We have been the happy owners of a 2005 for 235K miles. Over time, certain things have broken such as the door lock actuators and back lighting. Are these things more a function of time or miles. I am considering the purchase of a low mileage LS 430 and wonder whether to expect the same issues? Thanks

 

I think it varies a lot from car to car, too much to make hard and fast statements.. If I remember right door lock actuator issues starting showing up in this forum for these cars many years ago, while my '05 at 139,000 has never had any such issues, and I am probably not alone in that good fortune. My '98 LS400 at 148,000 miles also has all the original actuators working perfectly (along with everything else !!). In other words the low mileage LS 430 you are looking at may or may not have these issues in the future - too random to make a prediction. If the maintenance history shows a repair to one or more issues maybe that would give you some comfort they will not crop up for a while - if ever. I would say usage more than time is probably contributing to actuator failure but that is just a guess. But with any older car you should expect something to fail eventually - due to time, usage or just components wearing out eventually.

I also think keeping the car in a climate control garage year around will prolong the life expectancy of many if not most components, whereas cars sitting out outside in heat, cold, rain, snow, sun etc. will have issues earlier on.

 

Miles / wear and tear

 

I think age affects the rubber stuff: tires, belts, hoses. Shocks in case of air suspension. And fluids and perhaps rust. All can be salvaged. I think miles overall for suspension and rest of car. And suspension can be a pain. They're all rather old by now anyway, right? Figure o spend some money on getting the care up to speed unless it has great maintenance records.

 

most important is how the previous owner(s) treated the car. I bought my 2002 about two years ago with 109k on the dash. .same issue with the door lock actuators. Back door didn't even lock at all. Steering wheel controls don't work.

 

I a word, Both.
Treatment prior to your owning it is also very important but it's rare you can check that other than seeing Service Records and even they don't tell you if a previous owner used to go off-roading in it.

Soft materials tend to die with age, so rubber parts go hard, plastics go brittle, and speaker foams disintegrate over time.
Some are also affected by sunlight, others by ozone or chemicals.
Mileage affects suspension parts, engine, gearbox, drive-train, etc.
Corrosion is affected by where they were used and how they were used.

The LS430 factory corrosion protection is VERY good, but if driven on salty roads that kills them pretty fast.
Lots of time driving on gravel or dirt roads is also not good for any car as the underside gets gravel-blasted.

 

The owner and how the car is operated and maintained is the top factor. An LS with 250K miles that was babied, maintenance done on time, all OEM parts, repairs not deferred, washed regularly, etc..will be a better car than one with 75K miles that was beaten to death with pedal to the floor acceleration, slamming of the brakes, doors, trunk, left outside, never washed, oil changed every 10,000 miles, coolant never changed, etc.

This video is proof. I have seen much worse looking LS examples that were well below 150K miles and sitting in a junkyard.

 

in my opinion the LS430 was designed to last for 20 years or 250,000 miles and sadly you are at the end of life on both counts
not what you want to hear, but that is the way I see it

 

Plenty of 430's on the road. That engine and transmission will go way past 250k miles. Lol what are you even talking about?