What are the upgrades for the premium and ultimate packages? For a 2004, is it worth the money and wait if I find a really nice clean "regular" model?

 

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/3213359-post8.html
This should help you get an idea. Everyone is different but to me in 04-06 models Modern Luxury package is a sweet spot. They are not hard to find and are cheaper then CL and UL. If you want all bells and whistles you need Ultra Luxury package, they are hard to find and expensive. Make sure you check everything yourself and bring the car to lexus dealer to be double sure.

 

Wow, nice car. How can I tell the difference between the different "upgrades"? Up until I joined this site, I thought there was only a Premium upgrade!

 

For 04-06 models, ignore the wording in ads and focus on the pictures:

- Front bumper: presence of square covers for headlamp washers on top of bumper under headlights indicate a CL or UL. No headlamp washers indicate base, premium, or ML.

- Switches on lower center stack: switches for suspension, rear seat, & headlamp wahers indicates UL. Switch for headlamp washers without suspension, etc, indicates CL. Missing all suspension and handlamp switches indicates base, premium, or ML. Heated seat dial without blue (cooling) section indicates base.

- Upper center stack: Nav screen indicates ML, CL, or UL. No nav indicates base or premium.

- Seat leather: Perforated leather in center of seat indicates premium, ML, CL, or UL. Non-perforated leather indicates base.

- Lower dash and sides of center console: Leather indicates CL & UL. Plastic indicates all other trim levels.

- Rear armrest when down: Radio & other controls indicates UL. Plain armrest for all other trim levels.

- Inside of rear door windows: Tabs for extending / holding window shades indicates UL.

- Inside trunk: Short trunk that stops at start of wheelwells indicates UL (also has rectangular box on upper right side) All other trim levels have trunk that extends to back seat with pass-through hatch.

 

You beat me to it caddy

 

See the pdf doc attached to the "How to tell if LS430 is equpped with Ultra Luxury Package? " thread, post #84. It has a re-organized list of each option/package and what it includes (along with '05 prices) that may be helpful to you. It also has pictures of each UL option.
Please let me know if it needs corrections/additions or you have any other suggestions.
P.S. I couldn't figure out quickly how to just show a link, so you will have to search for the thread.

 

Damn, this site is great! Dealers don't stand a chance! Thanks all!

 

As Caddy said, "ignore the wording in ads and focus on the pictures," - but it's often difficult for me to discern from online photos whether seats are perforated or not. The average seller doesn't provide thorough hi-res photos, or enough photos for me to always know what I'm looking at. While FLIPPU's post earlier in this thread helps me identify a UL example from the center console (if/when the seller depicts it), I was wondering the following to help me nail down my own shopping parameters while the topic is still fresh:

1. If I want semi-aniline leather (black or saddle), am I limited to shop only Ultra Luxury vehicles?
1a. Do all cars with semi-aniline leather come with Mark Levinson / NAV; or are they available without?
1b. Do all cars with semi-aniline leather come with factory air ride; or are they available without?

2. All perforated leather is semi-aniline, is it not?

Ideally, I'd like to find an interior with semi-aniline - but without air-ride, ML, and NAV. I just don't know if that exists

 

I've also noticed that some dealers don't post photos of the actual car they are selling, or they don't recognize a UL when they have one.

 

1. Semi-aniline leather was only available on UL and CL trim levels. Black & Saddle in 04-06. Add bordeaux in 01-03.

1a. In 04-06, all UL and CL cars had the Mark Levinson / Nav. Check the sales brochures on www.toyotareference.com to verify 01-03, but I believe it the same as 04-06.

1b. Only UL cars had air suspension in 04-06. Check the sales brochures for 01-03, as air suspension may have been offered as a stand-alone option.

2. Not all perforated leather is semi-aniline. On UL & CL units, ecru leather is comfort leather. Premium and Modern Luxury trim cars have standard leather that is perforated. Only base level cars without cooled seats have solid leather.

 

Now that you know the difference between the trims, my advice is to ignore it. Remember, these are used cars that are increasingly hard to find with low miles and in top notch condition.. Add specific colors and low production (CL and UL) trim packages to the mix and you may be setting yourself up for disappointment.

Instead, find the best combination of mileage and condition at a fair price you can afford. Once you find the right one, it will seem like it is meant for you. If your parameters are set too narrow you may miss it.

 

Thanks Caddy! It is as I thought, the only thing that I didn't expect was that other leathers were perforated - d'oh! Kind of a bummer, as I really want semi-aniline leather & alcantara headliner, but I prefer to not have the NAV screen Either way I go it looks like I'll have to sacrifice one for the other.

I will never purchase a car that is not what I want, but I know plenty of people who would and do. I agree that one should be somewhat flexible when shopping used cars, but I want what I want, and I will buy what I want or nothing at all. After all, it's my money and the "wrong color" car is not a good enough reason to part with it.
In 07 I was shopping for a white 06 EVO GSR, but none ever seemed to surface in my budget or in Texas - so I never bought an EVO.
When shopping S2000's - it took me almost 3 months to find & purchase one, but I finally got exactly what I want: white with all red interior, rare but absolutely worth it.

I'm done with owning multiple cars (usually have 2, sometimes 3 at a time), or turning cars over after only a year or so. I know what will keep me happy for years to come, settling for less (like paint or interior color) would lead to buyers remorse for me - eventually wanting to upgrade or trade for what I truly want. I've been window shopping LS430's for months now while slowly selling off my other cars, but soon I'll be in a position to jump on the first example that meets my criteria. I would prefer white or silver paint, but would accept charcoal as well. Dark interior is a must for me, so I'm limited to White with saddle interior or Silver (or Charcoal) with black interior. I may not end up finding the car until Fall (though I hope that's not the case) but it will absolutely be worth the wait.

Heck, I used to shop only 04-06 models, but have since expanded to include 01-03 models to help my chances of getting the right color combo.

 

I hope you have more self-discipline that me. Since buying my best and final luxury car, the LS430 in February of 2010, to go along with the Dodge Dakota chore truck I had, I ended up buying:

- Used Subaru Outback to replace the repair-of-the-month Dakota and be a winter driver to transport my late wife

- New Toyota Prius to replace the Outback due to lack of window frames on the Outback for my late wife to grab as she got weaker

- Used LX470 for winter & utility use because an Araco-built LX / LC was on my vehicle bucket list

- New 4GS350 to replace the LS430 because, well - just because it's so sexy.

 

I'm sad to say that I've rarely, if ever, owned one single car since getting my second one at 17. All of them are purchased cash up front though, so this means I've got to sell all (or all but one) of my current fleet in order to purchase the LS430. I'm currently one car down, with three more to go . . . But after I sell one or two more it's Lexus time!

The home we rent only has a car port with one-car-wide driveway, so my girlfriend's 08 BMW 335i occupies the car port while my S2000 & 530i park on the street. Once we buy a home we'll have a two car garage (or have one built) - and we've agreed to only own one car each. I plan to have a scooter for all of the errands we run within a 5 mile radius... which is a LOT - so once moved, most of our daily grind will involve walking / biking / scooter-ing. The BMW & Lexus would only be driven to work or whenever we go across town once a week.