Ls430 (w Navigation) Vs Ls430 (without Navigation) And Timing Of Purch

[TennesseeLexus]

I am looking at replacing my 1996 LS400 (175k miles) sometime within the next 3-4 months. I use it as a company car since I travel a lot but have never missed a scheduled maintenance.

I have looked at 2003 LS430s with and without the navigation. Obviously the cars (with approx equal miles) cost $1-2K more. I am looking at cars that have between 30-40k miles. I know a lot of people really like the navigation package but I have also seen many reports (on this site) talking about problems so I guess my question is over the long-haul (next 4-5 years of car ownership) will it be "worth it"? It looks to me that I will have many more "fixes" with the navigation system. Thoughts? Opinions?

Finally, people on this board have been talking about a "flood" of LS430s this fall when the LS460 comes out. So do I wait until this fall (Oct/Nov) to look at cars and will the 2004s be "any better" than the 2003s?

In terms of buying a car I have been looking at eBay motors and autotrader. I see that a lot of the eBay motors sellers do have a fairly long track record of sales but I am leery. Anyone who has purchased lately where did you get your LS430s/400s?

I have been on here awhile and have come to valuable opinions on this board so fire away!

[RFeldes]

I really, really love the nav and have had no issues with it. It was invaluable during the escape from hurricane Rita as most routes were clogged with traffic and it got us where we needed to be with no problems.. If you can afford the 04, that is the one I would choose. As far as a flood of 430's I personaly don't see it as most people will wait for the second year. But the 430 prices will drop enough so that the nav wont be an issue compared to now.

I would not consider buying a car unless I drove it before putting money down. Just me. I would spend a weekend in a major city and shop after setting appointments via internet and phone.

Whichever one you choose, you won't be disappointed.

Best of luck.

[05silverls430]

I really, really love the nav and have had no issues with it. It was invaluable during the escape from hurricane Rita as most routes were clogged with traffic and it got us where we needed to be with no problems.. If you can afford the 04, that is the one I would choose. As far as a flood of 430's I personaly don't see it as most people will wait for the second year. But the 430 prices will drop enough so that the nav wont be an issue compared to now.

I would not consider buying a car unless I drove it before putting money down. Just me. I would spend a weekend in a major city and shop after setting appointments via internet and phone.

Whichever one you choose, you won't be disappointed.

Best of luck.

I agree. I love my nav system, and won't buy another car without it. I also think that it will help you with resale value when you sell the car, although maybe not by too much. I haven't had any problems with mine either.

I also agree on the 04 or newer vs. 01-03. I like my 03, however I MUCH prefer the styling changes made on the 04 and up.

Good luck!

[jainla]

I agree definitely get the nav. Most of the 'problems' are caused by operator error rather than any inherent deficiency of the system itself; and the integration with the audio and car electronics is worth it. You'll also get the ML sound system (awesome) and the ability to add XM and or Ipod integration at a later time (or I should say better integration b/c you'll be able to see the titles on the screen).

The 03 vs. 04 debate I think is more a matter of personal taste. Substantially they are the same car, but the really big changes on the '04 were the SmartKey system, the 6 speed automatic transmission, a backup camera and the integration of Bluetooth handsfree capability into the Nav system. The Pre-collision system was also offered on some '04s but they are rare. There were a bunch of other minor improvements and some styling tweaks, but those are the big differences.

Do be aware there was a recall on some of the '04 models because of a defect in the transmission. Confirm with a dealer that any '04 you have been considering has been through it (they replace it) if it's one of the affected cars or you can have the service (and that they will pay for it) if you buy the car.

As for a rush of LS430s coming on the market this fall I'd be surprised. The value of existing cars may drop slightly but you have to remember that most of these cars are leased, so they come onto the market at regular intervals.

I also prefer to drive the car before I buy it; but these cars are fairly reliable. Do your homework; getting a Carfax will help you catch any screwy nonsense with titles or anything that seems odd. Also if you can get a dealer to do the CPO inspection on the car; they will tell you what Lexus itself would fix in order to certify the car as CPO. It will cost you about $200 but they go through EVERYTHING.

Good luck with your choice, its a great car!

[cgazsc]

I also agree that the nav is worth the extra bit. However, I must disagree on which model year to get. All the good things said about what was added/improved on the 04 and on is correct and well worth it in most cases. My beef (and many many others according to the dealer) is the nav itself. Seems that Lexus made a vendor change in 04 from tried and true NavTec to somebody else (nobody's talking). It's terrible. It picks routes that are, well, amazing(to be polite). Has cost Lexus a bundle in free upgrades and gas cards to try to calm us down. And the BlueTooth handsfree sounds nice, but. You can't dial while in motion, can't directly enter contacts so you CAN use the 1-touch. You can only transfer from your BT cell phone directory, which results in errors 8 out of 10 attempts. There's no way to refresh the 1-touch directory if it gets wiped out which is easy to do by saying "overwrite" instead of "add" when doing a single directory entry transfer! A friend has the 03 with nav and my wife has an 01 RX with nav that have never failed using a proper route and have never been updated...and the displays look better too...sharper images. So if you want a good nav, get an 03 or earlier. The BT is great for the keyless stuff but damn useless on the handsfree. Also took Lexus almost three years and 3 "fixes" to get the hesitation out of the tranny. Other than those things, it's a great car that's easy to drive and enjoy.

[rvgraham]

Uhhh, whatever you decide, get a cpo car from a Lexus dealer. I bought a '99 two years ago, with 50k on it. I have never been made to feel so important and fussed over as I was by Lexus. I'm not talking mainly about the dealer, although they were great, but mostly about the company, or at least the Lexus finance company who actually backs the cpo warranty. At 99,800 miles, as my waranty was about to expire, I got $2,700 of free maintenance in the form of a full timing belt job, water pump, all sorts of ball joints, bushings and more. The car wasn't falling apart, it was great, they just did a lot for me as goodwill. It saved me far more money (along with earlier free maintenance and repairs) than I could possibly have saved by searching for a better discount price elsewhere. I don't know if you're financing or not, but they also got me a much better interest rate than I could have obtained on my own.

Bob Graham