zindallas

Depends on if you are willing to pay a premium for getting that low mileage...I've seen several examples in the 40K mileage range for around $24K. So you have to decide if 10 - 20K fewer miles is worth $4k or so.

FWIW I had a similar dilemma that you have between mileage and price and features...sounds like I am in the minority here, but I actually really like all the extra features and toys that came with my custom luxury LS and was willing to accept having a few more miles on the car to get what I wanted for the price I wanted to pay.

I figured I was probably going to drive it 100K+ miles either way so why not enjoy those miles more with the toys I wanted?

Z

jayclapp

I agree with Z. I think the Nav system is a plus in the LS430. Even if you don't use the navigation to any great extent, the screen controls of the cars systems is worth it to me. Vey easy to use the radio and climate controls for instance. Direct and screen push button, unlike more recent ones that require you to navigate thru several screens with a mouse just to change radio stations for instance.

I live in the Phoenix area for 40 years and don't have to rely constantly on the navigation to get around. Only occasionally will I have to preprogram a destination before leaving for it. Trips are different, but I've always been able to pre program that as well. No problem.

With a VaisTech unit installed, I can negotiate the iPod with the screen buttons, as well as see the title of every song being played. I use it constantly and would not like to be without it.

Summary, don't be afraid to get a LS430 with the nav system. Look for one with it.

StanVanDam

I highly recommend the LS430 nav system. I find it to be very useful and accurate, and controlling the audio/climate/radio/etc is much easier than without the nav system. An LS430 without the touchscreen would make it seem much like a normal large sedan rather than a luxury vehicle.

I've seen a 2007 BMW 335i nav system, several cell phone and dash-mount nav systems (Garmin and the likes) and they are nowhere near as good or accurate as the LS430 nav system. Even with their upgradeable turn-by-turn voice announcements, the LS430 voice system sounds and works much better.

The maps on the 335i are permanently half the size of the total screen size - the radio/menu on the left half of the screen cannot be disabled, so maps are rather small. The iDrive system also makes difficult to quickly utilize the nav system, so I highly doubt people actually use it.

The LS430 normally locks out most typing functions if the vehicle speed sensor shows vehicle movement, but you can run a switch from the trunk nav unit to the cabin to allow typing when the switch is flipped. Instructions are on an VAIStech install thread on these forums.

The LS430 nav system combines 2 methods to accurately track vehicle position, which is not possible with non-factory systems:
1) autonomous (dead reckoning): running distance via Vehicle Speed Sensor + angular velocity via Gyro Sensor + ECU match to nearest road + automatically updating ECU offset/correction for tire size/wear/slippage.
2) GPS satellite signals: only 3 satellites need to be reachable to obtain position (based on lat/long), 4 satellites is most accurate (based on lat/long/alttitude).

I haven't paid for any nav system updates - as with all discs (CD/DVD/Bluray), they are easily copied (legal in most countries under certain conditions).

I drove a 2011 LS600hL a few weeks ago. The resolution of the LS600 nav system mapping is the same as my 2002 LS430, which isn't that bad. They both show you the roads accurately. The 2002 LS430 nav screen plays movies and music videos off my iPod in full and fairly accurate color, so the screen is fully capable - it just needs to be unleashed using something like the VAISTech SL2vi.

However, the LS600hL's screen is worse in a major way - it requires significantly more pressure on the screen for a touch to register. The LS430 screen requires a very light touch, which makes for fast and easy typing, even with gloves on.

Regarding reliablity of the nav screen, I don't think it's a common failure item. Just like the reliability of other electronic components in the car, it would be a significant problem IF it went wrong, but like most components in the LS430, they don't go wrong.

hardimen

i too have the nav on my LS but only because I really wanted a backup camera feature. Having the nav is not bad at all. I like how easy it is to control every from the screen. As far as resoluion, it seems strange that my RX who is the same model year as my LS (2005) seem to have a better display. The RX is only about 3
months newer but I notice a difference in the clarity and smoothness of the screen.

Bocatrip

I too like having a car with Nav which is very user friendly. It's true that it would be an expensive repair, but for the most part these units have been fairly reliable.

Kansas

At least the LS430 navigation has aged better that the 98-00 Lexus nav which I avoided like the plague when I bought my 00 LS400 in 2003. If you want to buy an LS430 without nav ...

Most Garmins have Bluetooth. The address book in my Galaxy S3 phone syncs up nicely with my Garmin and it's a breeze to use voice commands to make phone calls through the Garmin. The free Garmin "Smartphone Link" app on my phone allows me to google a business on the phone (including by using voice commands) and then press a phone screen button send the location to the Garmin so I can navigate without using the phone's navigation app and data plan.

My phone cradle's (Samsung Infuse - only $22.50) 3.5mm audio output could plug right into a $150 VAIS LS430 aux-in adapter allowing you to listen to music stored on your phone and to do Internet streaming from providers like Pandora, iHeartRadio and TuneIn (I LOVE TuneIn!) giving you some of the capabilities of the Toyota/Lexus Enform/Entune systems.

It might be possible to plug an A2DP Bluetooth receiver into a VAIS aux-in to make the connection between the phone and the audio system wireless.

This all may sound "geeky" but it is pretty easy and cheap to do.

AlexusAnja

I love the built-in NAV with integrated bluetooth and backup camera. For me, nothing beats integrated and not having things/cradles sticking out here and there. The "look" of the NAV is not fancy and up to date, but it does what it does for me and does it quite fine.

One big problem I have with many portable NAV is the inability to pick up satellites when in major cities with highrises (i.e. NYC where I live) and then it goes into dead mode and you have to wait until the satellites pick up again. Unless you have even more wiring set up for dead-reconing, you would be lost. As long as you update the maps (which you have to do with portables anyway, or buy a new nav) then you're fine with having the most current roads.

For such a big car, the backup camera to me is not just a safety plus, but helps a lot with getting those last couple of inches when parallel parking. I've gotten into many spaces in the city that without the camera i would have had to take a few extra turns of the wheel. If you don't mind bumping into other cars, then backup camera might be unnecessary.

LS430FL

WOW thank you all very much for the replies. I am going to be looking at two cars, one with NAV and one base no NAV. At first, I was starting to open up to having no NAV, but now many of you are making points that make me want a NAV car. I have a tough decision to make...

I6turbo

iTrader: (1)

I prefer no navigation, but after comparing the Mark Levinson sound system and the standard Lexus sound in two '05 LS side-by-side, I made the easy decision to go with the ML and hence the Nav system. If I didn't care about the sound, I'd rather have the standard non-nav controls for HVAC and sound. In my GX where I don't expect to use the sound system much at all, I intentionally went non-nav. That said, the back-up camera often comes in handy, though.

warminwisc

Alex, How strong/clear is the bluetooth phone.