Hi all. I'm new to the forum. I don't own a Lexus but I am considering a used one. I can't afford a new one Anyway, I saw a 2004 LS430 for sale for $7900 with 152000 miles on it. I here about Lexus reliability and wondered if it would be something that could be a good buy. I've also seen a 94 LS400 with 116000 on it. This is something that is going to be a daily driver for at least two or three years. So it has to be reliable. I'll put about 20000 to 25000 on it a year. The car physically is beautiful. But that doesn't mean much if its crap mechanically. What do you guys think?

 

I dont think you can beat these cars in reliability. When you roll in the design, quality and current prices they are very hard to beat. Mechanically understand that there is a timing belt. But otherwise it may be an oddball part here or there because of the overall age, but 300k miles is not unusual for the LS.

Its been a great car for me in the brutal midwest weather for 5 years now. Dont regret the car for a second!

 

imho, one of the contributing factors towards the vehicles lasting, is the profile of the folks who bought them new, and even as the second owner. They tend to be folks who don't necessarily drive fast or push the vehicles etc. My guess is many of them simply took the car to the Lexus dealer every 5k, because Lexus told them to. You and I would never do that, but some cars got that treatment. These days, I don't know how to be politically correct so that's all I can say. So for me, as inaccurate as Carfax can be, if I saw more than 2 owners, I'd look for one that only had 2, or even 1, owner. And my hunch is with these cars? It's time, not mileage, that might someday take them off the road. But it seems that 200k is a given, and 300k is a likelihood...

 

I've owned several high end used cars over the years, iv'e been a car guy for a long time. I'm also a thrifty sort. My recently purchased LS430 UL is my second Lexus. I've also owned the big German brands, namely M/B and Porsche.
Used luxury cars can be an expensive nightmare. Two factors, one being the initial quality of the car new, and the second factor being the care taken by it's owners, combined with the environment.
It's my opinion that the LS430 is among the very best deals extant today. What you want off any candidate you are considering is the VIN number. Get the service records, check the carfax, number of owners is important. I'm OK with no more than 2 owners. Esp. in luxury cars the first owner is often a short term lease of 2-4 years, followed by a long term owner. Thus 2 owners is often OK.

In my opinion Toyota makes the best cars on the road today, and the LS430 was their best work.

 

Agree - The key to finding a really nice reliable LS430 is not necessarily low mileage, but rather the critical issue is to find a garage kept 1 or 2 owner very well maintained car.

A well cared for example will look, feel, and drive very differently from a dirty worn beater version of the exact same car even with same miles. Interesting to me is that until you see a couple of really nice super clean LS430s it can be tough to tell when you are looking at a beater.

One important clue I have always relied on is the condition of the headlights. Look at the lights and lenses extremely carefully and closely. In a super clean garage kept car the lights and lenses will look brand new (and not just freshly polished and clear coated).

 

https://www.usaveautoauction.com/inventory.aspx?S=2004%20Lexus%20LS%20430%20Automatic%204%20door%20Car%20White
that's the car. Hopefully that link works . So you all think the mileage is fine?

 

At higher mileage, you will need to go through these forums and understand the common issues that come up and how to stay on top of maintenance (very easy). Then you need to check the maintenance history to see which items have and have not been taken care of. Practically all maintenance and common fixes can be done in your driveway without air tools or any special tools. I find all mechanical and maintenance items on the LS430 easier than on most other cars. I read through the factory service manuals for a few other cars (Mercedes, BMW, American manufacturers) and I find the LS430 to be much better from an engineering/design point of view.

In my 10 years of owning the Ultra Luxury model (dual AC, air suspension etc), the only items that need specialized tools (and therefore a dealership or independent shop visit) were repairing the high pressure AC line going to the rear AC unit (need refrigerant, compressor oil, and the tools to replace the line), and rear wheel hub replacement (need a special tool to press in the dust deflector properly).

If I saw a high mileage LS430 with immaculate, detailed service records, I would go for it. In Canada, CarFax records aren't as good as CarProof. I would want the seller to have receipts or an Excel file detailing the maintenance performed.

 

Thank you . I'll check into it . The car is being sold by a car lot so I'm not sure what kind of records they might have on it. I did see there was a recall on the transmission and something else that I don't remember.

 

You know how when you get a new job offer, that is the only time you can really negotiate the salary (after that it usually takes a new employer to get a subsequent large bump)? I feel the same when you are buying a used car, at least from a new car dealer. If you feel it needs new brakes, and you want OE not cheap aftermarket parts. If you think it's time for a TB/WP job (this is rare but afflicts LS430s). If the door actuator is broken or going to break (seems to be all LS430s at some point), etc. The time to ask for the price to include these things, is prior to taking delivery. I did not. But got lucky that the GMC dealer that sold me the car was willing to do it days after the sale.

 

Actually at 150k and 15 years (possibly 16), he's approaching the second TB/WP job. I think this is a nice enough car, but you could do better for $7,200. The seats seem really worn down; my car has more mileage and the seats (including the driver's) look like they've never been sat in. I see interior condition as an indicator of how the car has been previously maintained. I'm sure you can find a 2004-2006 LS430 in California with less mileage for about the same money or less.

 

I'm going to keep looking around . I thought this would be a good place to start to educate myself. All the feed back has been really great and I appreciate it all . I saw a 94 LS400 with 116000 on it for $3000 . But the owner added coilovers and lowered the car . It has some oxidation and the interior looks like it's in ok shape . But being that it's lowered kinda makes me think it was probably driven pretty hard . You don't see lowered cars driving slow lol. Plus being lowered who knows how many times it bottomed out . But I'll keep looking and if I have any more questions I'll definitely ask here you guys are great. Thanks again !!

 

So you are looking at 14 yr old car with 150K, and planning to drive to 200K or so. Right away you are looking at the second timing belt and water pump service (~$1K) at 180K miles, and probably all 4 shocks if they have not been replaced. Plus consumables like tires, brakes, gas, oil etc.

While LS is reliable, due to age and miles parts will need to be replaced, so LS will not have the cheapest operating cost. Especially if you drive a lot (imho it got great mpg for a big car) you can do a lot better mpg with Corolla or Camry. Not trying to scare you from getting an LS, good luck

 

Lol yeah I've been looking at Camrys too . I'm not stuck on a Lexus, but I'm staying open . Thanks

 

You can get a well sorted LS430 for $10k or less and have the ultimate highway cruiser. For the price, nothing comes close to the comfort or the power of the LS430. Maintenance is very easy on these cars and almost everything has already been documented on this forum, aka, search before you ask.

Good luck with your search.

 

^Couldn't have said it better myself.