Hey Club Lexus!

My 98 GS400 was deemed a 'write off' back in March. Since then, I've been contemplating the 3rd gen GS or the 3rd Gen LS... After checking out a couple of both cars, the LS is the clear choice I want something luxurious and of course reliable. It's also a little cheaper which helps to save some funds for maintenance and mods

I came across this 2002 LS430 a few months ago at a dealer, and they STILL has it for sale. Not sure if this is a good thing or bad thing. It was originally listed at $9,900, then dropped to $8,800, and now its $7,900 CAD (approx $6,200 USD)... Plus tax, and it's 13% tax here in Ontario

I checked it out before and it is exceptionally clean! Please see the pics attached, and the link for the listing on AutoTrader....

http://wwwa.autotrader.ca/a/Lexus/LS...O&orup=3_15_35


It has 197,000km (approx 123k miles). I'm not sure of the service history of the vehicle and haven't taken it for a test drive yet. When I went to check it out it back in March it was snowing so I couldn't be bothered at the time. No Nav, but has the ML sound system, 17" rims, and looks like the upgraded perforated leather with dark cherry wood, and all the other bells and whistles that come standard with the car. Looks to have 1 or 2 previous owners at the most based on the Carproof...


The CarProof report shows 2 previous claims on it. One minor one in 2013 (estimate $1,305) which I'm not too concerned about. Probably just a little ding on the car. The other one does concern me, it just says "moderate" damage reported. Please see the attachment. The damage was in the USA. The car is a Canadian car, based on the history it looks like the owner spent the winters in Florida as I was able to pull up some service history using the VIN on Lexus.com.


What would you do? Is it worth it if I can further negotiate the price or should I just pass on it? I really want an LS and they are hard to come by up here in Canada. Just looking for some honest feedback and opinions on the car considering everything. Thanks guys!

 

I voted to pass on it; however, if you're in love with the car I would arrange to test drive the car overnight and take it to a reputable body shop the dealer does not do business with. Find out from an expert how extensive that "moderate" damage really is.
Nothing wrong with waiting for the right car. Most LS430's get snatched up quickly here in Arizona so not sure if it being aged inventory is a legitimate concern.
Also, the price is irrelevant if the car has considerable damage; you don't want it at any price. Conversely there's nothing wrong with paying a little extra for one that has a well documented pampered history. Hope it helps.

 

I didn't vote but I would say it all depends on the circumstances. If an LS is hard to come by up there that would be a deciding factor. I personally prefer the look of the 04-06 because the front end is just slightly better looking and the rear has the nicer tail lights. Honestly an accident isn't the end of the world and wouldn't keep me from buying a car as long as it was repaired correctly. I say drive it and see how it feels. My buddy told me one time when I was looking at a car and wasn't sure if I wanted to pull the trigger, if you don't fall in love with it when you see and drive it, walk away.

 

It's one thing to have a little bump in a parking lot and have a bumper replaced, it's a an entirely different story when the car ran into a parked car and ended up with 'moderate damage'. This tells me that the driver was probably somewhat careless and probably didn't treat the car that great. I would pass and keep looking

 

I would not be scared a little damage. My car had it's bumper replaced because someone backed into it in the parking lot. The 430 is a very expensive car to repair. A bumper, taillight, two sensors, and a couple of braces came out to be $6,000 So yeah, $1300 is nothing. It looks like it is in good condition. The nice thing is that only OEM parts are used for body repair because nobody else makes body parts of our 430's.