jainla

The Euro Tuned suspension is stiffer steel springs, bushings and recalibrated shocks (and I believe the larger wheels and tire package was included). This was a stand-alone option that could be had with any combination of packages except the Ultralux package. The Air suspension (Ultralux only) replaces the coil springs and shock absorbers with an integrated Air-spring/shock unit, with adjustable damping and height selection. It's very slick as far as these things go. However when the rubber pouch or the integrated shock starts leaking the whole unit has to be replaced; which can be very expensive; although several dealers told me this does not become an issue until about 120,00-150,000 miles, but I'm sure depending on climate and use YMMV. I ended up buying an Ultra because the sport and Custom Luxury models were very hard to find here in Southern California (the sport models seem to be rather rare); my ideal car would have been a sport CL but that package seems to be harder to find until you hit the 2003+ model years. That said the fridge is nice on hot days; and the rear sunshades keep the car cooler during the summer. The rear seat? I have yet to sit in it while the car is moving....so the controls and massagers are kind of lost on me. Not lost on my friends though....all of a sudden nobody else wants to/feels like/can handle driving anymore. :) I think if you find a car in good condition in a color combo you like with a good service history that should be more important than the differentiation between the two packages as far as ride. You can read my diabtribe about my back to back comparison between the two LS models at this link; but if you have decent roads where you live you honestly won't notice that much of a difference; I think tire choice is almost as important. ML is fantastic however..definitely worth the $$

I know they always get the good stuff there first..... The previous G-book Alpha service was good but not quite as advanced. In some of the other telematics services you buy songs and download them to your car (including Karaoke). Japan is a strange place...

Yeah that would be another 5k. The headlights alone on this car are about $1000 a shot. Also there is the labor to mount and align the hood, and move all of the padding and other ancillary items onto the new metal part. And who knows what other damage is not readily apparent, most likely there is at least a new bumper cover like Steve said. Modern cars today also are designed to dissipate impact energy around the passenger cabin, so in some cases (doubtful in this case) there may be damage far from the zone of impact. That's why these days a seemingly minor accident can total a car. I remember seeing pictures of crash testing for the previous S-class where the metal on the trunk area behind the rear wheel buckled in a head-on collision with the wall. The impact energy was disappated across the roof and sides of the car causing the whole structure to roll back; keeping the passenger space intact. They are amazing these cars, but they really are engineered to give their lives for our own.

Ewww....although I know someone who had a brand new car in which mice had built a nest in the CC system...maybe when it was sitting on the dock or something. Had bits of leaf and twig blowing at him for months until he figured it out. This is why I almost always turn off the AC and let the CC system run for a little while before shutting off the car (especially if its hot outside); the system warms enough to disapate the accumulated condensation and dry out. Yes you get a blast of humid air but better than that moldy smell later on....

Check it out.... http://lexus.jp/models/ls/index.html Click on the Facts Special Feature->Autoplay for a new movie...some really cool stuff. There is even shot of the LS460 bringing itself to a stop behind an LS430, assumedly by radar..... :) The G-Link service looks fanastic...It seems to be able to stream or email a feed of what's happening inside the car. I think its interesting to see how Toyota is branding the car for the Japanese market. Some very nice pictures, too bad I can't read Japanese!!

That's a great idea...thanks! I have to admit, I even caught myself getting ready to type responses today in my rental car! Any idea where I can get into a "CrackBerry Anoymous" group? ;) Forget email...dialing the phone for me is a hazard because of the tiny keys. I have had one going on 3 years now and I think after a while you just lose the desire to be that reachable...but Steve is right turning off the notify on email is a big help. Also leaving it on your desk at work is also a big help which I have done 'inadvertently' a few times. :whistles: That's why we have insurance :) I bet the hood (which they will replace for that price) is an expensive part, plus all the labor to paint/align etc. Sometimes I think I should have opened a body shop...

Looks fantastic!! I agree why take a chance on a car that has had damage...this one looks pristine. Cars seem to last forever in Texas...when I lived in Austin the road was well populated with vintage Mercedes and Volvo cars...I see the car was probably traded for a Mercedes Benz.....bet that guy is going to be sorry. if you have the time I would drive from Tx back home....all the better to get to know your new baby.... before this LS430, done that (buying on eBay withouth seeing) 3 times already! (coincidentally, all 4 were from Texas). 1st 3 lex all turned out to be pretty nice. will certainly keep my fingers crossed for this one. anyway, this low-miles 02 appears to be well maintained and 30k service was completed. sure, I may need to use part of $4K-below-KBB saving to do minor things to make it perfect, but I am not really worry much about it. there is no way in Atlanta market that I can find one $4K below KBB private party. it seems that all used LS4 listed here are right around KBB or slightly above. PLUS, $700 transportation is still much cheaper than 7% GA sales tax!

OUCH!!!!! Yes definitely a reason not to use the Blackberry in the car. It could have been much worse however..sounds like everybody made out ok....

It sounds like a fantastic deal especially for the mileage. I would take a plate of cookies over to your local Lexus dealer and see if they will run the VIN for you so you can see if it has had all the maintenance (although until you hit 30k there is not much to be done aside from oil changes). The CL package is nice....no pesky air springs to worry about later. The only feature that you may miss would be the bluetooth phone..but that can be added aftermarket for not much money at all. Some people are really hung up on the 01-04/04+ exterior difference but that's personal taste. And I like the 7 spoke alloys better than the 5 or 6 spokes on the 04+. Sounds like you may have found your car!! Assuming the carfax et al checks out I vote click and run!!

Congratulations on your new car.....IMHO Silver on black is the best color combo for the LS430. :D I took mine to Lexus of Santa Monica and they programmed it for free in about 10 min....you might want to contact your dealer and see if they will perform the same service.

Just park it in downtown Newark with the keys in the ignition and the windows open. I guarantee you'll never see it again. :D I would start shopping now and find a car you like. Pick up the S500 (when it's finally done) and drive straight to the dealer who is holding your new car. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, just do the trade and get rid of it. They will most likely sell the car wholesale anyway (if they are not a Mercedes dealer) so as long as its not obviously leaking, bashed to hell or on fire they should offer you something decent especially if its in good cosmetic shape. Crunch the numbers, the trade-in value might be almost the same as what you could get from the buyback (minus legal fees and your therapy bill). Steve's right: you have to measure the financial gain of the dealer buying back vs. the hassle (and expense) of the legal process, and the days (weeks? months?) of your life it will consume. And every day that you spend dealing with this is one day less you could be spending in a nice, trouble free Lexus.......

No such thing exists. The original LS phone consisted of 2 parts: the transceiver/amplifier in the trunk, and the handset (or portable phone in later models) in the center armrest. They were designed to work together with special Lexus-specific firmware. The phone would communicate with the trunk computer, which would then mute the stereo and play the sound through the car's speakers, as well as connect to the cabin-mounted microphone and steering wheel controls. It would also connect the phone to an externally mounted antenna. In 01+ models the phone was operable via the built-in touch screen (if you had Nav) so it also sat on the AVC bus. The early phones were made by Motorola, Lexus later switched to Denso/Qualcomm phones and Nokia phones (for '03 only) before transitioning to a bluetooth based system for '04. Nobody who had the OEM system was particularly blown away by its quality or features; and electronics have progressed to the point that an aftermarket system is more compatible and probably will perform better. If you choose a bluetooth system you will be able to use it with any number of phones as long as they support bluetooth connectivity (and this standard seems like it will be around for a while). If you search there are several excellent tutorials and pictorals on this site illustrating how various people have tackled this problem. I suppose it would be possible to rip out the existing phone transciever and put an aftermarket car kit in its place; you'd need the wiring diagrams to see where the microphone and switch leads from the steering wheel could be accessed. You would also have to connect to the radio mute/speaker patch point in the trunk; which also has power leads. I think what dogboy (Jeremy) had come up with was a set of connectors and a patch panel to bring all these connections together so you could plug in your own aftermarket kit. I don't know if it would really be worth the effort though; having an installer fit an aftermarket system would be much easier, and less risk of frying your car's electronics. There are some basic bluetooth car kits out there for less than $150. Good luck!

Click here Nothing earth shattering, but they report the Automatic Parking system is standard; and that the LS continues to be quiet, refined and fast.

I agree with Threadcutter...the only real thing to watch with the LS V8 is the timing belt. As long as it is changed regularly these engines are virtually bulletproof...usually good for at least 300k miles if not more. They may want to replace the sparkplugs as well, but that's about it. After that just change the oil and go...there is nothing exotic needed just regular maintenance. The dealer will tell you what else, if anything needs changing. Sometimes some of the front-end bushings may need replacing but that's about it for these cars. The LS400/430 is regularly the MOST reliable car in the JD Power 5 year dependability survey....so settle in for a while. What color is it?

Yes back then everything was made of metal, not plastic. The 240D still starts on the very first crank. I think it will outlive us all. :chairshot: Mercedes has paid dearly for it's increased sales and move downmarket. It's very sad...but that's what happens when a car company is run by marketing guys instead of engineers. I read somewhere that we are currently suffering some kind of automotive identity crisis: "In these homogenous automotive times, the ethnic motorcar has become seriously blurred. For German precision and reliability, we buy Japanese; for Japanese thrift at the cost of style, we buy from Detroit; and for Detroit pizazz and over-the-top performance, we go to the Germans." That's from the NYT review of the Maserati Quattroporte, which they said is still resolutely Italian (FIAT= Fix It Again Tony?)

You may want to try lubricating the rubber door and top seals with a good protectant (I suggest Sonus Total Eclipse). I had this weird creaking in my LS and the dealer told me that the seals sometimes dry out after a while. Since I have been lubricating the rubber with the STE the creaks are gone!

That's terrible HobokenGuy....I'm glad you made it to the dealership in one piece! It sounds like the dealer's service dept. doesn't quite know what they are doing. I can't believe MB corporate hasn't bought the car back from you yet...that's unreal. Have you taken it to the same place the whole time? If you haven't called your lawyer I think maybe you should. You are not alone however, someone told me the buyback rate for the first year of the current E class was about 20% because of the #@$% sensotronic brakes. My 25 year old Mercedes Diesel, which just past 190,000 miles (and took me to work today and back) aches for you.

I really wanted to drive a Q45 but I couldn't find any in the pre-owned market here. :( It's certainly a distinctive car though, and I bet you could get a great deal b/c they don't hold their resale value as well as the LS. The original Q45 was a blast. FYI the current Q is based on the Japanese market Cima/President and doesn't have a Renault bone in its body. Too bad the M45 just changed over; its nicer than the Q inside. I specifically avoided the Infiniti dealership b/c I knew they might be able to sucker me into a brand new one....I hear it's fantastic. Drive an LS and let us know how they compare....

Coming from the S-Class you wil probably find the RL too small (it's more of an E/5 Series size). The LS is substantially larger inside, faster and amazingly almost as fuel efficient--and with dealers clearing out the LS430 in anticipation of the LS460 I bet you can get a great deal. When I was looking for a car to replace my indestructible Mercedes 240D the LS was the only car that had good as or better build quality. The C320 and E320 that I drove felt like Chryslers inside in comparison, and the 2000-06 S-Classes aren't that much nicer if I recall. They just don't make them like they used to. :( I agree with Steve that the snob factor with the LS is not as high as the S Class, but everybody who actually gets into the car is amazed by how beautifully put together and comfortable it is. If you get the Ultra Luxury Package fuggedaboutit...passengers will never leave the heated, massaging rear seats and they will drink everything out of the fridge. Just make sure they wipe up the drool and clean out the empty Pellegrino bottles when they do leave (this is a constant problem). :D I was also amazed by the dealer service--when I stopped by the pre-owned lot at Lexus of Santa Monica the only LS430 they had was on the showroom floor. THEY OPENED THE DOORS AND PULLED IT OUT FOR ME without a second thought so I could drive it. I must say all the dealerships I visited were nothing but courteous (Lexus of Valencia tried to stuff me with fresh baked cookies before I left). The car I actually bought is a non-CPO car from a non-Lexus dealer, and when I brought it into the dealer for service they apologized--apparently they were so busy that day that the only loaner they had left was an immaculate RX330 with about 4500 miles on it. 'Was that ok?' they asked me. And when I came back they apologised again as I would have to 'wait' while the car came back from the wash. The 'wait' was about 5 minutes (didn't have time to finish my coffee) and the car was spotless. Next time I'm hoping for a GS or an IS. :P These cars are so reliable however (the LS400/430 has placed 1st in the JDP 5 year dependability survey every year it's been eligible) that you won't see the service dept very much at all.. Lexus claims a 5 year old LS is more reliable than a NEW 7 series or S Class and I believe it.. But if you really want the full Lexus experience ignore everything we've said and go to www.tasteoflexus.com and register for the NY one in October in Belmont Park. There you can have some nice food, a massage, play some golf while your wife/daughter has mani/pedi, and also drive every Lexus car and truck in a little roadcourse (or off-road course). You can also drive some featured competitors (this is the launch year for the LS460 so expect the 7 Series, S550 and maybe an A8). And you can do all of this for FREE without a single sales person in sight and then decide for yourself.

Yes the 2 tone white and grey LS was very sharp; especially with the tan/saddle interior. Ahh the 90's....It was in such a car that I actually had my VERY FIRST ride in an LS400 in 1990. The 'dealership' was not even complete yet and they were selling cars out of a trailer on an adjacent lot. Even today when I see one I marvel at how a design that was considered derivative in the early 90's still looks modern and very stylish. I can't think of any other cars from that era (save the 126 S Class which has become a classic) that have aged as well as the original LS400...with the possible exception of the very first Q45s (which don't seem to hold up as well).

Congratulations on your new purchase....RFeldes is right...the only thing that beats an LS is a new(er) LS...

I know right? i haven't quoted it but that's what the guy on the CL posting said he paid. You are talking like 30 min of labor max here. A good audio installer would also be able to do it.

The whole country should be on the DVD. You might have to go into the options and change the search area; most nav systems are divided into 5 or 6 search areas. I think it's in the Menu or Option screens.

I purchased both units from VAIS tech directly from their group buy. They were very easy to deal with and they shipped it almost immediately. Mattazuma (the user in the CL forums) said that it cost about $100 at the dealer to have them install it. From an electrical standpoint it involves unplugging the av link bus from the back of the cd/cassette unit and attaching the vaistech harness and then plugging the harness into the vehicle electrical system and then connecting the harness to the Vaistech unit; the big challenge is getting to it. It's all plug and play and the instructions provided by VAIStech are pretty comprehensive. There is nothing that elaborate about installing the unit; the greatest danger in the LS is scratching or denting the wood trim on the pieces you have to remove to get to it. I admit I'm still wondering if I should just suck it up and pay the dealer to install my unit as well. The ML system is definitely worth the extra cost however...it rocks! Hi, I live in Nashville and will be buying a 2003 LS 430 with Nav/ML in the next few weeks. I am interested in the ipod system you have installed in the Prius (and have one for your LS430). Do I buy the unit from the manufacturer and have it installed at a local stereo shop or what? I really don't want just "anyone" working on my car but I know my limitations and car electronics is ONE of them. LOL

I just installed the VAIS unit on my friend's '04 Prius, and I have one in a box for my LS430...I've been waiting for my Parrot bluetooth kit to show up as I only want to take the car apart once (this the new SLI series not the old AVC). This guy on the CL forums put one in his '01 LS and from what I can tell it works the same way the one in the Prius does. You will see the iPod come up as an MD changer, and the Playlist name will come up as the album name, and the song name is displayed too. You can also control the iPod from the unit; if you press the scan button 8 times in a row the headunit will release it from it's control. The track + and - buttons will still work but you won't see the info on the display. Most of the time you'll probably want to stash it somewhere out of sight and use the stereo controls. The SLI plugs into the dock port (I was thinking of installing a cradle for it) and it charges the ipod while the stereo is controlling it. Sound quality on the Prius with the JBL sound system was fantastic....apparently the the ML system sounds even better. Installation on the Prius was pretty easy, the LS is more complicated. You have to take off the 2 lower trim panels and the CD changer door and there are a bunch of screws to remove as well so you can pull the head unit out to get to the plug on the back. The wire can be run from the back of the unit to the lower glove box, where you actually tuck the unit away (apparently they periodically release upgraded software, and they also have a pretty friendly upgrade policy on the unit itself). As far as Ipod systems go this is the best one I've seen so far. I know Denison makes one that is simliar but doesn't have quite as many features and I don't know if it works with the earlier models of the LS or not. The SLI also adds an additional AUX port, for a DVD player or whatever else you want. They say they are coming out with a combo ipod/xm unit by the end of the year. When I finally do it I will post pix....