out of state car 05, LS430 with 36.7K miles lexus certified 3yr/100k mile warranty, no navi, heated seats, keyless entry, parking assist, moonroof.
$24K plus ship(~700), tax, reg in CA.

lexus CPO does tempt me. without it is $1000 less

 

No nav = no back up camera and a low option package. I wouldn't buy it. You will have trouble selling it later because most buyers are looking for nav and a back up camera on a car of this caliber.

 

There are some folks who prefer lower optioned cars. I think it's more true as the mileage adds up. (Less expensive electronic stuff to go wrong.) Plus, some of those folks probably even like black, low optioned cars.

 

I'd say 24k CPO isn't a bad price but likely a fair price - not a great price though as its a Premium option (lower original cost) with almost 40k miles. And especially as you have to pay to ship it and can't inspect up front - I might pass unless you are looking specifically for a non nav car (like I was). It certainly true that most of the general public wants more options including built in Nav. In my opinion when spending $25-30K its better to fly out and pick up a car to make sure its exactly in the condition they say it is. If its not you can renegotiate on the spot or just walk away if you have to.

 

i wouldn't want a bare bones Flagship car myself... shoot I don't even want nicely equipped Flagship, I want FULLY LOADED when it comes to Flagship caliber car.

 

honestly, this car is for my parents in 60s and they wont need navi. im buying for them, but i also think i would like to have navi anyway.
its surprising to me that so many LS430s come as premium pack barebones. i thought most would at least have navi.
guess i would wait for loaded option.

most dealers are selling similar CPO LS for high 20s. so thought it was a good deal.

 

^^^
My theory is that a lot of older buyers don't want vehicles with a high degree of infotainment. While I agree with that thinking, I wanted bluetooth and I thought that the non-nav dash looked too Toyota-esque. Once I convinced myself of getting at least a ML, it was as easy to set my sights on a CL with the upgraded leather. It's a slippery slope.

 

I say pass on it. If you can get it for $2,000 less get it, if not pass because most people in the market for LS430's in the future will only want Navigation equipped LS430's at the very least. This will make your car a hard sell in say 5-7 years after you decide to buy again. The dealer usually adds on more than an independent dealership for CPO which isnt anything more than them saying its certi-fied via certain checks. Heck, my current car wasnt certified when I i was looking at it until I told the dealership in Silver Spring(Lexus dealer) I would buy it if certified. They certi-fied it on the spot!

Id look for a Navigation equipped LS. Trust me, with patience you could find a $24-$25,000 LS with NAvigation with good miles just like the ono-navi one they are trying to unload on you. They wont tell you but, non-navi cars are harder to sell than navi equipped ones because most luxury Lexus buyers opt for at least the navi packages. Some buy the base, dont get me wrong but, even when you do a search on Lexus.com you get mostly cars with Navi that pop up. Good Luck!!! L.G.N.M

 

Some folks may be surprised when these early Navi (01-06) cars might actually be viewed as a negative option in 10 years. It is more than likely that early Navi systems may be viewed in 10 years as obsolete to the point of being laughable. The current systems are the equivalent of the 1970s TI 4 function red led calculator that sold for $100. It is possible that a non Navi LS car will be viewed as more classic and potentially more desirable. But if you keep a car 3-4 years and then get a newer one ignore these remarks.

I am not certain of this because no one can tell the future with certainty, but I work in relatively leading edge technology (cloud computing, IT security, etc) and I do know that the conventional wisdom is not predictive in this field.

Hard to tell the future as everything moves so fast but don't be so sure your DVD driven Navi cars will be more desirable the opposite might actually be more true...of course I could be dead wrong, time will tell.

 

I can agree with that Jabberwock. Time will tell but, I respect your info alot being you work in that field!!! L.G.N.M

 

I just hit me as I was reading caddyowners post that if car makers would make info centers that resemble navigation systems it would attract more non navi buyers. I would honestly buy a non navi Lexus or any auto that had an attractive info center for the car. My point is, the non navi models look boring compared to a info centered car that typically has a navigation system.

If all Lexus models with navigation had info centers that displayed radio/air conditioning/etc., it may help people on the fence trying to decide if they want navi or not decide. Honestly I like the look of the screen as much as the navigation system if not more. Just a thought as I read caddy's post. The cars just look boring without the screens in them when you compare with those with info screens/navigation systems!!! I know, some dont care for info centers, they just are concerend with a nice luxury car without all the extras, I respect those car buyers as well. Old school is always COOL!!!! L.G.N.M

 

the look navi is a huge desire factor for me too and even my parents said, navi dash looks so much upscale. i doubt they will ever use it tho.
i used to have 2001 toyota avalon and non-navi LS dash is an exact copy of it.
thanks everyone for yur input cuz it really cleared my head. im only going for navi and stick to my original budget of 22k. i dont care if its cpo.

 

Speaking of nav, I really liked the Remote Touch system in the loaner HS250h I had last week. (Lousy powertrain / driving experience, but nice infotainment) The force feedback in the Remote Touch lets you know when you are on a button to click and the position of the screen is far forward - more in your driving line-of-sight. It also eliminates the touch screen, which I welcome.

 

It's less about the Nav and more about the back up camera! I make sure my parents always have a back up camera and parking sensors because you know old people can't see as well as they used to and some don't turn their head when backing. Some sensors and a live video display of the rear of the car really goes a long way, especially with a large LS.

 

When I shopped, I noticed there are lots of no-nav LS's in places like Texas. The ones with nav's sell much faster and are in higher demand. If you ever plan to sell the car, having no nav makes it harder to sell. Other than that, I think it's an okay deal, not a steal. About 1 yr ago, one could get a CPO 05 LS w/ nav with around 40K mi for around $26K. Figure depreciation is about $4K/yr at this point, so a no-nav 05 should go for around $21-22K. The price difference in miles doesn't make much of a difference (maybe a grand between 35K and 50K mi), unless it's a really low mileage car, like 20K miles.