I've been diligently searching for a mint 04-06 LS430 and recently passed on a clean 06 CL wondering if I should get one with the Ultra Luxury package instead.

Originally, I had my heart set on a CL, since I like the ML audio, but most importantly I want the additional leather on the doors, console and dash as well as the alcantara headliner. The laminated side glass is a plus as well, since it's supposedly quieter. However, recently I have been thinking about the UL, but this may be due to other members recent UL acquisitions.

The reason I initially passed on the idea of buying a UL was the fear of costly air suspension failures versus the CL's conventional dampers. However, am I being overly paranoid about the UL's suspension reliability and cost to repair? I was under the impression the cost to replace a single air shock approached $1000.

I have to admit I like the novelty of the UL's additional toys; shades, AC/audio controls and recliner, but only my kids will ever use these features. Also, I will be leaving the car bone stock and have no intentions of ever lowering it. My primary objective is to buy a clean car that is luxurious, comfortable and most of all reliable.

Which one do you guys think is the better overall choice?

Thanks!

 

I opted for my CL over UL purely on I would never use the rear seat goodies because of my kids and with three, they wouldn't either. So, given back comfort was out, i wasn't ready to shell out $1500 for one air suspension. So, my choice was CL and don't regret one bit.

 

I opted for the UL purely because I wanted all the luxury available in a Lexus and don't regret it one bit.

 

A CL with the PCS option would be my #1 choice if I wanted an LS430. We have PCS on one of our cars and would not by another without it.

 

If i didn't have 3 kids, i would have gone with UL, pcs, and saddle interior (saw one exactly when I was looking) but with 3 kids, no use of rear seat features, and air eventual replacement...CL was logical for me.

 

Is the cost to replace a UL shock actually over $1k a piece? What is the likelihood of air shocks failing?

Is there a significant difference in the ride and handling between the air and non air suspended cars?

Thanks again

 

You are correct about the high price of replacing a shock absorber for a UL The air bag itself is an integral part.
However, most UL owners think the risk of failure, while real, is low enough to be acceptable.
One member here reported that he had over 150K miles and his air suspension was still going, so it can happen.
Obviously, there is a selection bias here since members do report failures, but not so many non-failures.
I personally love having the "ultimate" model of one of the greatest production cars ever built.
In the end, only you can decide whether the possibility (some might say probability) of a very large repair bill is worth the ownership experience.

 

I've got an UL and the air bags were already leaking at 96,000 miles. It's a hassle to have air suspension but I love my UL LS.

I'd recommend getting an UL LS and swapping out the air struts for the OEM steel spring and strut setup from a regular LS430. A CL is an excellent choice but from my experience they're even more rare than the UL.

 

It's not paranoid to think you'll likely have to replace at least part of the air suspension on the UL models.

Suspension parts are a normal wear and tear item, and most LS430s have over 100k miles, it's probably right around the corner if it hasn't been replaced yet.

Through an online Lexus parts dealer like Sewell you can get them for around $1,000 a piece, plus whatever labor to install them. If you go to the dealer, you're probably looking at something like a minimum of $1,500 a piece to have them replaced with parts and labor. So doing it yourself, $4,000 for all 4, through a dealer $6,000.

Then there's other parts that can go out like height sensors or the air compressor that fills the bags up with air.

Will all of these go out while you own the car? Not likely. Will at least some of them need to be addressed? Very likely.

FWIW, my wife bought a new Lexus GX with rear air suspension, and it went out at about 80k miles. Very common failure. It's a slightly different system, but it's along the same lines. To get everything replaced (electronic struts/shocks+airbags) I'd be looking at over $6,000 at a dealership.

If I had a UL and started having issues, I would probably go ahead and convert it to the steel coil suspension rather than rebuilding the air suspension. Personally, unless it was a really smoking deal on a perfect car, I'd pass on UL models if you're budget conscious.

 

Same here. I love my UL and will deal with the suspension if or when the time comes. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the best riding car I've ever owned. 128K with no issues BTW.

 

One more thing that I love about my CL is the added trunk capacity. Every family vacation I am just able to fit everything in there and then I think what would have happened if I had bought a UL instead.

Others have covered rest of the items so I won't repeat them.

 

Good point. We always think of the plusses of the UL, but the loss in trunk space because of the cool box is a big negative

 

I couldn't even imagine a LS with a Thule box on it. CL gives ya room for longer items

 

I went with a CL also. There just weren't many around and I didn't care for the air ride on the UL.

 

The cool box is only a fall out of the independent A/C in the rear that only the UL has. The rear A/C is a big advantage to people who live in a hot climate. Very few luxury cars offer this option. I dare say that many people that own a LS430 are unaware of the rear A/C in the UL.