psls400

Hi Guys

Am looking at a third gen with 260K on the clock. Am a bit nervous notwithstanding owner has up to date lexus service history and says high mileage due to highway driving. Is it worth buying and what problems can be expected? Have owned a 1st gen with plenty more mileage and little problems

gripau1

this is really a general answer but how much are they asking for the LS430? As the LS is a heavy car I would say the suspension, all bushes and engine mount and tranny mount would need to be look at very closely. Power steering would need to be inspected for leaks as they are not cheap to overhaul.

Depends on what oils has been running for the last 260K. Have they change the oil at every 3 months or at every 5000km (very old school but seems to be a good indicator of the owner)?

I'm assuming the sparkplugs, timing belt, water pump and cam seals, crack seals, bearings, tensioner has been done?

The first gen Ls400 usually blows rear main oil seals at about 250k km, but really depend on the oil and frequency of the oil changes.

A detail list of past work done would give you more assurance rather than just a nice Lexus stamp in the book.

psls400

Am in Australia and owner is asking for 21K AUD$ for the car which is a little high for such a high mileage example.

Your advice is good as a Lexus stamp is not, of itself, a guarantee that all the requisite maintanence has been completed.

Will have a look at the car in the flesh and let you know if it is worth making an offer for.

gripau1

If its in the carsales.com.au one then I would not pay more than $14k of it, reason being if you are not mechanically minded you have to add a good $7k to $10k on top of the purchase price on shocks, bushes, engine mounts, timing belt, water pump and seals to make it feel like new again.

From the photos the paint looks fresh, so it seems like it has been resprayed. Not sure on the tow bar, looks like a beefy tow bar so transmission might get a good work out pulling a large boat.

Speaking of transmission, the transmission fluid is SUPPOSE to be sealed for life. What is Lexus definition of life 150,000km? I would put a BIG question mark on sealed for life transmission. I personally would change the tranny oil every 2 years or 40k km. Oil is cheap compare to a brand new transmission and labour.

Some of the bushes cannot be purchase individually. The one that usually wears out are the lower control arm bushes - but you will need to purchase the complete lower control arm assembly to replace these bushes. I know the LS400 and SC400 the lower control arm were about $800.00 each plus add $$$ for fitting.

cdnguy

If it has been maintained well - ie. as per the Lexus maintenance manual, then the 2002 LS430 should last 500-600K kms, according to my mechanic. So, if it was maintained well, not in any accidents, not repainted, then your only issue should be price. By the way, the Lexus maintenance schedule has the automatic transmission fluid being replaced every 192K kms, so it should have been changed.

AlexusAnja

A Lexus is "bulletproof" in the sense that the powertrain is going to last a long long time, just like Lincoln Towncars with their V8 engines. V8's just last longer overall because they don't need to work as hard as a 4-cylinder. If you're cruising 65mph on highway doing 1800 rpm, that's much better for sure than doing it at 2500 rpm over the life of the vehicle.

As for other components like suspension, maintenance, electrical problems, they're going to creep up on any vehicle around the 150-200K miles range and continue. A mechanic can say "it'll last easily to 300K miles" means it will run fine to then, but you'll still need to replace parts as they break.

Anything over 150K is always a risky proposition as maintenance history is never really known, how rough did the driver drive the vehicle, any accidents (minor or major), etc. all contribute to the vehicles future performance. Yes, the LS will certainly continue to run for a long time, but you'll have to maintain it right?

caddyowner

Check out the program on the cable channel Discover HD Theater this week called Wheeler Dealers. They buy a 93 LS400 with 147K on the clock, do some minor fixes, and resell the car. I looks like it will be on again on Jan 3.

http://dhd.discovery.com/tv-schedule...43.12&start=10

AlexusAnja

Sort of like house flippers... but some handyman special for below market value, make the necessary "cosmetic" fixes to make the house look better than it is, then sell try to sell it at market, or above market, value just purely based on looks.

If you can get a beater LS, with minor body damage, decent engine/transmission. Get it for $18K, put some new seals on, puddy the body up, get cheap painting done for about $2K and you'll probably be able to turn it around for $24K.

Thus is the nature of "used" anything market, buyer beware. Don't just judge something by appearance, you have to test and inspect carefully. When I went shopping for my LS, I brought along this magnet pad and tested on very metal panel and every area that didn't sound right when I knuckled it.

Budhah

Keep looking, would be my advice. Unless there are just no other LS430s down under

psls400

Thanks Guys for the wisdom. The car i am referring to is the LS 0n carsales. I noticed the towbar and that worries me. Car is on centeal coast so is likely to be used for towing a boat. I'll probably look for a lower mileage example or get a techo friend to go check it out for me.

Jabberwock

I'd definitely pass on tow bar equipped used cars unless your father in law owns a transmission shop.

Tee

I agree with the others pass on this one and keep looking.