biosurfer1

I found a potential winner in my search, but thought I'd get some 2nd opinions:

2006 LS 430, 83,000 miles, 2 owner.
Mercury Metallic paint over Ash interior leather.
According to the VIN decoder, it is optioned with 18" wheels, Modern Luxury and smart key.
They are asking $12k, which seems a bit strong from what I have seen. There are no maintenance records, however Carfax shows it has been maintained at the dealership so I might be able to get more info from them, especially regarding the TB/WP

I only have a couple pictures on my phone and looks pretty clean, but am waiting for more.

Known issues:
CD Changer does not work
Small scratch on rear bumper
small scratch on lower driver door
Some curb rash on wheels
Wood trim on dash is cracking

I can't tell if the car has air suspension or not, one of the VIN decoders says "Independent double wishbone suspension-inc: coil springs, gas-pressurized shock absorbers" and another says "Suspension Type - Front: Air, Independent, Independent" I haven't been around long enough to know which is which.

I'll post pics when I get them but going on the info I have, what do you think?

Vantage007

That's REALLY high for a car that isn't mint. Also, easy way to tell if it has air is if there are buttons near the heated seat controls for "Height high/normal" and "Sport/Comfort".

biosurfer1

That was my feeling too... It's at a dealership so not sure how much they will negotiate but I plan on pointing out everything wrong if I decide to move forward.

I don't have pictures of the dash yet but I was trying to see the button you're talking about, hopefully more detailed photos will clear up the confusion.

biosurfer1

Well just double checked and I did get some pics, looks good but pictures cover up a lot. No air suspension so that's a plus in my book.

biosurfer1

BCT

You need to register at Lexus.com. Then enter the vin number. If it has been maintained at the dealership, then you can see the records online.

TriC

It looks like a pretty nice car, so the dealer's asking price does not really seem out of line. An actual purchase price in the range of $10,500 to $11,000 would probably be as good as you could do here and would be fair. Prices on quality LS 430s appear to be holding steady or even increasing at present. The Modern Luxury option (the most common package) did not include air suspension.

Johnhav430

Price is high, but I love the mileage. That car won't have an air suspension--no buttons, and no headlight washers are clues.

At that mileage, you are totally safe to do 3 tranny drain/fills. I bet the coolant is low as people seem to go by the 10 yr. / 120k, meaning it totally gets forgotten since 10 years is the first time it is officially addressed.

Also at 81k you know there is a timing belt job based on mileage, but also expired by time, so I would factor that in. Either the seller can drop $900 for it (it's 1/2 the Lexus price and you can get it done at an indie for that), or they can try to sell it to somebody else who doesn't know any better. I say $10k minus $900 or $9100 if no accidents.

05ls430518

iTrader: (1)

That is hella expensive for a mediocre car I would pass and find one that is in much better condition.

biosurfer1

Thanks for the tip on registering on Lexus.com for the maintenance logs. I did that and unfortunately, there are none. Looking at the Carfax, it seems to have been maintained at a Toyota dealership so I'm guessing Lexus wouldn't have those records. A lot of the records just say "Vehicle Serviced" which doesn't mean a damn thing, and all of the other records are just typical things like oil changes, tire rotations and a couple alignments.

The sales person I've been talking with is already giving me the typical "We're getting a lot of calls about this car, better hurry in" and "We took the problems into consideration and it's priced correctly" BS. I worked at a couple dealerships all through college so none of that bothers me, mostly because I know it's not true. The one thing I do know is the car has only been on the lot a week so any kind of deep discount is out the window for now, they are still hoping someone without knowledge shows up. I'll check it out this weekend and see how things go, but I'm not very optimistic.

TriC

FYI - Toyota records sometimes do show up on the Lexus records. Just guessing that this may be a recent thing. Example: my timing belt was changed last November at a local Toyota store and the service promptly appeared on the Lexus website.

LS430FL

That's a modern luxury which was what my second LS had. To be honest great car but there were some things I missed like power door closer and the extra leather in places the custom luxury and UL have but the modern luxury didn't have. The paint issues I find acceptable for a car that is 13 years old. I can't say I have ever seen or heard of an LS430 with cracking dash wood. Steering wheel cracking is very common almost all LS430's have that but dashboard to me sounds very strange and I have looked at tons of Ls430s hearing that is a first. It's worth a look but if anything else is wrong I would probably pass and hold out for another car.

biosurfer1

You're absolutely right, I meant the steering wheel, don't know why I typed dash (maybe because dash cracking is so common in the Porsche world where I come from)

It looks like the car was serviced at the same Toyota dealership for both previous owners. I will give them a call but I doubt I'll get much more info on the car than is already on Carfax, and I would think if the timing belt and water pump had been done, it would have been noted.

One thing I've learned in the automotive world is "low mileage" and "well maintained" and not the same thing, and I get the feeling this dealership thinks they are.

Bocatrip

It might just be me, but the shade of the steering wheel does not match the wood from the rest of the interior. Seems much lighter. Also, since service records totally equate to the value of any LS430 purchase, I would think long and hard on this one as its far from a steal. Without service records, it only shows that the owner was not as diligent as the Lexus owner all of us want to purchase from. Miles are good, but our cars can easilty rack up thousands in repairs for items that are not working propertly such as door actuators, rear subwoofer, oxogen sensors, wheel bearing hubs, and of course the notorious steering wheel motor issue. Good luck and let us know how you make out. Don't let emotions rule your decision making. You are spending alot and want a good car. Without service records you are in no man's land.

Johnhav430

I'm not sure I totally agree about records.....my car had Lexus service every 5k up until 40k. Then, absolutely nothing through 81k. Now I am at 115k, didn't have any problems, and there would be almost no records as well through 115k, except the annual PA state inspection and one coolant and brake flush since I did it at a dealer. The thing that I would find undesirable is more than 2 owners. Even 3 is a deal-breaker for me. And some clearly disagree with that as well. There was a 5 owner car at Cherry Hill a while back and everyone loved it, and the dealer stated best LS430 in North America. Me? I wouldn't have touched it with a 10' pole. Yet it was gone in <7 days....hard to say these cars are pretty old so case-by-case basis.

I think what I would really want to do is to see how long I could test drive the vehicle. 2 hours, or overnight, I want to test drive it like I own it, that is to drive it on errands and uncover anything. I made the mistake of doing a very short test drive, and sure enough I picked up my car and the brakes pulsated and the door actuator was busted. Luckily the GMC dealer made good on those, they could have s****** me....next time I would uncover those things ahead of time....