I tend to agree here, especially with the issue of snow. If I were still living up north where there is snow, the last car I'd want to own is any rear wheel drive. FWD helps but 4WD would be the way to go.

 

we get a ton of snow here and the LS is surprisingly a very good winter car. In my earlier days all i did was drive rear wheel drive cars. Not that hard to compensate for slippage. Monte Carlo, Mazda RX-7, Cutlass Supremes. I was worried about this car in the winter as well. I have winter tires on another set of rims and the car performs very well. Not overly happy with the winter tires (which was part of the purchase price) when i bought the car. It would be better served with some Blizzaks or another high end winter tire than what was sold to me. Maybe i'll swap out this year, maybe not. At the end of the day, we get temps down to -35C all the way up to -10C for most of Dec-Feb. Car performs well in these temps.

 

Hey man, I'm also in Ontario (Toronto) and I've been perusing the LS classifieds for quite some time. $7,500 is way too high for an '01-03 car, especially with rust and that mileage. If I were you, I'd go for an '04-06 car, they're harder to come by but a vast improvement. Six speed automatic over the '01-'03's five-speed, and tons of refinements overall. Also, these cars rust from the inside out, so if there's rust on the body, there is a ton hidden underneath that you can't see until it's too late.

My previous LS 400 had this issue - the body was nearly mint, but the subframe was pretty much gone, and rust was creeping out from some odd places. I paid $6,500ish for my fully sorted 2004 Ultra Lux, and it had brand new brakes, tires, plugs; everything was mostly sorted. I put about 20,000km on it before I did a timing belt/water pump job ($700 CAD). Depending on where you are in Ontario, the best Lexus/Toyota independent may be within driving distance (he's in Mississauga).

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions - my reasons for buying the car are fairly similar to yours and I'm about a year ahead of you with research. I've owned my 430 Ultra since October and am fairly familiar with all of the quirks and issues. Happy to help or even help you shop!

 

Thanks again for everyone's input to date. The RWD aspect doesn't really bother me for winter you really more need a good set of winter tires than anything.

Thank you for the valuable info on the rust. I will definitely keep that in mind. I would prefer to get a refresh year model. I have been reading into the differences and it does sound like it's worth to hold out for it but ultimately it will depend on mileage and service history regardless of year. I live in Brantford, ON. From what i've seen on kijiji and autotrader the listings look pretty dry at the moment. Any help would be much appreciated!

 

RWD shouldn't bother you. Before my LS 430 I had an LS 400, and they rock on winter tires. Nothing really can stop me, and the only time I've gotten one stuck is when I high-centered it on a mound of snow on the bottom of my driveway. You should be fine with a good set of winter rubber.

 

RWD is preferable, to me. However, there are endless debates on if AWD or RWD is better, some RWD fans might even cheat a little and claim that RWD with 4 snows is better than anything. Well, no, it is not better than AWD with 4 snows lol

I got caught by an early 2" snow storm last year where I hadn't put my snows on yet, still had the A/S on. The LS430 was a mess, I almost got stuck blocking an intersection. The snow button is useless. So imho it's crucial that one invest in 4 snows if you get snow.

That annoying whining sound that the Xice Xi3's are making at 25+ mph is the soft rubber wearing away and the traction goodness....terrible in rain and on dry pavement, necessary for snow.

 

pick up the proper winter tires and this car has no problem. i WOULD NOT use the stock Primacy for winter!

 

The actuator for the UL cars is easier because the case is screwed rather than glued together. You'll still need to pry it open (and it won't open all the way) but it's enough to grab the motor; pull the plastic thingy off and replace. Takes all of 30 seconds once you get all the screws out.

It's annoying to get out but way beats the $900 retail cost.

I've only driven in heavy rain but between all the traction control systems I have to agree the car is remarkably stable in bad weather. I suppose there are always snow tires or chains if it gets really bad.

 

i hope you're right on the screws in the actuator case as that would be way better than trying to zip tie and clamp and epoxy it all back together so it doesn't get loose. Will tackle it in the AM before the 87 degree heat hits.

My car is exceptional in the rain and wet weather. I truly didn't think tires made a huge difference so i've always purchased tires that were mid to low end for all my cars except for my 1985 RX-7which had Bridgestone Potenza on them, but i was so young i didn't know differences between good and bad tires. With the Blizzaks that i put on my wife SR5 Sequoia it was already night and day driving in the snow and ice, and with the Lexus just running through heavy rain and really wet highway conditions it's worth it to me to spend $250-$300 a tire now just for the performance.

 

I have an LS430 with 178,000 KM on it biggest problems were door locks and mirrors which through the help of this group I was able to do myself minimum cost. previous owner did timing belt and shocks at 100,000 car runs fantasticly