03whiteLS430 Posted April 2, 2009 Posted April 2, 2009 Last night I put a deposit on a 2001 LS430 with 91K mikes and perfect maintenance history, including the timing belt/water pump replacement. About $15K and in decent condition but hey, it has 90,000 miles on it and it shows a bit. Today I found a pristine 2003 LS430 with 33,000 miles for 50% more ($23K), which is about the max I want to pay. Is the like new condition of a 2003 with heated and vented seats and 60K less miles worth the extra $$? Are the seats more comfortable in the 03 vs 01? I plan on keeping this car for a very long time.
1990LS400 Posted April 2, 2009 Posted April 2, 2009 Honestly? If you are willing to pay $23,000 you are getting close to getting into an 05 LS430 with mileage similar to the 03 LS you are looking at that is at 33,000 miles. Avoid the 2004 LS430 unless you are certain it is not subject to the transmission recall or if it has been recalled and fixed. In todays depressed market, $23,000 seems high for a 2003 LS430 with 33,000 miles. Exactly how are both cars equipped? What options? They had better be loaded at these prices.
03whiteLS430 Posted April 3, 2009 Author Posted April 3, 2009 Jim, The 03 has chrome wheels but not NAV or ML stereo. The 01 has ML stereo and chrome 17 " wheels. I've been searching cars.com, AutoTrader, eBay and Sewell Lexus and the 05's are going for $33K. Most 03's are listed for $25K+ with NAV and ML and have 50,000+ miles. The guy at Sewell thought it was a good price for the 03. The NADA book on it was $25,9 according to the credit union. My price ceiling has continued to creep up and has now doubled from $12K for an 01 with 100K miles to $24K and that's about all I can go. Overall condition and service history are really important to me so I'm OK if the 03 is the "best" I can find now. Not to shabby IMHO. Thanks for the comments.
05silverls430 Posted April 3, 2009 Posted April 3, 2009 I'd get the 03, mainly because it has significantly fewer miles. Before you make the commitment, though, I'd search a little more for an '04-05. I know there are some out there in the mid 20s. Good luck!
1990LS400 Posted April 3, 2009 Posted April 3, 2009 I'm attaching the 2004 LS430 safety recall notice for the transmission problem in case it is needed. 2004_LS430_transmission_recall.pdf
SW03ES Posted April 3, 2009 Posted April 3, 2009 23,000 is way too much for an '03. We have a member that just bought an 04 UL with 26k miles for $21k... Honestly? I'd probably keep looking...
03whiteLS430 Posted April 3, 2009 Author Posted April 3, 2009 I'm flying to Houston tomorrow morning to pick it up. I'll post some pictures when I get it home. If I could have found an 04 UL for $21K I would have bought one but I'm happy with my deal.
05silverls430 Posted April 4, 2009 Posted April 4, 2009 Congratulations! That looks exactly like my 03, except mine had parking sensors, nav and ML audio. Let us know how you like it! :)
03whiteLS430 Posted April 4, 2009 Author Posted April 4, 2009 OK, rub it in. No NAV or ML but I'm still happy. Maybe you should sell me your screen name! :)
tkbalt Posted April 4, 2009 Posted April 4, 2009 We just bought an 03 a couple of months ago - ML, Parking sensors, NAV - 38K mileage. Agree with prior posts - and sounds like you went with the lower mileage model. Enjoy - ours is like having a brand new car.
03whiteLS430 Posted April 5, 2009 Author Posted April 5, 2009 I drove it 265 miles from Houston to Dallas today and that is one fantastic car. Quiet beyond belief and the Lexus "standard equipment" stereo is better than any other factory stereo I had, including a Bose system in my Acura MDX. I miss not having NAV and if I had a do-over would have definately held out for NAV but if it bugs me too much I'll go get a TomTom or something at Best Buy. The cooled seats were great and after driving for 4 hours felt like I could have gone another 4 hrs very easily. The car has 33,000 on it now. The previous owner spent almost $800 for the 30K mile service. Only major problem is the drivers outside mirror that had the front plastic housing dislocated and in trying to pry it back on, the shop busted out a chunk of the plastic on the outer edge where they must have benn using a screwdrive to try to fix it. The dealer wants almost $500 for both the front and rear plastic housings, gotta figure out how to fix that for less.
05silverls430 Posted April 5, 2009 Posted April 5, 2009 OK, rub it in. No NAV or ML but I'm still happy. Maybe you should sell me your screen name! :) Haha!!! I'd be glad to give up my screen name to you! I can switch mine to 05silverls430... :) Steve, how do we make that happen?
SW03ES Posted April 5, 2009 Posted April 5, 2009 Send admin Steve (we have too many Steves lol, PM "Steve") a PM amnd he will be able to do it...
05silverls430 Posted April 5, 2009 Posted April 5, 2009 Send admin Steve (we have too many Steves lol, PM "Steve") a PM amnd he will be able to do it... What's his screen name? SKPerformance???
blake918 Posted April 5, 2009 Posted April 5, 2009 I miss not having NAV and if I had a do-over would have definately held out for NAV but if it bugs me too much I'll go get a TomTom or something at Best Buy.That's a beautiful car! Personally, I would have avoided the nav. When a Garmin burns out, you throw it in the garbage and buy another one for $250. It's going to hurt when a OEM nav dies! Send admin Steve (we have too many Steves lol, PM "Steve") a PM amnd he will be able to do it... What's his screen name? SKPerformance??? His screen name is: Steve http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showuser=4
SW03ES Posted April 5, 2009 Posted April 5, 2009 Send admin Steve (we have too many Steves lol, PM "Steve") a PM amnd he will be able to do it... What's his screen name? SKPerformance??? His Screen name is "Steve", thats why I put in in parentheses ;)
Budhah Posted April 5, 2009 Posted April 5, 2009 While I have not done a search of BURNED OUT NAV systems, I have not heard of many problems, except for those putting pirated GPS upgrades in the system. I have Garmin in my other cars and trucks, Love them, till I got into the 06 with it's nav unit. It is so cool to just be able to touch the screen at a location on the map and you can see how far you are from that point. The larger screen is great too. and can see at a glance, better than the small screens. Don't get me wrong, I like the Garmins, but when looking for my LS I would not settle for anything without the GPS because on resale, They seem to go faster and for much more money. Just my opinion. By the way, Paid $33k for 06 with 28k miles on her.. Not the ultra, but next best thing.. a few months back. So $24 for an 03 sounds a bit high without the Luxury package.
03whiteLS430 Posted April 6, 2009 Author Posted April 6, 2009 That $250 Garmin is $100 off at Best Buy. Good idea, thanks.
05silverls430 Posted April 7, 2009 Posted April 7, 2009 OK, rub it in. No NAV or ML but I'm still happy. Maybe you should sell me your screen name! :) Okay, my screen name is now changed, so 03whitels430 should be available if you want it! ;) (Thanks Steve!)
03whiteLS430 Posted April 14, 2009 Author Posted April 14, 2009 23,000 is way too much for an '03. We have a member that just bought an 04 UL with 26k miles for $21k...Honestly? I'd probably keep looking... Steve, I should have listened to you. I was too anxious to get into an LS430 and paid the price, pun intended. The only buyers remorse I have is paying too much and not holding out to get NAV and a ML stereo, although the stock stereo sounds very good. Of course Lexus just came out with their CPO lease deals and low interest rate, too, although buying from a dealership seems to jack the price way up. I've considered listing mine on Cars.com and going back to the search for what I really wanted, an 03 with 90K miles or so with NAV and ML from a private individual but figure I'd lose my shirt in the process. Wanted to stay around $15K so I could pay cash. Oh well, lessons learned. I'm going to just drive it and enjoy the ride. I need to quit looking out the rear view mirror. I think I'm in for a brake job in the not too near future, after searching I'll install OEM pads for $45/set. I did the brakes and installed stainless steel brake lines on my 300C SRT8 so figure it could not be too hard on the Lexus.
tkbalt Posted April 14, 2009 Posted April 14, 2009 Don't beat yourself up over the price - enjoy a great car. Agree trying to sell at this point would not be cost effective.
Marklouis Posted April 14, 2009 Posted April 14, 2009 yes! :D enjoy it indeed! no matter if you find one with MLS, NAV, ULTRA, SUPER ULTRA, SEAT MASSAGER, or whatever Badge it may or may not have, they are all awesome Luxury Vehicles. Im shopping for my wife an LS430 as of now, and sometimes you can get a way better deal on the "Standard" LS430's for lack of a NAV and other goodies, cause thats what everyone wants. they are all the same powertrain, bodystyle, and smooth ride. ill travel anywhere in the Southern US to get one! Im really suprised there are as many for sale out there as there is, i figured the drop in gas prices would make these things dissapear fast! i just cant imagine selling my baby either.
lasik124 Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 My 91LS400 drive still like a dream i cant imagine what a newer one would drive like *sighs and wonders* :whistles:
SW03ES Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 Yeah don't beat yourself up about it, drive it and enjoy. A couple years from now you won't even remember what you paid...
nc211 Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 Go to autotrader.com, search for any/all cars/all years, and put in your miles and what you paid for it. I think you'll be happy with what you got and what you paid for. Honeslty, can you think of anything you could bought for that price that will give you the comfort, safety, reliablity, and peformance of your LS? You got a good enough deal to not allow it to bother you from enjoying the car for several years and a few hundred thousand miles to come!
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