2003 Vs. 2004 Ls430

[anthonyiez]

i'm looking to trade my 2000 gs4 in for a ls430 and can't decide on whether i want a 2003 or 2004. the 2004 was the year they updated the body and a few other things iirc. just looking for some input. obviously a 2003 will be slightly less, but the difference in price really doesn't matter all that much so don't make that part of your equation. also i'm not looking for an ultra edition as i can't get my wife to drive me around ...i'm actually more inclined to go with the sport edition w/levinson. i could care less about nav unless its the only way i can get one. thanks for any input!!!

[SW03ES]

Well if you want Levinson you'll have to get nav, they didn't build them any other way.

Personally? The decision between an 03 and an 04 is a no brainer, the 04 is a much better looking car. Plus you get the 6 speed transmission.

[anthonyiez]

you know what i completely forgot about the 6 speed. the rear looks better on the 04 but i'm not sold on the front. but the 6 speed is the real selling point.

as for the lev...in 2003 it was offered w/o the navi.

[SW03ES]

I think the front is much more distinctive and aggressive, the 01-03 has a very flabby front end.

[anthonyiez]

anyone know if the euro sport edition really makes a difference?

[RFeldes]

I kinda like the pre 04 and can't really tell the difference except forr the rear taillights and exhaust which I find too sporty for a Luxo..IMHO. As far as euro sport..as an old !Removed!, I like the smoother ride of the standard suspension. Tite enough for me..as my granpa once said.. :D

[OmarG]

I'm pretty sure mark lev was available without navi pre 04.

I remeber seeing one on ebay and thinking how that must've been special order.

You won't find many but they are out there.

[SW03ES]

Nope, if you saw one on eBay it was either incorrect or it was a special order. Extremely rare. Anyways on the used market things like nav don't add that much to the cost, might as well go for the nav.

[anthonyiez]

personally i can't stand nav, just a preference, but the lev is a must.

question???

anyone know if the sport edition isn't limited to 130mph like the regular suspension? it calls for W rated tires, which would indicate a speed of 168 iirc even though i'm sure lexus would top it at 149 like the gs. typically vehicles are speed limited to the tire rating as per legal requirements so i'm wondering if lexus took this into account with the sport suspension.

[jainla]

the lev is a must.

Agreed. Also in '04+ you'll get the bluetooth with the NAV. Another plus; and the possibilty of the SmartEntry. There was however a recall on the '04 transmissions; make sure the car you consider has gone through it.

anyone know if the sport edition isn't limited to 130mph like the regular suspension? it calls for W rated tires, which would indicate a speed of 168 iirc even though i'm sure lexus would top it at 149 like the gs. typically vehicles are speed limited to the tire rating as per legal requirements so i'm wondering if lexus took this into account with the sport suspension.

The 130 mph limit is due to the ULEV specification more than the tires; apparently the unlimited cars in the UK and Europe can reach 160mph+. It could also be peer pressure; the german cars (except the very top end models) are also now limited to 130 mph. :(

The Sport suspension is stiffer shocks and bushings (no air springs); and better tires (with the larger wheels, 17s or 18s depending on the year). You might be able to get a similar effect going with aftermarket shocks and I believe there are several bushing kits for the LS.

They are VERY hard to find on the pre-owned market(I wanted one); I suspect many cars are not marked as such; you should see the little sport badges on the panel behind the front wheels.

I ended up going with a UL car because (believe it or not) they were easier to find.

[SW03ES]

personally i can't stand nav, just a preference, but the lev is a must.

Well if you want Lev, you're gonna have to get nav.

[anthonyiez]

personally i can't stand nav, just a preference, but the lev is a must.

Well if you want Lev, you're gonna have to get nav.

i know, you said this before and i checked lexus.com...just stating i don't like nav.

[GRAND_LS 4]

Actually i've seen the ML system on Non-Nav a few times. Its just hard to notice since the writing is small. But they exit... even on the GS430.

[W201 sweden]

On german cars being top-speed limited:

A number of years ago, Mercedes and BMW agreed to limit their cars to 250km/h - approx 155mph. Be it a C-class or an S-class. (But I think the AMG-versions are not restricted?) Some other makers did follow. Even the Volvo 850 T5 was limited to 250km/h, although it could only reach a bit over 240 km/h if it was not downhill...

However, Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati, Lotus etc. for instance did not join in - they can reach their actual maximum speed. Software removal of speed limiter is a popular thing offered by tuning companies. :)

And the original Lexus LS 400 was tested in Swedish magazine as it was introduced. They published a pic of the needle almost reching 280km/h!!! The speedometer is not really reliable, but the REAL speed was approx. 245km/h = 153 mph. The -95 and on can do 250 km/h, thanks to more power and lower wind drag. B)

And by the way, jainla, United Kingdom IS a part of Europe! :whistles:

/Alexander from Sweden

[OmarG]

Even AMG cars are limited. I'm pretty sure. Top Gear would always talk about it. Even the CL65 with its 600+hp was limited.

[Rillo]

[quote

And by the way, jainla, United Kingdom IS a part of Europe! :whistles:

/Alexander from Sweden

who says we are part of Europe!!?? :D If we are part of Europe that would make us aligned with the French and we don't want that!!! :whistles:

[W201 sweden]

OmarG, you are right. I checked the german MB-site, and they state the AMG SL65 is limited to a pathetic 250km/h... ;)

And Rillo, I REALLY apologize about my mistake regarding the UK and France! ;) Of course they both belong to Europe, but the Europe that UK belongs to is a much nicer one that the french Europe! :D

/Alexander from Sweden (also a part of the good UK Europe...)

[jainla]

And Rillo, I REALLY apologize about my mistake regarding the UK and France! ;) Of course they both belong to Europe, but the Europe that UK belongs to is a much nicer one that the french Europe! :D

/Alexander from Sweden (also a part of the good UK Europe...)

Sorry Alexander you walked right into that one....

I should qualify that the German cars are limited to 130 mph in the US. I believe the only cars to be allowed to hit the standard Germanic 155mph here are the top-tier cars such as the 760Li and S(L & CL) 600/65/55. The original LS400 also could hit 150mph as sold here in the US.

The 155mph limit was determined I believe so that a) the cars could be sold with tires that were not basically racing slicks, b ) to allow more powerful engines to be used without very tall gearsets, and c) because most of the time on the autobahn the cars can't go much faster anyway (at least not for sustained periods of time). Also I'm sure the extra engineering required for sustained running at speeds past that becomes very expensive; and I'm sure it's very hard on the car. Can you imagine an expansion joint at 175mph? probably feels like a speedbump.

In other parts of the world I'm not sure if the 130mph limit is adhered to for Lexus cars or not; also the original Infiniti Q45 was clocked by C&D at 153-168mph; despite the fact that Infiniti claimed the car had a limiter.