Will B.

Sounds like a fan to me, but I have 0 mechanical skills so hopefully someone else will chime in.

Go for an 04-06 (for the six speed) and avoid the ultra luxury (air suspension is a known problem point). Just my two cents.

You've spent $1600 and quite a bit of manual labor for a car that's worth about $3000 in good shape and less than $2000 in its current shape. I think you would have been better served to listen to all the naysayers, but to each their own.

It's also not a demolition derby racer (unless you are driving, of course), but I would still like it to have seat belts, air bags, and crumple zones.

Don't forget the swivel headlights, LED tail lights, and more interior airbags (I believe on the knees). In terms of performance, Lexus claims 0-60 times of 6.4 seconds for the 01-03 and 5.9 seconds for the 04-06. That's a pretty significant difference. I don't believe either of the numbers themselves (Consumer Reports clocked the 01 in 7.1 seconds), but I don't doubt the significant acceleration advantage the 04-06 would have based on the gear ratios.

Naw, it will be covered. Still annoying if it breaks though.

I disagree that the year isn't important - you should look for an '04 - '06 since they have the six speed transmission and the arguably better styling. Does the ultra luxury package have the air suspension? If so, you might want to avoid that - feedback on this forum indicates this is perhaps the only common component to fail on these vehicles.

Let's be honest, LS430 looks like a Mercedes, LS460 looks like a BMW. Both are total imitations.

If she's looking for a hybrid, do yourself a favor and check out the Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan hybrids. Best on the road, IMO and Consumer Reports rates the Fusion Hybrid as the #1 midsized sedan. They're around $33k fully loaded I believe, MSRP, although my understanding is that Ford makes no money off them at this price so you probably won't be able to haggle much.

The 18" wheels are going to limit your ride comfort more than the tires, I suspect. I never have mismatched tires on my vehicles, but I'm not sure how much it will hurt.

Easy solution - take out a 30 year car note and you are set! In all seriousness, without knowing any figures, it's almost impossible to give advice.

I think 1990LS400's arguments are very valid, although he's not really clearly stating them. Airbags are most effective when you are already wearing your safety belts. The IIHS indicates that airbags are only seriously dangerous to people who are less than 10 inches away from the steering wheel. They recommend an on/off switch only for people who sit this close to the wheel and, even then, only for cars made before 1998 when the new airbag safety requirements came into effect. Statistically, the IIHS indicates that airbags reduce the death rate of drivers by 14% and of passengers by 11% overall, and 12% and 9% for belted drivers and passengers respectively. REFERENCE - http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/airbags.html I would say that I trust the IIHS, with extensive testing and thorough statistical data, more than any poster on a message board. Removing and not replacing airbags is putting your life at more risk.

First of all - caps lock please. That's kind of gross - I don't think I could do it.

Sam's Club put H rated MXV4's on my '04 LS430 earlier this week no questions asked.

Seriously, you are lucky that you did not seriously hurt yourself or someone else. You should sell that car now and find a car with Electronic Stability Control, even if it's a huge step down in quality.

After hating my tires for about 18 months, they've finally worn down to the point where I can see Lincoln's head - time for new tires! I just submitted my "Click 'n Pull" order from Sam's Club for the 97H rated MXV4. It's on special order - hope it gets here soon! I too have a Moonlight Pearl one (2004) - IMO the best of all the colors. Hopefully my experience will be as good as yours.

I believe the sixth speed was used to update all the gear ratios. Fuel economy stays the same, but performance got a significant boost (0-60 went from 6.3 to 5.9).

Yep, 95% of the time it's balance when it happens around 60-70mph (some variance with the size of the tire). Something to do with the centrifugal force at that speed or something and it will be worse on some roads than others due to some oscillations in the road that build up over time.

Essentially no. From edmunds: What's New for 2005 After last year's major refresh, Lexus chose to keep changes simple this year. The lone change is to the optional 18-inch alloy wheels, which are now available as a stand-alone extra.

Thanks for sharing this story - I enjoyed keeping up with it :) Glad it turned out well in the end.

I have a 2004 LS430 for about 18 months now and I actually like it more now than when I first got it. I looked at a lot of the same cars you did, being that I was looking for around $30k 18 months ago. The M45 drives ok, but the center dash is extremely stupid and awkward to use and the drive still is not as good as a BMW or Mercedes. I would have gone with a 335i, but at the time they were still around $38k (and I've since found out about a ton of problems it's had with it's high pressure fuel pump). That being said, I recently test drove vehicles with my girlfriend, and if you are considering a SUV for around $25k, definitely check out the Hyundai Santa Fe. I was extremely impressed by it, and the low price and great warranty really sold me. Don't know why you don't see more of them on the road, but it's definitely my favorite SUV since the Pathfinder from the first half of this decade. Between the Santa Fe and the Genesis, I've been really impressed with Hyundai lately.

Mine don't help all that much. It's a feature I could live without, and I live in Phoenix where we've been 110+ the last few days.

BMW's hold their value better (i.e. more demand), I imagine - especially the 3-series. Some of those lease offers on 3-series are incredible.

Congrats and welcome to the club! You'll enjoy it!

A 2003 330i is rated with average reliability from Consumer Reports. While it doesn't compare to an LS (well above average), it's far from a clunker.