I have been looking for a 04/05/06 UL for a while now. I don't need another car as I already have 4 vehicles, one of them is a GX470.
But I came across this 03 LS430 UL with only 142,000 klms (88,000 miles).
https://www.autotrader.ca/a/lexus/ls...ontent=ad_link

I spoke to the seller, it was his father's car from new. Apparently never winter driven (this is a big deal in Canada). I have not looked at it in person since it is 4 hours away from me, so I can not verify no rust.
It was maintained mostly at the Lexus dealership although the seller does not have the service history and does not know if the timing belt was replaced. The service history might be available from the Lexus dealership.
The things I like about it are low klms (miles) great price at only $6500 CDN, one owner and it's the UL.
The things I dislike about it are the bumps and bruises it has cosmetically on the outside (his father was elderly and put some decent scratches in the body), the lack of service history, I don't like the color of the interior, it shows dirt too easily and shows dirt in the crevices of the leather. Mostly though it's a 2003, I would like the better transmission from 2004 and up.
Maybe I'll be kicking myself for not getting this 2003?
Your thoughts?
Not sure how long the ad will be up to reference.

 

Why don’t you test drive it? It looks quite nice inside and the price is really great. If it drives like a new car then.. well, you can make the call.

 

If you may wish to pursue it further, you may wish to consider asking the owner for the vin and check the history of the car at https://drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/history Services done at a Lexus Dealer as well as at some other service providers will be available. As far as price, maybe look here https://www.edmunds.com/lexus/ls-430...praisal-value/

 

The lighter interiors In my experience, show less dirt than dark ones. The only thing that appears more is blue jean stains but that is easily cleaned off.

03 vs. 04... I have an 04 and the only real difference I see are the tail lights in the back. My story is that two of the 4 lights experienced flickering and instead of having to replace the bulb, I had to replace the whole housing. $500 later, my rear end looks good but man I wished that day they were regular bulbs like the 03.

finding well maintained and rust free examples is only going to get harder as the years go by, cosmetics should be secondary issues as they all can be remedied relatively inexpensive. It comes down to what is important to you.

 

I prefer the 1-3s cosmetically speaking and mechanically they are more easy for an end-user to maintain. The trans is also smoother shifting but has a slower part throttle response in the about 20 to 45 mph zone imo.

Its all about cosmetic condition to me but at that price it's worth at least trying out

 

The exterior condition alone would lead me to pass. All the bumps and bruises, all the centercaps missing. Looks like the interior has never been cleaned.

 

I would say go drive it and get it inspected. I got an 04, 3 years ago with same mileage as yours, rust free and it is really nice to drive. You won't have much occasion to see a car that old at that price that has not gotten its share of salt and winter. For the scratches, check if you can get rid of them somehow. You can maybe talk the price down as there is not a huge market for them here.

 

6400$ for that turd? Id pass twice. 4600$ is closer but still a grand high.

Interesting combo though, that interior wood is my favorite style.

 

Well said. I didn’t want to rain on the parade but agree.

 

Hard pass based on cosmetics. Be sure to look at both 01-03 and 04-06 before plunging in. Some (like me) find the 01-03 just too dated in appearance, especially a Gold one.

 

(6400 CAD is just over 5100 USD)

 

If I am interested in buying a car 4 hour away from me:
- Check service history from Lexus if it is infact been serviced in Lexus dealer. There should be a record of this even if the owner lost all of the paper.
- Elderly owner may means the car is in great shape but may also means services may be neglected such as long interval between oil change, regular maintenance are behind.
- I can remember the name, Google it, but there are services where you can pay someone to inspect car for you. It is a general inspection, so not geared toward Lexus, but they do take plenty of pictures, so you can see every scratch, ding, rust, rip. I have used something like this a few years ago, and I asked specifically pictures under the car. It save me a trip because the car was not in as good of shape as I want.
- Price seems high but maybe in Canada that is fair price.