Okay, I have two really good options that I could use advise on. I have found two 2001 LS430s that I am interested in. The first is a base 2001, silver with black leather. Car has had all the maintenance done, new tires, brakes battery etc. Needs nothing and the price is 10,500. If also have found an 01 silver with light cream interior but it has the Ultra Luxury package. Really good shape, solid maintenance history with 150k miles. Price on this one is 10500. What should I do??????

 

What's the mileage on the first car? Pull a carfax on each car to check for collision damage on each. Bring up the maintenance history from the VIN # at lexus.com on each car. Have a competent auto mechanic review the car you have decided to purchase.

 

A base, non-nav car has less to go wrong. However, black leather in TX may not be the best choice.

 

Agreed. I am tempted by the UL, love the dark wood and other toys. The base car has 112k miles

 

Follow Paul's advice and take it to a competent tech who knows the models and can tell what the mods are and if any arts are non-OEM. Wish I had done that, I now have a suspected parts car. And although CARFAX reports are clean, I still see signs of body work done in a neighbor's garage!

 

I'll have them looked at for sure. Am I being too tempted by the ultra luxury??? I dont NEED it.

 

Funny you are looking at pretty much the same cars that I was considering only in San Diego & we pay premium here for EVERYTHING

I decided on the base model, although I love the thought of having the Ultra, especially that I am a realtor and for me, it's worth having a little bit more upscale looking car. My main reasons for not getting the Ultra (btw, it had almost the same amount of miles as "yours") :
a. Not having to deal with the nav system (i know I am going to get some greef for saying that)
b. Less things to go wrong
c. Lower price

If they would of had the Ultra available without the nav, like the Canadians do, I would consider getting it even with two other points still influencing my decision.
As far as leather color, you can get a really dark tint including the windshield (if they let you) or change the color of the seats, not a cheap endeavor, but if the car is right and @ the right price, why not.

 

ThAts good advice. The other concern on the base model is that it's a good 6 hours away, the Ultra about 2. Decisions.....

 

Should you sell the car in the future I would expect a UL to command a better resale value than the base.

Just a thought.

 

If you want to drive the car for 3 years or less it likely does not matter which you choose - get the one with options and features that appeal to you best. For myself I can't stand looking at that grainy low res screen in the older LS models.

2001 is about to be a 12 year old car. The factory NAV system in the 2001 LS is obsolete at this point based on lack of features and grainy low res screen.

I think the "base" models might actually be more attractive to used car buyers as the years go by....only time will tell.

 

Get what you want... we, myself included, always say "don't get the higher models because of the electronics that might go wrong" but really how often do you read on the forum of things electronic that go bad that often? I say besides wear and tear of the air suspension, everything else is solid. Go for the ultra in this case for same price and basically same mileage.

 

I agree. It seems you are leaning towards the UL. I know that I would never consider a car without built-in Nav. Yes, GPS on my iPhone and iPad are great, but just not the same. Actually, the display on my 04 UL is pretty good. In fact, the colors look better than they did on my 09 BMW with newer I-drive.

Good luck with whichever you select. These are great cars!

 

As AlexusAnja mentioned the air suspension, that is very costly fix. If you plan to mod the car by lowering it with aftermarket suspension parts, this a moot point. The base with springs will not pose that issue.

 

It depends on how many miles you put on a car per year. If you're going to put 25K on a year the UL with 150K on it may not be the best choice.

I don't understand the complaints about the earlier factory navigation systems and their resolution. Its not an HD TV you'll be watching movies on. It gives you directions and my 02 works great for that. I never liked to have a gps that I have to stick to my windshield or sit on my dash somewhere. A factory Nav is much cleaner looking and gets you where you need to go without a problem.

I would have bought a UL but the air suspension scared me away. The first time one went I would plan on converting the whole system. I read a lot on this forum before making my purchase and it really helped so good luck in your purchase, whatever you choose.

That's just my opinion..........

 

Get a Pre Purchase Inspecion (PPI) and try to test drive the car yourself if possible... that should give you some comfort for less than $150.