bloomwcjkl

I have an 01 LS 430. No intention to sell.

This 04 is for sale very close to me. This would be for my wife to drive.

http://www.elliottautosales-moorhead..._267806410.veh

I cannot confirm that the timing belt has been changed, so that has to be factored in. It drives very nice. It has some additional features that my 01 does not have. Cooled seats.

Is $9,500 reasonable for the year/condition?

I have been lurking, but am new to the forum.

hoye0017

I paid $9k for a similar condition 05 with more miles in March of this year. The dealer wanted $10k. $9500 seems reasonable to me, assuming there are no other problems.

Legender

Not a super great deal, but not bad either. If TB is not done you'll need to do it.
The NAV maps will need to be upgraded possibly.
I also have the 04 and cannot figure out how the shelf below the nav screen gets so scratched up? Why? Mine is the same way.
Welcome to the forum and hope this works out for you.
The 04 also has different headlights that rotate to give you better light when turning.... and a few more features.

According to NADA the price is not out of line, but I'd try to get it below $9k if you need to do the TB. NADA gives it a $2500 increase due to low miles.

bloomwcjkl

Thanks. I was thinking $8900 would be decent if I have to do the timing belt, etc.

Deferred maintenance is the great unkown I guess with all vehicles. Thanks for the reply.

Johnhav430

I have an '06 ML with 93k. I accidentally whatever signed up for carfax on my phone, and right on the app it says the car is worth $10,310. So even though it's wholesale, this is the price I would want to pay (which I cannot). So for my own car, I'd pay $12k tops. How much should be deducted for each model year? If $2k which I think is fair, I'd say $8k tops...that's my methodology...if timing belt not done, I get sellers will say not my repsonsiblity unless you're straddling a 90k interval, but I'd deduct even more...

p.s. I always consider the delta or marginal cost of a newer car, i.e. how much more is an '06 which is the last year, if $4k, if $3k, if 0k.....I probably would be willing to pay that to get 2 yrs. newer....

LSGarry

Welcome to the forum.
Have you gotten a carfax on the car? Any accidents reported? Reason I ask is a couple things. The right hand door chrome pieces don't appear to line up as well as they should and the R front headlamp appears to be more cloudy than the L side. Have a good indy check on tell tale paint overspray etc. Regarding the TB, sometimes the dealer or indy will paste a sticker somewhere on the engine letting you know that its been done.
Otherwise looks clean and not abused.
Also cannot understand the scratches on the shelf under the nav. Why? Both my cars have/had it also.

Johnhav430

The resolution is too low for me to see the handles not lining up, but it's got rubber mats on top of the carpeted mats. This is a no-no in the Toyota world. Also, the pic almost looks like the cupholder is missing its right arm, but it may have been cut off that way. That can be fixed DIY, but again, knowing what I know today I deduct, and if seller doesn't like, they don't like....the cargo net seems to be missing because my build sheet says it came with the trunk mat...

jayclapp

I would guess the scratches were caused by women drivers who wear dangling wrist bracelets and use the screen often.

bloomwcjkl

Good points. I will get the carfax and will do a more thorough check. Great information. Thanks!

bloomwcjkl

I noted the floor mats on floor mats as well. The dealer has a gravel parking lot, so I assume they put them on top due to in/out traffic. A no no for sure though. Good eye on the details. Thanks!

JffGRY706

at that mileage it is not too late to begin to service the transmission. lifetime fluid means that it probably has not been touched. I began the drain and refill at 95,000 miles on my 2005. check the speakers, especially the big one in the back. if they are blown they are very expensive and maybe you can get a deduction on the price. I would look at when it was actually made. there were some issues with the 2004 models but they were fixed, I think the ones made in 2003 (early) have more problems than the ones made later. my 2005 was made in august 2004. so look for a date like Jan. 2004 as all issues were taken care of by then. good luck

Johnhav430

haha as I learned, Toyota is very particular about the floor mats due to the acceleration incidents....they actually retrofitted the mat hooks, from the originals, to ones that have this retention clip that goes through the center....the cupholders are weak, mine had a broken arm on the driver side so I ended up buying one on ebay and replacing it...the gray might be less common with the ash interior, Ivory seems to be the most common with the cashmere interior...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Genuine-...-/361436269091

https://www.ebay.com/i/201989426355?chn=ps&dispItem=1

Gronemus

Judging by the lack of leaves on the trees in the background of the pictures I'd say the car has been there awhile so they might be willing to deal. I'd start out low and work your way up. Go to KBB, Edmunds, and the NADA websites to get some ideas on price for your geographic area...