Dweezle

I've been looking for a solid LS430 for a couple of weeks. There is a private party one about 50 miles away with 130K. It has the Ultra Luxury package. I have been reading too many posts here and the information is making me confused. The Ultra Luxury package seems to come with everything that people say can cause issues. The stereo, the air suspension, the soft close doors. The timing belt was done at 89K. The price is under 10K. Let the free advice begin!

JZZFZZ

What in particular about the stereo? If it is about the ML then it is not particular to UL. The issue about soft closing doors, can the doors be manually closed like without the function? If they can, why is it an issue? The air suspension is definitely a factor to consider. You should assume you will have to replace them down the road.

On the other hand, it has double pane front glasses. It probably has better leather.

I personally would not make trim level a big factor. A good service history is a lot more important.

bubbadog

I have a 2004 UL. I bought it 2 years ago with 44,000 miles. It now has 55,000 miles with no issues.

Everything including the air suspension works as intended. I am concerned about a potential future expensive suspension repair.

Many others on this forum with ULs have way more miles and are still running on the original suspension. I agree with JZZFZZ. Maintenance and condition matters more than trim level.

Best of luck with your decision

YoshiMan

02 UL here with 156k on it. Still original air suspension in working order, and everything, and I mean EVERYTHING in the car still works.

Plus honestly, all the cool ***** in the backseat is just awesome and will wow anybody who sees it.

You also get the suede headliner, the rear side window shades, leather on pretty much every surface of the car, the rear refrigerator, to name a few things that haven't been brought up yet. They are pretty sweet cars.

Dweezle

Apparently, some malfunctions of the soft close door will not let the door latch at all. I have seen folks online wondering how to get their doors closed or disable the soft close. One person was using a bungee cord to keep his door shut.

funcrusher

Lmao. UL’s have some cool stuff but all the extra stuff isn’t worth the eventual $$ down the road. I’m happy with my ML

AVSRacing

One of the reasons why I got my car was cuz it's a UL. I wanted the double pane glass, alcantara, the rear shades, and rear seat recline massage. I just feel like you're missing on the ls experience if you don't get options. Air suspension is an easy fix as you can easily swap none bits in. Other cars have ml too. Soft close and the fridge just adds to the luxury Ness of the car.

demark1

I love my 2005 UL, 150k miles now. However, some recent issues with a deep rattle/rumble from the back right. Dealer says it is rubber at top of air strut, but that was a cursory analysis after I had a low tire blow out of way to dealer (chrome wheels require more frequent maintenance/repair due to corrosion and bead leaks -- beware if your UL has chrome rather than alloy wheels). So do I get a replacement strut, even off-brand, for lots of money only to find out that is not issue? That is the dilemma. And front wheels having some issue too.

Point is, when things do go bad, and good diagnosis is hard to come by, the UL is very expensive to guess with... I love the car and want to fully fix it: no rattles from back, no front wheel shake when cold at 60mph. but am wondering just what I will need to do to bring it up to snuff. Not what I will have to pay, because I will be willing within reason, but actually do. How many parts until a mechanic hits on the real problem? That is scary with crazy expensive parts, and I'm not sure on longevity of Strutmasters or Arnott aftermarket parts (and labor still costs!)

I got my UL specifically for the radar cruise. I think Custom Luxury at this point in lifecycle of the car is better than UL, as it can have radar cruise too, but that trim is very hard to find. I suspect I would like Modern Lux nearly as well, but I DO love my car... it is still smooth as heck and quiet. I just need to do some suspension maintenance (I THINK) on it soon.

I bought my UL in 2009 thinking this day would come, but a 4 year old car is not same as a 19 year old car. I'd recommend the Modern Luxury as a better bet today, or even premium (no Nav). At a minimum, make sure suspension is perfect to start or a mechanic REALLY knows how to diagnose/repair it. Too many just do not care.

One more thing... The Nav can no longer be updated past 2015 disc on the LS430, but other than some newer points of interest, it still works fine for me. I find the bong-bong prompts and even the upcoming turn far better than on my 2016 Cadillac XTS that tells me in advance but not always at the actual moment ("next right" vs "right here!"). I even use bluetooth (have to activate a specific phone, and no texting, and address book is primitive but I have top 30-40 numbers and 17 quick-set presets). So before naysayers say to avoid the Nav, I just thought I'd mention that I find it functional... no new Android Auto screen needed yet, at least for my casual use!

JZZFZZ

Thank you. Good to know.

YannG

If you are mechanically minded you'll be able to change / repair the soft closing door issue. Same thing with the airbags, you can easily fit some coilovers or aftermarket airbags.

if you are not going to work on the car yourself, then yes perhaps stay clear from the UL - That being said, these aren't new cars and will need things replaced//repaired regardless if its an UL, CL or base model.

The pricing seems good for a 130k but It also depends on the overall condition of the car. Do you have any pictures?

bradland

I was very much on the fence while searching for a 430 about five years ago. I was intrigued by all the UL features and amenities but also concerned about the longevity of air suspension components. I remember reading an article explaining how the UL’s were designed and marketed to Japanese dignitaries who are chauffeured hence all the bells and whistles in the rear seat. This article made a lot of sense and put things into perspective. I’m not a dignitary and I spend close to 100% of my time in the FRONT seat. I’m very happy with my ML and all the UL features are still intriguing mainly because I don’t have them.

Lxsdrvr

I picked up a 2004 UL last year with 110k miles at the time and have zero regrets. I think the rear seat party tricks make the car more special, but UL was not an absolute requirement for me...I just happened to find one in a great condition for a great price. Yes there are more things to break, but one nice thing about buying an older car like this is that all potential issues and fixes are already known. You have to decide if you'd rather spend money to maintain a cool car like this, or spend a whole lot more for something newer that will still require maintenance. I would 100% buy on condition and maintenance history rather than trim level. If the UL you're looking at checks out then go for it.

BigBoomer

Likewise. I bought a 2004 UL in Jan 2018 with 91k miles on it. Currently at 138k so 5 years and 47k miles later my only issue is that the air-con cooling doesn't work.
Yes, the air suspension may die at some point and I will deal with that when it happens, but apart from re-foaming/replacing speakers, one O2 sensor, a cracked exhaust Y-pipe and a couple of busted parking sensors she has been awesome.
You are buying a 19 year old car so it will need fixing occasionally, but with regular maintenance she should be good for ages yet.

captainva

iTrader: (1)

Yeah same here but I bought my 05 UL last year. As others have said maintenance history and knowing how its been cared for and what's been repaired so far is more important than anything else. I wouldn't worry about that stuff

aypues

I have a 2004 UL. Bought in 2010 with 66k miles. It needed the left rear air strut replaced soon after I bought it, it was covered under CPO warranty. It needed nothing (with the air ride) until I hit 180k, and the front two were leaking, so I found them for cheap on Amazon (relatively cheap, original Lexus parts, $750 each) and replaced both. The right rear has never been replaced to my knowledge and is still going strong at 213k miles. So these things are expensive, yes, but they can last a very long time. Kind of overblown worry in my opinion. The ride quality is fantastic.