New LS430 owner saying hi
01-28-10, 03:50 PM
#1
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New LS430 owner saying hi
Hey all,
I just picked up a 2002 LS430 with 95k miles on Tuesday. It's so clean I can't believe it's been driven that far, but I doubt the odometer has been rolled forward.
It drives like the day it was new as far as I can tell. It's a pretty barebones model, but the only option it's missing that I would have wanted is the radar parking assist, but I explicitly didn't want navigation. The nav looks dated enough already - who knows what it will look like in a few years.
I wasn't quite sure what kind of car I wanted, but 20k was my spending limit. I test drove an M5, 540i, S2000, and then an LS430. While the M5 tugs at my heart strings with intoxicating power and an awesome look, it's so goddamn unreliable and expensive that I couldn't do it. Not to mention IT HAS NO SPARE TIRE (WTF!!). The 540i didn't do anything for me. The S2000 is spectacular. I cannot believe how much fun that car is. If it didn't have leather recaros that fit in a civic which leads to the seats being stolen at a RIDICULOUS rate, I'd have gotten one. Then I test drove an LS430. Wow. Tomb-quiet, smooth as anything I'd ever driven. It's a comfortable couch that takes me places and shows me things. Screw the sports car, I have a motorcycle for kicks. I want this.
And then I found this forum, and apparently these cars are as reliable as a digital watch. That removed the last of my doubts. I don't want to get an old luxury car that is constantly worrying me with various problems. Thanks to the knowledge on this forum, I was able to identify and pick a car that I wanted.
I only have a couple questions:
Is there anything I need to look out for besides failing O2 sensors at this mileage? The timing belt and 90k service have already been done. As far as I can tell there's not much else to do besides fluid changes and brakes/tires.
I only realized after the purchase as I was getting to know the car, but it looks like the auto-tint on the passenger side-view mirror is permanently on. Is this common? Is it "unstick"?
Thanks, and hi!
I just picked up a 2002 LS430 with 95k miles on Tuesday. It's so clean I can't believe it's been driven that far, but I doubt the odometer has been rolled forward.
It drives like the day it was new as far as I can tell. It's a pretty barebones model, but the only option it's missing that I would have wanted is the radar parking assist, but I explicitly didn't want navigation. The nav looks dated enough already - who knows what it will look like in a few years.
I wasn't quite sure what kind of car I wanted, but 20k was my spending limit. I test drove an M5, 540i, S2000, and then an LS430. While the M5 tugs at my heart strings with intoxicating power and an awesome look, it's so goddamn unreliable and expensive that I couldn't do it. Not to mention IT HAS NO SPARE TIRE (WTF!!). The 540i didn't do anything for me. The S2000 is spectacular. I cannot believe how much fun that car is. If it didn't have leather recaros that fit in a civic which leads to the seats being stolen at a RIDICULOUS rate, I'd have gotten one. Then I test drove an LS430. Wow. Tomb-quiet, smooth as anything I'd ever driven. It's a comfortable couch that takes me places and shows me things. Screw the sports car, I have a motorcycle for kicks. I want this.
And then I found this forum, and apparently these cars are as reliable as a digital watch. That removed the last of my doubts. I don't want to get an old luxury car that is constantly worrying me with various problems. Thanks to the knowledge on this forum, I was able to identify and pick a car that I wanted.
I only have a couple questions:
Is there anything I need to look out for besides failing O2 sensors at this mileage? The timing belt and 90k service have already been done. As far as I can tell there's not much else to do besides fluid changes and brakes/tires.
I only realized after the purchase as I was getting to know the car, but it looks like the auto-tint on the passenger side-view mirror is permanently on. Is this common? Is it "unstick"?
Thanks, and hi!
01-28-10, 04:28 PM
#2
Congrats on the pick up! Whats weird is that I have the same problem as you on my SC430...I will inquire further about that but I think you and I are the only times I've heard about the auto-tint being "stuck"...
01-28-10, 08:14 PM
#7
Where in Washington are you? We have regular meets during the summer time and don't have many LS430 amounst us, mostly GS and IS.
Funny, I went from an S2000 to the LS430 too.
Funny, I went from an S2000 to the LS430 too.
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01-28-10, 08:26 PM
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01-28-10, 11:24 PM
#10
I to was looking into a M5 , I never got to drive one because i went with my gut and bought the LS430, what did you think of the M5 ? was it all that.Are they really that fast and fun ?? I just felt like i would be up to my neck in repairs so i went with the LS430.
01-28-10, 11:49 PM
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The full-sized spare (with a real alloy wheel, even!) in the LS is a huge plus.
Airtime: I live in Seattle.
01-29-10, 07:56 AM
#12
Welcome adams430. I'm sure you'll continue to love the LS!
Snakehead, the M5, and any other car, is a matter of perspective and opinion. You didn't ask, but here's mine anyway. I have ~20 miles seat time in the current M5 (E60) with SMG transmission and a good bit more in the prior generation (E39) with the 6-speed. I generally like the feel of BMW's on the road and have owned three of them (635, 328, and E46 M3).
Frankly, I wasn't overly impressed with the current M5. The SMG absolutely sucked, IMO. I know a lot of people rave about them, but for anything other than all-out, wide open throttle acceleration, I did not like it. I simply would not own one. Perhaps there was a much better gear program that I could have selected, but I've heard from other people more familiar with all the choices who think about like I. I'd take a regular torque converter automatic any day, not to mention the 6-speed manual that God intended to be in that car in the first place.
I drove a CLS 55 back to back with the M5, and I'd take that car hands down over the M5. I thought it generally felt at least as fast, felt just as performance oriented if not more, and overall felt higher quality and more enjoyable. I would have NEVER expected that conclusion prior to the drives -- I would have expected the exact opposite except for the quality part -- but that was how it played out.
The E39 M5 feels kinda long in the tooth to me. It's okay, but nothing special among modern cars. Pretty much forgettable, IMO.
Re: speed, it's hard for me to relate because every 300-500 HP sedan feels similarly slow due to being used to my Supra. I honestly can't hardly tell the difference between an M5 and a 545, or a CLS55/63 and a CLS550. As you know, acceleration is a matter of physics, primarily power-to-weight ratio until you get into speed where aerodynamics starts playing the dominate role. The E60 M5 carries ~8.2 pounds per HP. The Supra only has to push ~4 pounds per HP.
I have ~20 miles seat time in the current M5 (E60) with SMG transmission and a good bit more in the prior generation (E39) with the 6-speed. I generally like the feel of BMW's on the road and have owned three of them (635, 328, and E46 M3). Frankly, I wasn't overly impressed with the current M5. The SMG absolutely sucked, IMO. I know a lot of people rave about them, but for anything other than all-out, wide open throttle acceleration, I did not like it. I simply would not own one. Perhaps there was a much better gear program that I could have selected, but I've heard from other people more familiar with all the choices who think about like I. I'd take a regular torque converter automatic any day, not to mention the 6-speed manual that God intended to be in that car in the first place.
I drove a CLS 55 back to back with the M5, and I'd take that car hands down over the M5. I thought it generally felt at least as fast, felt just as performance oriented if not more, and overall felt higher quality and more enjoyable. I would have NEVER expected that conclusion prior to the drives -- I would have expected the exact opposite except for the quality part -- but that was how it played out.The E39 M5 feels kinda long in the tooth to me. It's okay, but nothing special among modern cars. Pretty much forgettable, IMO.
Re: speed, it's hard for me to relate because every 300-500 HP sedan feels similarly slow due to being used to my Supra. I honestly can't hardly tell the difference between an M5 and a 545, or a CLS55/63 and a CLS550. As you know, acceleration is a matter of physics, primarily power-to-weight ratio until you get into speed where aerodynamics starts playing the dominate role. The E60 M5 carries ~8.2 pounds per HP. The Supra only has to push ~4 pounds per HP.
01-29-10, 01:00 PM
#14
FYI... the SC430 does not come standard with a spare tire. You can opt for a kit that allows you to have a donut in the trunk, but it eats 90% of the trunk space when the top is down. Sometimes its a weight thing, other times its a space thing.
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