Jabberwock

6 owners - seriously? - I'd run pretty fast in the other direction.

tallcaguy

Agree JW. Don't even think about it. If you're on a budget, there are good high mileage LS's. Drove one the other day w/ 171. Ran and looked perfect. One owner, full dealer service records. Toy dealer sold for 7k. Non CA private sale?? Comments anyone?

fenixnano

OK... alarm accepted...
so how about a high mileage but well maintained one?
all the maintenance was did according to the lexus schedule, and always use synthetic oil.
this one claim that it doesn't burn oil yet, but still 300k miles is pretty serious mileage...... so I doubt if the engine would be wear out no matter how well maintained?

the price is like 1000 or 1500 less than an ordinary 170k/200k mile one. would that sounds a deal or alarm?
and after 2 years, would there be any value left for a 330k mile lexus? I check KBB and it give some $1500 for tradein price....

it's also funny that while I'm looking at a 250k mile toyota avalon I thought it's quite OK since toyota have cheap repair cost, but for Lexus I don't have a clue how serious it would be if the engine or transmission do breakdown.

Bob04

While that $25K number might seem high to some, 360,000 miles about 24 years of driving for the average person at 15,000 a year. So, that really just $1,000 a year. Not bad at all for a high-end luxury car.

Johnhav430

My in-laws are like this, sometimes, it gets old....they did buy their first new car, a 2016 CR-V. But they have stuff like a '99 Odyssey, a '05 CR-V, and dunno '06 Volvo, a '95 Z3, used to have a '01 A6, and a '99 Passat. They are constantly fixing something, rock auto, blah blah blah, but it kinda gets old. They get satisfaction in getting a car for $4k, and driving it until the end. I think it makes sense since at least one car sits at the train station 12 hrs./day, 5 days wk. But to have so many old cars is a lot. They got complaints from neighbors that they're running an auto repair business, just last week cop came by and said let me see reggies for all of these cars. Doesn't matter 4 are in the driveway, town ordinance....

Guess what I'm saying is sometimes it would be nicer to get a car used, with lesser miles....even Japanese cars are not necessarily problem free at 250k....my .02

JffGRY706

don't want to scare anybody, but I am still nervous about a starter replacement that takes 10 hours of labor and costs more than a timing belt job. it could total a high mileage 2001 in a few years.

Johnhav430

Excellent point, this ain't like my Maxima where you get 2 bad starters out of the box, return them, install a 3rd, and say shucks they don't build them like they used to. Imagine DIY and having the replacement part fail even under warranty.....I would argue lots of replacement parts (remanuf) are junk today....

fenixnano

how long should the starter last?
actually I checked the record and the started was replaced at 2006 and 120k miles. so the starter have some 200k miles and 10 years on it now.
so does the ball joint. (how long does ball joints last? )

the lower control arm and bushing was replaced pretty recently (at 300k miles ).

warminwisc

I have put on 250k on 2 never had a starter issue but I do alot of hwy miles Why 10 hours Pull the engine sounds quicker

LS430FL

I think after reading on this forum for a number of years it truly is a hit or miss with maintenance on these cars. Prior to upgrading to a 460, I had two LS430's. The first one was a 2001 that I drove from 80K miles and got rid of it at 185K miles. I never did one thing to that car for the 3.5 years of ownership other than oil changes, brakes by myself one time and the timing belt at 90K miles. Never spent a penny on fixing a problem. Then I traded that car for an 06 430. Same story there. Got it with 20K miles kept it for 3.5 years and did nothing but normal oil changes twice a year. My 460 is another story there are some more issues there but I always found my 430's VERY reliable and sometimes think about getting another low mileage one as a spare car because they are such great cars. If I had a young teen I would totally recommend one. They are fairly problem free, and big safe cars. Only thing working against you is they are not getting any younger so things start to wear out then it is your choice if you choose to fix them or just drive the car and accept it for what it is.

Bob04

My 460L was a nightmare. The 460 was too much of a departure from the 400/430 formula. If someone had debadged it and given me one before it was released to the public, I would have never guessed it was the successor to the 430, or even made by Toyota/Lexus. It's like they threw out everything and started over. Big mistake on their part. From the King of the luxury market Hill to basically an afterthought within a few years. Revolution when they only needed evolution. Unfortunately, a revolt also came from buyers.

fenixnano

actually I've also heard that LS430 have better reliability than LS460.

for LS430, would you think KBB price be reasonable?
I searched craigslist and nearly all local sellers of LS430 are marking the price maybe 1000 or 2000 higher than KBB suggestion.
I'm not sure if KBB is making a non-accurate estimation for old lexus?
for example, a one-owner 2003 LS430 with 130k miles asks for 8200. while kbb suggestion is 6000 for "very good condition" or 5500 for good condition.

which one sounds more fair and reasonable?

Johnhav430

I think the original should last a long time, it's the remanuf and rebuilt, or even the "new" ones that are or could be junk....that's why I was told always rebuild your original (I have never tried).

Again, this seems like a very much above avg. reliability car, so it's not a question of maintenance, maybe more of what needs to be repaired. I've been problem free for almost 13k and 9 mos.....

The Maxima was such an easy DIY job that it's conceivable to eat the labor of DIY when the part is faulty...doesn't seem like the 3UZ would be...

Johnhav430

I think kbb is more reasonable. A person just bought a 2005 for 12.x, and it had 67,000, and was from a dealership......

Johnhav430

Wonder if the new one is more of the same? The design to me is getting more and more aggressive, rather than plain or understated. Seems like the European flagships are moving in the opposite direction, more plain on the outside, but quite luxurious on the inside....