tcbted

Re the factory Nav, my LS430 was an unusually optioned Canadian car.
It has the suede headliner, radar cruise, door closers, ML stereo, etc.
But, no Navigation.
I have factory Nav on my 03 Cad STS .... and in cold temps, the older LCD technology
takes a bit to brighten up.
I would guess that the factory LCD screen technology would be using fluorescent tube technology from around 2001, and subjecting those tubes to minus 40 temps.

Personally, I'd opt for a non Nav car, seeing as how the Nav is outdated anyway.

I'm temporarily between LS', but I'm looking as we speak!

1QWKGS4

iTrader: (3)

I like how your car is equipped because the Nav really stinks in this car.. Looks like i need to find a Canadian LS like yours.. (good info) thanks.

IMXCITD

iTrader: (1)

Like many have stated here: I would just research and get educated on the various packages. If $$ is not to much of an issue then i would go 05/06 CPO. This is great piece of mind. I didn't want to pony up the upper 20's/early 30's for my daily driver right now....so I concentrated on '01-'03. The air suspension was not important to me and i ddin't want the rear seat controls for the kids and everybody to monkey with all the time....so I was not really concerned about what model I did buy. I did not want nav either. Also...I have had many colors combos of different cars over the years and am down to all black and white now....and have come to realize.....in my subconscious...if it's not black...I am not happy. The black takes more work...but I like black. So...all that being said...i was able to narrow down to black exterior, no UL and no Nav. I like the tan interior. So...for several months I just watched ebay, autotrader...etc. Clean is very important to me also. Some decent cars would pop up....but not the one. I ended up buying an '03 out of Oklahoma sight unseen. I have done this many times before and sometimes you get bitten with broken items or a car that is not as clean as you hoped. Both of these things happened to me. Even though I had a good description of the car, talked w the owner many times and pics...it still wasn't enough. The car is pretty sharp...but needed some cleanup and has a few marks in the paint which will have to be fixed. The biggest thing that really got to me was the exterior power mirrors.........the switch and both mirrors have to be replaced. Normally this wouldn't bother me toooo much...but w an LS...they are super pricey! The seller did NOT disclose that they were not working properly and i can see why! Luckily I have gotten a discount on the switch and one mirror so far.
After all the rambling on above...my point is: with this car.....you may need to go see it in person or at the minimum...get an independent inspection for piece of mind. I like the '03 LS430 that I bought and think it's a super value for the money. Probably the nicest overall car I have owned.

airahcaz

Curious, what non Lexus competitor cars have you all compared?

sojah

iTrader: (1)

before i bought my first lexus (99 gs400) i had owned an infiniti as my very first luxo sedan (lots of ricer cars and a jeep before finding a luxo sedan though) and i thought the infiniti was the top dawg at the time. i was going to buy a first gen g35 when i saw the gs and found the gs to be superior in every way... i almost bought an infiniti M after the gs but since it was a little above my range at the time got into a nice used 05 LS instead. i have always been comparing the Q to the LS but now there is no more Q so I guess LS won. those new jags do look super cool but i haven't ever driven or ridden in one yet.

oh yeah so i guess i compare avalons to es's in my head everyday when i see one.

caddyowner

I have mostly bought domestic cars, so the other used or new cars I considered and the reasons I ruled them out:

- Buick Lucerne CXS V8: couldn't reach wife's heated seat control on door, FWD, wife hates Buicks, questions about reliability in the 2nd 100K miles.

- Cadillac DTS Performance: same problems as the Buick, except the brand image.

- Cadillac STS: small trunk, tight interior, poor reliability.

- Lincoln MKZ: updated version of our current daily driver is still too tight in the interior

- Lincoln MKS: spotty reliability in the first year (09), weak engine in 09, ecoboost engine in 2010 has unproven reliability, would need to buy a high depreciation new or 1 year old car.

I6turbo

iTrader: (1)

Here's the 2005 year model and newer cars that I test drove and considered prior to buying my '05 LS to replace my '03:

MB S550 Sport and non-Sport versions, multiple examples (the S550 SPORT is an utterly awesome car and the only one that is a serious contender to make me sell the LS, but I'm scared about reliability -- strangely, I don't care for the non-sport versions I've driven much at all, though MB doesn't claim that much difference in the hardware)

Audi A8 -- interesting, but I wouldn't trade the LS for it even if the reliability issue wasn't there

BMW 7 -- same conclusion as for the Audi

LS460 -- drove it after buying the '05, but I still prefer the 430 (have written much more detail in other posts, including one thread dedicated to the subject)

I've test driven (or driven friend's and family's cars) all manner of other '05+ midsize sedans that aren't in the LS category, including BMW M5, 535, and 550, MB CLS55 and CLS550, MB E500, Lexus GS430, GS350, ES350, Hyundai Genesis 4.6 (which I rate higher than GS350, no doubt), Infinities, Domestics, not to mention about 15 rentals per year that aren't worth mentioning.

All things considered, I can't bring myself to give up the LS for any of these.

airahcaz

What made you take the hit in $ to buy an 05 versus keeping you 03?

btw, your family and friends are rich eh?

I6turbo

iTrader: (1)

There were a few things that lead to switching out for the '05:
-- I wanted the 6-speed because of how it functions (main reason for me)
-- Wife and I both wanted a black interior instead of the tan that my '03 had.
-- Wife and I both wanted a flint or possibly mercury instead of the parchment '03
-- Wife liked the looks of the "04+ quite a bit better (I didn't care too much either way on that part)

Most of those cars I listed were test drive cars, though a few of those plus lot of others that I didn't list were/are friends and family (911 turbo, F430, NSX, 911 carerra 2S, 7-series, another M5). I also have a friend who has been a successful BMW salesman for about 20 years and he just tosses me the keys to whatever they have on the lot that I'd like to drive, so that's a great hookup over the years.

airahcaz

how much more, if you don't mind, did you have to pay?

I6turbo

iTrader: (1)

I ended up paying about $7K difference -- sold my '03 privately and bought the '05 a little later after checking out all the cars I mentioned above. I could have done it for less, but I found the '05 like I wanted, it happened to be CPO (which I value some, but not a lot) and it was in unbelievable condition inside and out, so I just bit the bullet and did it.

airahcaz

couldn't find an 04 with that makeup?

caddyowner

Is there are particular reason you seem focused on just 04s? There are very few differences in the 04-06 cars aside from available exterior / interior color combinations, a number of TSIBs on 04s, and a higher number of ULs produced in 04. While 04s tend to be less expensive than 06s, there is a lot of price overlap based on condition, miles, etc. If vehicle cost is your primary concern, remember that though reliable, these are rather expensive to repair and maintain vehicles.

airahcaz

excellent excellent point, yes, I was looking at least expensive, but due to any 'potential' repairs, would look at CPO...

I6turbo

iTrader: (1)

I wasn't really picky about the year model (04, 05, 06). The super clean 04s and 05s didn't seem to be differing very much in price back then, so I was mostly focused on finding the car that fit my condition/options/price requirement, and it happened to be an '05 when I found it.