Hey everyone.
I joined this site prob like a few before me to learn a little bit about the LS430. I have yet to test drive one but from what I read, see and hear online it looks like it might be the right car for me.

I am pushing close to 40 years old so I do remember the days of V8 rear drive cars which is what is pointing me in this direction. And for my budget which is on the lower side between 6-7k I know I will end up with something that has between 100-160k miles on it.

Any advice on what to look for is appreciated. I want to stay away from the navigation and hopefully find something that has some service records.

 

Lots of threads here on that topic... enjoy the read.
2004 - 2006 are the preferred years for most but may be over your budget.
Look for one owner, dealer serviced vehicles, garaged kept and driven gently by retired persons in Florida would work.
Good luck with your search.

 

Check the FAQ threads at the top of this forum for a ton of info. Then you can use the search function and have hours of reading material for common ls430 issues and buyer advice.

Bottom line if you want the most reliable option find a premium package base model with no navigation, mark Levinson sound system, air suspension etc.

2005 2006 are the best years but with a 7k budget youll be looking at 01 to 03 body style with 100k plus miles. Look for a southern car that has been serviced and has the timing belt and waterpump done.

common issues are steering motors, power mirrors, suspension, bushings, oxygen sensors, ride height sensors etc.

 

look for a 2003, the Long Term Quality Index has that year more reliable than '04 and '05s. you will find a lot that have the nav. but I would stay away from them. the Mark Levinson stereo is prone to speaker problems and because of the weird ohm it is hard to find replacement so most try to refoam. I would not want to take apart doors and rear deck to do that as rattles will start to be a factor. the base stereo is fine and almost trouble free. try to get an unmodified one. most modifications result in an inferior car. lowest miles would be best. don't spend all $ on the car as you will need to bring it up to your desired level and parts and labor can be expensive. the upper level trims ( UL and CL ) are better than the ML. a UL with the air shocks replaced with standard shocks are called NUL. at this age the paint is not going to be perfect unless you find a garage queen.

 

Welcome to the club Natas. Great suggestions have been given already so I can only suggest that you read, read, read the posts here on the forum and take your time finding a car.
The right one will come along.

You may know already, but you can sign onto the Lexus site and investigate service histories by entering the vehicles VIN. It's a little tedious, but it can tell you a lot about the car.

https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/home

Again, welcome aboard and good luck on the hunt!

 

I still cannot remember when I first became interested (likely early 2016), but I had found the common problem thread, and was laughing. My quick read determined that the passenger mirror not tilting was the most common problem on 10-15 year old cars....of course there are more than that, but that was my first impression on LS430 reliability....welcome!

 

I have a base 01 with 128,000 miles with Nav and have experienced most of the issues common on all LS430s except my Nav which knock on wood works flawlessly. Repairs included oxygen sensor valve cover gaskets rear subwoofer radiator replacement and hood support lifts. I have a few oil leaks that aree tolerable. As mentioned earlier my car is a base with nothing other than Nav. Even a door actuator can be expensive. Do your homework. Upgraded models have more expensive equipment to repair in these aging cars. Good luck.

 

Now he's looking at a low mileage 400.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...e-records.html

 

Appears the budget won't get the OP into a 430.... 400s are nice but are that much older and the list of repairs and fixes climbs.

At a $7-8K range the OP could get into a decent '01-03 430 but below that the landscape changes....

 

. LS400s were great cars in their day. Now we are talking about a 17-27 year old car. Good luck to the OP.

 

Yes, either will work. There's more 430's in my area. I've always like the body style of the LS400 a little more. When i found that 400 with less than 60k on the odometer in my price point I'm prob more focused on that car. I'll keep you guys updated. Gotta wait till the banks open Tues and then it's on.

 

I drove a 1999 LS400 yesterday with 120,000 miles. It was in my area so I figured why not. I liked the car overall....just not that specific one. They wanted 7k, It was already on its second motor, needed brakes and an alignment but wasnt bad.

I Carfaxed a low mileage LS400 and some things dont add up on that car which sucks cause I was hoping that would be the one. I am gonna put this one on hold until I get some answers.

I am heading out tomorrow to take a look at this 2 owner LS430
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invent...ting=158597602

 

Why do you want to stay away from nav models? They're not any more expensive than base models, and while I would not actually be interested in the nav system, a nav-equipped model is also likely to be equipped with other niceties like parking sensors, rearview camera (on 04+ models), heated rear seats, nice sound system, etc. Plus, nav models seem to be more common than non-nav models. Unlike German cars, the luxury niceties actually continue working after 10+ years. My parking sensors have never failed, my heated seats are good as new, my climate control still beats the pants off new economy cars, etc. Meanwhile my friends in BMW 7-series and Mercedes S-class models have to repair all those gizmos before the warranty's even up.

I have a nav model and it has not caused any reliability issues over the last 14 years and 1 month. I don't use the nav because it's slow and out of date (I mount my phone for Google Maps), but its presence in the dash doesn't bother me at all.

I'm personally selling one (see my own thread) in May and looking to fetch about $7000 for it - 2003 model with 100,500 miles right now. I'm in California so it's a long shot, but if you're in the mood to take a sunny vacation, then you might want to think about killing two birds with one stone by bundling a car purchase into the trip.

 

I'm located down around Peoria. I have an 04 base model. But I like the fact I dont have the factory screen. I easily installed an updated stereo (~$500-$700). You get to use the nice factory sound system and modern hands free bluetooth/nav etc. Just a nice clean car should speak for itself. Even if you carmax it and pay a few hundred to ship it in. No real landmines for these cars.

I will say timing belt service is one thing to either check out or plan to do. But beyond that -just rack up the miles!

 

LS400 should sell closer to $3,500-5,000. Low mileage is not that much of a premium on those older cars. It's the miles per year that really counts.