HowdyAudi

Hey chaps,

Here's the deal, after eight dreadful months of Saab ownership, I think I finally have a buyer to take my 9-5 off my hands. There is a 2001 GS430 for sale here locally and I have been talking with the owner for weeks now. The car has 175,500 miles, is Blk/Blk, with navigation. It looks gorgeous! The owner also has a maintenance history for most of the vehicle's life. I've looked it over and it looks pretty good. It shows things like the 90k service performed but nowhere in that note did I see timing belt or water pump. Should I be concerned or would it have been changed given the amount of miles?

Anyway, I took it to my local Lexus dealer for a PPI and the following is what the report said:

- Timing belt and camshaft oil seals need replacing in 5000 miles ($572.90+tax)
- Replace leaking transmission oil pan ($307.50+tax)
- Excessive play in both front strut rods (replace for $649.50 + $90 alignment)
- Spark plugs need replacing in 5000 miles ($250)

Any of the above through up a red flag to you or does is sound like a well kept car?

The service adviser said all the fluids look good and the lower ball joints have been replaced in the last 10k miles.

I told him there are two or three door lock actuators that are failing and he said they run around $600 per door! How accurate is that number?

Another thing is the owner said one of the front wheels is suffering from tire separation and the tire would need replacing. I planned and fitting a new set of tires on it anyway but could the vibration felt between 60-72mpg be the front strut issue and not tire separation? The owner showed me paper work from Les Schwab verifying that tire separation was the cause. I just don't feel good spending $600 on new tires if the strut rod issue is going to ruin them. What do you guys think? Should I walk away or is it a good buy for $6500?

FYI, the alternative car I'm considering is a 2000 Mercedes C280 sedan. It will be cheaper to buy in good condition and have fewer miles on the clock.

I'm tired of buying cars that need a ton of work upfront. The service adviser said the timing belt, cam shaft seals, and spark plugs would be his primary concerns, everything else could wait a few months. I want to hear from you guys, I know I can trust your input.

step2me

none of that would bother me except timing belt i would get that done so you know what you got the struts aint a big deal change them when you change the springs(lowering springs) called two birds one stone...lol trans leak is probaly just a gasket.and the plugs are easy diy on here for that.... the dealer is just so damn over priced some time ....do you have a local mech. you trust talk them down a little and go for it

01LEXPL

iTrader: (10)

It sounds like a well kept car. Those items do go in all makes/models in general with time.

Those are dealer prices, if you really want to stick to OEM, use Sewell Lexus for parts [there's a post on here about how to 'register' for the members price] cheaper than what a non-member would see on there.

Otherwise, what I do, is I use Rockauto.com - many use it, high quality OEM spec parts for literally a fraction of those prices... IE. The timing belt component kit [made by Aisin and supplier for Toyota is ~150$ and a [one] cam seal is <5$ National brand, from this you need to add a hydraulic tensioner which is <30$ plus shipping]

Is the pan itself bad? Or just needs a new seal? Again <10$ from RA

Plugs, either Bosch - 5.50/ea or NGK 7$/ea

Struts, KYB GR2, 85$/corner front & back. I'm not sure how sensitive the mounts are on these cars, but i'd get those too... since they will make noise with time [no way to re-grease the seal].

...Just saved you a pile of money

-Mike

NEbiker10

iTrader: (1)

Dealership are a waste of money you can do most of that on your own if you anything about motors. Just have them get the timing belt done before you buy it.

For example on how dealers suck:

I changed my plugs, and rear diff fluid today (Denso IK20 sport iridium). I went to advanced auto parts and with a coupon code and online ordering I got everything for $40.00. 8x plugs, gear oil, hand pump and anti-sieze and dielectric grease.



Car feels great btw!!!

HowdyAudi

Haha, man I love this forum! Thanks for the tips, guys. I don't do my own work because I'm not mechanically inclined. I know the value of an independent mechanic though, owning an Audi will teach you that lesson VERY efficiently. I just don't know of any reputable mechanics certified to work on Lexus vehicles here locally. I'm not concerned about paying for the timing belt job or the can shaft seals, $580 is cheap compared to what Audi charges for their timing belt service. I think what bothers me most are the door lock actuators and the front strut rods. Its a really beautiful car. You wouldn't know it had so many miles on it.

NEbiker10

iTrader: (1)

Forgot to ask how much for the car??? 430 is a hell of a better car than a c280...thats a lil **** pot

HowdyAudi

The car was initially posted for $7400, then for $7000, then $6800. When I talked with the owner yesterday, I asked if he would take $6800 (I didn't know he had already dropped the price that low) and he said that because I had been so great to work with and had kept in contact with him about my readiness in buying his car (because I was trying to sell mine also) he said he'd sell it to me for $6500. He seems like a first-class guy. He is a student, like me, trying to complete his MBA and he is selling the car to pay off student loans.

ebxgsxr

those things are nothing. follow the great DIY for the door lock actuators. the motors ran less than $20 for all 4 doors. i see those things as a way to get the price of the car down. honestly, i'd offer less than that & then work your way up taking into consideration all the things that need to be done. to me, those things all seem like neglected maintenance items. basically, things that any car will need over time.

NEbiker10

iTrader: (1)

Yah that seems a lot for something with 175k. I bought my 400 with 127k for 5k and I have spent around 1grand with all the maintenance making it perfect

SaiyanGS3

iTrader: (8)

overpriced for the year and miles.

Chin

iTrader: (34)

From the 400 to the 430 is a totally different ball game in terms of pricing.

I don't think so...


The timing belt/water pump was probably done at the 90k service, but since the car has almost 180 on it now, it needs to be done again... Price is decent, if the car is well kept, price is more than fair..

SaiyanGS3

iTrader: (8)

IMO, spending $6500 for a car with 180k, especially adding the costs of what he was quoted to $6500 is too much for this car. The guy already stated that he isn't handy with tools, so he will have to pony out additional money to get everything fixed. You can find lower mileage cars on this board for around that price!

ninja6o4

iTrader: (6)

fwiw - Last month I jumped on a deal for an 02 GS430 with 136k miles, blk/blk, in great shape, no accidents, for $8k. The only thing it needed was front bumper respray, new subwoofer, and driver seat is a little worn (I'd say 6/10). Rest of the car was 8/10 or better. 2 of the lock actuators were also dead - I swapped em out with ones I parted from my last GS.

You really have to decide what you're willing to compromise on for a used car. For some, body or paint condition isn't a big deal - to me it is. Some don't care if the seats are ripped - I do. Keep in mind, anything can be fixed, it's just what are you willing to start from and what are you willing to live with. I'll be spending around $1k to respray the bumper and add a TTEbay lip, and am redoing the stereo now.

I learned a lot by looking at a LOT of cars in person. After viewing 10 or so, I had a very good idea of what I was willing to start with.

abounly

iTrader: (27)

Timing belt is something to consider. But what I would probably be more worried about is that vibration at 70+ People replace TONS of things and the vibration is still there. Everything else is an easy fix.

Not entirely over priced. I bought my gs430 for 7.3k at 170k with all the maintenance done already at 169k.

HowdyAudi

Well I haven't taken the plunge yet. I'm having a hard time swallowing the idea of buying a car in need of so much maintenance because my Audi and Saab were purchased at an "unbeatable" price because they needed just a few small things repaired. In both cases, each car became a money pit and I don't want to deal with that again. I could pay for the timing belt and cam shaft seal replacement right away but replacing the front strut rods, door lock actuators, and spark plugs is just too much. I looked at the door lock DIY and that is way more involved than I care to get. I'd **** something up for sure. I'm trying to find part numbers and a website to buy the OEM parts to see if I could save some money that way, but I don't know were to start. Anyone have some recommendations? Also, is there a DIY for changing the spark plugs? Is it really all that difficult?