Whipitnow

My old Acura has an oil drip and I was watching some videos on this and changing some of the seals that go bad can be up to a 7+ hour job by the book. I got lucky and found the exact same car same color one year newer and it's mint so I bought it. My mechanic speacializes in older Jap cars specifically and is very well priced and very honest..

What he was telling me was Lexus would take a Toyota part and put it in a Lexus box and mark it up big time, that really pisses him off and he said Honda does not do that but I have no idea...

These cars are all over the place here in FL at a good price so I will start looking, My nephew bought a SC 430 coup 2007 and those are expensive compared to what the luxury cars bring. He does not realize what he has, they do not make cars that quality anymore from what I read and hear from people who work on them. His is mint with only 40 thou on it and he has it at his college not even covered. I am going to have to have a talk with him. I had no idea what it was and it's in with his generation and he got for 10 grand.

BCT

Not disagreeing with you here, but anyone who is looking into buying an LS need to understand that they do not start with year 1 like getting a new car. Yes LS is reliable, but they start with year 12 or older so many things may need to be replaced. Hopefully the car was taken care of so the list of items that need to be replaced is short.

imo this forum is awesome, full of helpful folks, and a big part of my consideration getting into LS. Pretty much any information is here, just need to search for it. tbh I am not sure I would get an LS 430 without this forum.

Longmire

That's funny you say that, because this forum is part of the reason I pulled the trigger on my recent 2001 LS430 purchase

I agree with you. As long as you realize it's a fairly old car, regardless of condition, I think they are well made cars.

Whipitnow

That is the thing that makes buying an old complex car like this not such a problem because all the people who have been kind enough to fill in the gaps on how to keep them running affordably.... If you had to take it to the dealer forget it!

I have been looking at some of these old Lexus's and I had no idea how well they were made, this is a whole level above Honda for sure but I am sure more pricey for parts as well....

Are any of the other Lexus drive trains as good as the V8 trains I am looking at ? I was looking at a Tacoma that had 1 million miles on it and relatively little work done on the motor just some timing chains....

Again Thanks..............

Johnhav430

Again when I was looking, an Audi A8 with 20k less miles (my LS430 was purchased with 81k), and costing $13k more brand new, was about $2000 cheaper. Of course I would rather drive the A8.

Seeing as I have owned my car 2 years now (wow time flies), and really nothing went wrong except 2 park sensors went bad (and yes driver door actuator already faulty but dealer fixed for free). What are the chances the Audi would have done that?

One thing going for the LS430 is it's an older person's car, let's face it. One reason is original price, the other is the type of car it is (really zero handling capabilities, floaty like a yacht). The person who fits the demographic of the LS likely has money, takes care of the vehicle at the dealership, and really has no reason to abuse it. imho that's why many examples that were 1-2 owners, likely were problem-free for the 3rd owner...

(as a fantasy I am eyeing up '15 S550's CPO (a bit over what I think is reasonable but not first year, and '16 way too much), and wondering, what happens if a person buys one? People who have owned them through work tell me what happens is a regular and ongoing relationship with the dealer ensues)

aufenscuht

Based on my assessment of this car and owning over one hundred and fifty others, I can tell you that Toyota IS more reliable than Honda. For at least the last twenty five years. Honda had issues with transmissions, tend to have some VVT leakage- this is subjective though-any old car can and will leak. The Toyota engines above a four cylinder tend to be leak monsters at times. Across the board, they are reliable. This particular car is complex. Not as bad as a 7 series BMW, but there are some things that make you go "WTF". If you discover a leaking cam seal while doing the timing belt, I found in my experience that the cam has to come off to install the seal. It will not stretch over the phaser or sling over it like most cars. Some parts are hard to find. Seat filters, rubber trim parts, and some other odds and ends. I am a service writer for a shop and have access to a lot of parts houses and great technicians. This is just my experience. The car rides and runs better than my 17 Jetta with 15000 miles, currently right at 190,000. I have went crazy on this car in terms of repairs and getting her into an above good shape. I am very happy with the Lexus. It is not near as yachty as a panther body car, but is also more complex. Offers many upsides over those cars as well. If you are comparing Euros-the next best thing is a Benz. I am a BMW guy, but unfortunately those and the Audi's can be a handful to maintain. Also the software is available mostly through dealers unless your indie has an autel device or such.

Johnhav430

imho Toyota products are about compromise. The ordinary person actually can't afford to spend time fixing their car, they need to get to work. Some people like myself, are fortunate enough to have more than one car. If one is down, another is available. This is not so uncommon in the northeast, where there can be 2 adults in a household, and 5-6 cars (kinda stupid but reality).

I have the BMW dealership software, I needed it to replace my ABS pump. It's not a big deal, it's how the German car culture works, it's passed around for free online. Personally, I am reluctant to fool around with coding (people who are serious and of course shops, keep the vehicle on a clean power supply while doing coding--bricking the DME is pretty scary--such power supplies are easily $500 for starters and too rich for my blood (alternative is a RV converter that can be plugged into a AC outlet, but one needs a 20 amp receptacle, another cost). This level of complexity is really non-existent with the LS430. The LS430 is very likely set it, and forget it, even at 10+ y.o.

aufenscuht

Bingo sir.

ArmyofOne

Best car ever built? That's subjective.

Most reliable car ever built? Possibly. It ranks right up there with the Mercedes diesel's of old, and the 12v Cummins Diesel of the 90's. The powertrain, if taken care of, is almost indestructible. But again, it is all relative. I have seen pristine examples of the LS with 5, 6, and even 700,000 miles, and I have seen some that looked and drove like they had been through the ringer with 60k on 'em. It's all in how the owner took care of the car.

Find an owner that cares about his car. Washes it, waxes it, fixes broken parts as they break. If you drive it and it clunks, rattles or squeaks, don't buy it till its fixed. They are cars, they will break and age with time. But given the proper care, mileage is almost not a factor.

Whipitnow

I am like 6 ft 5 and very long legs so this is a good fit ? the one thing about the car and I have amfeeling this is why they are not that expensive is looks. I could care less I just want a good road car that is reliable but Lexus should have gone a little less with the perfect Aero's and built a little more style into the look?

Johnhav430

The coefficient of drag was one of the founding four tenets of Lexus from inception. Also, it doesn't mean that much lol because look at the frontal area of a 2001-2006. The megapixel conundrum, if you will, where man wants a single number with which he can judge goodness. .26 is pretty da** good, but totally missing the other factor in calculating drag. My pet peeves are the Corolla window switches, that could easily have been corrected, and the da** wire that runs from the rain sensor into the headliner, totally cheap. Germans would never do that--they go the extra mile on aesthetics.

jayclapp

Drag coefficient is everything regarding the particular design model. You can scale the model and the drag coefficient remains the same. That means that you can evaluate a particular model (be it an airplane or car) in a wind tunnel and determine the drag coefficient. Of course the drag changes with the size. Think of sticking your hand out the window of car with your palm vertical. You can feel the drag (force) on your hand. Now consider trying to hold a flat 12" x 12" board cut to scale your hand, and see if you can even hold it vertically outside of a moving car at the same speed.

A car with a lower Cd is more stable and provides improved fuel efficiency than one with a higher Cd.

Johnhav430

48 megapixels is better than 24, but you only need 6 generally to enlarge a pic to 8x10", which is a pretty large pic. It's a marketing strategy. The car only goes what 130, while a 4 cyl. Porsche Boxster S can go 177 and has a cd of .32.

Reminded me of an older gentleman (I was only 28 at the time) who put his MBA on his office door? We were all laughing, usually one does not do that (we all had MBAs and were much younger, ours are in a drawer somewhere). I know this is snooty, but at the time, we were like please, it's from a state university (standards have changed, today my 90th percentile HS SATs are like 60th at a state university, and wouldn't qualify me for the schools I went to).

Whipitnow

Are there any other cheap parts on the car ? so if you go to Toyota and get the window switch is it cheaper than Lexus ? and if so how many parts can you save money on by going with the tyota part ? Are the cars real tire sensitive, the RL likes Michelin and when put other tires on it it was a major change for the worse........

aufenscuht

You may have an issue with your left leg. The well for the space to put your leg is not german in design at all. The dead pedal is just a corner, nothing to write home about. I am 6'0, and that bothers me. Humorously, the gas pedal is designed JUST like a german.