jayn

Good Afternoon!

I am considering making the move to LS ownership. Been a Toyota Avalon guy for 6 years and love them... but have always wanted an LS. My daily commute is about 90 miles round trip, an LS would be a great place to spend that time.

My most recent ride, a 2013 Avalon XLE Touring is a great car. It is coming off lease and I want to get out of the payment game.

DIY maintenance is something I like doing. I have experience with the Sienna, Accord, Avalon, Highlander, Civic. I built a Ducati from the frame up once...

I spent most of the afternoon searching and reading on this site. VERY good information,

Could I get some opinions on this particular car? It is at a rural Ford Dealer in Iowa.

With 98,000 I would assume that it needs a timing belt, and some other maintenance done.

http://www.donpiersonford.net/used/L...earchDepth=1:3

Thanks in advance for your Input!!

Jay in Nebraska

2KHarrier

Hi Jay and welcome to the forum;
For the money, that's not a bad car. Looks like it's pretty clean, from the pictures I saw. You can enter the VIN on an owner's website and see what dealer maintenance has been accomplished here:

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

It's a great webite for tracking maintenance on the car.

Do a search on the forum for common problems with the LS, although there aren't many of them...

Tilt motor for the steering wheel is a common ailment with these cars, but there are fixes. Yes TB and water pump may need to be done, unless you luck out and it's been accomplished already. Or It could become part of the purchase deal, perhaps.. This car isn't an Ultra Luxury model, which in some ways, for a first LS is good, as there are added maintenance concerns with the UL, but it does have navigation, albeit vastly outdated..

Again, search and you will become more knowledgeable than the average Joe.

Jkallinen

I had thought about buying that car a couple months back. Like you, drove an Avalon and loved the car. But it was up there in Mileage at 227,230 and time
to be replaced. Found an 2002 Lexus LS430 with 138,568 miles on it at Rochester Car Clearance Center. They had it listed for only $3850. After trading in
my avalon. They gave me $400 for the old 97 XLS. Drove home the 430 for only $3636.18. So far this car is a dream to drive and no issues at all other then
some minor rust on the passenger door to get repaired in the coming months.

jayn

You looked at that very car? If so, they have had it a while.

Jkallinen

Never did go down to look at it, priced to high. Found better deals closer to home. They have had for a very long time and
they are seriously hoping to get that much for it. Actually it would been closer to home but the price differences kept me away.

Oh yes, this car has been on the market for a very long time. I started looking for mine back in October and it was listed back then.
No price change.

JffGRY706

pictures are from September last year, price is not too high, but no bargain. ecru interior is not available on that trim so my guess is that it is ash, (gray?) at that mileage the car has a lot of life left in it, but be wary of it being sitting a long time on that dealers lot. Offer $6,000 and go from there maybe. I would probably like to have it for $7,000 no more. it would be more if the timing belt and water pump have been done, but that is a $1,000 maintenance job looming in your future. good luck. also I am shocked at the interest rate they are offering, 6.9% seems very high to me. I just completed my loan of 4 years and my rate was 2.9% and I could have had 1.9% on a 36 month instead of 48 month loan. times they are a changing

lextout

food for thought folks, any used lexus on a ford, honda, chevy etc..dealership lot is more then likely gonna be in good shape as the bad shape trade ins are sent to the auction.

jayn

Thanks guys!

Sounds like if I can get it for the right price it could be a good buy.

Will keep you posted!

Bocatrip

Looks like a nice car. If service records check out you may have a nice car but move on it fast. Only downside (if it were me) are those ugly 16" wheels which do give a softer ride. Good luck.

2KHarrier

Yeah those really don't cut it on a car like this. I see LS's with the stock 16 inch wheels and it just doesn't look right.

tallcaguy

Nice car but there are 2 issues. First, the navigation (NAV) system is obsolete. The display can fail and it's expensive to fix (up to 650). If the display goes bad, it's hard to use heat/ac/stereo. A phone is much better. The second is the Mark Levinson stereo. Yes, it sounds great (I have one) but it's expensive to repair and impossible to upgrade. For instance, can't add aftermarket speakers (more options and a lot cheaper) w/o possibly damaging the amp. Amp costs 500 to repair.

A good alternative is a Premium model. Same super quiet reliable car w/o expensive headaches. For navigation, use a phone. Stock sound system is reliable and can be easily upgraded w/o costing a fortune. Need a back up cam? Easy aftermarket install. Whatever you do, get the service history! If someone's done a good job of maintaining the car, it will last a long time.

Agree on the 16's. Little rims on a big car just don't look good.

Bocatrip

With regards to the Nav. I haven't read a tremendous amount of threads about failures other than the reader going bad due to water getting in the trunk from a bad seal. Yes the audio system is cheap and speakers go bad and are pricey to replace especially rear sub. Still the base model is the way to go. 04-06 might look nicer but also have extra items that fail and are also costly. The saying is "less is more". Good luck.

Gronemus

The NAV system is certainly not very user friendly compared to the Garmin Zumo 550 that I've been using since 2005 and that the graphics are outdated compared to today's models and phones. That said, I still find having a large map display spread out in front of you to be very useful to have when navigating strange areas. Hardly makes it obsolete in my opinion.

If I were in the market for another LS430 I would still look for one with the NAV system and the ML sound system installed. I enjoy having these systems in my car.

As always, YMMV...

jayclapp

I agree. I am becoming old and obsolete, so the NAV and ML fit me fine! No intention to "upgrade".

warminwisc

I agree read very few nav problems since on site in 08. Really found little difference between premium stereo and MarK Levinson. Is there a difference?