Nauticalx

Ok, my uncle just told me that he bought a new bare bones 2006 LS430 for 53K (60K Sticker). I'm thinking to myself, who the blank would buy a new LS right now. I mean, ok yes you are getting an invoice deal, but just by waiting a few months and the small incremental difference (relatively speaking) by having to pay sticker or close to it for the 460, you would get a brand spanking new bodystyle, top technology, and most of all, you would not take the depreciation hit of the older bodystyle as soon as the new drops. He was not in a rut in having to get in a car fast, he had plenty of transportation and any savings by buying at invoice will likely be erased by the accelerated depreciation by having the older bodystyle.

I am by no way trying to bash the 430 believe me. It just doesnt register to me why someone would buy a brand new 430 at this point in time. Is there some sense in it that I am not seeing?

GRAND_LS 4

iTrader: (2)

No need to trip the word filter.

Now, back to the topic, yes, many will agree with you there... its just not worth it. Anything you save now, would be lost when the new body style is out.

usermel

I feel it depends on the buyer. There isnt a right and wrong here at all. I for one would buy the 2006 and keep it for 4-5 years, by then the depreciation should have caught up enough to not matter as much. Then get the 2010 or 2011 model. Cars for some people arent investments, for others they see them in a different light, as prizes.

I think your right and your family member is also right, it all about prefernce.
He must not really care to much about the 2007 coming this fall, and is more influenced like me with what he spends for what he wants. Others want the newest thing out and settle for nothing less. And the depreciation factor is a great point but, if he keeps it for a good amount of time it wont matter much. Only if he trades it in within a year or so will depreciation matter that much.



GOD IS GOOD!

Nauticalx

I agree with your preference point but the depreciation continues to hammer you. For example, I was looking into getting a a 98 or 99 LS400. BUT not a 00 because they commanded way too much for the old body style and it seems the market was NOT paying for it. It was a big decision for me to take the jump in pricing from the 00 to 01 but the market has a huge gap there because of the body style and engine differences are night and day. I ended up finding an 02 because the incremental difference from the 01 to 02 is practically nil. Why? Because the 01s are artifically high due to the body style change commanding more. For the same reason 00s dont sell for their blue book value (because its too old a body style for the money) 01s go for more then their blue book value because they are too cheap for they being virtually indistinguishable from the 06s.
You still see this jump in pricing from the 97s to 98s, another crutial transition in LS history. Thus, it seems as if buying an older body style not only hurts you initially, but continues to hurt you many many years down the line, only to a lesser but still significant degree.

b1gredek

i think there are many many reasons why,,, i personally have not seen the new ls yet,, but i still do love the way the 06 models look,,, buying it for 53k is not that bad,,, cause if you wait,,, the new ls is gonna cost a few grand more,, so all in all ,,, its gonna be about a 10k difference,, then the theory of not buying a new model year,, the first year comes out comes into play,,, especially with all these options and electronical gadgets... so now,, instead of buying a car now,, you have to wait over a year for a car,,, personally i would wait,, and since its a lexus,,, i am pretty confident their new model cars will still be superior to other brands,,, but these are just some reasons why somebody would want a 430 now...

usermel

Great Points! Especially the point about first year models. I knew better when I purchased my 2001 LS430 and got it anyway, why? Talk about issues with 1st year models, I had them. So your view is a great one. And with his family member buying a 2006 model the problem of the new model issue should be gone, aside from normal unpredictable problems cars have at random!



God is Good!

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i am sure everyone is different. the new ls base will be more expensive, and it will be a while before you get anything close to invoice, so price could be a big factor. or some people they dont' want the 1st yr coz' of potential problems (as stated by other members). or some people just do't like the new look

but to me, of course, it's no brainer i would wait for the new LS

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

i dont get it either but to each his own

Nauticalx

I guess the 1st year issues could be a bigger factor than I imagined. Being in the process of purchasing my very first Lexus, I was under the assumption that these vehicles were more infallable than they are. After reading some of the new GS posts, it brought me to reality that Lexus may be less prone to failures but definitely far from infallable. Lexus does seem to be a industry leader in fixing 1st year goofs so I get the 07 GS will be miles more reliable than the 06. Guess I'll be looking to getting an 08 LS in 2012 to replace my 02.
What threw me for a loop is my uncle was attracted to tech, partly why he purchased the technologically superior 05 RL over the 05 LS initially, but having the same bad service and uncomfortable seats in the RL which caused his back to ache, he decided to trade-in for the LS. The severely uncomfortable seats in the new RL may have pushed him to getting the LS immediately. Guess Acura so botched his confidence in technology he decided he wanted no more to do with a navigation system and decided a barebones LS was the way to go.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

correct, lexus is far better than other brands in quality and reliability, but that doesn't make lexus perfect. they still have a lot of improvement to do. while their first yr production cars are in general ok, i have seen issues with them (different models) that i probably would hold myself back a bit and give it another yr at least

gstaples

I think the biggest reason to buy an 06 is that Lexus has had time to work most of the bugs out and Lexus has its share of bugs. Also, the longer you keep a car depreciation becomes less of a factor.

ff_

What's the difference in price between the current LS, and the upcoming LS? I will bet that the new one is considerably more expensive. Add on top of that the deals you'll probably be able to get on the current one as we get closer to the release of the 460, and the fact that the 460 will probably be selling close to sticker price for a while. The true gap in cost when the 460 is released may be significant.

We bought a 2006 ES for $500 over invoice 2 weeks before the restyled 2007 was released. I probably saved $6000 when compared to a similarly equipped 2007. The two cars perform the same function, probably feel the same to drive, same materials, same quality. And I know that mine will hold its value just as well as the new one will.

Bottom line is whether you really care that you have the latest and greatest body style and drivetrain. I don't. It's a family car, and just needs to safely get us from point A to point B in comfort. Styling is secondary. Value for my money is primary.

Nauticalx

With all do respect, you are kidding yourself if you think that the 06 and 07 ES have the same materials and an 06 will hold its value as good as an 07. If history is any indication the 06 will not and I don't know if you've seen the details of the 07 online and the car in person but it is lightyears ahead of the 06's. The features, design, quality have all been improved with mininal increase in cost. Lexus's profit margins must be much lower on the 07s because the base model ES has tons more standard features than the outgoing model for a trivial increase in base sticker price. Why? Because the market is becoming more competitive and expects more technology for almost the same price.
With that said, congratulations on your purchase. For you that was probably the right decision since you do not care about the latest bodystyle but I personally talked to Lexus dealers and since the ES is such an abundant model, $500 over invoice by year's end will not be unheard of for the 07 ES.

I6turbo

iTrader: (1)

For reference, according to KBB:
2000 LS400, 75000 miles, good condition, Private party value = $16,800
2001 LS430, 75000 miles, good condition, Private party value = $25,205

That being said, I look forward to seeing the new LS to see if it looks like a slightly upsized Honda Accord/Acura RL/Hyundai Sonata/GS300/IS350/every-other-look-alike-Japanese-sedan on the roads today. I REALLY don't like the way all the manufacturers are building their cars to look like Small, Medium, Large, and X-Large versions of the same car. I like the looks of the 3rd-gen LS because it's distinctive. If the new LS is just a larger version of everything else on the road, it's going to be very easy for me to remain happy with my 3rd gen.

Nauticalx

Thats a huge jump from 00 to 01. Goes to further my point that its worth waiting for the new when buying new older body styles on the verge of becoming outdated. One good thing though is what you mentioned, these vehicles are looking alot alike, the angle of the lights from the side look like the Sonata on the new LS. The 3rd gen was designed to mimick the S-Class at the time. From the overlay posted elsewhere on this site, the new LS has been designed very close to the 7-series layout.