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Hi everyone. Club Lexus newbie here and the inheritance of my mother's 2005 Lexus LS430 brings me here. She doesn't drive the car as often as she would like and we find it sits so long in the garage that we end up having to jump it (when we forget to put the battery tender on it) before we can take it out for a nice drive. While I absolutely adore the look of the car and the amazing attention to detail that Toyota put into it, I am admittedly a GM musclecar high performance man. Plus, the handling is too marshmallowy, graphic interface is too old, navigation is painful and the seats don't work with my tall, long legged frame. So it's time to let her go. Now I see all KINDS of price ranges for LS430's and researched KBB/NADA book values, I wanted to get some expert and enthusiasts' input before attempting to trade it in on something more to my liking. Yes, I am aware that the ultimate worth of the car is what a buyer is willing to pay and I'm willing to take, but I would like to have an idea of the vehicles rarity so that I can make an informed decision.
So here we go. It's a one owner (NJ dealer sales manager demo) 2005 LS43 with Ultra Luxury Package, sport wheels, black on saddle leather, and probably other stuff. The sticker is in the car, but as I recall it was loaded with an MSRP of about $78k. It was one of 2 with that spec available in the country when she bought in 2005. It was been garage kept since new until recently (NJ, NC, and now PA) because space was needed when she moved again. It has been regularly serviced by either the Lexus Dealer or local Toyota dealer bc the closest dealer to mom in NC was 60 miles away. Tires are about a year or so old and have MAYBE 3,000 miles on them. Interior is flawless from the suede headliner to the driver's seat and rear headrests. Rear seats massage, heat, cooling and mini fridge work beautifully. New in box factory car cover.
Thanks in advance
BAD: 1) It was involved in an accident and repaired by a certified Lexus Dealer's repair shop about 8 yrs ago. 2) One rear air shock in back may need to be replaced. A bit bouncy over bumps at speeds. 3) A few small chips and light scrapes in wheels from careless relatives driving mom who did low speed u-turns against the curb.
So how many were made and what kind of price range should I be looking at? Thanks in advance.
The saddle interior is quite rare as it was only available with the Custom Luxury or Ultra Luxury options. At any one time there may only be 1 or 2 for sale in the U.S. Some find it very desirable, so that helps with the value. It doesn't appear to have the Pre-Collision System.
Its stance seems a bit odd in the first photo, perhaps due to the air suspension issue. This is dicey and really should be addressed before marketing the car. Cost per corner seems to run up to $1500 or the whole thing can be converted to coils for about the same amount in total.
The saddle interior is quite rare as it was only available with the Custom Luxury or Ultra Luxury options. At any one time there may only be 1 or 2 for sale in the U.S. Some find it very desirable, so that helps with the value. It doesn't appear to have the Pre-Collision System.
Its stance seems a bit odd in the first photo, perhaps due to the air suspension issue. This is dicey and really should be addressed before marketing the car. Cost per corner seems to run up to $1500 or the whole thing can be converted to coils for about the same amount in total.
What was the extent of the crash damage?
It has pre collision, adaptive cruise, etc. I really don't remember the exact damage as we have had over 20 cars in the household in the span of time we've had this one and it happened in NC while I was still in NJ. It was superficial skin damage in the 1/4 area. I DO remember when I finally saw the completed work months later I had to have the pinstripe reapplied, some minor orange peel, and trunk pull down adjustment addressed by my personal go-to body and restoration shops in NJ.
Nice leather! Might or probably has some leather on the dash too?
There is no rarity or collectibility imho, that is reserved for SCs and Land Cruisers. But it does seem like a desirable example of the LS430, so should be close to top dollar imho...
Ah, ok, I see the PCS upon closer inspection. Unfortunately, that doesn't really impact the value one way or the other. The low mileage, however, is a big factor here.
If the service records are great (and the timing belt has been changed), an asking price of 15K on autotrader.com or the like with lots of photos would not be unreasonable if the suspension issue has been sorted.
My 2 cents: black on Saddle is a rather highly sought-after color combo, and the low mileage makes it a real winner. Timing belt is a big factor (replaced or not). As TriC already mentioned, the air suspension is an expensive fix. Agreed with Peacebay that $10k should be an absolute minimum.
Btw, I can confirm for you that this car does not have PCS (Pre-Collision System). PCS only came with Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, identifiable by a clear plastic plate over the logo in the grille. This car does have Dynamic Laser Cruise Control -- you can see the laser sensor next to the passenger side fog light
Beautiful car! If I didn't love mine so much, I'd be messaging you an offer
My 2 cents: black on Saddle is a rather highly sought-after color combo, and the low mileage makes it a real winner. Timing belt is a big factor (replaced or not). As TriC already mentioned, the air suspension is an expensive fix. Agreed with Peacebay that $10k should be an absolute minimum.
Btw, I can confirm for you that this car does not have PCS (Pre-Collision System). PCS only came with Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, identifiable by a clear plastic plate over the logo in the grille. This car does have Dynamic Laser Cruise Control -- you can see the laser sensor next to the passenger side fog light
Beautiful car! If I didn't love mine so much, I'd be messaging you an offer
Damn. Now I feel ripped off. Lol😄We wanted ALL the bells and whistles. Now I have to say ALMOST loaded.😊
You said that you were going to trade it in and that it's been in an accident. Even though it looks great and has a rare color combination I doubt that you'll get 10k for it. Maybe 8k.
Do you have a CarMax out by you? It costs nothing to have them appraise the car for you and this will give you a rough idea of what you might get by some other dealer. I think that you would have to sell it yourself for maximum value...
Damn. Now I feel ripped off. Lol😄We wanted ALL the bells and whistles. Now I have to say ALMOST loaded.😊
Thank you for all the positive feedback everyone.
The Takata scandal opened my eyes. Pretty sure my Maxima has on the sun visor that airbags must be inspected every 10 years. Anyway, with deaths occurring in Hondas, and BMW offering loaner cars to anybody (this was 2016 and my 2007 was included) indefinitely, I got the message it was serious. It made me think probably people are better off with the systems disabled, not enabled.
So an old pre collision system, who is to say it's working properly, I'd rather not have it at all (that's just me, again, the Takata made me think a disabled system is better than a malfunctioning one)...
The Takata scandal opened my eyes. Pretty sure my Maxima has on the sun visor that airbags must be inspected every 10 years. Anyway, with deaths occurring in Hondas, and BMW offering loaner cars to anybody (this was 2016 and my 2007 was included) indefinitely, I got the message it was serious. It made me think probably people are better off with the systems disabled, not enabled.
So an old pre collision system, who is to say it's working properly, I'd rather not have it at all (that's just me, again, the Takata made me think a disabled system is better than a malfunctioning one)...
Not encouraging to think that driving any LS430 can be hazardous in an accident scenario. I’m sure there are numerous Takata systems from different make older cars that have also not been recalled. Hopefully not all older systems are dangerous.
10-30-18, 10:25 PM
Rarity & Worth Question
