Hello all, after the retirement of my 95' LS400, I got myself a 2003 LS430 with 83K miles. It is silver with gray interior. The vehicle runs like a dream. It is a lot quicker than the 95' LS but I feel like the seats on the older LS were more comfortable, maybe I just need to get myself used to the new car. Anyways, it is the basic model though. It does not have the nav/mark lev stereo. My question is that my LS has the 17" wheels. Did Lexus offer a Sport package back then? How can I tell if one has a Sport Package. It just seems that my car rides a little stiffer than the other 01' LS430 I drove for about a month (this one was also the basic model but with 16" wheels). Picture attached.

 

Yes the sport package was available from the first year of the model change. You could see the badging just behind the front wheels just like the rest. The car pictures is not a sport model (or at least appears not to be).

The change in wheel size will certainly make a difference in ride quality. I would think it would be less noticible than say switching to 18's or 20's, but you would feel it.

How many miles did the other car have?

Possible it is time to replace the struts. Not sure when everyone else does this

 

Congrats on the LS, looks great

 

Congrats. Yes the ride will be noticeable stiffer on 17" wheels than 16", but should continue to be smooth providing you have good/recommended tires with proper inflation. I keep my psi at 32lbs on all four tires.