I am considering getting an 05 LS. I have some questions that I'm not finding direct answers for. Hopefully you guys can help.

1. How deep and wide is the trunk in inches? I have a daughter who plays tuba and if her case doesn't fit in the trunk its a deal breaker. We have had minivans until now.

2. What reliability issues should I expect? In my searching of this site I haven't seen a common problem, except for the air suspension. Have I missed something?

3. If anyone is from Michigan, how much more expensive are plates and insurance over a lesser class of car? I have never had a car like this and may need to prepare my wife/accountant for a little sticker shock.

Any info you can give me regarding what to pay special attention to in my search would be appreciated also.

 

Can a tuba fit in other full size cars? Which ones?

 

We have only used a minivan or small suv with the seats down to haul it around. I would like to get away from the minivan, they are great at what they do but boring.

 

Steve,

Trunk dimensions: 49" x 20" x 20" (deep). Take out the spare tire and cover (bottom of trunk) and increase depth dramatically. Back seat would be much larger for tuba transport. Or, can your daughter play the clarinet instead?


I don't recall any special licensing assessment costs in Michigan for the LS's I owned while living there. In fact, I also own a 2009 Sienna van and the insurance costs are higher than the 2006 LS's. Insurance costs do vary by state, and zip code, as well as driving record, of course.

 

Tom57, thanks for the info. We all wish she had picked Clarinet, including her sometimes! She plays at a very high level and basically lives it. She's going to be going to college in the fall or I wouldn't even be able to think about a non minivan. I'm hoping that insurance is reasonable being that unlike the German cars there is much less sportiness. Michigan does its tags based on original base price so I expect it be be more than we are used to.

 

to answer your reliability push, I'd say one of the most reliable vehicles you could get. Yes there are sporadic issues but the 05 has ironed out a bulk of them. If you are getting the Ultra Luxury version of the LS430, air suspensions may be of a concern (there are members who had to replace them under 100k...there are members with almost 200k miles and no issues). The current prevalent issues for the 04-06 LS430s are all minor including side mirrors, telescopic steering wheel, Mark Levinson issues. As long as you can mechanically give the vehicle a clean bill of health, such as timing belt/maintenance issues, you should be ok.

 

Maybe we'll see your daughter in the U of M marching band!?

 

Not UofM or marching. She plays in a concert setting. She's much to little for all that moving. Doesn't want to pay big 10 money either. One of her degrees will be in performance so we will be driving to see her perform all the time. That is why I want something nice and comfortable.

 

Thank you, I think my decision is made, I just need to find the right example. As long as her case will fit in the trunk.

 

Having owned and driven LS's for 20 years (and like you, driving all across the country literally a half million accident-free miles for sports), you can't get a better value, reliability, and comfort than a LS.

 

At least she doesn't play the Sousaphone...

 

Yeah, I already had to buy her a concert horn of her own because the small rural high school she goes to didn't have a good enough horn for her to continue on after the 8th grade. If she ever wants a susaphone now she can get it herself.

 

Make sure you check everything that could be a problem

• all doors lock and unlock
• mirrors flip
• mirrors adjust
• Tilt/Telescope Steering works without making grinding sounds
• volume control on steering wheel works
• Motor mounts are fine
• Subwoofer is not blown
• Door speakers are not blown
• Air suspension (if applicable)
• Trunk struts
• Hood struts
• All parking sensors work
• Suspension bushings are not cracked
• Rotors are not warped

I am not scaring you with the list but better check now than later. As you see there is nothing power train related here. Good luck!

 

For the cost to replace evens parking sensor get a Lexus inspection and a walk thru on the above points 125 bucks priceless

 

Very little will be wrong