MadBlax

Hi guys,

I am new here and never posted, and am stuck in a decision making loop.
Looking at two potential LS430's for sale right now. I have previously owned a 1992 LS400 and loved it, so I guess I have been bitten by the LS bug.

First one I test drove, was a black on black 2001 with 240,000kms, or 150 miles. Paint looked okay but a lot of scratches and dings, steering wheel would move in and out, but not up and down, only one headlight washer worked, both winter, and summer tires need replacing, but does have a second set of GS wheels. Timing belt was done at 172,000kms, so a little time left on that, and a huge stack of service receipts which was a plus. Problem is as I was walking away I noticed some over spray on the chrome trim that wraps around the rear bumper. Looking closer I noticed it in the fuel door as well, so this thing got nailed pretty good in the rear. Owner says he never noticed when he bought it a month ago for a great price, he is a 20 year old kid living with his parents, so needless to say that turned me off a bit. Drove real nice though. He is asking $9000.00 CDN or OBO.

The other one was a 2003 Gold with beige interior, (my wife hates gold) and 180,000kms or 111,000 miles. A few little nicks here and there but much better paint overall, no accidents he had the car fax. Timing belt has not been done, I am a bit hung up on that. Everything else works, except the drivers door actuator motor quit so that I would do my self, and might just do the timing belt as well as my Dad is a retired auto mechanic. He didn't have a service history, as he was the third owner.
It had two sets of new tires summer, and winter, only one set of wheels though which kinda sucks. Also the check engine light and VSC light were on, could have been a gas cap, or something major I guess. Idles and ran like a dream though, rode much better than the 2001, 60,000 less kms I guess. My wife keeps calling it Old man Gold, I guess I'm a little hung up on that also, some tint and rims will fix that though. He is asking $8000.00 CDN got him to $7500 for the timing belt.

Sorry for long post guys, not to many decent LS430's up here in Alberta Canada, mostly winter driven. I am just seeing if there is any red flags I might be missing here, or if both of these should be skipped, I suppose one is taking a gamble on any used car. Appreciate any and all input thanks.

airchomper

That 2001 doesn't sound great.

Do you recall what rim sizes they have? In my opinion you should always run the 16's on the LS430 unless you really care about aesthetic. If the 2001 had 18 inch rims and the 2003 had 16 inch rims, they could both have comparably worn suspension, with the difference in ride attributable to the different rim size.

The second car sounds more interesting, especially if you find a good shop to do the TB and other fluid changes. I really think people shoud budget $1,500-$2,000 to zero out the maintenance schedule on these cars when they buy them.

So you're in Canada - have you ever though about a RHD car? The Celsiors in Japan with like 40-60k miles go for less than $5,000.

And there's also the crown majesta, which is like a mini LS430.

I don't know what the cost of the import process is, but you can get Celsiors in excellent condition for dirt cheap, and with interesting option packages. Right now there's a Celsior with 115k km, had the timing belt and water pump changed at 99k km, cloth interior and air suspension and it even looks like heated seats for $1500. Aside from being a really wicked car, can you imagine how nice a heated cloth seat would be in winter??

weirdone

The 2003 sounds like a better option. Now if it only came in a better color...

Jabberwock

The 20 yo seller that only owned the car for a month would scare me right off. The 2003 sounds like the better of the two cars. Negotiate price on the 2003 to account for the TB needing to be done. Get on the Lexus owners site and enter VIN to check Lexus service history on any car you are interested in buying.

SW17LS

The 2003 is the better car. Lexus does pretty well with new models, but I would always stay away from a used version of the first model year of any car.

With that said, I would take my time to find one that checks more of your boxes. The gold is not a color I would buy, JMHO.

MadBlax

Thanks for your input guys much appreciated, I think I will pass on the Black for sure.
Airchomper, I have looked at importing a Skyline a few years back but didn't bother with the hassle at the time, can't really swing a right hand drive now either. As I'm selling a Solara V6, and the LS will have to haul a new baby in a few months( on occasion . Full time hauling will be in my wife's RX.

Definitely hung up on the gold though.

VanCityLS4

iTrader: (1)

'Up here' they are much more difficult to find. Even in Vancouver few pop up while there may be a dozen for sale everytime in Seattle. I'm currently waiting for a reply back from Lexus Canada on how many LS430's were sold. It's probably way less than 10% of US sales (does anyone know this stat ?) Late models were over 100 grand I don't blame people for keeping them.

If you can't get past the color the waiting game might be a longer than expected. I waited 3 years!

jpv7774

run from the kid owner......also selling it too fast...and prob drove it like a race car. Dont go for the gold. My wife thinks the LS in general is an old man car...but never complains when I drive her around in the luxury flagship. I think u gotta love the color......mine is Cypress Pearl and I drove 6 hours to get it. You want to love laying your eyes on her everytime u see her. I must say my 04 has sharp looking stock wheels that really make the car look great....I dont think the older 01 models have the same wheel.....good luck...take your time

warminwisc

Whats yur budget that you are buying a luxury car for low/moderate level pricing. Lower priced cars/luxury can turn ugly $

MadBlax

Buying two cars this year, wife is getting a RX350, as I mentioned earlier had a 1992 LS400 for a couple years, a few years back and loved it . We will be dropping in excess of 20K for her RX soon(no payments), so that leaves me on the lower end this time around. Not looking to spend more than 10-12k under 10 preferably on the LS.

I am not to worried about reliability with this unit, I am very handy with a wrench, my dad being a retired auto mechanic helps. After the 1992 there isn't much else that appeals to me used, as far as a daily driver is concerned.

MadBlax

The gold 03 has the 16 inchers, but yes the 04-06 looks better. I'm late thirty and my wife chirps old man car constantly, but my buddies say classic, pimp, etc lol. These are rare up North especially western Canada where I live. I am still tempted by the gold, as the km are low for this year LS, and it is very, very clean. The dominant color I see is sliver or black, and none of the blacks hold up well because of the harsh winters, I have yet to see a white one for sale.

I must admit the gold does look good with some nice chrome wheels or silver, which I would add no doubt, just not 22 like in the picture.

MadBlax

That Flint Mica looks sharp. Yeah the waiting game, definitely need to make a move this summer.