sajack

[QUOTE=Johnhav430;9769237]Are you talking about sales tax? I am talking on what relatively becomes a property tax billed perpetually, but is never referred to that.

The states that do not tax personal property Cars, RVs, boats, etc.) annually generally have higher real estate property taxes. They will get it from you somewhere whatever the case. Arkansas charges about $8 per $1,000 of assessed value annually on personal property. Thus, a $10,000 car would cost $80 per year. Of course it varies slightly by city and county.

brucelee1

iTrader: (2)

No, I am talking about personal property taxes, which are levied each year. That is in addition to sales tax, which is paid at the time of sale.

I love America and we fortunate that many of us have worked our butts off to earn our material comforts. I am more than fine about that.

Johnhav430

[QUOTE=sajack;9769253]Don't disagree, people in northern NJ are whining about $25k property taxes. That is a lot. However, go across the river, and some houses have $99k in property taxes (I bought my LS near where the Clintons live, literally). One of my buddies in MA pays $53k, which strikes me as less than 1/2 of NYS, based on his property, and not that he would send his kids to public school, but if you look at the mean SAT scores in MASS, they are pretty da** high by national standards. High real estate values, low property taxes, can't beat that. But they do pay based on the value of their cars.

Part of my point is that we do not have to consider that we're driving a V8 powered car and financial penalties from our state of residence, we have the freedom to do it without any financial consequences, opposite of what was mentioned in Ireland.

Junglequac

I certainly did not interpret that statement to be bashing and being born and raised in Tennessee, it ain't like I live in Cali! Here, we do not have state income tax, but the sales tax is almost 10% and the taxes on car purchases is 7% so I certainly understand the frustration of having to pay that much in taxes. That said, registration is pretty reasonable.

And considering just how fractious our country seems to be these days, this forum has remained an island of civility and again I certainly did not interpret John's comments truly being political in nature. We do per capita consume more resources than any other nation in many categories. That is a fact and not a judgement.

enigma25

Hello,

I am new to the forum and this is my first Lexus. I purchased a 2003 LS430 with 50,000, one owner, original miles on Saturday. Purchase price was $10,100. I traded a 2005 E500 Mercedes Benz 4Matic Wagon, which had 167,000 miles on the clock. I loved the car and have been driving MBZ's for the last 25 years, but the quality has been slowly deteriorating and I was just getting tired of the insane prices for parts. I do most of my auto work myself and I have had Porsches, Mercedes, SAAB's and was used to paying higher prices for repair items, but the frequency of repairs and the cost of the parts finally got to me. We have 2 other Lexus in our family and they are very reliable, so I am hoping for the same for this one. Didn't think I would buy such an older model, but the condition and the milage, along with the price seemed to good to pass up.
Probably drive this one for a year and then upgrade to a newer (2014 or better) LS460.
I must have a V8, because I just like power when I need it. This car scoots right along, and so far seems like a very nice car. Probably going to change the springs for a little lower stance, and a set of 18" with some good quality rubber.
I promise to use the search function frequently before I ask questions, as I am sure many have already been covered. Glad to a Lexus owner and I love the forum so far!

Thanks,

Rick

Johnhav430

Congrats enigma! That sounds like a great price...I find myself wondering at times, being at $14,700 and 80,xxx miles, did I spend too much....again drawing upon the experience of my Maxima, it really didn't matter, 60k, 80k, 100k, 130k (cv axles replaced), 150k, 180k 200k, 220k, ok stop here's where more things went wrong....if a car really seems to effortlessly cruise through 200k, does 30, 40, 60, 80 matter....and perhaps the best price is the best deal..

It's pretty cool to have experienced a diversity of cars. I was fortunate enough that at one time in my life, I owned a Porsche. It's another world. I did have an incident which tweaked me the wrong way, car under full warranty, was told a thermostat was not covered, and it's $900. To my buddy's surprise (these were the olden days, no loaners), I told the service advisor to call me when it's covered, I'm outta here. 2 days later, he calls. He didn't think I would really leave without my car lol

This is my first V8, and I really do love it....it's smooth and no drama upon accelerating...

2KHarrier

Welcome aboard Rick. I can't tell you how often I've seen that quote written. It seems to be the car of choice for those who want a luxury automobile without the pricetag.

Nice find on a low mileage LS. Post some pics when you can.

enigma25

Thanks for the welcome guys! I am a dyed-in-the-wool car fanatic and I have owned a very eclectic mix of cars over the years. Some good, some bad. I have never heard anyone say a bad thing about Lexus and after reading through a lot of posts on here, I think this was a great purchase. So far I really like the car, just getting used to the driving characteristics and all of the options. It has to be the smoothest riding vehicle I have ever owned! Pictures to follow. I am having fun making my list of things I would like to add to the car! Nothing too serious, just tinting the windows, new tires (tires are good, but old and I'm sure a new set of rubber will improve the ride and handling. Would anyone suggest lowering springs? Just an inch or so to fill the gap, and improve the handling. Just wondering about your personal preferences.
John - I agree with you; if the car has been maintained and is a solid platform to start with, today's vehicles can run for a very long time. The Benz was starting to show her age with some small rust bubbles and the wheels were really starting flake. I replaced the air suspension in the car 2 years ago to the tune of $3,000. Oil changes (took 8.5 quarts), done myself set me back $100 each. Car could only be aligned at a Mercedes Dealer...and on and on.
Glad to be a part of the Lexus Family, and I will do my best to contribute whatever I can.
Best,
Rick

Johnhav430

imho one of the bang for buck jobs is supposed to be the replacement of the lower control arm bushings, they are usually cracked and possibly torn by now....Lexus will say $1400 or so because they replace the arms along with the large rear bushings (the front bushing is not available separately is their reasoning, but everyone here said not needed the small front one is fine).

But folks here including myself have bought the bushings, and had a shop press them in. The brackets can be removed without removing the arms. I've seen labor charges of $190 to $300. The bushings list for $113 each but as you can see they've been as low as $50 ea on eBay (I paid $62 ea. and the $50 sold out)......this job cured a 60-65 slight vibration for me....and my bushings were visibly torn and cracked at 11 yrs. and 81k.....

FIGS is also popular here and comes with the brackets, I'd love to be able to try the various possibilities and see how they differ, but I went with OEM in the end...

http://shopfigs.com/v3/G2ISHP-FRLCA-SP3491K-90-IN-BRKT

http://www.ebay.com/itm/152333617568?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

edit added the FIGS link

enigma25

I am not going to get much work done today...!! Too much stuff to look at!!

Thanks!

enigma25

The forum already helped me out! I did not really check out the stereo (ML system) before I purchased. I was to involved with everything else. Well, I got home, grabbed a CD and gave it a try...terrible distortion and crackling from the rear. Looked into the issue and saw the pictures of people with the seat out and the C pillar covers...I was not happy. Then found a thread that said to use RTV silicone adhesive aroud the edge of the speaker. Popped off the cover, applied a nice thick bead around the edge and smoothed it out with my finger. Let it dry overnight and problem solved! Total cost; $4.00! I think I'm going to like it here. For comparison, the center channel speaker in the Mercedes went south last summer. This is a 4" speaker, but tough to find aftermarket with the shallow dimensions so I was stuck going to the dealer. $165.00, and I get a shop discount from a family member who owns his own shop!! Last one and I'll shut up; wanted 4 factory fit mudguards to try and protect the paint...4 pieces and some hardware cost $210, plus tax!! I don't mind paying for the right parts, but some of these prices were just obscene!! I don't expect Lexus parts to be cheap, but I doubt they will be as eye popping as Benz parts!!

2KHarrier

I think you'll find that for the most part, Lexus parts, at least the ones we replace most frequently, are reasonable. You start getting into ABS controllers, ECUs, logic computers for the doors and seats, then you may be looking at some serious money, but that stuff rarely, if ever fails. As John mentioned, LCA bushings are a popular item and the steering wheel adjustment motors are one of the pricier items that will fail, but depending on which model you have, you may drive it for years without any major repair expenses.
I'm going on 3 years/48,000 miles with my 2001, and have not done anything other than brakes, rear sub woofer replacement, front door speaker repairs, 1 stuck tilt motor for the steering wheel and a just finished Throttle Body cleaning.

Johnhav430

haha when I saw what the brake sensors go for OEM, they are almost quadruple that of BMW....like $112 list! With BMW I usually get the $14 ones that are made in Germany by PEX (could go cheaper but no need). With Lexus I hear you can get $8 ones too, just that the OEM one blows my mind. Lexus parts are not necessarily cheap....

I mean 2 squares popped off my door handles and they are like $27 and $24 DISCOUNT, for plastic pieces.

http://www.discountpartsmonster.com/...&position=left

https://getbmwparts.com/parts/2007/B...&siteid=214672

Johnhav430

I agree, I just love illustrating how outlandish the brake sensor wires are!! Sometimes OEM can be had for really good prices on eBay--I don't know the rhyme nor reason, the prices do fluctuate and then the good price is gone. And the sellers are legit, with their own websites, selling the same part much more expensively....one plus about Toyota parts, I really love that they are still made in Japan for the most part...

Bocatrip

Some parts must be OEM and can be stupid expensive like door actuators. I happen to have a base model but prices for some parts are still extremely expensive. If you can do the work yourself, you can save a bundle. Still a great car if well maintained.