BlackUltra

Haven't posted here but once, mostly lurk, but I thought it was time to post what I thought would be a "stories" type of a thread. Looking for circumstances that occurred that contributed to how you discovered a LS430 and why you subsequently bought it.

I "was" a pretty loyal Nissan/Infiniti owner. Since 1991 my wife and I had migrated up the Nissan ladder from a Maxima to a little more luxury in an I30 to a fun-to-drive G35 and finally to the bang-for-the-buck luxury M35. Needless to say, we were very happy and satisfied with the Nissan sporty looks, driving experience and excellent reliability. After we bought the 2006 M35 some friends of ours bought a pre-owned 2001 LS430. We rode in their back seat one New Years Eve celebration and while we loved the heated seats weren't otherwise impressed and thus satisfied with the M35.

About 3 months ago my brother, who is in his mid 50's and has owned probably 50 or more cars, bought his first Lexus - a 2005 LS430. He and I work together and he drives so I began noticing the comfortable seats, smooth ride, quiet cabin, etc, and asked him if I could drive it. (By the way, one of the few times I've asked him to do that.) After that drive I immediately got the wife and we test drove a 2006 LS430 and a 2006 LS430UL. We both perceived a difference with the ride smoothness the air suspension provided on the UL and came across a great deal. The rest is history.

Has anyone else switched from another brand they thought was tops? If so, how did it come about, and what was the difference maker? For us it was the excellent ride quality and supreme comfort. I'm only 61 but I call my LS430UL my "old bones car". My wife calls it her "Dream Machine".

Not a snob about the LS430 or the even the UL Package just genuinely love the ride and have a 86 year old mother who rides back there and benefits greatly from the UL Package. If it wasn't for her I would have probably opted for the Custom Luxury if it came with Air Suspension. Have ridden in an ES350 and the ride compares to my brother’s previous 2008 Camry LE, not quite the same as our LS. Haven't driven a GS but would assume it would probably drive like the M35. Don't want to even drive a LS460 yet as I might mortgage the house because I'd have to have one.

One other thing is that my wife loves her RAV4 and for some unknown reason would not drive the M35. Therefore, long trip driving fell entirely to me. On a recent trip to Port Canaveral from Atlanta I discovered the M seats were not that comfortable on long trips. Since owning the LS430 she has driven back to Atlanta from Greenville, SC and now drives 50% or more. We are planning more car trips and will avoid flying to Florida if possible just to enjoy the LS430UL driving experience. Maybe even drive to see Mt. Rushmore.

Some of our driving observations:

Seats are much more comfortable with soft leather
UL ride is smoother or cushier than non-UL
Back seats recline and massage the most comfortable of any car we have ridden in
Cabin quietness is impressive
Dynamic Laser Cruise is wonderful on long trip (never touched the brake or gas pedals from just north of ATL to just outside GSP)
Steering seems effortless
Radio is excellent

tks

BNR34

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for sharing your story

Nope, always knew Lexus is top

Had a few sports car before that wasn't from Lexus, just because Lexus don't make that kind of sports car (02' Nissan GTR, 04' Subaru STi), did started with a Toyota Celica.

Those were 2 of my main reasons for loving my LS430, the other main one is excellent reliability.

The GS is sporty like the M35, but better in everyways. Actually the LS460 drive about the same as the LS430, if you close your eyes, you can't tell which one you are in, it just got more features. The LS600hL is the one to avoid, the dead silent electric operation in slow speed make the extremely quiet LS430 seems very loud!

The Dynamic cruise control on the Ultra is Radar base, not Laser. Just so you know

BNR34

iTrader: (1)

In general Toyota's engineering is always superior to Nissan's engineering, but Nissan do always have a lower price, so in this case, you do get what you pay for.

MERKEDLS

G-answer.com ......they made me buy an ls.

lxus4xms

Bought an RX for my wife for Chritmas, loved it so I started looking at Lexus's for myself and the LS430 won. Wanted a 460 but I missed on the lottery numbers

DrJfrmLA

Before the two cars that share our garage now, we had an '00 ES300 and an '00 GS300. Those were the first Japanese/Toyota/Lexus cars we owned. Before them was a Mercedes E300 (W124) and a SAAB 9000 turbo. The GS was involved in a traffic accident that the insurance carrier decided to total (my wife walked away with nothing more serious than a shoulder harness bruise). We replaced her GS with our '04 LS430 (which we found in late 2007 with 12.5k miles) because of our great repair experience with the two Lexus vehicles we owned. I sold my ES300 in February '08 and bought an '04 Mercedes S430 (W220) out of jealousy so we have the two flagship vehicles from Lexus and Mercedes to compare in the garage. The LS430 has not been as trouble-free as the GS it replaced, but the $4100 in repairs (seat heater, rear window shade, mirror motors) were all done under warranty with minimum hassle. My S430 had 40k miles and was also still under warranty, but I have had no repairs in 13k miles. I expect over the long term the Lexus will be the less expensive car to maintain (the Mercedes takes 8.5 quarts of synthetic oil, but changes are 10k apart), but we'll see.

BlackUltra

"The Dynamic cruise control on the Ultra is Radar base, not Laser. Just so you know"


I thought that the Radar version only came with the Pre-Collision Safety System. Laser option was if you didn't have pre-collision.

ghenley

In the mid-nineties, I owned a Cadillac that I loved. A good friend bought a '91 LS 400 and "made" me drive it. Shortly after that the used car dealer we used got a '90 LS 400 in and "made" me take it for the weekend. You can guess the rest.

I traded it for a Linclon Navigator in 2000. About 4 months later, I happened to be at a Lexus dealership with another friend. Well, you know what happened next. I still have the white '98 LS 400 I bought that day.

Greg

Tee

I bought my wife an 08 RX350 in Feb, and after living with it for a few months it was time for me to retire my 97 4Runner. The 4Runner served me well for 11 yrs and it was time to move on. I started looking at the 7-Series, S-Class & the A8 but in the end my heart was set on the LS. Came June of 08 I was a proud owner of an 04 LS430. It was like going form the Flintstones to the Jetsons! I love the LS, it is the best car have ever owned, very glad with my decesion.

AlexusAnja

Always loved the LS from the start but even at $35K it was too much for me to afford because I was too young then. Then of course with inflation rising faster than my salary rising, the car was always a few steps ahead of my means.

After finally buying a RX300, began to really like Lexus as a owner and so started to look into the ES and GS classes. We finally were almost ready to get a GS350AWD when we came across a CPO 2005 LS430 ML edition for $30K at a Lexus dealership. For some reason, getting "used" never came across my mind, but seeing that a LS430 with low miles and in "mint" condition was so affordable, my wife and I started looking into it.

Anyway, about six test drives, 1/2 year of looking, and several dealerships (from Lexus to used dealership) we found the car of our dreams and got it. Is the vehicle perfect? No, but it's everything I dreamed it would be and more. No regrets thus far, but I've only put on four months and 5K worth of driving, so anything could happen, but I don't expect anything bad to happen.

stock_sc

iTrader: (2)

i call it fate...
last summer my car was flooded. it was my beloved sc400. it was rough around the edges on the outside but the engine and maintenance was more than up to date. with over 190K on a 97 it didnt feel like it. but alas the flood made it considered totaled. when i heard it was totalled my heart sank. so when i started searching for a new ride it was gonna be a lexus. this time i needed a car with more than 2 doors. i always wanted a ls430 but thought to myself i cant afford it. it was because of the economy. i heard no one was getting loans especially for a older car. so i searched and searched for a ls400. i searched high and low. when i came to see the cars it was either sold or was in bad shape. so on the last day of searching almost giving up i checked on the internet one last time. i found me a ls430 at a dealership so i thought to myself hey why not try. i walked on the lot and saw the color was unusual mystic sea opal. then i looked around it was in good shape. it was a 2001 regular model with less than 60K for 16K. it was the best deal i found at the time. i took it for a test drive and loved it. so i guess the rest is history. so i called it fate.

mafpolo

I had owned a couple of 400's a long time back. After that a couple of Range Rovers - the old body style first and then the 4.6HSE. I really loved the 4.6 HSE. It was comfortable, sat high up, and it had the most comfortable seats I have ever sat on.

Fortunately the Rover was an exception - pretty reliable. When I got close to 92,000 miles I began to have air suspension problems - two airbags failed within a year. Once the vehicle was out of extended warranty, and another bag began to leak, I went ahead and converted it to coil springs (road just as well -Rover should never have used air suspension period), and kept on trucking.

At 116,000 miles an electrical problem reared it's head - door unlock/lock gremlins. A friend of mine who had been wanting the car for a while - gremlins and all made an offer that was too attractive - sold. She told me the other day that she now has 210,000 miles on it.

I wasn't tired of the Rover - I wanted a luxury car that I could keep as long as I could with confidence. The only vehicle that I found to fit that bill (everything is a compromise - no perfect car) was the LS430. I also perceived that Lexus is dedicated to quality & customer service. I am finding out that the customer service part is lacking.

I do like the car. There are many things I believe Lexus did a great job on the LS430. I do wish it had a little more road feel, but it's not that a big an issue. Would like to have less body roll. Overall I give the car high marks.
I am disappointed in resale value, but that's purely a function of supply/demand - the LS was a successful seller; thus a large population of cars = larger supply on resale market exacerbated by the intro of the 460.

Bottom line - I bought it for the combo of luxury & reliability.

IMXCITD

iTrader: (1)

have had a couple SC's and a GS....LS up next!!

BNR34

iTrader: (1)

100% correct. I assumed all 06' Ultra Luxury come with the PCS. I guess I shouldn't have assumed.

wanderer99

Had a 99 Avalon and absolutely loved it. Had to sell that after 2 years due to moving Internationally, otherwise never planned to sell. Bought an 04 Accord and didn't like it. Bought a newly release 07 ES350 that was both a total POS and a lemon.

Decided to try to find another Avalon but didn't like the built quality on the latest model. Thought about buying an 03 Avalon or similar, but for $12K more bought the 05 CL LS430 instead. Always wanted an LS, just didn't even want to pay full price for it.

I love this car. I can't ever imaging selling it. It's a used car and things do go wrong with it, but I just don't care. My extended warranty covers basically everything and my lexus dealer (in the US and not Canada) is absolutely fantastic. I'm having my best car ownership experience ever because of this LS