Haven't seen a single response saying get a new vehicle, so I will join the keep it camp. Although I do find it irritating with the stuff not worth fixing (my pass mirror won't tilt any longer but people said stuff like that in 2016 and here it is 2026), auto dim gel gone for pass side and now the driver side doing the same, just had a right parking light go out and there's a post here but not detailed on how to do without removal of bumper, luckily had the ECU repaired, etc. One thing that hasn't changed since it hit the road in Sept 2005 for the original owner, that is in common with me.

On a bumper to bumper commute, this is a very comfortable car to be in. I tell people it's like driving a Sealy posturpedic or Serta perfect sleeper out of your bedroom and onto the road. It's worth a few thousand to fix although I think $4k is a lot and I could see the question. Then again I'm not up on 2026 pricing which probably is through the roof.

I can see from the activity on this forum that interest has waned, but, why not keep on driving these and put a little into them to do so....

 

If you have any DIY skills you can source a used Passenger mirror and swap the internals into your casing if you can't find a colour matched mirror.
If you want to pay someone else to do it, then it's gonna cost you.

I have a friend who paid $800 per month on his car finance and he got a new car every 3 years, so almost never had to worry about fixing anything.
I pointed out to him that that is nearly $10,000 per year or $30,000 for each car, and he got nothing back at the end of the 3 years.
He has now finally bought a car after realising that was p***ing money down the drain. He was paying for the depreciation on every single car.

I paid $6,000 for my LS430 8 years ago and in that time (and 60,000 miles) have spent another $10,000 on maintenance, repairs and consumables (not including gas), but the car is still worth $6,000.
So, for $80,000 for 8 years or $10,000 for 8 years?

 

I paid $33,000 for mine, but back in 2009, and last 8 years spent 16k. $21k-22k total since 2009.So dollar for dollar (pound for pound?) BigBoomer may done better. But I've enjoyed the car for 17 years and 135k miles. And fresh timing belt/ wp and all fresh fluids except trans; newer alternator and A/C, so I am hoping I am entering a low-maint / repair period. Some day I will even get new air struts... but for now, they work.

 

LS430s are quite a bit cheaper to buy here in the UK than in the USA.
A 48k miles 2001 LS430 UL is up for sale here for $13,700 (https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-det...01710270696468) and looks immaculate.

Here the LS430 is seen as an old mans car, which at 62 I guess I kinda am <LOL>, but I was 54 when I bought it and I have only had 2 cars that weren't old mens cars, 1994 & 1996 Ford Mondeo company cars.
The rest were large, comfy and reliable, except the 2001 S-Class which was large and comfy but most definitely NOT reliable.
My car history is pretty short but I didn't pass my car test until I was 33 due to being a biker and never seeing a need for a car until then (new job came with company car).
1994 Ford Mondeo (company car), 1996 Ford Mondeo (company car), 1991 Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 GL, 1993 Vauxhall Carlton 2.6i Diplomat, 1998 Honda Legend (Acura RL), Mercedes S320CDI ("Christine"), 1998 Honda Legend, and finally my 2004 LS430.

I've had 2 new bikes in my life (1984 Kawasaki Z1300/6 DFI) and 2008 Kawasaki GTR1400 (Concours 14) and the rest (probably 20+) were pre-owned bikes ranging from 50cc to 1000cc.
The Z1300 was when I was working as a courier and did 106k miles in 18 months.
I still have the GTR1400 and she is at 80k miles and counting.

Apart from those 2 exceptions (the Z1300 paid for itself and then some,... and I HAD to have the GTR1400), I have never wanted to pay the depreciation on new vehicles. It always seemed like a waste of money to me.
Perhaps I have never been rich enough or car obsessed enough?

 

2009 it had not depreciated fully. But $75k list for $33k under age 4 with a 3 year CPO warranty (that I used!) that I extended to 6 years for $2k (and used that too!) was quite good. As our primary car I prefer vehicles under 4 years old / 50k miles. No regrets. The car was undoubtedly better then, good as it remains.

 

It all depends on what you expect/value from a car and how the 430 stacks up against alternatives. If you valve the ride type and interior a lot vs tech items then it's a much more difficult decision as the actual "car" of a car is not something easily replaced.

For example if you have an older ES you have many upgrade paths are the actual car isn't anything complex or special, the 430 is much more advanced than even a 2015 ES hardware wise but that only matters if it matters to you. If you value headline features etc more than a 2025 Nissan Sentra is clearly the superior car

Cost also plays in, what type of experience can you buy elsewhere for what an XF30 costs? In what aspects exactly are you looking to improve on, maintain, willing to let go?

I primarily view cars based on how much literal time I need to spend on a refit, parts cost for the refit, and how the car is able to drive/driveline/suspension/material quality/and mechanical fascinations. For me the LS430s require level of time and parts cost was not worth it for me for what I got so I sold the 02 but still have a 60k mile mint condition 06 because the car impressed me enough to want to keep one as a reference.

In simple terms for me I want a car to do something for me in the sense when I go to drive it I get excited, heart rate up just from picking the key up......on the road I want to have the feeling of absolute power and control and ability to just totally indiscriminately apply power and leave other traffic helpless to try and keep up at 180+. I drove my LSs for 2 years each with the 430/460 and in one week I got more emotion and excited than 4 years with the LSs with my current lineup.

So it all depends on what "does it" for you

 

I would say this much as well. Do you work in an office or building 5 days a week? Are you salaried or hourly? Nobody here says to get a new car. I can tell you from experience we had to get a new vehicle in 2025, no choice, total loss. And I fought tooth in nail to keep the vehicle from being six figures, and, from the leading digit to be Gordie Howe and Maurice Richard's jersey number. The 2026 is greatly unchanged, and it would be difficult to do the above as prices just go up for no reason whatsoever. $4900 more for a 2026, is this make believe or is there some justiicaton?

With all this being said, imho, there is this notion that people who "drive it 'til the wheels fall off" are out of place in the modern workforce. Nobody wants to hear "I'm taking a PTO my y-pipe broke" or "I'm waiting for a new radiator as it's 40% off from AZ" or my transmission has a hard downshift and I can't drive the car until the ECU gets rebuilt. People find this silly and I was told, "You're a smart fellow, I can't for the life of me figure out why you're not able to get a new car." A colleague really said that.

So my point is it may not be conventional wisdom to drive a 2001-2006 LS430, if your coworkers are on to you cuz it will need repairs more often now than a 2026 vehicle. Understand that most out there can't fathom why anyone would drive an LS430 today (there was a YouTube where a gentleman explained why, and he has a G80 M3).

But do I have any plans on replacing mine? None. I love driving the LS430 in bumper to bumper traffic, just as I did at a Lexus event summer 2005.

edit: Just remembered this, it was probably July 2025. A gentleman pulled up along side of me so I put the pass window down. He said that car is beautiful, how may miles? When I said 148, he said pfffftttt, it's barely broken in and gave me a thumbs up. He was with his wife, I estimate 55 y.o., and I forget what he was driving....

 

So the originator of this thread has already said thanks and is on his way, so we are having fun here and speaking wisdom for future readers.

@Striker223 , once again, you operate outside my budget parameters. Appreciate your take though.

@Johnhav430 John, that is the funniest and most unusual take on this issue I have seen, the image to colleagues, hah. It is true many would rather make payments, even leases than deal with a few hassles, but new cars are no guarantee. I have owned LS430's since 2014, but my current one since October 2019. If I take my necessary (not including my optional front suspension rebuild) service receipts and and divide them out by 76 months, I come out way ahead even with the labor cost. Taking a new car loan for 60-72 months, you will likely get a service plan and of course a warranty, but there is a LOT that warranties don't cover, and service is oil only I believe. I am much happier maintaining a savings account for repair, and having some extra money every month. And of course insurance is lower.