I've been on the fence about upgrading to an LS for some time now, but I'm a fairly picky car shopper. I'm now at the point that I'm trying to choose between the 98-00 LS400 and the LS430 - but the main thing holding me back from defaulting to the 01+ models is an alarming lack of black interiors on the market.

I am not open to purchasing a black paint code, nor am I open to grey or ivory interiors. This leaves me with only black & ecru interiors (or the slim chance I find a saddle example). I realize that the interior is tied to which package the vehicle build is, but I'm also looking up dozens of LS cars each month & can't seem to come across many black interiors without black exteriors. In order to figure out if my desired interior/exterior color combos even exist, I have the following questions:

- which paint codes offered black semi-analine leather interior?
- which paint codes offered black & saddle leather interior? (only Flint Mica, Black Onyx, Crystal White?)
- which paint codes offered ecru interior?

Even if the answer is in the form of a link which answers these questions, I'd appreciate it. I might sound like a bit of a stickler, but I'm really not going to buy a car that has an interior or exterior color that I'm not interested in. I made a similar thread to cross reference paint & leather color combos on 98-00 models that ended in success, so hopefully I can do the same for LS430 models.

 

Welcome. For the best info on exterior v. interior offerings by year, go to the FAQ thread at the top of the page and find the link to sales brochures. You'll follow a number of links and eventually be able to view the sales brochures for each model year of LS430: 01-06. Toward the back of each brochure are a couple pages with interior and exterior color combinations. Generally, there were 2001-03 and 2004-06 combinations, with minor variations within those years.

I'm fairly familiar with 04-06 and black interiors were found on black, silver, crystal white (I think only in 04-05), and flint mica. Black leather was available in all trim levels, with premium semi-aniline black leather available in CL and UL trims. Saddle (rare) and ecru were also premium "comfort leathers" offered only on CL and UL trim leathers.

I was in the same boat as you when I was shopping two years ago. I wanted silver or flint mica with black semi aniline leather in a 05-06 CL with about 30K miles. I planned my nationwide search to last up to 4 months with scheduled milestones where the search criteria would be expanded to wider color and trim selections. At the end of the first month, I found my car (flint mica, black, CL, 30.5K miles) 1870 miles away in Bellevue, WA.

Good luck in your search. Remember, we're here to help.

 

I have a 06 LS Ultra black/black. A friend of mine has an LS with one of the lighter interiors which is not as hot as my car's interior and seems much more open and roomy. I will say I could live with a black interior easier than I could the soft finish of the black paint. Never again will I own a Lexus with a black exterior!

 

I'd love a black interior on my LS if I lived up North. In Texas summer a black interior becomes a solar oven combine that with a black exterior and you can cook roast beef in the car 4 months a year. But it sure does look good..my favorite interior color and probably the easiest to take care of . Keeping a light leather interior looking clean and fresh as the years go by is not a trivial exercise.

 

amen brother ben!:d The black paint on my LS is like butter. Look at it the wrong way and it will scratch. I love my black interior. Very sexy and adds a little seductiveness to the car.

 

Thanks caddy! I'd pilfered the FAQ, and even searched this forum & that thread for the word "interior" and "leather" but was coming up short. A dealer brochure is where I lifted that LS400 color chart from, I should have known to resort to LS430 brochures already I'm tempted to hold out for the black semi-aniline since this would be my very first "lux" type car after a string of sport-compact type vehicles & it's above the standard black leather. Our 08 BMW 335i has most of the options on it and it's black leather is great, it's super resilient to both wear & is very easy to keep clean - but I wouldn't call it plush, the LS400's I've checked out were much more "buttery" and "cush" by all means. If I find a car with a well kept low-wear interior it should be easily preserved since I avg. around 10k miles per year at most.

I'm with you on the paint - only ONE of my cars has ever been black & the exterior maintenance was a nightmare. When parking in a garage for the first year it was fine, but over the next 2-3 years of parking outside I came to abhor the quickness for it to get dirty & how long it needed to cool off before being washed. Hard-water spots had never been an issue for me until that car. I appreciate the beauty of a well maintained "showroom-floor" quality black paint, but no garage means I know better than to try again.

I know what you mean, as I live in Austin. The best solution to combat heat with a black leather interior (esp if black on black!) is some real high quality window tint. As long as you're within range of Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, or Houston you should be able to get Huper Optik brand tint or similar. HO was designed for residential & business windows, so high UV ratings & heat rejection are really important qualities to ensure your interior lasts a long time, and it helps keep you from melting when you get in the car too. I have a strong preference for tint that isn't dark, so going with a Huper film in the 40 or 50 range is perfect for me

 

I have huper C40 on my car and LOVE IT! Works very well at keeping my BLK/BLK cooler in the summer. Great taste CrabR!

 

Saddle is easily #1 for me, black #2, all the others are a distant third. I doubt I would have ever bought a 430 if they only offered pale interiors, I just don't like them.

 

My previous sports car was silver w/ a black interior, and this was in So. AZ...talk about oven! That's why I bought a white car w/ light-toned interior. In fact, my local dealer had three LS's...a ML, CL, and UL, all white. Tells 'ya what color sells where it's hot. Now that i live in the mountains in N NM, I would be open to a black car. In AZ, black is simply out of the question.

 

Light and Bright for me!