Jabberwock

Not much need for parts on the LS. If you take care of it and use it gently the car is so reliable - I am on year 4 of driving mine regularly and it feels like a brand new car. Had only one repair to date - driver's side mirror stopped working and had to be replaced. Other than that its been totally bulletproof.

I'm even still running with the 2006 factory OEM battery and it cranks like brand new : ) Motor runs like silk, yet pulls super strong when you need it to do so. And you just can barely tells it's running at idle.

L8RSk8R

"If the ls400's can go 300 000 - 400 000 kilometres or more what can these ls430's do"

When you initially started this thread, mine had 265,000. As of today it's gone 516,000 km's. (2006 LS430UL)
I see no reason to sell it, it's such a damn good car.

Good luck, hope the 2005 model works out for ya.

Natey2

My LS430 is a rear-wheel drive. Smaller turning radius, which is a big plus for this big car. I don't do much snow/ice driving, but I hear front-wheel drives fare better there.
It is a 4.3L V8, so gas mpg might be a little lower than other cars, but the awesome acceleration (when you need it) more than makes up for it.
There is a blind spot because of that wide pillar/beam that separates the front and rear driver-side doors. I had to get used to that and rely on my side-view mirror.
My trunk lid is very heavy. Doesn't swing up easily like other cars.
The car could have had better (more stable) cup holders in the front.
A child seat in the rear has to be on the left or right (not center) or the center console can't be opened.
If you charge a cellphone using the outlet inside the front console ashtray, it will likely blow the fuse, as a number of owners (myself included) have sadly discovered.
Don't mean to sound negative. I'm still very happy with my 2005 LS430.
And I like my smartkey, voice command/control (change climate control, audio controls, NAV functions, etc), Bluetooth integration with my Smartphone, etc.
And this car has so many airbags, one even for the driver's knee?!

Pagman

I bought a used 2003 LS 430 with over 146K miles on it last month. For a ten years old car, it suprisingly solid, smooth, and quiet car. I tell you I thought i was driving a brand new car except that it hesitates when accelarating hard. It could be the MAF, other than that, it is really a dependable car. It gets a better gas mileage than my V6 mini van.

AlexusAnja

One big reason not to get an LS is that once you go down this road, you'll never go back. We are going to have our LS for a very long time but once we have to replace it, we can't downgrade to anything else. So, if you're readyto take the big leap...go!!!

Kira X

iTrader: (24)

That's so true! It's hard to drive anything else now.

I don't even care about my SC anymore now that I've got the LS.

Jabberwock

Well said - my LS430 is very likely the nicest car I will ever own. It is a very hard act to follow without jumping to huge money cars like S550 or A8.

Stu

Exactly this.

There are LOTS of "nicer" cars, but the price jumps up a LOT, cost of ownership jumps a LOT, and it wont be built by Toyota.

Kira X

iTrader: (24)

Yeah, that's very true. The only older cars that can match the LS430 are the W140 S-Class and the E38 7 Series.

Zodiac

iTrader: (1)

I owned an E39 540I 6 speed which is very similar to the E38 over 5 years before the getting LS430. Believe me, you don't want to go down that road. Over the 5 years of ownership I spent close to $7K in parts not including tires. I did most of the work myself. Their cooling system is a major flaw especially the plastic radiator necks and plastic water pump propellers. I don't recall anyone over any of the BMW forums that hasn't replace either water pump or radiator over 100K miles. Mine radiator was replaced 3 times, 1 from the previous owner under warranty and 2 times by myself using Behr radiators (OE). If the engine overheads you are F. You also have other issues like: Vanos leaking, Valve cover gaskets, control arms, fan clutch, window regulators, etc. None of tires I used from PS2 to Yokohoma to Falkens lasted more than 10K miles. IMO I don't drive hard. With that being said, I do miss the 6 speed manual when I am not in heavy traffic and the handling of the E39 540I. I was planning to get a E60 550 but an issue with the coolant leak which require almost the whole engine taken apart scared me away. IIRC the labor from BMW dealer to fix that issue is $5K to $8K. After over 1 month of owning the LS430 I am beginning to enjoying it more and more.

I am not saying the LS430 is without flaws. After acquiring the LS with 112K miles I spent $700 on parts. I replaced the timing belt, water pump, steering wheel busing, tie rods, Lower control arm bushings, spark plugs and hopefully I good for another 100K miles. But I do have a rumbling noise from the front left I need to diagnose.

Oldguys

Not much goes bad on these cars if the fluids are changed. I would avoid the air suspension models only because they are expensive to repair, and will likely fail before a standard suspension would. The ML sound system is very good, and with aftermarket equipment can easily be upgraded to include IPOD input. Lots to love about this car.

Oldguys

Forgot to mention that this forum is a spectacular resource that very few cars can boast. Everything you need to know is being published here by the Owners and mechanics that work on and maintain these vehicles. Good luck finding a support group like this from Audi or Mercedes and maybe not even BMW. There is a lot of data poured into this forum on just this car.

jmsmiff

I gotta say, the 430 has been nothing but great to us. I originally bought it for my wife it had 47k. She has since moved into a 460L but refuses to let the 430 go. I've been offered between $12k-$19k for my car with 120k miles. The only things I have replaced in nearly 6 years of ownership was a catacylic converter, and 2 oxygen sensors and a battery outside of normal routine maintenance. I've always used Mobile 1 synthetic oil. I just recently discovered a crack in the Y-pipe. Other than that the 430 had been great. I actually enjoy driving it more than the 460.

BT3100

Just love my 02' UL
I had a 94' LS 400 that I put 120,000 miles on. Great car too but the 430 is a much better appointed and more comfortable ride. My air suspension works great. Luck maybe? But I bought the car with 100K miles and put another 108K and she still runs like new.
I did replace the "Y" pipe as it was leaking and did the timing belt and water pump when I got the car. A few other items that needed work over the past two plus years.
* drivers door map pocket return mechanism broke. I used velcro to fix
* My car eats rotors but that's more my driving than the car.
* Keep the valve covers tight, if not they will leak
* Bulbs on the dash switches are going LOL 10 years old.
* The paint/finish on my rims is peeling
* I am having an annoying issue with the rubber seal on my drivers side window. Its curling when I roll the window down. This is causing binding?
* AND I have broken two ignition keys off of the FOB.. I think this is a know issue.


These are all minor issues and for a 10 year old car with 208K miles are really too minor to mention. But as you can see they are nit picking

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

in case u guys didn't see my other thread I bought an 03 CL(I think) with 68000 miles, its gold, I paid $7800

its mint runs like a dream, I just blew the mark levinson woofer,so im replacing it with aftermarket subs and amp, drivers side mirror starting to act up, steering tilt makes a whining sound, aside from that is just amazing, I still cant belive I have one, its so fun to drive, gets much better mileage then my SC, just amazing car really