02ls Vs Higher Mileage 04?

[nuck]

Is it worth the extra couple thousand for an 04? 6 speed auto and adaptive headlights? The two I am looking at are fully loaded with no warranty. An 02 with 67k and an 04 with 84k. $3000 difference in price. One is described as Premium with Nav while the other is Ultra Premium. Does that make a big difference? Thanks for any responses.

[nuck]

I notice the "Ultra" models come with some neat additions, plus the air suspension which i have read may be problematic. Perhaps a "Premium" with Nav is the better choice for off warranty.

[SW03ES]

I would buy the '04...much more appealing car IMHO.

[nuck]

I would buy the '04...much more appealing car IMHO.

Appearance wise they are kind of a wash to me but the 6 speed cars do have a rep for being speedier. Normally I will always buy the lower miled option and I pay extra for that, but I also usually take the faster car. May come down to the color :)

[blake918]

I'd get the '04 too. I'm one of the few people who would prefer the base model. Air ride, nav system, rear a/c, etc. those are just more potential headaches if you plan to keep the car for a while.

[Will B.]

I too went for a Base model for similar reasons - no need for 5 year old navigation, and prefer parking sensors to backup cameras.

On topic, I'd definitely go with the 04 if I were in your shoes.

[nuck]

I too went for a Base model for similar reasons - no need for 5 year old navigation, and prefer parking sensors to backup cameras.

On topic, I'd definitely go with the 04 if I were in your shoes.

The 04 got sold but I am pretty much thinking 04-05. I am in Canada where the prices ar 20% higher than for US models even AFTER exchange, Duty, Federal tax and shipping costs so I will probably be importing. The very best prices are for the non Navi cars. Is the 430 system really that dated?

My situation is that I have a new job requiring a lot of highway driving so the LS is a good choice. I can only write the car off for three years so I have to flip it at that point for something newer. It seems easier to resell lower mileage and Navi cars. Maybe for 3 year ownership I should be looking at another car but I want something that doesn't drain me from driving.

Base models do handle better than the air ride models right?

[SW03ES]

Actually the navigation is very modern and is easily upgradable. Its not dated at all, and is very similar to the system being sold in the new cars.

[Will B.]

I'm not talking about the technology itself being dated, but the maps installed on a 2004 would be pretty dated. Updating the maps is not cheap. For me, I just get a new Garmin every couple of years to keep the latest maps and better and better tech. It's definitely not as nice as an in dash Nav, but it's not something I will care about fixing if it breaks, and (probably more importantly) not something I use very often.

[SW03ES]

Its $275 to update the maps, not the end of the world. If you don't want the absolute latest map upgrade you can buy them 1 year old for cheaper on eBay. If you're buying new Garmins every few years its the same thing...

A Garmin by example would cost about the same and you still would have to update the maps down the line and it wouldn't have the backup camera, the POIs and Bluetooth phone system, plus you have the ugly Garmin on the dash...having to worry about hiding it and theft...not for me.

Our '04 Prius still has the original maps and they're still pretty good. Same system as the 04 LS430.

[Will B.]

Ultimately, it will come down to personal preference, but although I didn't really mention it before, the tech has advanced quite a bit in the last five - six years in GPS. A new $350 Garmin (nuvi 885t) has all of the following features:

- Voice activated (i.e. fully controllable by your voice commands)

- text to speech

- MSN Direct

- Bluetooth, MP3, etc.

- Junction view (shows you which lane to be in)

- Speed limit indicators for most streets

- Ability to record where you parked so you can carry it with you to find your car

- 6 million POIs

That being said, back on topic, both of the OPs choices have NAV so it's kind of a moot point. If I had built in NAV already, then I'd probably just pony up for new maps just to keep one less device in my car.