Crusty1

OK. I guess the journey is over...or is it just starting? Anyway, just took delivery of my 01 LS430. I put a little over 160 miles on it today putting it through the paces and it's a very nice car. I scoured local ads on Craig's list, Autotrader, Carsoup, newspaper, etc. Prices were all around 21,500-23000...and this is what cars in the "very clean" category with between 50-80K were selling for which I thought was high so I took a chance on Ebay and snagged this one for $16, 150 thinking I had some room for "work" if it needed something. So far it's really clean. Just a few little minor things I want to take care of which I'll mention just in case someone's got some good insights. Here's the webpage from the dealer...lot's of pics: Crusty1's new ride pics: http://www.ewayauto.com/detail-2001-lexus-...30-2483771.html 1. Just one key. So I need another cut. Local guy quoted me $150 if I bring him a "shell" and he just provides the key blade. Ouch. I can get an OEM looking shell and blade for $50 off ebay. Shoud it really cost this much just to get a key cut? Auction listing states that instructions for programming are inlcuded. 2. The "trunk struts" are shot...at least I think so. Looking at the spare I got cloked in the back of the neck by the trunk Bruce Lee style. And the trunk lid is very heavy to lift...though it stays up in it's full extended position. As my neighbor pointed out (previous ownder was a physician), the guy used the trunk a lot but not the hood because the hood struts are just fine. And I'm sure he's right because most Docs I know aren't even sure what's under the hood. 3. Tires were severely under inflated: LF 15psi, the rest 20psi. A slight amount of stering wheel wobble at 52-56 MPH after I inflated to 35psi all way round. A lot of wobble before I topped off air. LF tire has only 3/32 of tread on the very outside and 6/32 on the inside. All the other tires have 6-7/32. They're Yokahoma Avid T4s. Guessing the alingnmnet is out. Anything else that would cause this slight steering wheel vibration? I hate to replace the entire set when there's a year of more of tread left on the other 3 (spare has only got 4/32). I found a decent used on ebay for $65 with 7/32. 4. Tranny fluid level is just about 1/4" over the "hot" fill line. Does this spell death? I always make sure my tranny fluid levels are dead on because I fear overfilling. Wonder if I should suck it out with my fluid pump or just train, flush and refill. Tranny fluid looks and smells OK. Well that's it for now. Thanks for all the excellent feedback and input on my prepurchase pursuit. Dennis

You might need to start a LS 430 gas mileage post if that is what you want. Agreed! I'm just afraid they're going to kick me off the forum if I ask any more dumb questions :o !!!!

[There is an interesting and relevent comment in this recent thread ( http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=332064 ) from wheel shop owner "LA Wheel": "I've gone from 17" stocks, to 20's, then to 18" Sport wheels and now on 16" 2002 LS430 wheels on my 2004 UL. Most dramatic difference was going from 17" to 18". Even 18" to 20" wasn't as dramatic. Now my car rides like a cloud." Consider getting a set of mudflaps before you do much driving on gravel roads. Although the mudflaps for the 95-08 LS cars do not provide as much protection as the ones for the 90-94 LS, they will still reduce the paint nicks and scouring from gravel being thrown up by the wheels. I do a fair amount of driving on some pretty lousy gravel roads and speak from experience. Since you are in the "PNW" you could likely buy mudflaps from the dealer in Victoria where I bought the ones on my current LS: http://www.metrolexusvictoria.com/index.htm Here is another source: http://www.l-tunedparts.com/product/?id=11 I was actually thinking $600 for just tires. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about rims at this point. I may just stay with the stock 17" wheels and slap some new tires on. Also, found some Falken Ziex 912s for around $450 shipped (235/50/17). I'll just see where this takes me. The car now has Yokohamas but I'm not sure which model. I check when I pick up the car in the next week.

Well. Just signed papers on an 01 LS430. So now I'm thinking summer and winter driving. I'm thinking of keeping the 17" stocker rims and use them in winter with some all season/snow tires like Blizzaks (I know 16"s would be better but I'll have the stock rims just lying around). I'm thinking 235 or 245/45/18s with some new rims. I'd like decent performance but I just broke the bank buying this rig so I really can't afford to spend more than around $150 each. I know that's not alot but is there anything out there in this range? I found some Falken Azenis on ebay for under $500 and then I'd just have to pay someone local to mount/balance. I currently buy all my tires at Les Schwab but a good tire there will definately break the bank. Also, I drive about a mile of gravel so any really expensive tires are a complete waste of money because the gravel shreds them. I just spend $1100 on new tires for my suburban supposedly made to withstand gravel. We'll see!

So is this the infamous, "holy grail" of auto valuation? http://www.carquotes.com/BlackBook.aspx

I like the black book since it is very close, or closer then both noted above. "YMMV" Wow! I didn't know the Bible was so versatile? Are the car values in the old or new testament? Ok. Bad joke. What "black book" are we talking about? The only black book I've ever heard of just had girls names and numbers. Yes, this confirms my level of ignorance with regard to car matters. I use to work for State Farm for quite a few years and all we ever had was KBB and "Nads" as we used to call it. Enlighted oh wise one!

I've used KBB and NADA for years but as of late I really wonder if there's a more accurate/reliable way to estimate a car's true worth before making a purchase. It seems they always "over" value what cars really sell for in the real world...whether it be Ebay, Craigslist, or the local paper. Anything better to work with? Is there a way to "factor" in what a car should be worth based on these two guides: ie, deduct 10% for real world value, etc. Thanks.

How is the MPG for the LS 430? I'm seriously zeroing in on an 01 or 02 430 since my last botched attempt at buying a LS400 on Fleabay. I average somewhere between 17-19 highway/city driving. This car does get decent mileage when driven casually. The day I bought it, I drove it from Boston to Indianapolis. I got 450 miles on less than one tank, and probably could've gone further to almost 500, which means that highway was around 26-27 mpg highway. Don't be panicky about gas. The bottom line is cost of ownership, which the Lexus shines at. gas may be expensive but your repair bill is NOT. Gas prices are higher these days because of the constant speculation. Your sig says "LS400." So is this MPG for a LS400 or LS430? I"d really like to know if the LS 430 gets better or worse MPG than the LS400. I know this may by asking alot for an extra .3 litre engine but I thought Lexus improved aerodynamics and efficiency of the engine.

quote name='Crusty1' post='295770' date='Mar 12 2008, 01:28 PM']OK. These are 18" wheels on an 01 LS 430 I was thinking about for a while...so I think I've moved on now to a diiferent car...but still like these a lot. I'm 95% sure they're not OEM but if anybody knows what brand they are chime in and let me know where I can pick a set up. I've looked at 100s of wheels and like these a lot. I know, it's very subjective...like what color is best. Here's some pics. So whatda think...Have I found the "needle in the haystack?" My eyes are crossed from looking at so many frickin wheels!

Good idea. That sure beats my idea of reporting them stolen to AMW and see if John Walsh could put out an ABB!

OK. These are 18" wheels on an 01 LS 430 I was thinking about for a while...so I think I've moved on now to a diiferent car...but still like these a lot. I'm 95% sure they're not OEM but if anybody knows what brand they are chime in and let me know where I can pick a set up. I've looked at 100s of wheels and like these a lot. I know, it's very subjective...like what color is best. Here's some pics.

How is the MPG for the LS 430? I'm seriously zeroing in on an 01 or 02 430 since my last botched attempt at buying a LS400 on Fleabay.

Good guess re. local. Ad says perfect. So I drive the car and notice it pulls to the right. Over bumps there's a squeak from the rear pass. strut/shock. Visible wear on the door side panels. Check why the car pulls hard to the right: front pass. wheel has nasty scra%pe. Hard curb hugging going on here. Next I pop the hood to check engine: hood hits me in the back of the neck and about decapitates me has the force pounds my face into the shroud: struts are shot. I have the guy hold the hood up: there's JB weld on the shroud about 18" long where I'm guessing it cracked. From what, who knows. Strangest thing is there's hay, I mean a bunch of hay stuck down on the lower part of the shroud. I live in the country and drive some pretty rough roads with my Suburban. Never had hay up inside my engine compartment. Sooooooo.....this car is the definition of "perfect." And last but not least, because the car is perfect, there's no negotiation on price. It's 100% firm! So that was my experience trying to buy off Craigslist so far. Buy hey, thats just one guy so I'm not writing off this as and option.

I agree, winter fuel sucks. I ran premium in my Camry for a long time and then switched to plus....by mistake. I don't know why you have to say what you want 3 times to the gas station attendant for them to get it right but that what it takes. She put a full tank of plus in by mistake, tha car didn't ping, float, or blow....so I ran plus every other tank until I fried the motor with no problems. I guess it will be premium for the Lex.

First of all, for the "free legal counsel" from our Lexus attorney friend. Thanks, I'm sure to sleep like a baby tongiht after those encouraging words. My concern here is NOT THE CONDITION OF THE VEHICLE. I'm buying it for $3500 less than what I can here where I live. I can do a lot of repairs for $3500 and still break even compared with buying a car around here. My concern is with 1. Having the car sold out from underneath me with no return of deposit. 2. Plunking down $11k and not ever seeing a car arrive at my driveway. Irrational, even by Ebay standards. So tell me, what dealer is going to risk his entire business over one $11k profit? Dealers have to be bonded and insured to be registered with their state...even in Florida. They would no longer be able to be a dealer if they lose their license. They can't even be assoicated with the car business for x amount of years if the infraction is serious enough. Would I sue someone and fly out to do so even if it's 3000 miles away. Hell yes!! We'll see how this mini drama unfolds.

3000mile jaunt. I'm feeling they might be bidding this thing up for whatever their motivation might be. I feel the bottom line is if they don't cancel the auction then somethings is up and I might have to pass and let the CC company deal with it. Unfortuatenly I used my visa/debit so I might be $crewed anyway. I'm going to the bank tomorrow to tranfer money just in case the thing goes through. I jus can't imagine that a dealer with over 776 feedback on ebay would get themsevles caught up in a "breach of contract" suit or not delivering the vehicle once they took full payment for it. They'd lose their license for that and be banned from ebay for life I suppose....with a good attorney!

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Well it looks like I've sealed the deal on 98 LS 400 for $9600 plus shipping (another $900 because of distance). I hesitated to buy a car I hadn't driven but I can walk away when it arrives if it's not what I expected...as far as the contract goes. It's a savings of over $2500 from the 98 I drove today with only 65k on it. But for only 65k it seemed to have chrono and wear age than mile-age. We'll see how this goes when it gets here in a week or so.

I went to drive the 99 with 79k on it that the sales mgr. and agreed to sell over the phone for $14k. It drove excellent and looked impecable...but. From the cafax history I saw 3 owners not 1 like dealer said. Also, the car was from the oregon coast...very wet area. I saw rust back on the rotors/hubs. After I decided to make an offer, I offered $13000 cash. He countered with $15999. WTH!!! He finally came down to 14k but by then I was so *BLEEP*ed off I just got up and walked! Almost made it to my car with the Lexus keys still in my pocket! Now that would have been a true steal!! Guys around here are delusional. I can buy a Florida 1 owner lexus serviced 99 LS off Ebay for $10k plus 1k shipping. I know, Ebay. But around here they're nuts. I've gone back to looking at ES300s.

Soooo. After 5 hours of the phone today trying to work my "magic" I've come down to 2 cars of interest. Both 99s. One has 77K the other 92k. Both are 1 owner trade ins for new LS460s. The first with 77k was listed at $17700. I've got him down to 14,000 just from telephone conversations. My ace in the hole is the 90k mainteance that I'm using as a bargaining tool because after all it's coming up soon and it's going to cost me $1500 to do ( I may drive the car for a year or two and not do the TB anyway). The other car with 92k on it has just had it's 90k full service and was listed at $16995; I've got it down to $13,100 after 3 phone conversations. I'd really like to get the 77k car down in the low 13,000 range as well but think this might be pushing it. I've yet to drive either but have perused large volumes of pics on both. Both of these cars are within a 300 mile distance so I can see them if I don't mind the drive. My only leverage has been "If I like the car I scribble your name here, and my name there on the check and we both go home smiling." So far so good. I can save about $1000-1500 on comarable cars going "fleabay" if I want to roll the dice. I'm a risk taker but I'm not sure I'm ready for the "e-carmony" route to car buying where all you get is a picture and a bunch of internet correspondence yet. I like to choose my rides in person, regardless. What do you guys think?

Great minds must thing alike!! In the past 3 hours of internet reading I've come to the conclusion that I'll be spending the extra...my wife that is...$$$$ and getting a 97-99, preferably 98 or newer. But the interference issue does make me a little nervous. If I can't verify if the timing belt was done from maintenance records I really don't want to trust a used car salesman or owner and then have it go and need to replace the whole engine. Is there a way to definatively tell if the TB has been in fact changed and when? If not I'd probably do it myself or pay to have it done. Last repair I did was a water pump on my 1 ton Dodge van and that was a @#$@#$#$ of a job!!

On a resent trip to Portland and return (390 miles) our well worn, 211,000 miles, '95 LS400 got almost 27 MPG (14.55 gallons) with an average moving speed (Garmin) of ~66 MPH. Yeah. I think now with gas prices what they are would be a great time to revisit any legit mods to increase fuel milage. I'm leaning towards getting a 97-99 now that I've spent the last 3 hours reading more than I needed too!

Also, while I'm soliciting input. I've come accross 2 groups of cars: super nice and spendy; little less nice but really cheap. Example: 1994 LS 400 131K decent condition, asking $4995. I can pick up locally no shipping and I get to drive in person. 1998 LS 400 85k, awesome condition visually, asking 11,995. I can do a lot of repair work for $7 grand. And then I know what I've got. This example is a little lopsided but I see a lot of this. Cheap higher milage cars, expensive ($11500 for a 1995 w/ 26K original miles) lower milage cars. I bought my suburban 4 years ago and paid clean retail and it was in mint condish...then I just spend 5k in the past year for new tranny, transfer case, and rear end. I also replaced intake gaskets myself. I could have bought a rig with more miles for $5-6 k less and spent the money on repairs. What do you think is the best value?

I'm trying to be patient but I'm hoping to pull the trigger in the next week. I'm talking to a lot of guys here in the Portland area and a few on Ebay. Ebay is like buying wholesale...but then it's a crap shoot. I'd really like to get a good enough deal that way if something doesn't work out I can flip it without eating too much deprec. I'm trying to "be cool" about it and not rush into something but this cash is buring a hole in my pocket real fast if you know what I mean!