Hi,

I'm considering the purchase of a 2005 LS430 from my local Lexus dealer. The car is black on black and is in excellent condition both inside and out. I have a concern about the vehicle though. It has just over 90k miles on it. The negotiated price right now is $19,600... They are including the full 90k mile service in this price which will include the timing belt and water pump service, as well as a tune up (spark plugs, etc...).

It is a one owner vehicle that was purchased from and maintained by the dealer selling it. I've reviewed the full maintenance records and they're complete. They typically don't resell vehicles with this many miles on them, but they know the complete history of this car and tell me they have no reservations about selling it...

Should I be concerned with the mileage on this car? What do you think about the price? It has heated/cooled seats, HID's, power retractable rear sunshade, but no navigation.

Thanks
Jim

 

I assume you are looking at a premium package. Mine is an 04 with the premium package with chrome wheels and had a full service history with 54 k miles. This was 1 1/2 years ago from a small deaer. It has run flawlessly now to 96 k.

 

Sorry I paid 17 K for mine in great shape.

 

I wouldn't be "worried" about the miles as the LS430 is perhaps the most reliable car ever built. However, in broad terms, that car is 40K miles closer to mileage-related problems than an equivalent 50K mile car, so you'll have to decide how you feel about it and how much it'd be worth to you to have a lower mile one.

I'd say that the price is pretty decent since they are tossing in the 90K mile service, but not so good that it'd make me go for a higher mileage car than I really wanted.

 

I agree with I6turbo. Also, consider how long you intend to keep the car and how many miles you intend to drive per year. The car has averaged about 18K per year, which is above average. If you intend to put lower than average miles per year on the car, say 6-10K, the car should provide you with many years of reliable service without expensive repairs. The average cost per year ((purchase price of car + price of repairs - selling price of car) / # of years of ownership) should be reasonable.

 

Thanks for your responses...

I'll probably average 10~12k miles a year on it. I have an LS400 that I drive a couple days a week as well... I think the average per year is probably close to 15k these days, so in reality, the car has around 15 to 20k more miles on it than a typical car of its age.

Thanks

 

90k miles on an 05 is high. US average is 12k per year. 18k is high, but not insane. The problem that you have is that the car is about to hit the magic 100k mile depreciation bracket. $19k for a car that is about to hit this number is too much money, especially one with a low end option package that doesn't include navi or back-up camera. The other problem is that its black. Black Toyota paint is a no-no for 98% of buyers. The paint is far too soft and the entire front end of the car is sure to look like an absolute chipped mess after 90k miles. You will see every water spot, swirl, paint chip, hologram, and any other imperfection. Get a lighter color and you will be much, much happier. Find another car! There are lots of them available right now.

 

I agree 90k is too high at that price. Can you stretch your budget and find a lower mile car or are you maxed at 19K? . Once cars hit 100k the value takes a big hit. I would not pay more than $18,000 even but only if I was absolutely maxed on budget. Instead I'd look for a very low mile 04 for the same or a couple thousand more.

 

Price isn't so much the issue. I'm paying cash for the car... There are currently eight LS430's within about 150 miles of me that range in price from $18k to $26k. I've looked at five of them... The others don't interest me because of their color combinations. Even some with low miles are beaten up inside and/or out. My twenty year old 1991 LS400 is in better shape than most of the used 430's I've been looking at... Most have incomplete service records too...

Thanks

 

id say 17 out the door!!! , do you like the color?, do you like the options?, you said it has all the service records so who cares if it has 90k miles... if its been taken car of it doesnt matter. I think you are buying this as a keeper just like that old ls400 and in that case resale doesnt affect you. Goodluck I think you should get it just a little lower than the bargained price.

 

JimsGX - if price is not an issue then just be patient and wait until the right low mile car comes along. Thats the tough part is having the patience to turn down the "best" of the currently available cars and just keep searching. I looked for 3 months before I found a really pristine mint LS. I bought it 2 hours after it went up for sale. You are right there are an amazing amount of beat up LS430s around the used market. The really mint low mile examples get snapped up in a day so whats left is the leftovers.

 

Thanks guys... I doubt I'll ever sell the car. I own four Lexus vehicles currently. 08 GX, 08 ES, 05 IS and 91 LS... The 91 LS is actually my favorite. It has 94k miles on it. I have OCD when it comes to my vehicles... I've always wanted a black car. The challenge is to see how reflective I can get that black finish.

This particular 1 owner LS430 is about as close as I'm going to get to being pristine for an 05... I know these cars are pretty much bullet proof and will go for at least 250k miles if properly maintained...

Jim

 

I have the love / hate thing with black cars. Nothing looks better - for about 10 minutes after wash & wax. BTW, I think the correct malady is OCPD, which is what I also have about cars and some other things.

 

Yes, and I think it varies depending upon where you are. FL seems to be one of the WORST. Any time of the year, you have a few minutes of clean after washing them. At least most other places there are times of the year when they'll stay clean for couple days or more. After moving to FL (with a black car) I swore off black cars, cursing the color. I've had 4 additional black ones since I moved here, so my swearing off wasn't too successful.... LOL

 

Thanks for everyone's input on this. I bought the car today. Here are a couple of cell phone pic's... It has the 18" rims with 245/45/18 96V tires on it. They're close to new but I don't really like them. I'll probably replace them with Michelin Primacy's and new rims, then mount some Blizzak's on the original OEM's... The car also has the 3M protectant on it so their aren't any stone chips on the car.