Hi everyone,

I'm in the market for a LS430. I found a few locally, but need opinions on pricing from members on this board. Any input would greatly appreciated, here is the info

1. 2002 Lexus LS430 with Ultra Luxury Package, black/black; it's in a mint condition inside out, 57K miles, all dealer service records, still have warranty until the end of this year.

2. 2001 Lexus LS430 with Ultra Luxury Package, black/black; it's in a mint condition inside out w/ a few minor scratches on the hood, doors and trunk, 95K miles, got the 90K service done (timing belt, water pump, tension....), one owner just off lease.

How much do you guys think would be a fair price for these beauties, thanks everyone


Brandon

 

hey brandon....having been shopping for the past 3 months for something similar to what you are looking at....my opinion on the prices ....

02 with 57k should be around 17-18k and the 01 should be around 15k....anything more i would just spend the extra bucks and get a 04....which is what i ended up doing....couldnt find a decent deal on one of those earlier years.

 

I just finished shopping for my ls 430 as well. It seems as though you'd be better off going for a lesser model 04 manufactured later in the year. If you search hard enough you can find an ultra at a great value. Reason being the ls was overhauled in 04, although many people here swear by the older models, which are great cars, I prefer the six speed transmission. I'm sure you already did but I did my price comparisons by going to,

autotrader.com , and

cars.com

put in my aria code, went to advanced search, price, mileage, and the word ultra.

By putting the word ultra, I was able to narrow the search from over 1000 ls 430s to about 20

The cars on the two sites were not the same selection for the most part.

You can also type the word navigation, or any other major option that is most important to you.

I like the ultra as well and understand why you would want it. I decided that if I'm going to drive the car for at least five years, I'm willing to buy a car two thousand miles away and have it delivered in an enclosed trailer for $1,300 "found the quotes on eBay". By shopping around the country, I saved $5 - $10,000 even after shipping than if I were to go to a local dealer. I found a company called ace imports "aceimports.com" They take almost 40 huge pics of each car, and they also sell on e-bay, so I was able to see they had a great rating with customer satisfaction.

I'll admit its ballsy buying it sight unseen, but It's like waiting for Santa Clause for it to get here. Only ten days left!!!!


Hope this helps someone, if you already searched that way.

-Nile

 

Option 1 sounds really close to what I just got. Silver Ultra 2002, mint condition, fully loaded, the darker wood (beautiful) and black interior but with only 45k miles. I paid a little over 21k, which was at the absolute top of my "willing to spend" range, which is why I didn't get into an '04. The low milage and interior combo was important to me as I plan on keeping this one for a loooong time. Oh, I bought it in January of '08, so I doubt 3 months will do much to depreciation. During my research, it looked like any Ultra matching option 2 would be listed in the $19k area

 

It makes me nervous buying a car sight unseen. I had one bad experience on ebay and that is all it took.

Even if you have to pay for a one way trip, a couple $100, it is worth flying and seeing the car, then you don't have to wait, if it is the one you can drive it back.

What recourse do you have after you buy a car sight unseen, it arrives, and the pictures you saw happen to not show lots of little problems.

 

I do agree,

I was fortunate and found a company that is like an auto detective. They do work for insurance agencies as well. For a minimal fee the will do it for you.

I understand the risk is high and would not recommend sight unseen in most instances if any. I'm simply not able to make the flight right now and opted to hire a third party auto consultant.

In regards to my last post, please don't think I'm suggesting it's a great idea to buy from a long distance dealer, but in my case it was a money saver and I got the package and mileage "13k" I wanted.

As well I still feel it's a good Idea to do long distance search to make sure your region is not excesivly over priced "the Cape Cod dealers are".

 

thanks everyone for the info., option 1 asking price is 24K which I thought it was a bit overprice, but I do like it the fact that it has a low milage, and very well kept. But price and the color is not exactly what I want (Mystic Sea Opalescent).

option 2 is also 2002 (typo from threat above), asking price is 18K, but do to the milage I think I'm going to pass.

So I guess option 1 would be ok if the price is around 21K ?

I also found this one in Michigan sounds like a good deal, if anyone here interested

http://detroit.craigslist.org/car/631323414.html

Thanks again everyone