bud13

I was driving thru a small town and there was a small independent used car lot off the road. My eye caught a glimpse of a car that I had to see. It was a 2004 LS430, all silver. I stopped and started looking at it and it was in great shape inside as well as outside. I then noticed there were a few buttons on the center dash in front of the shifter. That rang a bell, so I went to the back seat and pulled the armrest down. There they were, all the whistles and bells that make this car the one I have been looking for. The odometer shows 90,200 MI. The car looked new inside and out. Soon the owner came out to greet me and I asked him if he could tell me all about this car. He said it was a Toyota and it has a lot of stuff. How much $ are you asking for it? He said how much would pay for it? I said $6,000. He said he would take $6,200 for it. I drove it around, looked it all over and everything worked. so I bought it. Got it home, the drive was pretty much the same as My 02 MB S430, except it felt smaller. Both of them are great cars, but I have always wanted a Lexus 430 with all the stuff. Got it!. Took it to my servicer back home and they went all thu it and replaced the TB and water pump and did oil and all the filters. I have never seen a car with so many filters. We found 10 by my count, including the oil filter. I think I got a pretty good deal and my friend that was with me, drove the MB back home for me, is thinking about buying the MB. I am not sure yet. I am learning more about the Lexus from this forum then I did on the MB forum. I still have a ton of questions I'm sure I will get answers for from all of you over time.

caddylover

nice grab! I love my UL. I have 192000 miles and drives like new.

ebxgsxr

wow, $6200 and it only has 90+ k on the odometer? that's an awesome find.

bud13

I have always been a Caddy or Mercedes owner and my '02 S430, with only 136k needed some high $$ stuff done to it, again. I was reading an article about how the Toyota people made a copy of an S class MB, made it better, more reliable and a lot less expensive than the MB. I decided to look into it more and everyone I talked with convinced me that it was the way to go. The Lexus had everything the MB had. Air ride, 4.3 V8, plus more, for a lot less. Most people I knew that had them told me the 2004 was the way to go. So I looked all over and all that I could find were too high on mileage, needing bodywork, or half the equip was in need of repair so I just kept driving the MB until I found this one about 160 miles from home and there it was. The MB is now for sale. I am really impressed with the LS 430. I have seen them ever since they came out but just looked at them as an overpriced Toyota. I failed to receive a memo about these great cars.

Duck05

What a great “get” for the price and mileage (even without the TB/WP maintenance). Congrats!

2KHarrier

Great deal on that 'Yota....

Ellesse

Coming out of a w220 into a lexus is going to be a pleasant surprise in terms of maintenance spend, if nothing else!

biosurfer1

Pics or it didn't happen

bud13

Don't know why I am doing this...........

oldkystude

We have never owned a car that we have loved more than our 2004 LS Ultra. At 180000 miles it is still a joy especially on long trips. As a retired mechanic I can take care of most items that come up but it would be very expensive if I had to rely on a dealer. It’s a 15 year old car with LOTS of extra features to break. This forum is invaluable to me. I expect to drive it till the day I hang historic vehicle plates on it, drive it in parades and upgrade to a later LS for a daily driver.

bud13

Do you have something to contribute?

Bocatrip

An absolutely amazing find. Amazing how you found it and what a price! You are a true hero on this forum my friend!

bud13

I have had it about a month now and am feeling better and better every day that I made the right choice. I also feel very comfortable driving it and I find that the seats are really more comfortable than the Mercedes. Even tho, I read somewhere, that it was a direct copy of the MB S class, it does not feel as big, but it actually handles better than the MB. I looked at a number of LS 430s and every time I found one that I was interested in, something would come up that would cause me to walk away. The main problem was the dealer's "Sale Prevention force" I would make an offer, they would raise it, I would say no, he runs up to the "Sales Mgr" to get an OK and then comes back with a big smile saying "OK, let's write it up". So he comes up with the price I would pay, plus sales tax, plus document processing, plus state use tax, plus car prep charges, plus license, plus postage to mail the plates to me, and I then thank him and walk out. On the one I bought, I offered $6k and he said $6,200. I said "$6200 out the Door, cash right now," He said OK. So that's the way I like to buy cars. Ready to take a road trip.............

Bocatrip

The stars were aligned when you bought that car! I love my 01 LS430 as it’s literally in pristine condition with original paint on the entire body with no paint work or imperfections....... however for the last 5 years I have always been on the lookout for the refreshed 05-06 but every single car was overpriced or neglected. I happen to live in the heart of LS430 land! There are zillions of them here in Florida but harder to find what you found. Good luck to you.

Legender

Many of us would jump on a deal like that for an Ultra. Great deal and thanks for sharing. Welcome to the club. Plenty of help/support here.