ryan330i

That is the question.

I've narrowed down the search for the car I want to an 04-06 LS430. I found a black LS430 with the UL package, including the air suspension, from CarMax with 62K miles.

From researching these forums, I have a reservation about the air suspension. I'm worried it will fail in some catastrophic way shortly after I buy the car and I will be looking at $1000's of dollars to repair it.

I saw the posting on converting the car, however I feel this would crater the resell value. Right now I feel that most buyers would run away *fast* from any car that has had something like the air suspension system ripped out and substituted.

The miles are right, and I really like the Black on Black (with tint) color more than most of the White & Tan/Creme/Grey 430s I see.

The car is being transferred to my city for a small fee, so I have about 14 days to decide on this.

Any advice LS430 owners?

Sentinel

*looks for car to steal it*

Carver

Aren't you really answering your own question? Your main concern in buying a used UL is the reliability and expense of the aging air system. Wouldn't buying the exact same car with a professionally installed spring suspension ease your mind?

The older the car gets the more a potential buyer will be concerned about the expense of the air system. Enjoy your car and if the suspension craters put it on springs, your future buyer will thank you.

Ty419

What year is it? If it is an 06, you can have it certified by Lexus. If it is an 04-05, you will want to inquire about the cost of warranty coverage through the seller. A reasonably priced warranty could alleviate much of your concern.

Sentinel

Im looking for a UL with the suspension and hoping to leave enough in the budget to pay to fix it. We will see though.

caddyowner

If you want the other features of a UL, get the car, preferably with a warranty, and set aside money for eventual suspension repair or replacement. If it never breaks on you, you'll have additional down payment for your next car.

If you don't want the other UL features, keep searching for a CL, ML, or premium per your taste. If you aren't too picky on color, you can generally find a car within 200 miles from most parts of the country within 60 days.

ryan330i

It is an 05. The CarMax warranty is another option. It wouldn't cover the actual shocks, but it would cover the rest of the air suspension system (compressor, electronics, sensors, etc.)

It would go 6 years or up to 100K on the ODO (40K).

ryan330i

This is pretty much where my thinking is right now. I do like the other features of the UL. The extra rear seat amenities create more of an impression of "flagship luxury sedan". I do have people in the back seat often, so they are a nice-to-have option.

Any opinions on what I should set aside? What are the common failure points on this system? The shocks themselves, electronics and sensors, or the compressor?

ryan330i

That is a perfectly reasonable conclusion, however I feel there is a very small percentage of those who *really* want the UL package, but *really* don't want the air suspension and are interested in buying a modified car to achieve that.

More likely, I think most buyers want a car with no interesting history, and they want the entire UL package, or they don't mind losing the UL luxury features as long as they avoid the air suspension.

In my case I am not dead-set against the air suspension, just worried, and everything else about the car (colors/miles) is where I want it to be.

But, if I go quite some time with the car before encountering problems, I may be more likely to convert it because the resale value will be a shrinking factor.

DDLexus

Go for it. I'd ask the dealer to raise the car on a lift and visually inspect the shock towers from within the wheel well. If you see signs of fluid, you're gonna have problems very soon. It might help you negotiate the price. If there are not any problems, visibly, make sure you drive it over some speed bumps. Make sure the car doesn't rock side to side. If it's fine, go for it and buy the thing. As other have said, you're likely going to have to replace them. But, it might be in 1mo or 4 years. Just never know.

The car sounds just like mine. Blk/Blk 2005 UL. Looks great when its clean. My buddies call it "the Limo".

Ty419

It is going to come down to whether you are willing to take the small risk in order to get the flagship options or whether you want to forego some items in order to take less risk.

Remember, there are a lot of posts here about the air, but many are cars that have been modified or used in manners not intended by the factory. Installing an air controller or other suspension modifications will greatly increase your chance of failure.

Also, this is a forum that provides advice. Many users only come here after they have problems because they hope to find a fix for it. The responses here are inherently going to be pretty biased toward it being a problematic system. In reality, Lexus (and Toyota) has the most reliable air systems of any manufacturer and they rarely have problems. The LS430 has a laundry list of quality and reliability awards, all of which include the UL in the data set.

LucidSnow

dooo it. buy the ls430 black !!!! i did ! if u rethink about it. thats more days of not driving ur ls and it maybe sold and u wont get the color u want thats UL.

Sentinel

Id buy it if it was in ny

DDLexus

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...5&aff=national
or this one?
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...&&aff=national

is this the car?

ryan330i

It is not the first. The second link isn't working. It doesn't have chrome wheels and has a few less miles. Now that I've initiated the transfer, it doesn't show up in the CarMax inventory.