I currently own outright an 01 with 80K miles and for only a $5k-$6K car note I could have gotten into an 04 with 73K miles. Now I did buy the 01 a month ago so I'd lose out on about $3500 on the trade. I'd also lose out on $1000 wheels and tires I put on them. It made the 01 very sellable for dealership and they wouldn't agree on the stock 17's I offered.

I really expected the 04 to blow me away but suprisingly it didn't. 1st off the quality of the interior seems like it's a step down? The leather just felt cheaper. I know the 04 has vented seats but quality seemed to be sacrificed. The majority of the interior seemed the same of course. The Nav screens icons on the 04 seemed kinda "cartoony" to me. I know there are more features but just didn't like the look compared to the 01.

As for acceleration, I really couldn't truly test it out due to the weather, but when I did hit it I didn't feel a dramatic difference. As for looks, the 04 front look fresher but my 01 with the help of the sport 18 wheels and jdm clear tails and exhaust tips really help improve the overall look.

In the end only a $500 difference in agreed price kept the deal from going thru. I expected more from the 04 so I was content to walk away.

Still mulling over the deal. The dealership may call tomorrow and accept my offer or I just might call them.

 

Hmm, as an owner of a 2004 I still feel that the 01-06 as a whole offers significantly less quality than the 1998-2000 so I guess everyone has their standards. What I will say is that if you did not absolutely LOVE the car, then there is absolutely NO reason whatsoever to involve yourself in a car note AND lose 3500.00 in the process. I think you made the right decision and if there is no immediate reason to get rid of the 2001, I would have walked away too, your car is gorgeous, leave it alone and as my friend's Asian mother would say... CALM DOWN!

 

Stick with your current car man, that thing looks great. On top of that it definitely sounds like you like it more. I have never driven an 01-03 so idk how it compares. I chose the 04 b/c I preferred the facelifted front/rear and the availability of cpo warranty. In terms of performance, you get a 6 speed shiftable auto vs a 5 speed. There is a slight improvement in acceleration, but nothing notable according to figures on various sites. If your car has been good to you and you still love it, then do not bother with the switch.

 

I agree that sticking with your 01 is a smart move, unless there are some underlying mechanical or corrosion issues with the 01 (it's probably seen 3 more winters than an 04).

 

Agree with Caddy as long as there is no underlying mechanical reason you need to dump the current car, there is no way I'd spend and/or lose serious money on another used LS (even a slightly newer model) unless I was getting significantly lower miles - like 35-40k less miles at a minimum. I actually like the 01-03 looks slightly better than the 04-06. Stick with what you got, its a beauty, and pay it off as fast as possible- you'll feel 10 times better.

 

Thanks guys for all the feedback. You guys are great. I'm now leaning towards keeping her. No need generating extra debt on something that won't make me dramatically happy. I've gone thru my car like a fine tooth comb and my 01 is near flawless with Zero mechanical problem. Might just go shopping for a beater to keep the miles on the LS down.

 

Good plan, its a beautiful car.

 

I too like the 04 revamp, but the original reasoning behind my 01 purchase was based on getting into the LS430 series with the biggest bang for the buck. I'm aware that going for even an 04 would involve me reaching deep into my pockets for another 10 grand. The changes for me in the body style and extra transmission gear doesn't equate to the additional expenditure for me. Just my opinion as we have similar cars.

 

Any good condition LS430 = win, don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise

 

I agree 100%

 

Well unlike some folks here...I agree 200%!

How much is your LS430 worth? I couldn't quite gather from what you had mentioned.

 

Keep it for all of the reasons above. There is no better feeling than MONEY IN THE BANK$$$$

 

Except your local stealer...they are sometimes the most honest and upstanding people in society and the business world.

Too bad they don't run for president!

 

You should keep your current ls if it has no problems,and the beater like you said. I was just as close as you was approved and all just had to find the rite ls. From the moment I started looking for a 04-06 ls I would be driving along like damn my 02 drives so smooth why are you doing this. I do get bored after 3 years driving the same car but its diferrent with the ls. Yeah and my wifey just pop up pregnant so were gonna upgrade into a bigger house. 2 reasons ill be holding out on upgrading. Good luck on your decision.

 

I'm still getting call from the dealership to come in and make a deal by month end.

Here is the situation, Just bought my 2001 last month for $14,000 with 79K miles. Mint condition with NAV (2007 disk). Bought 18" wheels and tires for $1100. They only wanted to give me $10K trade value from the start.

The 04 (nav, 17" wheels) has 73K miles and I have the price down to $17500.
They are now offering over the phone $12,000 for my car which is what was the lowest I'd go while I was there at the sales desk. I told them that offer is no longer good and I now need $12,500 but I told them I'm leaning toward keeping my car (thanks to you guys.)
They may make on final desperation call. We'll see.