amr

Hello, hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving. As you may see, I was a member here a long time ago when I had an IS300 Turbo. I have since owned only coupes ('02 CLK55 & '07 335i). I am now 36 and we just had our second child so I need to get something more practical. Also, I host clients often for business and I need a large sedan. My first instinct was to look at an S-Class, a 7-Series, and an A8 and all these can be had for about $20k. However, after reading consumer reports and given my need for a reliable car I am turning my focus to Lexus. I was not crazy about the idea of driving a LS430 at first, but after reading about its reliability, I'm convinced that it is the practical and responsible choice.

With that said, I have some questions...

1) I know that '04 added some good revisions so I'm sticking with an '04 - '06 model, but I'd like to know what options were available at that time and how I can tell what the car has.
2) I'd also like to know how much more I should pay for these options.... for instance, it seems that the NAV gets about $2,000 more so what else is included with the NAV?
3) Is mileage an issue? I have seen some of these cars with over 200k miles and I'm looking for something under $20,000 so I guess it would have about 70k to 90k miles... is that ok?
4) I read the ride is somewhat lofty so are there suspension options out that that help to mitigate body roll without lowering it too much?
5) Are there any know problem areas with this car? I haven't found any but I haven't talked to any owners either.

Thank you for reading this and I look forward to your feedback.

edarte

Well I can't provide much help with most of your questions but I will contribute what I can.

I was very happy with my 2001 LS430 and in some ways I think it was superior to my LS460 (except styling which was something I was always disappointed in). You are right the ride is definitely soft and does not provide the kind of feedback the BMW or Audi would give. But the ride did not bother me as I really did not push the car into corners and I really appreciated it on long drives (several trips over 3000 miles in both US and Canada).

I had the car for nine years and 160,000 miles and only had one minor, but annoying, problem with it until I solved it myself. I always heard a creaking going slowly over large bumps in the road or curbs into parking lots etc. Lexus could not solve it even after several tries. Turns out it was just the rubber seal on the top outside of the doors. A little silicon spray on that every couple of months and no creak.

I have heard that there can be problems after a number of years with the climate/radio display failing (I did not have Nav) and this could be costly to replace. You might want to scan the LS430 maintenance section of this forum for other possible problems.

But I think it would be a wise pre-owned purchase. Quality vehicle that was always a pleasure to drive - plus the trunk is pretty big which would come in handy with a young family.

warminwisc

I would be thinking an 06 50 k Moderm Luxury with Nav, Bluetooth, backup camera, ML stereo be gotten for 23-24 or so so you have at least the 6 year 70 k powertrain warrantee left on it if it is not certified? The next step up gets power door closers, tripple glass I guess, nicer leather and I forget what else. An Ultra is going to cost more than you want unless it has 70 k or more and no warrantee and they can have issues with the air suspension and you will not have any warrantee.

if you go base Premium with none of the above they can be had cheaper and less miles I would not be as worried about problems with a service record..

They corner above 35 or so like a boat, and a sport suspension package is rare and on the ML and base premium and they have a little badge on the front fenders. Good luck its a buyers market get sercie records as these are adult driven cars and most folks take care of them, why buy and abused car.

warminwisc

I was talking 04 to 06 model years

caddyowner

Welcome back. Here is a good thread on the differences among the trim levels.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...ml-cl-etc.html

amr

Thanks all for the quick and informative feedback... I forgot how helpful this forum was.... I will read the links and post any additional questions.

I will also get out there and drive a few to see how they differ.

How good (or bad) is the stock sound system?

m32

iTrader: (4)

What part of texas are you in?

Edwin

amr

I'm in Southlake (Dallas-Fort Worth area)

warminwisc

I have stock sound system. It is not bad by stock sound system standards. i can crank her up max with no/very little distortion. Treble sounds a bit tinny and base kinda flat but really in my opinion just fine for the savings over the ML. Wish I had the ML sound for the premium price!!

thinkin

I'd shoot for an '04-'06 with under 40k miles. They are out there - my '04 Ultra bought CPO about a year ago had less than 17k. If you get a 70k car also realize you're closing in fast on the timing belt service which is like $1k, so factor that into the price. Personally I say spend the extra few thousand for a perfect example, especially if you don't go CPO, because some repairs can be quite pricey. Penny wise is sometimes pound foolish.

I really love the Ultra but think the overall sweet spot is the CL. Your back seat clients won't be spoiled nearly as much but you get a lot of the important UL stuff: auto door closers, double-paned glass, suede headliner, extra leather in the interior (makes a BIG difference), things I personally think really "make" the 430. I like the air suspension in the UL, especially how it adjusts dynamically to driving conditions and inputs, and you can also set it to "sport" which improves transient response a great deal, but there is the possible maintenance issue with big $$$ repair and that can't be completely ignored. Really I just fell in love with the color scheme on my car, if I could have found a CL like it with such low miles I'd probably be perfectly happy with it.

Nav or no nav won't really be a choice unless you find a base/premium - they're not terribly common and don't always sell for a lot less than ML+. The nav isn't great by today's standards though I think the look of the console really suffers without it.

I wouldn't worry about an '04 IF you research its record and ensure the transmission and fuel pump service campaigns were performed (if applicable).

EDIT: Also forgot to say, regarding CL vs UL, the UL does have one big benefit since you live in a hot climate: The extra rear A/C unit. It is amazing and does a great job keeping your rear passengers comfortable in the hot sun.

Jabberwock

I am in the DFW area also - I'd recommend a low mile 06 with CPO from either Sewell Lexus or Park Place Lexus if you can still get them to CPO an 06. Of all the DFW Lexus dealers we felt Sewell has the cleanest and better detailed used cars than the others with Park Place Grapevine being a slightly distant second. Be aware that the Lexus dealers in DFW aggressively shop the local and regional auction markets for cherry no issue LS430s and leave the high mile and/or issue LS 430 cars to the 3rd party dealers. If you are looking at an LS430 from a 3rd party in DFW area be sure to have it inspected at Lexus before buying. Cars from 3rd party dealer in DFW will be 1-2k cheaper but there is usually a reason so be careful.



You will pay a premium for a used LS from Lexus but all things being equal it will be worth the extra $ - I hate saying that by the way - but I honestly felt it was true after lots of research and 3 months of test driving about 50 cars all over DFW. An additional factor is that the Lexus dealers, especially Sewell will work hard to make sure you are 100% satisfied with the car after the sale...that's worth a lot. They seem deathly afraid of someone complaining to the Toyota borg-mothership about a purchase.

Bocatrip

I believe AMR is looking to spend under $20,000 which will pretty much be excluding most 06 models. For a pristine low mileage car, 20 big ones will be the least you might find one as these cars are a premium with low miles and a decent color. If you can handle a normal mileage car for the year you will of course have more flexibility.

amr

Thanks again for all the info. I did look into CPO vehicles with lower mileage but the price is more like $4000 higher; not just $1-2k. Conversely, I can buy a full coverage warranty for under $1,200 given the reliability history of these cars. This same warranty would cost north of $4000 if I was buying it for an Audi, BMW, or MB.

I did find a nice '05 Silver with Black at a local Land Rover dealer. It has the Custom Luxury package and has 66k miles. The dealer is asking $21,900. I pulled the service history and it looks like it was purchased at Sewell and serviced there for all its like. Every service was performed and the 60k service was done just 3k miles ago.

Speaking of service intervals, can someone tell me what the service schedule looks like? Ex: what are the major items? And at what mileage?

CarGuy89

You've made a fine choice. I had similar ideas when looking for my next ride this past summer. I wanted something comfortable that will get me from home to school problem free. I really liked the BMW E65 750i, but they are still very expensive (not to mention more prone to electronic glitches than Lexus). The S-class was also something I thought about, but the 2000+ models didn't really catch my eye as much as the 7 did. The Lexus was a great choice since it combined the luxury and build quality of the 7 with the reliability of a Toyota. The LS isn't a sports car, but acceleration is pretty good for a car this size and handling isn't terrible either (it puts a grin on my face when pushed). I used to be all about handling, but then I realized that 99% of the roads around where I live are straight. Turns are always taken at very low speeds. Since I don't live on a track either, the sharp handling really wasn't a must anymore.

$20k will definitely get you a nice one. I saw a black/black 04 premium (this was a few months ago) with only 15k mi at a Jeep dealership going for $21 or 22k. Keep your eyes open, if you can forgo all the toys then you can definitely have a mint example for the price. However, if you want CPO thrown in, you probably will have to look at $25k or so for a low-mileage pristine one. The best buy would be the 04 model, since they tend to be the cheapest, but are virtually identical to the 05 and 06 models. Seems like you already know the Lexus service history thing so no need to reiterate that.

To answer your question, the service are listed in a pdf file on the Lexus service site (the one where you entered the VIN # of the car you're looking at). Lexus recommends that the LS be serviced every 5k miles. They will do an oil change everytime as well as other inspections. I made sure the one I picked up had its service done at 5k intervals.

fergo308

If you need to improve the car's handling,swaybars can be had from toms out of japan,and coilovers from a plethora of manufacturers. I recommend you keep your spring rates sensible to maintain some ride quality. anything around 7kg/mm front and 5kg/mm rear or lower should be fine.


Justin...