Let me start by saying, I really love large luxury sedans, 7 series bmw, s class, 430 etc.

I have owned a 03 bmw x5 4.4, I loved the luxury suv aspect of it, but because it was a beamer, it had a ton of problems, and luckily I had a cpo warranty. I have never been brave enough to own a 7 or s class mercedes.

I am wondering what the reliability is for owning 4-5 year old lexus 430. I plan on keeping the car 4-5 more years. It seems like you can pick up one for around 20-25k, with around 50k miles.

I am under the impression that japanese cars, lexus/toyota imparticular are long lasting cars, and the little luxury items that are on a 7 series, s class, or a 430, will last longer with a lexus.

Can I expect better reliability by owning a lexus over a bmw or mercedes? I have read in the forums that people drive these cars to 200k, but how do the windows, electronics, luxury items hold up? I am assuming better than a german car, but I could be wrong.

Is a 4-5 year old lexus 430 an expensive car to maintain? I did see a few service prices on this forum, 45k, 60k service didn't seem unreasonable.


Any insight on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

 

LS430 is the most reliable large luxury car to date.

 

You can't go wrong owning a 430. A very reliable car.

 

Id say the LS430 is a very reliable car. Other than owner neglect, I dont think I have really seen a major issue with the cars. The 4.3 V8 is a very strong motor, as well as the rest of the drivetrain.

I have seen the occassional bad wheel bearing, but its not that common. Sometimes the front park assist sensors take a beating with rocks and other road debris. This will cause the park assist function to go crazy, but its not too terribly common.

Other than that, nothing really comes to mind. There is a customer that is a regular at my dealer who drives a 04 LS430. The vehicle has over 250,000 miles and nothing major has failed on him. Every car has its 'common issues' known in the shop. I cant really think of anything with the LS430 off the top of my head.

Its a pretty rock solid car.

 

keep in mind 04 was the facelift for ls430. the very first batch of 04 ls430 did have some issues, i believe on tranny and nav. personally i would try to avoid those. 03 was rock solid, as well as later 04 and onwards

the ls430 is a super solid car

 

Thanks for the replies.

After owning german cars, it is still hard for me to believe that a luxury car can be reliable.

It seems like you can get a pretty good deal on a 2004, I do like this newer body style.

I am not very informed on the different packages that could come with the car and still learning from the forums.

I am shying away from the Ultra luxury package, since I have read some questionable things about the air bags, and a rear cooler isn't really necessary for me.

However, I would like the dual paned glass, and the perforated seats, Nav is kinda secondary for me although to have a luxury car without it seems a little out of place these days.

So those 2 things are my main concerns, and I am a little confused how that fits into the Modern luxury, ultra luxury, custom, etc(things that are mentioned on these forum), I am still trying to familiarize myself with the so many options on this car to be informed when looking at a used ls. Example, could a car without Nav, come with these air conditioned seat, and double paned glass?

Also, how can you tell what type of suspension a car has by looking at it, I could probably spot air bags, but is there a way to run a vin to see what packages it has on it?

thx

 

I agree the LS430 is unbelievably reliable. I bought mine (a 2004) and basically every single electronic gizmo on it works.

However, I was curious about your comment, because I only occasionally feel the ride is "rumbly", usually coming from the front. What are the signs of bearing problems?

Thanks!

 

well...if you ask this question in a LS430 forum...what kind of an answer do you expect?....of course we all would say get the lexus!! car is a car....lexus has its share of problems as well....but bmw and benz have some real silly ones that make you wanna throw up!! its always good to own one of these cars with a warranty!! yes, is the lexus more reliable than the bmw and benz....sure, instead of going to the dealership every month with warranty claims, you might visit the dealership once a year!!...i have a 04 with 32k on it....the front suspension bushing was a little squeeky....so i had it at the dealership last week!! warranty took care of it!! at the same time...one of friend works at a bmw dealership....an 05 7 came in with a leaking sunroof!!...

 

I agree there is no perfect car, but could you make the argument that lexus has a lower probability of having problems?

Also am I wrong to say that lexus is cheaper (parts) to repair than a german car?

jdmuscle, it sounds like you woulnd't own a ls430 past the warranty period.

 

i don't know about all lexus, especially their recent new cars. but particularly on the ls430, that's one freaking solid car imho

about maintenance in general, i also think it costs less to maintain lexus. that's my opinion

 

haha, V8 Lexus takes 6 qt. of oil,
while BMW?Porsche/Merz take 8 qt and up... just for oil change.

 

that's true for the 400/430. no longer true for 460

but yes, oil change on my gs400 and sc430 was "cheap"

 

no...no ...dont get me wrong!! i am most fanatic lexus owner you would ever meet!! with these new cars its always smart to have it with a warranty, even if it is a lexus!! its very hard to put a price tag on peace of mind!!

 

So they increase the oil capacity on the 4.6? cool! more oil cooling!!

 

oh yeah, all the way to over 9 qt!!!!!! and they are like 0w-20 or so, more expensive oil