kade714 Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Hi all, Looks like I may need a 4 door car for the child seat and more. Have an 8 month old son right now and planning on having another pretty soon. Got my wife an '05 Lx470 and it is the best SUV there is, to me. I have a Tacoma pickup. Starting to do some research and I see the 2001 is the first year for the 430. Am I wrong in targeting this year and model? Are there any major issues for this model year compared to a 2002 or 2003? Only reason I'm targeting this year of course is the price... the cheapest of the newer styled cars. I figured since I'm looking, might as well look at a newer model. Is there anything in general I should be aware of for the Ls430's? "This has been known to break at xxK miles... this has been known to happen on this model year..." Thanks for the help. I will continue to browse all the posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcsmith Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 my 2001 has been a great car no issues for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01 Ultra Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 With the incredible reliability of the LS, there really isn't an issue with one model year over any other. It really just boils down to your personal preference & the options that the car has. I have an '01 with the Ultra package and haven't had any problems or issues (aside from a freak occurance with the radio that sometimes doesn't work the first time the car is started when the temperature is below freezing). A few will say to stay away from the air suspension, but so far (please don't jinx me now), there hasn't been any problems with that either, and I have over 122K. If you do find one you like, make sure that the 90K service has been done (timing belt, water pump, etc..). This is one of the major services, and it can be fairly costly - about $1,500.00 +/- at a dealership. The other thing would be the brakes (if you don't do them yourself), they can be about $800.00 from the dealership also. Good luck & keep us posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jainla Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 The 2001 LS 430 had a couple TSBs, mostly for noise related issues; but overall it's a fairly trouble free car. Some people prefer the 04+ models for the styling tweaks and new features (6 speed transmission, bluetooth). At this point though maintenance (or lack thereof) is going to be a better predictor of overall reliability than anything intrinsically wrong with the design. You have to remember that the 90-06 car series are all variants on the same basic design; I think the Gen II had 25% parts commonality with the Gen I and the Gen III (LS 430) has about 10% parts carryover. I've driven several LS400s over the years and I can clearly see the family resemblance; and you'd be surprised how many parts under the skin are common from one generation to the next (or at least similar in design and execution). The engine is also basically a carryover; with features like VVT-I electronic throttle and more displacement added in over the years. The LS460 is entirely, 100% a clean sheet redesign from the ground up; which I think explains the higher number of first year issues. But those also seem to have abated; the LS regained it's #1 spot in the latest JD Power initial quality survey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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