Basically i have an IS300 that i am wanting to get out of hoping to get descent trade it on it as i do still owe and get into a LS for little or hopefully no money outta pocket. Price is the main factor but i also want the best value for the money. I'm thinking a 03 is proably the newest i can get and stay affordable.
I have noticed that only the 03+ have seat coolers which i would really like but the UL also sounds nice is there a big difference in your basic (non ul) LS from 01-03. What is cl's opinion?

 

I would say if price is a factor, then 2004 would be best deal right now, if you feel you need the 6-speed transmission, back up camera, and mid-cycle refreshed look. I think cooled seats was offered through the generation, but just was a matter of which trim it came with. '04 Custom Luxury with about say 55-60K can be found right now for around $23k I believe.

 

Ya thats too much i'm looking at preferably a 14-17 range. The lower the price the better lol cuz i dont want another car payment for 5yrs.

 

I would do a 2004 with higher miles like this one...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Navig...item335a753f03
I'll do 04 Modern Luxury before I do 03 Ultra Luxury with lesser miles... thats just me, plus this eBay car has nice Color Combo!

 

Really, if you're looking for $17K max, then try getting an '04 with really high mileage, like 110K or so and the 90k/100k maintenance done, so you've got another 90K or so to run before changing timing belt. The LS is really as "bulletproof" as you can get in an used vehicle, so 110K is not really that much in mileage.

If you don't need UL, then get CL or ML with mileage in excess of 100K, so you don't run into chance of the air suspension going on you.

 

Ya i dont mind 100k or so milage i know these cars will run forever. I found a 03 with 110k they are asking 12.9 seems pretty cheap imo. That flint 04 on ebay is sick it would look awesome with BP badging. Which yr did they do alot of changes on? Like teh 93 LS had like 40 little changes done to it.

 

2004 is the re-fresh, 2001-2003 doesn't do anything 4 me...

 

I agree..04-06

 

Based on my recent search, I think the best value would be an 03 with the lowest miles you can find. However if there are specific 04-06 features you want, like the 6 speed trans or backup camera, an 04 would be the best value.

 

Just test driving, the 5-speed or 6-speed did not make much difference to me. I could not feel it on a normal local road test drive. Both were smooth and neither "brisk" by any means (more detail later). What sold me was the back up camera and for my taste, better styling refresh with the '04-'06. I like the LED taillights and if I had gotten an '01-'03, that would have been first thing I would have upgraded.

Now to the brisk, I recently did the TSB for the transmission reprogramming and now having driven it about 1K miles, it makes a big difference how the car drives at low speed. Not the long delay in shifting from 1-2-3 gears and right turns from a stop are much more responsive. So, anyone with any delay issues might consider looking into the TSB.

 

Unfortuanly a 04+ is gonna be out of my price range. Found a local 03 with 110k i can prob get for 12 so might check into that one cheapest i found so far. My payoff on my car is a little more than i thought to guess higher mileage i'll just have to deal with if i wanna get out of my IS.

 

I would not be concerned about getting an 03. We bought an 03 ML CPO a year ago with 38K and it has been a great car. We looked at an 06 ML CPO with 18k and ended up with the 03. Yep - styling is a bit dated when compared to the 04-06 - if that matters to you then pony up for the 04-06. In our case, paying 15K less was a factor and we have been very happy with the car.

 

I like the look of 01-03 better than 04-06 so beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder. And I really dislike the look of the 07-10 so there you go : )

 

If money is a factor then go with the 2001-2003 LS430....They're currently selling in the North East area for mid - high 10s (about 15K - 19K). I found several with very low mileage (30K - 56K) and missed my opportunities to buy one as the car sold ASAP within 3 days of posting.

Here's the my post on the difference between 2001-2003 - 2004-2006
LS430 Comparison

2001 - 2003



2004 - 2006

 

sounds like you have your mind made up already...
really dislike the LS460 I don't know anyone who really DISLIKES the LS460, it's a car that demands lot of respect...