Hello all,

I've just joined Club Lexus and I'm very excited to be part of this group!

I own a 1997 ES300 and it has been a great vehicle for the past 6 years: reliable, practical and luxurious enough for my needs. Shortly after buying it I knew that my next vehicle had to be an LS. It's just all the things I like in the ES taken to another, much elevated level.

I'm currently shopping for a used LS430 and I wanted to hear some opinions on what I should consider from experienced owners of these vehicles.

Some of my most burning but also most noob questions are:

Is the 6 speed significantly better than the 5 speed?

Which years should I ideally go for and why?

If equipped with snow tires, is the LS's rear drive manageable in snow as an experienced driver? Or a real issue to consider?

Is the nav system a good idea for an older used LS? (as I have heard if it goes it's pricey to fix and controls many functions which render the car undrivable without it)

If you were shopping for a used LS430 what issues would be the most important to consider?


If anyone can help me out with some insight I would really appreciate that. Thanks alot!

 

Hi, and welcome to CL.
I haven't driven the six speed, but people say that it's better and quicker to respond and makes for better acceleration and fuel economy.

If you have enough money, go for 04-06. This generation has 6 speed instead of 5 speed tranny, a back up cam, bluetooth, an improved sound system and navi, also it has projector hid's and a little styling difference.

I have a all season tires on mine and I have no problem driving in the snow, not even in the deep snow of pocono mountains.

I never had a problem with mine. It works great.

I'm just too lazy to type:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...001-ls430.html

 

Welcome to Club Lexus!!

You have some good questions, I researched the LS430 for a few months before setting out to find my LS430 (I was hunting for a Sport and ended up with an Ultra because of the great deal I got). Anyways, to answer your questions..

6 speed is ofcourse better the an 5-sp as the car is smoother and quicker.

The '04-'06 models are in my opinion the best years. Why? Refreshed front end, the car is more refined and better lookin.

In theory the LS should do decent in snow, every Lexus had a Snow button for traction but personally i've yet to drive in the snow as I live in the South. Maybe someone who drives their LS in the snow will comment.

The Nav System.. Well. Its rather old technology (lexus did not update their nav system on a timely fashion). In my opinion the Nav systems on cars older than 2007 on the LS is disappointing. The newer Nav's started in 2006 in the IS but not until 2007 for the LS. The Nav system is one of the reason(s) i sold my LS430. Don't get me wrong, I love everything about the LS but the Nav system needs a major change which lexus failed to deliver for the LS430.
In my opinion, if i ever buy another LS, it would be one without Nav so i can install my own aftermarket Nav system from Eclipse, Pioneer or Alpine. But, I assume it will be very hard to find a loaded LS without Nav as Nav is pretty standard on premium models. Heres my proof from another member https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...in-the-ls.html

What Issues LS have? Generally, none as this is as perfect of a car as you can buy anywhere. But depending on the model with specific options like the Ultra pkg which i had. Some club members reported some problems with their air ride on ('01-03) models but have been fixed on newer models with the Ultra pkg. Other than that you have nothing to worry about. Buying from a private owner is good because most LS owners are very meticulous and take care of their cars well, but also look at Certfied Pre-owned at you local Lexus dealership. The Certified cars get a 3 yr/100K warranty (from the car's current mileage to 100K).

Other than that, Happy Hunting! Theres a couple of LS430 in the Lexus Classified Forums on here. I suggest looking on here first because generally Club Lexus members have the cleanest cars.

Good Luck! and Welcome to Club Lexus.

 

Welcome! I'm also in the midst of a search for the perfect (for me) LS430. Here are my views on your questions:

6 speed v. 5 speed? I've driven both and they both drive well. The 6 speed in 04-06 provided better MPG and acceleration. This is probably more a factor of your price point. If you want to spend less and get an 01-03, you will have a 5-speed transmission. Also, some early 6-speed transmissions in 2004 were subject to a recall. They should all have been taken care of by now.

Which year? Again, this may be driven by your price point. I am targeting an 05-06 CPO unit. Aside from not wanting to buy anthing older than 5 years, the 04s and early 05s had a slow fuel fill TSB that won't be fixed for free anymore. If I buy a non-CPO car, I'd like to find an 06 with some remaining 48 month factory warranty so anything broken can be fixed.

RWD & snow tires? I've driven RWD cars for most of the nearly 40 years I've been driving. I've learned to buy a second set of wheels with good winter tires for cars I plan to drive during Michigan winters. Not only do I get better traction, I save wear on my summer tires, save salt damage on the chrome wheels, and save pothole damage on those wheels during winter pothole season.

Nav or No Nav? I like the 04-06 nav because the package also includes a backup camera, bluetooth, and the ML stereo. I also think the dash looks much better. If it breaks, I will get it fixed - hopefully under CPO warranty. That said, the lack of complexity of non-nav units will probably be more reliable over the long haul. Plus, you don't have to deal with finger prints on the touch screen. (A personal, OCD issue I have.)

Important Issue to Consider? I think service and repair history are most important. I've found a couple of promising-looking cars that had clean Autocheck and Carfax reports, but had service records that indicated accident damage. I'm targeting a low mileage (<30K) car, but many folks will say that as long as correct maintenance has been performed, higher mileage is not a major factor in these cars.

Good luck in your search. I hope we don't end up in a bidding war for the same car. LOL

 

i would look for an 04-06 car and to me the most important thing to consider is what package level of ls430 do you want. the biggest thing i have noticed with first time buyers of these cars that haven't done any research and those that may or may not be first time buyers who have done their research is that those that do the research end up getting much better packages (well equipped) ls's than those that don't do their homework. i always hear from lex owners not just ls owners that they wish they had searched more on the different package options instead of just buying the basic not so well equipped model.

in this case the UL (Ultra Luxury -- which is what i have) is the top model which has every option available but often times people say they are not interested in the air suspension that comes on the UL, the package just below the UL is the ML i believe and it has most of the goodies of the UL cept for rear seat amenities and the air suspension. in my case i was primarily interested in the air suspension when purchasing the ls430 so the UL was my only option i am really happy thus far.

how much snow do you get in CA where you are? this car sucks in wintry locations but if you are a good driver its not hard to drive in a few inches of snow. if you only get 3 days of snowy driving a year i would not consider this to be a reason not to look at a big rwd sedan, if you live in MN or WI then this may be a good reason to not have a rwd big heavy sedan as your only mode of transportation.

you can always get a new updated nav disc and just live with the slightly outdated nav software installed on all ls430's.

 

Just to clarify for sojah, the custom luxury (CL) is the model just below the UL (excludes the back seat goodies and air suspension). Modern luxury (ML) is below CL / above premium and includes Nav, backup cam, bluetooth, and Mark Levinson.

 

To elaborate in more detail on the transmission topic than you may really be interested in...... Having had both the '01-'03 version and the '04-'06 version, I'd say there's no significant difference in the cars beyond the relatively minor appearance changes (certainly subjective) and the transmission. The transmission would be a non-issue to some owners. To me, the 6-speed transmission - more specifically, the shift programming -- makes a significant difference in how the car feels in routine daily/around town driving. Just cruising down the highway there's no difference. The difference is in how the car holds the gears longer despite modest throttle input, resulting in a much more peppy feel to the car overall when accelerating normally up to speed, moving in traffic, etc. (Keep in mind that I always leave the transmission switched to the "PWR" mode because the standard mode results in even more grandpa style operation -- there's not a huge difference, but PWR mode does make the shift pattern somewhat more sporting.) The 5-speed seems to have been programmed for ultimate smooth, gentle, passive, completely uneventful operation, even in PWR mode -- it shifts out very early in the RPM range unless you're prodding the throttle pretty good -- and the result is a significantly more sluggish feel. The 6-speed is noticeably more sporting in my estimation, and puts the car just over my mental threshold of being a little too sluggish and unresponsive to modest throttle inputs. All that said, if you romp down on the throttle a good bit on the 5-speed, it moves out just about the same as the newer version -- it's just that it takes a more deliberate effort and it makes it seem (to me) that I'm always having to "spur it" to get the liveliness I'm looking for in around-town type driving.

 

Note to self: If ever buying a car from I6turbo, check interior carefully for spur damage.

 

you'd think one of these days i would remember the proper order UL, CL, ML, etc... thanks for the info.

 

Seriously, despite how it might sound, I tend to drive both the GX and LS like the proverbial little old lady from Pasadena 99.9% of the time. That might be why I have the impression I do of the 5-speed LS tranny -- that my standard, driving-around mode isn't generous enough with the throttle. But now that I think about it, the 5-speed in the GX seems to be very lively and ready to downshift with minimal throttle response, holds gears just right in normal driving, etc...

The Supra is an entirely different story though... hard to get beyond 2nd gear without probing for a boost fix....

 

Spend time and shop around to get a good deal. I found a great deal on eBay in Dallas (240 miles from where I live) $25k for an 05 LS Premium sport package w 46k miles. Clean carfax. Also spend the $150 to have an independent mechanic inspect the car. Mine checked out clean, was repainted after hail damage which is not an issue for me at this price.

 

Thank you everyone for the invaluable and prompt responses!

Most of you who responded to my thread are forum members whose posts I have read in various threads as a guest many times before. The posts I have read have been insightful and show the considerable knowledge and passion you all have for these cars. I feel priveleged that my thread had replies of this quality and I'm happy I finally joined and can interact with you all on a regular basis.

I could have continued independently researching until the 2020 LS700 with a15 speed came out and probably not gained as much quality insight as I have in the past 24 hours. Priceless resource guys thanks alot!

Yuri: Thanks for the confirmation that it's alright in snow. It's an issue that I like to pretend doesn't exist when you're dealing with a dream vehicle like an LS but it is RWD and I wanted an opinion on that.

1QWKGS4: Thanks for the advice and good idea on checking the CL classifieds. I'm sure those would have some of the best cared for LS's around.

Sojah: I actually recently moved back to my native western Canada and I'm still filling out forms and addresses as if I was still back south. In Alberta (where I'm originally from) and Saskatchewan (where I'm attending law school now) there is plenty of snow so I had to ask! Thanks also for suggesting I really pay attention to the packages. I guess with these cars that come quite "loaded" compared to the German makes, it's easier to pay less attention to the differences. I'll be on the lookout for a UL... but finding that seems about as likely as me finding Marissa Miller cooking me dinner in lingerie when I come home (to me that face looks like a pleasant daydream face). I'll be patient and find something that works.

Caddy: I'm a believer in snow tires so I'm happy to hear that in your experience a good set of winter rubber does the trick on the LS. I would more than likely not let that stand in my way anyways, but it's good piece of mind and one less issue to worry about. Thanks also for clearing up the packages for me. I wasn't aware that there were so many and for a car like this that is something I definately want to get right! If I did end up in a bidding war with you for the same car I would be happy/proud to know I chose a good one which met your standards.

I6: Thanks for the insight into the tranny question. That answer made me feel like I was driving them and could feel the difference. Needless to say I've been "spurring" my ES fairly regularly and it's a big part of my choice to upgrade. I think I will end up going for the 6 speed because I like the idea of a little more throttle repsonse and I also like the newer styling a little bit better. Although with that being said the whole gen is special.

Daytona: Thanks for the heads up about the Dallas market. I've heard that Texas and Florida might be among the best places to look for one of these. Unfortunately for me it's a ways to travel but it could end being very worth it.


Thanks again guys! I'm sure some more inquiries will come up in the near future as my search intensifies so I hope it's ok if I ask some more noob questions? I've always wanted an LS430 since the first time I saw them and I'm pleased I will (hopefully) realize that dream sometime soon. Congrats to everyone who is already loving that experience!

 

LOL you already sound like a lawyer.

 

Steve, everyone has answered you in a better fashion than I ever could.
However, I'll chime in because my situation was similar to yours.

I flip my cars way too often ...and sometimes I regret the ones I gave up
I owed a 2000 LS400 two years ago, and like you, live in Canada, in Ontario's snowbelt.
Driving on Goodyear Ultragrip M&S tires, I could barely exit our driveway on certain days.
These were dedicated tires, but I should've gone with pure snow tires.
They were better than my summer Michelin Hydroedge tires, but just barely.

I flipped into a beautiful ES300 ... a 2000 with low miles.
Nice car, but you cannot go from an LS to an ES, in my practical experience.
Big mistake, I should've kept my LS400 in hindsight.
The ES was smooth enough and luxurious enough for my daily needs, but once you've lived with an LS, the ES simply felt like an inferior car in every respect other than snow traction.
I then purchased a 2004 LS430. Loved the 6spd over the 5spd in my LS400, let alone the 4spd in the ES300.
Everthing about the LS430 exudes luxury at the highest level ... I only had 3 let downs.

First, the Mark Levinson just didn't have the bass response of my Nakamichi. The clarity of the ML was stunning, but on certain types of music, the bass was lacking ... not a big deal.
Second, my folding mirror failed, and swung out every day, even when turned to OFF.
That was about a $900 dealer repair.
Third, the AFS light started flashing ... it was the rear ht control module, about a $500
repair.

Other than that, I rate it as the best car I've ever driven or sat in.
The ride is unparalleld, the NVH levels are ridiculously low, its a fast car, it has a luxury
car presence, it is fuel efficient, and you feel special simply by sitting in the car.

I didn't have nor wanted Nav.
My portable unit is far more up to date, and my near vision isn't great for working a Nav screen ... I'd rather have the standard buttons and dials.
Also, one of my current cars has a factory 2003 Nav unit ... on bitterly cold days, the unit is dim for the first few minutes.
I wouldn't want to rely on 6yr old LCD technology when its -40 in Alberta!

Coming from your ES, the LS430 is a wonderful, natural progression.

Winter tires are essential in our climate, and I wouldn't cheap out ... look at Michelin
Xi2's for good deep snow (yeah, they call it an ice tire, but it rules in deep snow), and a super quiet ride.

Good luck, you sure have great resources here ... I learn something almost daily around here.

 

tcbted, sounds like very good input (though I haven't had some the experience you've had since I don't live in a snow area). I agree about the Nakamichi -- I rented a GS 300 some years ago and thought that Nakamichi system was amazingly good -- my dim recollection of it made me feel it was better than the ML system in my '03 or '05. BTW, you said you don't have Navigation -- does the ML system come without Nav in Canada (doesn't in the U.S.)?

Re: tires, I tend to go Michelin for almost everything unless they simply don't make a tire in the category I'm after (such as the drag radials for the rear of the Supra, which come from BFG, nevertheless a Michelin company). IMO, Goodyear tires, though they have a good reputation with the masses, are waaaay over-rated, at least here in the U.S. -- their reputation with the general population exceeds what the tires actually deliver. I suppose they have the reputation because they are very visible in some widespread racing series (i.e. NASCAR), they do a lot of advertising, and they are OE tires on a lot of vehicles built here.