silly_me

From back in time I'm back!

And while during my original search I didn't find an LS that satisfied my needs (they were all rough, like the previous owners carted around hordes of little ankle biter dogs with sharp little claws and sharp little yapping teeth tearing up the leather and peeing on the upholstery) and I ended up with something else, however I find myself in a possible situation where I shall once again need to purchase another vehicle and I find myself once again drawn to the 04-06 LS430 :D

And re-reading this thread certainly provided me with several answers to questions I had forgotten that I had asked, I still have some lingering concerns that I'd like to ask you folks before I head out and start kicking tyres.

1) right now I'm picture shopping from the internet before I decide where to go to look, so how can I tell if a) the car has the air springs? B) the car has the keyless go option, c) if the car has the 'ultra luxury' package? IIRC that has the air springs no?

2) do these cars need a valve job at 60k miles?

3) do the 6 speed transmission need servicing? I know that my car is 'sealed for life' but the consensus is to change out the fluid. Also, above it is noted that there were some issues for 2004, what were they and how are they addressed?

4) would it be more prudent to jump on a really low mile example (old fogey owned and never driven) or a high mileage highway one that was under constant use?

Thanks again in advance!

One more quesiton: what is the service interval for these cars and what is involved with each service? Thanks again.

Hello, I'm back, still on the hunt. And, shockingly, with a few more questions if you will.

*How can I tell from seller photos if the car has the air suspension?

*do all LS430s have remote keyless starting? "smart key" if you will?

*How is the NAV system? Is it push button? Does it control everything? (in other words, if it fails will I still be able to control radio/AC)?

*are there any differences in reliability between m.y. 05 and 06

Thanks again!

The car will be boring in every sense of the word - both in a good and bad way, as others have posted.

I was gathering that :D While the Jag makes my nether regions tingle the Lexus is entirely a left brain affair.

One major plus (to me) about the basic model is that it has parking sensors rather than a backup camera. This is definitely a personal preference, but I have found the sensors to be more useful than the camera, although I couldn't tell you why.

The only complaint I find from owners (aside from the oddly hinged glovebox) is the nav system, so I'm not really going to miss it on any car I pick up.

Cons:

- A surprising amount of noise can travel through the bottom of the vehicle - especially through the tires. This might be alleviated some with different tires - maybe someone else can comment.

- Suspension is not as great as some reviewers make it seem. The times I get that "driving on glass" feeling are few and far between; again, since I'm in the minority, this might be due to the tires

- Suspension handles big bumps amazingly well, and small bumps surprisingly poorly.

I also think that most reviewers used the air suspension equipped LS, and honestly if I'm going to have to fiddle with air I'd sooner buy the Jag.

Oh yeah, one more question, is the factory warranty fully transferable to a second hand owner?

It's 4/50 b2b w/roadside and 7/100 powertrain?

Thanks,

The XJ8 and the LS430 should not be in the same paragraph!

Hey now :D The XJ8 is ranked right below Lexus in the all powerful JD Powers :D Honestly I have no reservations on any reliability issues on the jag except for the air suspension which no mfgr has gotten to be long-term-reliable yet. The LS I'm looking at has coil springs, nice reliable coil springs :D

Mainly make sure the 06 LS at which you are looking has the options you want. It's not practical to add them later. Here are the specs: http://www.lexus.com/cpo/model_library/LS/2006.html

I'm not really "into" options. I know that it doesn't have the "ultra luxury package" and I know that it doesn't have nav. It does have heated and cooled front seats (pretty cool stuff I thought was only a merc s-klasse toy) and rear heated seats. I have no idea about any other options.

The most common issue I read about is the optional "Dynamic Laser Cruise Control" but it can be overridden to function like a normal cruise control.

How do you tell which kind of cruise control it has? From that spec sheet you linked there are 3 different kinds? Good heavens!

It has a timing belt that should be changed every 90,000 miles -- no big deal ... I've had three changed.

Does no big deal mean you have to take the entire nose off to gain access? I'll be doing that to my audi as soon as I have the new car in the garage.... A quick glance in the engine bay of the Lexus naturally revealed nothing but huge sheets of cosmetic plastic. Is this engine easy to work on? Can I change an oil filter on it without developing new curse words? Is the starter in a natural spot to get to? The generator?

In 2002, I researched the LS430 completely over at least 6 months before buying ours as we drive cars until they become unreliable.

This is me, whatever I buy will be the last car I buy for another decade :D You can see why I'm looking at a Lexus now (which is totally against my entire automotive past :D ).

I know nothing about Lexus cars, I've been a consumer of products from the other side of the pond.

However, I'm in the midst of looking for a new luxobarge and stumbled across a really good deal on an 06 LS430. To convince me that I should get this over an XJ8 I wanted to ask you folks in the know a few questions:

What can you tell me about the engine?

Any weak points? What about routine maint? Does this thing have a t-belt or chain?

I assume the transmission (6 speed?) is solid given the lineage of Toyota?

Is there anyway to disable the steering wheel from retracting everytime you stop? Albeit cool I'm looking for a long lasting relationship with a car and it has been my experience that such electro doohickeys break, and I'd hate for it to give up in the retracted position..... what about all the electrics in this vehicle? What is the life expectancy?

What other bits of information have you on this car? Why should I consider it?

(I noticed that you had a really nice buyer's guide for the LS400, but I didn't see one for the 430, if there is one please direct me.)

TIA