I perfectly realize (now) how far apart these two vehicles would be as far as equipment goes. But the rest of it is still the same car, is it?
I don't really think i need a backup camera that much, at least not yet. Radar cruise is nice but I've never had one so i'll never know what I am missing, i do have the headlight washers, but they also come with wipers, so I am not sure of the real benefit of washer without the wiper. I have my doubts about the navigation system because it's DVD based and at some point bound to brake and probably cost a bunch. The features I really like on UL are on the rear seats (I am a realtor so it's kind of nice to have, but again will eventually brake) and I like the suede roof-liner as well. I mam also not sure if the Mark Livingston is that important to me. Having the air suspension just scares me unless it's under unconditional warranty. If it sounds like I am talking myself out of anything above the Premium, it's probably because I am.
I also noticed that not all but most of the cars that I looked at, that have the navigation, also have at least few deep scratches on the lower basel of the Nav. Any comments remedies on that?
Thanks,

 

The bezel is easily replaced through your local parts department. couple hundred bucks if that. As far as the rest of the car goes... I like the alcantara headliner and I love the leather dash. Otherwise the back seats on the UL, although very cool, just would;t be used by you the driver and no one would know otherwise. Laser cruise is pretty cool but only if you use cruise control. Headlamp washers... cool thought but for me that is cosmetic only. Nav can be upgraded as part of your purchase but you can't change the horrible resolution. Backup camera... well... once you have it you really can;t live without it.

 

also... in my humble opinion, the ML stereo is not much of an upgrade over the other. I know I may cause a ***** storm over that one but I have had both and I am not all that impressed. Of course, I don't really jam out much these days.

 

I think if you are prepared to accept using a soon to be obsolete Nav system, the highly optioned LS models can be extremely nice. I personally dislike any inbuilt NAV systems (particularly the older DVD based units) so my only choice was to look for and buy a Premium option model. I have had the car for nearly three years now and love it. I did install an ipod interface on my car and the stereo sounds pretty good.

 

Thanks!

I really do like the UL options, just still not sure if I
a. really "need" them
b. willing to go through the pain of converting it to spring/strut combo when the bags give out.

I have replaced the bags on my Lincoln before, that was not too bad, but my back was younger as well
As far as stereo, I am not much of the audiophile but do like a nice sounding (very subjective) system. I have replaced the audio or at least the speakers on about third of the vehicles I owned, if that's a trend, I'll probably replace the stock on LS.
Is there any clean way to bypass the DVD input and use something like Garmin as a source for GPS? I just looked for replacement GPS for LS 430, $800 on ebay, used of course. Is there any anecdotal data on number of failures big or small on message center v. manual climate controls systems?

 

Premium makes the most sense - room, power, and ride of the LS without the extra electronics, etc. to break. That said, I felt the non-nav dash looked too Toyota-esque when I was shopping and I fell in love with the added interior touches and semi-aniline black eather in the CL & UL. I opted for the rarer CL because I didn't care about the rear seat extras, didn't want the possible expense of the air suspension, and wanted the larger trunk.

 

My car had scratches on the lower bezel of the nav system. I called a local mobile upholstery repair man and he repaired it. I paid $135 and he also repaired some scratches that were on my rear door trim panel. Call your local body shop for contact information on a mobile interior upholstery/dashboard repair man. My bezel looks new and the color he sprayed matches the rest of the bezel. Looks new and I was very happy with the end result. If anyone in the San Jose California area needs interior touch up let me know and I will give you his contact info.

 

Answer is Custom Luxury.

Personally look at some and read about CL here on the board.
I had seen them all before buying and I am very happy with my choice of CL.

 

Totally agree that CL is the ideal trim to have (almost all the toys + extended leather) without the hassle of dealing with air suspension. However, they are hard to find. In the end I went for a low-mileage ML (Modern Luxury). I've had the car for over 2 years and still love it. I enjoy the nav system. Although the graphics and resolution are pretty outdated, it still works well to get you to your destination. The new update will also tell you the POI's on each upcoming exit. I absolutely hate the cord and mounting gear that come with portable nav systems so I pretty much always favor in-dash ones for sake of convenience. Sound system is good, if perhaps a bit overhyped (it's tuned for clarity more than sound depth IMO).

Either way, you can't go wrong with a 430. Find one in good condition and you won't be disappointed, it's an excellent car!

 

The LS430 is a luxury car. Does anyone really "need" one? Rationalizing to dumb down the car and omitting all the luxury items just doesn't make sense to me. You either "want" one or you don't.

Just my opinion.

 

I LOVE my '06 CL with the black interior and silver exterior.........it truly is a sweet ride even if you leave it OEM (as mine is).

 

i still believe the 430 is without a doubt the best bang for the buck.for the price of a cruze or a loaded out focus you can drive the best lux car make,reliable and easy and pretty cheap to maintain and repair if you do your own repairs.that is all!