abs

Thank you.

abs

Okay,here is my latest update and wondering what everyone recommends I do. I've narrowed my search to two vehicles and I would like some feedback:

2005 LS430 w/ Modern Luxury Package (incl. Navi and ML)
41,500 miles
CPO
$28,200

or

2006 LS430 Base
36,000 miles
non-CPO
$26,995
Add-on aftermarket warranty to 100k miles +$2,300

I like the colors of each and that really isn't a consideration for me. I'm mostly focused on value proposition . . .

Andrew

caddyowner

Is the 2006 "Base" or Premium with cooled front seats, heated rear seats, and parking sensors? If you plan to resell the car before it reaches 100K miles or within about 3-5 years, the 05 with Nav will probably still command a higher resale price and more buyer interest. If you plan to run over 150K miles or don't worry about resale, it's up to your preferences. Some folks, like Jabberwock, really like the premium trim level and would rather use their own (superior) nav solution when needed. Other folks prefer the factory nav, bluetooth, ML, and the look of the ML v. center stack. Then there is our buddy Miniz, who will think you are nuts in the head for even considering a premium level car when you have a perfectly good ML available to purchase.

If you don't have a preference for ML v. Premium, I would buy the better car and drive the wheels off of it. The price difference isn't enough to fuss about.

abs

The 2006 has parking sensors and cooled front seats, I am not sure about the heated rear seats . . . Good point about the navigation and for giving an overview of different perspectives summarized. I'm hoping to have the car for a good long time. I anticipate financing for 5 years and I drive over 20k/year, so the car will likely have well over 100k by the time I'm done paying for it. Resale value is important to me for a number of reasons: in case I decide to trade it in down the road (but before it's fully paid off) so that I'm not "underwater" on the vehicle, and secondly if I do keep the car until I'm ready to trade it in, and it is paid off, to get the most residual value out of it I can.

Andrew

Bocatrip

Bottom line is that if during your ownership, you pass the 100k mark, plan on having the value of your high end car plummet considerably. Luxury cars do not fair well with high mileage unless that are pretty much depreciated out due to age. A later model LS430 with over 100k will always be a hard sell down the road.

Playdrv4me

I agree with what has been said above. It comes down to your ultimate choice now, make sure that is a solid warranty on #2.

CarGuy89

Is the non cpo from a dealer? Avoid 3rd party dealers. Always do a google search on the place itself if it is a 3rd party one. Not everyone selling the car is honest (ie damage to frame, flood, etc in the past thar car fax hasn't picked up). If it's a private seller make sure the owner was borderline OCD with the car (like me). Then you know it was well taken care of.

Other than that I am glad you are looking into low mileage ones. Check out Bredemann Lexus if you are willing to travel a bit. I just got my car there with 25k miles cpo with modern luxury and smart key for $25.2k. They had one with 13k miles for $26k but it sold out in a day. The salesguy told me they dont certify a car there if it was in any sort of accident. He showed me the vin numbers on all the body panels. Find a place with a similar level of honesty and you should find a good example as well.

JimsGX

From a value standpoint, if the 2006 checks out okay, I'd go with that. In 2007, Lexus updated their NAV. The screen resolution is a significant upgrade over the 05/06. By the time you go to sell it, the 05's NAV will be more antiquated than it is today. I've owned three Lexus with the NAV, two of them post 07's with the ML. I think they're over rated and a Garmin works just as well.

caddyowner

The nav in the RX350 and HS Hybrid with the non-touch screen near the windshield and force-feedback pointing device on the center console makes what we have in our LS430s look like a Tinker Toy.

Instead of today's buyer looking at a LS430 and saying they only want one with nav, buyers in another five years may look at our nav unit, smirk, and say "How quaint".

abs

The non-CPO one is indeed from a 3rd party dealer. This particular dealer claims he is the highest volume dealer in NJ and he has over 500 Lexus' in his inventory. On the internet, reports by people who have purchased vehicles through this dealership have stated they have had very positive experiences and the vehicles are clean. I am certainly aware some, but not all, of the scams that used car dealers get involved with. From what I can tell, these guys are pretty straight forward in their dealings.

Thanks for the reference to Bredemann - they do indeed have some excellent prices on some low mileage LS430's. I'll have to give that some thought as I live in CT and I'm not too keen on buying a car remotely (although I know many people do so with brilliant success).

Andrew

abs

I'm positive you are both right about this. The NAV in my phone with a 4.3" screen is better than most NAV systems available in cars these days and the maps are always up to date! Also, my phone actually reads out street names which many car NAV units don't do. In 5 years, the Lexus NAV unit will be antiquated and will certainly be viewed as "quaint".

This raises a new question. In the future if I wanted to remove the OEM nav and put in some kind of aftermarket solution, how hard is it to convert the dash to the non-NAV layout? I do realize there would be other issues related to wiring, etc. Just wondering about the physical dash itself. I've been leaning toward the 2005 with CPO since it's local (easier for me) and I think the Lexus CPO warranty will be much better over the long run.

Thanks,

Andrew

JimsGX

Since all of the climate and radio functions are integral to the NAV system, it would take some extensive work to convert it...

I've seen threads about people price shopping a Lexus extended warranty. I remember there being a Lexus dealer in Texas that was offering the best price at the time. Considering the mileage and age of the 06, I'd think you'd be able to find a Lexus dealer willing to write a Lexus extended warranty on the car.

abs

I'll make some calls and see what I can find out from Lexus regarding warranty options.

Jabberwock

In my opinion almost all inbuilt Nav systems are typically primitive compared to newer portable units (see Garmin 3790T). The feature set and speed of Nav units is changing and expanding every 6 months - like PCs were doing for the first 20 years after they came out. Therefore it seems smarter to use a portable unit that can be easily upgraded or replaced inexpensively (when the technology advances).

I frequently travel for business and need a GPS for out of town car rentals so I figure why not also my Garmin in my personal cars also.

A more serious reason to avoid inbuilt Nav systems is the level of integration into other critical controls that the manufacturers foolishly build into the unit. This makes getting a repair on a broken Nav unit not optional when it eventually breaks. And future repairs can be very expensive with no choice in the matter due to the integration with other functions.



As an example of potential expense in repairs the Nav system in the 460 is a $13,000 part. Reason enough to avoid inbuilt Nav.

Someday the GUI interface and screen integration in all cars may be a lot more standardized. The ideal thing would be to just put your IPhone or Droid phone into a port/docking station on the dash and interface the car's controls and systems thru that.

If we ever get to that point of user friendly interface, I'll be happy to buy a car with that level of technology. Until then I pass. As long as consumers unthinkingly continue to accept proprietary crappy inbuilt UIs and one of a kind screen and Nav solutions from each manufacturer there will be no consumer friendly advances in this technology.

Having said all that if you are going to sell or trade for a new car every 3 years then the inbuilt Nav should be no problem.

caddyowner

I agree with much of what JW says. But, I bought a nav car, a CL in particular, because:

- I thought the center stack of the non-nav cars looked too Toyota-esque.
- I wanted the black semi-aniline leather and extra leather trim of the CL
- If I was going to go the the dark side in Michigan and buy a Lexus, I wanted to go all-in and get a CL, if possible.

None of those are value-based reasons, but, what the heck.