nc211

Your best bet is to buy them online. I have used a few of the online vendors over the years "I rebuilt the suspension on my former 95' LS", but find www.parts.com to have great prices and easy delivery. I've placed two orders with them for my 4runner and GS, and both times received a "verification" call on my cell phone before the order was shipped...very cool. I assume you're doing this stuff yourself?

Actually, no, not at the connector from the driveshaft to the differential, just something known as a "Flex Coupling", which is a 1 inch thick rubber connector between the driveshaft and the differential. The U joint is in the middle of the driveshaft, around the center bearing housing "A U shaped mount the drive shaft sits in". I saw your other threads, and that you're being told the rear driveshaft needs to be replaced to address your vibration problems. I would not do this until you have tried a new flex coupling, a new transmission mount, and possibly a new U center bearing housing. The other possiblity is the rear differential mounts themselves could be torn. Do you have access to get under your car to look at these things? If so, here is what you're looking for: The Differential mounts: from the rear of the differential, along the cross bar support of the car, you will see to circular rubber mounts, with bolts in the middle of them. They're actually set within circular cutouts of the cross member. Those can tear with too much hotrodding. Flex coupling: At the front of the differential, look for a 5 (or 6 can't remember) bolt "star" like pattern. It's right where the driveshaft ends, and the differential begins. You'll see the black rubber coupling between the two. The center bearing: Just follow the driveshaft to the middle part of the entire part. You'll see the U joint and the U clamp, that's your area to look for. Most likely, it's one of these three items. For the record, I had to replace my driveshaft on my 95LS400 too, after a very very long struggle to figure out what was wobbling. If you search for "wobble" on here, you'll probably find the thread. It's long....but I posted up the end result at the first thread. The dealership approach was to replace the whole driveshaft, as it "appeared" the rear section at the U joint connector was "sticking". It looked a bit notchy in operation, but honestly, I think the center bearing mount was what was bad. I had already replaced the flex couplings, the transmisison mount, and the rear differntial mounts. But, I will say, once that driveshaft had been replaced "and center bearing support", the car was freakin' glass smooth. Smoothest car I have ever driven. I do recall the senior tech who had built a history with the car saying "normally we don't have to replace the driveshafts, but every now and then one does go bad". It was a $1k repair though.

I'm moving next door!

Damn, Josh, that's absolutely brutal man! I say, full salute to you, sir! ;)

Guys, seriously, do a "search" for "oil". You'll find far more information/debates/inputs on this subject than any other (except maybe using regular and midgrade gas). Feel free to chat about it, but don't be too surprised if one of the moderators turns this thread off and refers you to one of the countless others. As long as you're not using 2-stroke oil from the lawnmower, whatever you use is a personal pref. Me? I'm a M1 full synthetic every 5k miles fan myself, in all of my cars since 2005.

Speaking of the Ford Edge, I saw a brand new one today going down the road next to me. Man, Ford really put some nice updates to that thing this year. I like what they've done to the headlight lenses, and just cleaned up the lines a bit. It really caught my eye, and attention. The changes they've made to their cars this year looks like they're letting their european designers have more input on their American cars...good idea! Hmmmm....might have to go investigate what's going on down at Big Blue soon... <_< Oh yeah, and I really like the new Venza too. It's got a refined, yet sportsy, yet useful look to it. Very nice! I haven't sat in one though.

Before it's all done and said for, I'll probably have one of each too someday. And, I'm sure when I do, I'll be on the appropriate car forum talking about how great they are. SWO, just make sure you get the 7 series ok. I don't think I can handle you on another forum saying "I like my 5 series, but I'm really thinking about a 7 series".

Well, nobody's ever accused me of being too classy! :D To me, it just makes the mirrors look like after-thoughts, like they were slapped on the car at the very end. Now if they would put them up on the front corners of the fenders, then that would be coooool!

Amen to that! Funny thing is, the first round of bailouts to these two were to prevent bankruptcy...yet a few 10's of billions of dollars later to the taxpayer....and what happened? I think GM should offer a DEEP discount to every tax paying citizen in this country that wants to buy one of thier cars. You bring in proof that you're a tax paying citizen in good standing, and they knock off 40% right from the start, as a thank you gesture. Amen, Amigo!

It's all in the eyes of the beholder, and their own personal abilities in their wallets. Me? I'm not going to toss a couple grand every 18 months or so into a car that is already 15 years old. Age is age, and at some point, it hurts worse than abuse. All of those little rubber seals, gaskets, cushins, etc, start to wear out. I guess if you absolutely love your car, and the amount of work it takes to keep it going, then yeah, I'd be ok with keeping it. But if it's just a car to you, and you see a unique carrot stick that you probably won't get to see again, then take the carrot stick. If all else fails, you can always go buy another 15 year old Lexus and return to your roots. I'll tell you honestly, when I sold my 95 in 07', I was sad for about a day, until I went out and started up my 2 year old 4runner that took it's place. Haven't missed the LS since. Great car, don't get me wrong. But I sure don't miss that feeling of wondering if that brake shimmy is due to a warped rotor, or a warped rotor + worn strut rod bushing + ball joint + god knows whatever else. Now, if the brakes shimmy, it's just a plain, ole' fashioned, warped rotor. I know it, and can fix it quick, easily, and cheaply. To me, it's worth the price.

There is a guy with an SC that posted a big complaint about getting the upgrade, to find out he is now blocked out from using the nav when the car in drive. If you can use the nav while you're moving now, then I wouldn't risk it.

The only thing I don't like about some of these designs, is where the mirrors are attached to the car itself. I've never liked a mirror that is attached to the sheet metal of the door, like posts sticking up. For some reason, that has always looked cheap to me. I think the corner of the front window is where they should always be mounted to. Other than that, I'm liking all the new designs. Although I still think the LS is lacking something distinctive to it's badge. Still just a little too close to the other models. I am really falling in love with the IS though, big time! I love the exterior, and I espeicaily love the interior. A HUGE improvement over the earlier models "which I've always liked as well".

Changing the mount is actually quite straight forward and easy. Spend a couple of minutes just looking at the mounting under the car, and it should be easy to figure. This was the first trans mount I've ever done myself. I did not refer to my pdf repair files, I just took a look and backed my way into it. The KEY thing that you MUST DO though, is make sure you've the transmission supported with a floor jack first. I did this with my rolling floor jack and a 12 in' long 2x4 under the transmission pan itself "Be cautious of the transmission pan drain bolt, don't put the wood over it." Basically, just roll the lift under the pan, and start jacking it up. When you get a couple of inches from the pan, balance the 2x4 on the lift and lift the transmission maybe an inch at most. You just need to releive the pressure of the transmission from the mount. Once that's done, it's off to the mount itself. The mount is directly behind the trans pan, along the lines of the driveshaft itself. Look for a light grey cross member, maybe 6 inches long by 3 inches wide. It almost looks like plastic. It's arched a little too, with a criss-cross pattern of squares under it. It's the only one under there, and easy to spot. It is attached to the car with four bolts. In the middle of the cross member are four more bolts recessed. These are the "punch through" bolts from the bottom of the mount. There are 4 more bolts on the top of the mount that connect it to the transmission. Step 1: Take off the four smaller bolts that are recessed in the center of the crossmember. Step 2: Take off the four larger bolts that hold the cross member to the car. Step 3: Slide the cross member down over the four screw in the recessed part (the screw closest to the front passenger side might give you a little trouble, just work it back and forth to get it loose. This is the hole that is the smaller than the other three) Step 4: Now the transmount is exposed. Take the four bolts off at the top of the mount. Now, the mount is out of the car. To reinstall, just go backwards in the process. It took me about 40 minutes to do this. And considering it was my first time to do this specific repair, I'm pleased with that. You only need to sprocket sizes to get the bolts off. The sprocket for the crossmember bolts, and the sprocket for the recessed bolts. The bolts at the top of the mount are the same size as the lower. Sorry, I don't have pic's. But honestly, if you can change your own oil, you can do this as well. It's very easy and once you look at the mount, you'll see why.

Case in point: An article from an investment bank stating why it believes oil will hit around $95 a barrel. Yet, the article seems to ignore 1) All the oil sitting in tankers around the world now, that can't find a home 2) A shift in the automobile industry towards more fuel effecient cars 3) A society that learned last summer how to conserve fuel - and willing to do it again - and had a positive impact to lower prices 4) An economy that is so bad, that people are basically driving their cars to work and back, assuming you still have a job 5) A society that is catching on to these b/s tactics by investment banks and speculators. This article is nothing more, I repeat, nothing more than a perfect example of "speculation". Speculation is the theory of shallow theories, and almost always ignores the true underlying base of any economy - the consumer's ability and willingness to accept something. YOU willing to accept another run up in oil prices? I didn't think so... These idiots better becareful, as they run the risk of causing a repeat performance to the economy. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...id=a1Ev4HxCKXRI

eatingupblacktop: In the "gas prices" thread, which I think is in the new club lounge section? I posted a few articles recently that I've found that suggest the speculators are squeezing out the last of the $140/barrel price quotes from last summer, this summer. What's happening is that countless smaller oil producers sold forward contract to deliver oil for the-then price of $140 a barrel. Everyone was in this frenzy that it was certain to hit $200+ a barrel last year, so all of these refineries ordered as much as possible at the $140 rates, to be delivered as late as September 2009, when the last of the contracts expires. There are movers and shakers lurking in the shadows from the big guys, like Exxon, Mobile, Chevron, that are preparing to spend some of those insane profits from last year, this October to buy up the smaller guys. The reason they can't buy them now "and haven't during this economic meltdown", is that the small companies are still be valued on their inventory, at $140 a barrel. It makes no sense to buy a company's inventory at that price level when oil has been in the $40-$50 range for the past several months. So, the smaller oil companies see the September date coming, see the oil price is low, want to avoid getting crushed in the fall, and are trying to "manipulate" the market again to get prices back up, so when the big boys do come knocking on the door on October 1st, their sales price will be higher than it is today. Plus, when the big boys do start buying up the broke little guys, they're going to get that oil sitting in the tankers too. And at some point, that oil is gonna have to be introduced into the system to justify the true cost of drilling for it and storing it. The big guys are going to low ball the offers for the small guys, cause' they'll know they're desperate to make some kind of profit. That should translate into lower costs for us consumers at the pump as well. ALL the ingredients are in place for a major major oil bust this winter, just like in the early 90's which led to $10 a barrel prices. Back then, billions of barrels of oil were stuck in storage containers as well. We were on the back side of Dessert Storm 1, had some high prices back then, and much of the same moves in the oil sector then, are being done now. But, I'm willing to bet in the coming months, and especially as the fall season approaches, we'll start to read the same kind of crap articles in the business world about oil, like we did last summer. It's all b/s. Some "analyst" somewhere will say "Venezualla tribal warriors threaten pipeline to world" and try to generate a frenzy of panic. But, I think the gig is up. Especially as the #1 consumer of oil products is struggling in general - the car makers. At some point, all of those tankers floating around with billiions of gallons of oil, will have to come to port and unload. And when they do, it won't be the highest bidder to win, it'll be the lowest - a reversal from what we've seen and starting to see again now (although weaker). If Congress allows oil to get that out of control like it was last summer again, then they truly are idiots, and any sense of economic recovery that we're feeling today, will be blown away into a real depression. The world is stretched too thin for any sustainable amount of time of oil being above $40 a barrel prices. The rubberband effect is about to occur, and it's about to snap back into position....in the fall.

A 12 year old car from a german automaker that is in it's first couple of years of production (and when MB was slipping) vs. a 5 year old car that continues to top the list of the most reliable car on the road. No contest on which one I would buy. Plus, during my research of that style MB, specifically in those model years, revealed some pretty serious repairs that occur. One, the wires on the plugs were bad, and some plastic thingy connector that was part of a recall. 2) the a/c unit is prone to failure, and requires the entire dashboard to be removed to get to the part that breaks. It's one hell of the most expensive repairs in the entire car from what I read, almost guaranteed to happen, and sent many folks to the lexus dealership in general to trade it in. Powerwise: as mentioned earlier, if pavement stomping power and associated driving techniques are what you're looking for, then I doubt either one of these cars will really scratch that itch. But, the 4.3 V8 in the Lexus is no wussie of an engine, believe me. I have one in my GS, and when asked, that engine will hurdle your butt down the road a lot faster than you realize. It will kick you into your seat, and keep you there until you let off the gas.

Yeah, you've got to hand it to Ford for being a bit better on the ball. You can thank the fact that they have a better balance between trucks/suvs and sedans. And Mazda too, for which Ford utilizes their ownership shares for management training experience. I read somewhere that Ford requires any junior executive manager coming up the ladder to spend like 3 years with Mazda first, to understand their culture and focus for manufacturing. As symbols of American automotive might, I like GM and Ford, but Ford has a more "family" feel to it, as where GM has a more "Corporate" feel. Chrystler has become the red-headed step child. All I know, is that the next decade has the potential to really razzle and dazzle us car nuts! I hope our country can step up and win again. I wouldn't mind a Ford car in my garage actually. But, my wife would. We'll see, we'll just have to wait and see. Bankruptcy isn't always a bad thing, as it can give a sufficating company breathing room to readjust and readapt. Just look at the airline industry. How many times have they gone into bk? They've been mostly "in" than "out" of bankruptcy over the past 9 years, and yet have had the safest period of travel in their entire history. The Indy 500 should be strictly American! :D haha That's called NASCAR. And if anyone has ever witnessed the missing links of man kind, at Talledega Motor Speedway....well, Tokyo doesn't sound too bad actually.

Well, who here hasn't heard about GM? I will now eat my crow, as I was one of those who said the government would never let GM go bankrupt. I was wrong. Although, I do think it's the right move, sadly. Let's just hope this shakes the american automotive business to it's core, and they don't return with the same problems. GM's not "out", just down. I find this article below quite interesting. It's titled "Americans Don't Care About GM", written in the eyes of the workers. It's not too long. In it, there is one sentence that I think sums up the entire situation for GM in general, which led it to today. That is: “There was a moment in time when the company wasn’t run by car people,” http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...&refer=home In my opinion, they never recovered from that sentence. And if the American population truly doesn't care if they go bankrupt, it's probably due to one too many burnt out alternators, leaking door seals on a $45k truck, broken this, rattle that, etc.. One too many problems to one too many customers. On a side note, I use to watch the Indy 500 as a kid, every year. I was a huge fan. Not until this year, did I actually sit down to watch it again. I remember a race where engine failure was a huge component of that race, where drivers would literally coast across the finish line because their engine had failed. This year, there was not one single engine failure during the entire race, not a one. I was really surprised, and even made the comment to my brother who was watching it with me "isn't it strange none of the Chevy or Ford engines have failed?". I kid you not, it wasn't 20 seconds later when the screen flashed information about the engines.....which were ALL built by Honda. Go figure. An American icon sporting event, powered by a competitive company.

Congrats dens, I'm sure your pop will enjoy the new ride! I know what you're saying about the differences between the BMW brand and the Lexus brand. It's something deep down in the dna of the automakers that make the two different. Lexus takes pride in insulating you from the road, as where BMW takes pride in connecting you to it. Both have their strong positives, and negatives. This doesn't really apply to you, since you guys are leasing a new one, but what I've noticed about BMW's is how loud they get as they age, primarily in the exhaust and engine noise category. As where Lexus cars seem to stay quiet throughout. I also know what you mean about the power. BMW is fantastic at making 190hp feel like 290hp, with smooth and strong torque application and band. I've always loved driving BMW's, and heavily considered the 5 series as a replacement for my LS. I test drove a 530i (I think it was an 03') and was stunned at how damn fast that thing was! I've also driven several 328's, 325's, and a 528 like yours. All have a great feel to them. The only two that I thought were just dogs was my dad's 318ti (weak, bussy, rattle bucket), and a late 80's 325e (e for economy). That car had no guts, at all, and redlined at like 4,500 rpm (not a desiel engine either). The things that spooked me from buying one were 1) The 3 series just too small 2) The 5 series was to cramped in shoulder room, and no real cup holders, and 3) The 3 series had problems with their Vamos (I think that's it) system that made a lot of noise in the engine, and tearing subframe mounts in the back that were ungodly expensive to fix. Plus, the trim around the doors and headliners seemed to fail quite a bit in humid environments. The 5 series (older design) had cooling problems that required new radiators, and some other quirk that I can't think of at the moment. At that time, I just wasn't interested in fixing anything in the garage. Although parts were WAY cheaper for a BMW than a Lexus, my a mile! However, if I found a early 2000's BMW 328 sport wagon, I might have to bite. I love those cars. I would also love to have as a third car (toy car) a red with beige interior, 1980's M3 (the one with the fender flares and wing). Every kid has that one car they dream or dreamnt about having when they were a teenager, and that one is mine. I actually conned a BMW salesman to let me test drive one when I was like 17, and loved loved loved it. I also rode in a grey one in 89' in Birmingham, doing 140 mph's down Red Mountain Expressway. That was fun (back then, I'd soil my self and have a stroke today). You guys are going to love that BMW! Nothing stops like a BMW either.

Bought my first Lexus (95' LS400) when I was 30. I'm now 35 and bought my current Lexus (01' GS430) about 6 weeks ago. Knowing how good these cars are, I tend to look for older, properly maintained models that require the basic normal wear and tear maintenance. Bought the LS to feel older than I was. Bought the GS to remind myself I'm not quite that old. Traded the 07' Mazda 3GT because I'm not 16 anymore. Drive the 4runner on those "f'it days". Would love to have an older 911 in the garage as a toy to help blow the rest of the hair off the top of my head on the weekends, but can't fit the baby stroller in the front trunk. <_< Would love to have a fully loaded Sienna minivan too. Yeah, I admit it.

shaggydog: you didn't to happen to set the ebrake when you started this proceedure did you? Like in step one, when you were positioning your GX to where you'll work on it and lift it? I ask, because it's sort of intuitive to want to set the ebrake for safety before lifting a car up with a floor jack. If the ebrake was gripping your rotor that hard, then I could only assume (1) you accidently set it, (2) it must have been dragging the whole time prior to this repair, or (3) a good whack with a rubber mallet on the side of the rotor should bust it loose from it's grime encrusted grip to the hub. I've made the ebrake mistake twice, once with my LS that nearly drove me nuts before figuring out what I had done, and the other on my 4runner a few years later, which I caught early on.

Well I finally got around to changing the trans mount yesterday. Took all of about 45 minutes to do. The hardest part for me was getting the cross support bar to wiggle itself free from the 4 screw pins of the mount itself. One of the little holes of that cross bar is smaller than the rest, and all of the rust from years of snow/salt up here created some buildup on that screw pin. After that, it was cake. When I pull the old one out and placed it next to the new one, it didn't look bad at all, and certainly didn't look compressed. But, when I put the new one in, did I realize just how "soft" the old one had become. When I went to put the cross bar back on, there was about a 3/4th to 1 inch gap between the car itself and the cross bar, which wasn't the case when I took the old one out. I had to lift the trans up a tad to get the cross bar screws to grab their threads within the car. It certainly helped with the shaking, and it certainly firmed up the feel of the car. But, the shaking is still there, so I'm guessing the engine mounts are probably ready to be replaced as well. Guess I'm back to parts.com for two mounts. Nothing clunks, clanks, clicks, just a little vibration at idle.

I didn't register the mileage and age of the car. Our 4runner had like 55k miles on it when we bought it in 07, and it's an 05, same story on mileage. A good way to try and judge what kind of driving was done is to check the tires (and compare it to the spare-assuming full size spare). If the tires are original, then it's a safe bet most of those miles are simply highway miles, which is good! If the tires aren't originals, but look to be brand new, then you could probably assume the same thing (highway miles) and either the previous owner put on new ones before giving it back, or the dealership put new ones on to sell it. If you can't tell if the tires are originals, see if they're the same kind as the spare (michelins, etc). Our 4runner had the original tires, and not until about 70k miles did I finally replace them (right before we moved to Chicago). I didn't want to make that drive, in winter, on older tires. Also, if you can see, check the brake pads as well to see how much life is on them. If they look new, then you can probably assume city driving. If they look original with more than half of the pad left, then probalby highway. I'm sure your dad knows the game of buying cars. Just watch the wholesale-retail spread between your car and the new car. If they wip out the "blackbook", insist on seeing it to value not only the trade on your car, but the value of the new car. Match the categories, then start negotiating. I've always had pretty good luck with that tactic. If they have a "special" book, then insist if they're giving you wholesale value on your trade, they sell the new car at wholesale value as well.

Good points on the age of the leasing, SWO. ;) My LS was 8 years old at the time I bought it, so age certainly played in that regard. The tough thing about those corporate/fleet leases is trying to verify where it came from. I agree, and somewhat disagree on the way a corporate car is cared for. I certainly agree the top floor guys usually get the Lexus's, no argument there. But, if that driver just so happens to not like his job, his company, and knows the car technically isn't his, well, you can see where I'm coming from. I recall as a kid, with my dad going up that corporate ladder, we had a few of those "company cars" too. They weren't abused by any means, but they didn't get the expensive car wash treatment, let it warm up a bit in the morning before flooring it, kind of care. But, you're dad is the flip side to that argument as well. Someone who takes care of the things in his possession and such. Plus, isn't your dad in the real estate game as well? I can't recall. If so, then I know he knows how important a nice, clean, car is, like you do! My LS was a corporate lease. I was told it was a one owner doctor from Chapel Hill who traded it in for a navigation system. But, shortly after I bought it, somehow the carfax report said corporate lease. I had found a business card in the manual folder from the previous owner, a "president" of some small time financial services company that went bk right around the time the car showed up at the dealership. Considering that was 2004, when the economy was doing pretty well, a financial services firm to go nose-cone must have meant the "services" weren't worth a damn.

Let me give you a little bit of advice on buying used cars, that hopefully you'll carry with you for many years. First: when buying a used car, "private owner" is the way to go. "Fleet Vehicle" probably means "Hertz Rental Car" or the like. I have made the mistake of buying two cars with similiar prior owners, both of which ended up costing me an arm and a leg to repair. One was a 1994 GMC Jimmy SLT with 28k miles, which had body rust bubbling up by 31k miles, broken this, leaking that, burnt out those, etc... always a POS. Turned out, a "fleet vehicle" from a GMC dealership in Kill Devil Hills, NC (outer banks). Two, my previous Lexus (the LS400). Owned as a corporate lease vehicle in Raleigh. It was supposedly "perfectly maintained" by the local dealership, the whole nine yards (and sales pitch to match). Well, there is a reason why i'm on this website. It wasn't a bad car, but it sure as the hell wasn't maintained like a privately owned car, until I bought it. Now, these two examples are of one car that was built by a crap builder, and the other was built by the world's best. Both shared one thing in common, a non-private previous owner. My current two cars, the 4runner and GS, both bought new, with around 55k miles on each, both private ownership cars, no problems whatsoever (beyond normal wear and tear stuff). Moral of the story, lipstick is nice, but if you can't tell if it's on a pig or not, then it's probably on a pig. Ask yourself why this car is at a hole-in-the-wall, shady, used car lot, and not on a real dealer's lot? What do the other dealerships know that made them avoid bidding on it at auction, that you don't. There is a reason, and I bet if you 1) dig deep enough you'll find it, or 2) buy it and realize it. Number two: Call that !Removed! back, give him your phone number, tell him when he's willing to sell the car, to call you back, and if you haven't found one already, you might take a second look. I promise you man, nobody is kicking down a slim-shady used car lot's door to spend $31,000 on anything these days. Another possiblity why he has that car on his lot: A repo. Did you notice a few nice cars amoungst a lot of not so nice cars on his lot? A few cherries in what otherwise is a rotten batch of crap? If so, I'd be willing to bet he bought a chunk of those cars from a local bank/credit union's repo'd inventory. I know this for a fact, from my banking days years ago. When a bank gets a lot of repo'd cars back, they package them up into slices of about 10 or so. They take one good car and place it with 9 other not-so-good cars, and then sell the package to local dealers. I guarantee you kid, you don't want a car that's been repo'd, period. A person "or institution" willing to allow their car to get repo'd, is usually the same kind of person "or institution" that doesn't take very good care of their things. Case in point: A $135,000 MB AMG SL600 coupe we repo'd "my former employer" from a minister in Winston Salem, NC back in 04'. It had 15k miles on it. Tires were bald, oil was original, it wouldn't start, and when the heat and humidity of summer hit it, it stunk like dog barf. It cost the credit union something like $5k to make it "marketable", and they still got their butts handed to them. Be patient....what you want, will appear. Have you tried Carmax? I know they're a bit higher in price, but they do have a nationwide network. You sound a lot like me, when you want something, you want it NOW. I've learned over the past few years that sometimes, you get lucky when you don't even realize it. When we bought our house in NC, we originally tried to buy a different one. We got into a bidding war. I WANTED that house, but lost the bidding war, and was not happy about it. Two weeks later, the house we did buy, came to the market, and we snatched it up within 24 hours, paying full price on the spot. Fastforward to today. As you know, we had to move from NC to Chicago last February, and we had to sell our house. It sold within about 3 days of hitting the market, for very close to what we were asking for it. YOu know many people in this economy that can say that? Know anyone that can say they made a profit on a house bought at the height of the price spike in late 2006? And the kicker, the house I thought I wanted, went on the market again last October, were it still remains. I've had this urge as well with our current cars. I wanted a Subaru Turbo Outback instead of the 4runner, but here in pothole hell Chicago, where 20 inches of snow is quite possible, I'm glad I got the rough and tough 4runner. Same with the GS. I was getting ready to bid on a 04 GS300 that wasn't in great shape. I just wanted a GS, period. But, my internal warning system said "spend the extra hour to drive to look at the 01' 430". And boy am I glad I did. So, just sit tight man, it'll happen, it'll appear, and you'll be that much happier knowing what you have, is RIGHT on all accounts. No little internal voices going "i wonder what fleet really meant, and if that's why I got this vibration", or any of that sort of crap that drives you nuts.