Och

iTrader: (3)

Suneet, I would advise against a manual. Its fun to drive around for the first few days, and its very cool on the internet, but in real life you'll get fed up with it after you spend a few hours in traffic. Also, a car with a manual is difficult to sell, because noone knows how to drive one. But if anything you should be able to get yourself a killer deal on a used car with a manual tranny, because sellers are usually desperate to sell them.

UDel

10K into your old civic No wonder it was not getting that great of gas mileage and close to your LS/GS A stock civic without high hp upgrades, heavy bodykits, bigger rims, or heavy soundsystems will get very good gas mileage and much better mileage then big v8 rwd lux cars. Once you add a bunch of weight and add a bunch of power you kill the gas mileage the car was originally tuned for.

Well LS's don't have much performance upgrades unless you want to buy some very expensive parts but a lot of people spend a good deal on soundsystems, rims, lowering it/body kits, paintjobs, and don't get me started on what I have heard some people spend on their GSs, I have had to hold back several times after looking at how nice some of them look modified and trying to squeeze out some more engine performance and sharpen up the floaty handling.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Don't base your opinion of the LS430 handling based on 2GS handling.... Lexus screwed this one up. My LS400 is far more confidence inspiring than my GS430, and my old GS300 was also much much better than my GS430. If you search through 2GS forum, you'll find some info, basically Lexus put a lose steering rack on the 2GS, and there's jack you can do about it. My only real complaint with the car, really, love everything else about it.

That depends more on the tires. My LS400 with allseason tires does better in rain and snow than my old Civic did with summer performance tires.

Dude, I'm not gonna start arguing or magazine racing, I'm just telling you what I felt with my *** when test driving a TSX. It was dog slow. It just doesnt pull at all until 4500 rpms. And if it is able to be faster than an older LS400, in order to achieve it you will have to drive it in such fashion that it will burn more gas than a V12, lol.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Nah, I actually didnt have any exterior mods, besides a set of 15" rims. Most other mods were interior - corbeau seats, leather door panels, nice component audio system, not a heavy one at all, with a very small infinity basslink sub, some other minor stuff, and suspension - alsmost complete ITR suspension swap, less LSD, some other stuff, I dont even remember what anymore.

And Civics dont get that great of a mileage on a highway. Like I said, when you're doing 80 that four cylinder is working hard to keep up burning a lot of fuel, and any faster than that, and it becomes a guzzler. So yeah, if a 1.6 Civic averages roughly 30mpg on a highway and so does a V8 GS430, then GS430 is actually more economical because its twice as heavy, and if you put that engine into civics body, it would get closer to 40mpg, lol. Just go on a Honda board, and you will see how many Civic owner are not getting mileage they expect out of their cars.

Thats why I dont bother with mods. Just get LS430 ultra edition, and you dont need to touch a thing, its already perfect, lol. The damn thing even has a fridge!

Suneet

So what do you think of this guy? High mileage. The add says it has the UL but the pictures look like it doesn't, so I'll have to investigate.

I bet I can bargain this guy down to 18-19.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/car/727008406.html

Och

iTrader: (3)

Not a bad deal at all, if it really has the UL package, and clean history.

UDel

If it checks out then spending 18K sounds much better then spending 24K especially when you were going to spend the same amount on a TSX but I am sure if you look hard enough you will find some TSX a good deal lower then 18K especially ones with higher mileage, both are very reliable cars so getting one with a little higher mileage should not mean all that much especially compared to say a German or American car. I still can't believe how low some of these 04 LS430's are especially one with the UL package (I think that is like a 10K option)and I would be a very suspicious why it is that low, I doubt gas prices are going to get them that low but maybe the market is much smaller then I thought for a LS430 a couple years old, that is horrible depreciation. 18K or 19K for one with NAV and UL package is very tempting and I may have change my position a little on the higher cost of ownership as that is a hell of alot of car for that money. Still I think in your position you would be better off spending 15K or lower but if you can get them down to 18 or 19 which I kind of doubt then that looks to be a smoking deal if it checks out.

leedogg

Do us a favor and ask Jane from Acura of Seattle to see if they know what the former owner traded it in for. I will be extremely amused if its a TSX

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

That's a modern luxury Suneet, not UL.
I know some owners may be clueless or idiots but there are people who just outright lie
I confronted one (over the phone) and he knew about it...didn't bother to change his description.

When you approach the 100k mark, it's going to cost you around $1000 to do that major service, something to consider.

Edit: Didn't notice it's from an acura dealer before, so now they're misinforming the public since they are AWARE that a UL exists

Suneet

What does the modern lux package give? I understood the ML package was as good as standard, almost every LS430 had it, except the ULs and the CLs, and a few "base" models that somehow made it here..

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

Head on over the LS430 forum.
Here you go, scroll down to #26:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...=331134&page=2

leedogg

Use that as a bargaining point to drive the price down

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

Good point.

Actually, I might have to take it back since the front bumper may/may not show the dynamic laser cruise.
So it could be the custom luxury, still not the UL.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Honestly, if I was buying LS430, I'd opt for UL.... Although its quite a bit more expensive, but it has everything, lol.

Did they make a long wheel base version of LS430 outside of USA? Thats the only thing that disappoints me about LS430, its so small in the back compared to my parent S500. I'm 6'4" and in the back seat of the S500 with no problems at all, theres excessive space.

LexFather

I've sat and ridden in Dave's Ultra LS 430 with the massage/power rear seats and I have room for days. I am 6 foot 5.

Lexus made a very spacious car though it kept nearly identical length to the first gen LS!!!