rapollon

iTrader: (4)

I'm looking to purchase an 2005 LS430 185K miles. What issues should I look for. I took it for a short ride, feels solid. No funny smells... can't check for leaks on the ground due to rain.
But, what should I dig into?

greg s

Make sure all of the electronic gizmos work, all of the leds in the tails and check speakers. Blown speakers are quite common. Make sure timing belt service has been done the 2nd time or the cost of that needs to be factored in.

Jabberwock

Get under the car with a strong flashlight. Look for missing or altered parts, bad/new welds on structure, missing or altered cats and mufflers, etc. Check for oil seeps and leaks around bottom of engine, oil pan and transmission. Check all 4 struts for any sign of oil leakage. Do not buy the car without taking it to a good independent or toyota or Lexus dealer and having the error codes read. Ask the tech to verify when codes were last cleared. Dishonest seller could be clearing error codes right before you show up. Also make sure car comes with 2 master keys. New master keys are $200-300 each if you have at least 1 master. Without a master the ECM needs to be programmed ($) before a replacement key can be made.

Bocatrip

Read, Read, Read.....There are many helpful threads on this forum and your car does have mileage. Repairs can be expensive and if you miss or don't recognize any before your purchase, it can be costly. Make sure there is no paint work other than bumper covers, and get every repair and maintenance record available to you.Go for the extra bucks and have a reliable trustworthy mechanic who knows these cars check it out thoroughly on a lift and with a good drive. Good luck and let us know how you make out.

tallcaguy

Have a complete car inspection (including up on a rack) done by a mechanic w/ extensive Lexus experience (ideally dealer experience). Even if you know cars, it's easy to miss things. It will be roughly $75-100 but worth it. Great cars but expensive to repair. The key is finding one that's been well maintained (including timing belt changes at 90 and 180k). Good luck.

Gronemus

This thread might give you some idea what others have gone through.

One of the posts above mentions blown speakers. To offer you a little more detail what usually happens is that the cone separates from the foam suspension material usually resulting in buzzing and other odd noises. There are kits available for about $20 a pop that allow you to repair them yourself if you are the least bit handy. I rebuilt my subwoofer and both front door speakers.

Good luck in your hunt...

Lexie's LS

Lots of possible causes. Toyota replaced combo controller (main dash indicator lights & guages). Started good for 6 months. The combo controller didn't act up until car was operated at running temp.

Our 05 LS430 (270k miles) has been with indy mechanic for a month. We asked him to make personal use the car to aid troubleshooting of running temp issues not evident with a cold start. He even removed a number of components so they could be tested apart from the vehicle environment. All fuses were tested. Problem persisted. We were ready to slap a new battery in and trade it.

He discovered a wiring harness behind the engine with a frayed wire against the engine. Harness was repaired and secured away from the engine. Also found an electrical switch under the dash--has no idea what it does, but turned it off.

Car can now sit 4-5 days and cranks well.

Johnhav430

Let me list mine, I don't think any were uncommon....

• driver door actuator not working, discovered after delivery, dealer fixed free
• brakes pulsated, didn't realize because didn't push car on test drive, dealer fixed free OEM parts
• high mount 7440 bulb burnt out
• 12V in ash tray fuse blown
• mirror switch sometimes doesn't work, once memories set, no issue, can be cleaned or replaced if really desired
• telescope motor weak, pulled fuse
• rear sunshade curtain came off, leave down
• lower control arm bushings cracked and torn, replaced on own at indie
• alignment way out 3/4 wheels
• door handle caps fell off on two doors
• no coolant in overflow, evaporated over time
• purchased at 81k, so 90k timing belt was coming up, did it at 86k--next time I would negotiate for another $800 off on any car in this ballpark (whether I can get it is another story, sellers often take the position 90k is 90k, you're at 80k now--a Lexus dealer with a car at 89k agreed to include)

I don't believe any of the above will affect the car's ability to go "300,000," so I think once we get by all these tiny things, our cars should go the distance. I would say the most important are the door actuators (only because it's $860 each at the dealer for non soft touch, and who wants to DIY something right off the bat unless it's deducted from selling price), and LCA bushings, the rest are minor...good luck!

Johnhav430

Apparently an indie can tell (here in the Northeast) that a car was a southern car when it's up in the air. they should look at the tranny output shaft to make sure there's no grime there, since again I dunno with what year it started, but 2006's have sealed trannies and no dipstick. Can't tell the level or fluid color so assume drain/fill needed if mileage is low enough (80-100?)....

Also, on the timing belt, now that I have an indie, I would prefer the job were not done, and money is taken off the price (about $800, imho a new car dealer should go for it, although a Hyundai dealer resisted so see ya, Lexus said ok). Seems that the official first 90k job is without tensioner, without idler, and without tensioner pulley. Yes, maybe the chance of failing is small, but I'd rather have those items done. After all, the cheapest Aisin kit has the above less the tensioner. And for $30 more, the kit has the tensioner. So far, my rule of thumb with this car is to return old parts so I can get an idea of what condition they were in....