I bought mine about a month ago, so some of these still fresh in my mind. A few things to check yourself, and maybe can use these as items to negotiate the price:
- Register yourself at Lexus.com. Plug in the vin#, you can see service history if done at the dealer. Get a carfax or similar report to check for past accidents.
- 04-06 has LED taillight. I would imagine broken taillight is not going to be cheap to replace.
- How many keys does it come with? Master or valet key (missing the trunk button)?
- How are the tires look? Are they good brand name tires, like Michelin, or some cheap no name brand? Tires are not cheap if you have to replace all four.
- There is a button to open the trunk, it is to the right of the license plate, under the plastic trim. It is known the rubber melted on some of them, including on mine.
- Check steering wheels, go up and down, forward and backward
- Check mirrors. Up and down, left and right, fold and un-fold
- Check both front seats. Try all of the buttons, up and down, forward and backward etc
- Turn on sound system. The subwoofer in the rear deck is known to be blown. If you hear distortion in the sound, it is blown.
- Open all windows and sunroof. Make sure all glass are original
- Turn on all lights, and make sure they works. It helps to have someone with you outside the car while you are in the driver seat turning them on and off.
- I have not dealt with car dealer for a while. I do know they add fees here and there. Is $6,500 the final price, or will he add fees, taxes etc. You need to check if that is good price or not for that year and miles.
- If the dealer has already reduce the price before you negotiate, then sounds like he is motivated to move that car. I would make sure it looks good, then start my offer very low, like $5500 or even lower if there are things that need to be fixed. I would make a list and show it to him. I also make sure I have cash ready to close the deal and let him know I am serious about it, and that if he waste my time I would walk away happily (I do not need this car). I doubt there is a big demand for 11 yr old base LS430.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

That's about the right money for the year/mileage.

 

right off the bat, the brake fluid looks black. That's one of my barometers on how the vehicle was cared for (I think that nobody here would let that happen, and it could take 5 yrs. to get like that). So to me it might indicate that all fluids were not attended to? Any record of tranny, rear diff, coolant, drain/fills? At any rate I would use that to get the price into the 5's....my .02...

(as tricky as car dealers are, sometimes I wonder why don't they just do a turkey baster method of making the brake fluid appear to be fresh? They always shine up the plastics and interior--I'm not saying to go as far as pinching off the coolant reservoir and filling with fresh coolant, to hide blown head gaskets like what happened to Nick on YouTube!)

 

Looks to be in good condition for it's age. Keep in mind any car with 170k will have little issues here and there. When you have your PPI done just remember you don't have to do everything at once (TB/WP change, fluid changes, etc) the dealer will make it seem like you need all these items immediately ($$$).

 

Has a timing belt sticker on the air intake tube... what was the date and mileage? For $6500, you will have a car that will give you years of faithful service without issue. Even if you have to drop $1k or so to bring it up to snuff, it wouldn't be bad. If you're mechanically inclined, these cars are very easy to work on and parts are pretty reasonable for the most part. Pretty much every repair has been covered on this wonderful forum, just search first before asking questions. You'll also see plenty of owners here who have high mileage examples.

GL.

 

Battery posts are missing plastic cover. I believe there should also battery hold - metal that secure the battery from flopping around in that corner. I can not remember if the battery itself has a plastic cover - wife is driving the car, so I can not check.

 

good point the sleeve is gone. Many seem to toss it upon battery replacement. I think that was a costly mistake on my part with my Maxima--the battery gassed over the years and my front left fender corroded as a result.

 

check windshield to see if it is a Lexus windshield (worth over $1,000) or a replacement cheap Chinese glass.

 

You need to check all of the door lock actuators as well. They are common to go out.

To me, $6,500 with that kind of mileage, no Nav which means no ML stereo, curb surfed wheels, rear tail light replacement, the need for a Timing soon, plus some things we can't see....I think that's going to be top dollar IMO. If you can get it to where you have about $8K in it will all that stuff fixed then you'll be doing decent, not a smoking deal but a decent deal.

 

$6500 is very little money for a well taken care of LS430. Be prepared at 170,000 miles bigger items are on the horizon and nothing on this car in inexpensive. Start saving while you are enjoying your car. Good luck.