 due to a check engine light and the next, and last, record is reported at 6260 miles (two miles later???) on July 18, 2008. This record talks about hoist time requested by a law firm. What’s interesting is that according to the vehicle history report available over on his eBay page, the accident occurred in March 2004. So I’m thinking that the mileage reported at the dealership for the last record might be incorrect. It’s obvious that there was some type of litigation going on here that might have been the reason for the car not moving. I’m curious as to how many miles the current owner has put on the car since he acquired it back in 2015… SERVICE HISTORY 6260 MILES REPAIR# 0087744 6258 MILES REPAIR# 0032151 6242 MILES REPAIR# 0032048 5642 MILES REPAIR# 0028977 1568 MILES REPAIR# 0016296 2 MILES REPAIR# 0013221 |
But the plot only thickens from here. Aside from the mystery damage and an obviously rolled-back odometer, why would a law firm be involved? And why the heck would the previous owner store this Lexus LS430 in a commercial warehouse? Well, sgretchko has a believable theory.
“Bowman and Brooke is a products liability defense firm. They are trial lawyers with a particular expertise in defending large companies in “bet the farm” litigation (based on their website) in the automotive space. Their clients can be large automobile companies (OEMs and suppliers) who are defending against lawsuits alleging damages caused by design or manufacturing issues. The intent of some of these suits is to obtain class action status. As such, significant resources may be used to defend these cases.
As part of this practice, cars may be obtained (from insurance companies, manufacturers, dealers, original litigants, etc) and preserved as part of the litigation process. In some cases, they may be stored for extended periods of time while the litigation, including appeals, are pending. All that said and keeping in mind that this is just a theory based on publicly available information:
1. It appears the car may have been involved in an incident that resulted in a products liability lawsuit. Lear or one of their related companies or subsidiaries may have been involved in a lawsuit that Bowman and Brooke defended.
2. The missing parts could have been removed because they were the subject of the alleged defects or were removed to get to the subject of the proposed defects. Based on the responses from the seller, he may be obtaining used parts to replace those missing.
3. I believe that Lear supplies mainly interior parts rather than drivetrain parts. If so, the engine and transmission may be intact. The lawsuit may have been frivolous or had no merit. In that case, there may have been nothing wrong with the car. After replacing the missing parts, you would have a low mileage 2001 Lexus LS430 UL that had been sitting and deteriorating. Potential issues and costs of replacing parts, fluids and other items are well known and frequently discussed in this forum.
4. This would explain the extended storage in a Lear warehouse.
Just a theory based on the facts. Hope it helps an interested party decide whether to make an offer and arrive at a fair price.”
Despite the incredible backstory and the presence of numerous red flags, the auction ended with a sale price of $16,000. But we’re guessing that it won’t be the end of the story. Stay tuned to the fascinating discussion by heading over here, and chime in with your own thoughts on this interesting find!
