Mugipper

Well kept garaged, serviced LS430 I'm about to pull the trigger on. 89k miles, so I'd be doing the 90k service as soon as I get it.

Question - how much life can I squeeze out of this from other owners experience? I plan on driving it till it won't go. Also would 13k be fair for a well kept 430 of this year and mileage?

Vin JTHBN30F610048165

Thanks for any guidance in advance.

Jabberwock

Log that VIN into the Lexus Owners online application and see what kind of service/maint history it has. A used LS that has a good solid history will likely be in very good shape. But if there is spotty or missing service (and the owner doesn't have service receipts/history from an independent shop), I would avoid the car. A poorly maintained LS can be a maint $ black hole. If you want to buy smart - spend a $100 before you buy and have it inspected by the local Lexus dealer. And if the seller balks at the inspection request - hit the reject button.

Mugipper

Yes, I'm paying a well respected ind shop known for their service on Lexus to give it a pre purchase once over. Thank you for the tip on the Lexus service online. The service was there up to warranty end & then the guy went to independent shops (he's a car nut and has 6 car heated garage etc - so I'm confident it was maintained)

Any thoughts on the price or life remaining?

Thanks

caddyowner

Welcome! Assuming good maintenance to date and in the future and not subjecting the car to severe use (NYC streets or lots of unpaved roads), I don't see any reason to not expect 250K miles out of these cars.

Jabberwock

I agree they can go 250K if you maintain them.

My primary concern with a 2001 is the car is 10 years old at this point. Personally my maximum age for driving a car is about 15 years. Once past that point, I think there are issues with the car's materials (plastics, leather, rubber, seals, plastic wire insulation) that will begin to fail simply due to the natural aging process. I am not saying this will produce massive failures but I don't think the car will continue to be bulletproof reliable after its 15 yo.

So even though the LS is certainly capable of going 250k without major work - depending on how many miles you put on it, you might only want to drive it for 5 more years before you want to switch to a "younger " car.

Mugipper

Well I'm hoping it's garaged existence will put a little extra time on those things. I doubt I'll put 10k a year on it - so I'm hoping to get at least 10years/100k miles out of it.

If I can, it seems like a great thing at the price. 190k miles seems achievable. Wonder what kind of things happened with the ls400 after 15 years... I def plan on using it for 10 if it will take it. Anyone out there have stories about ls400 failures due to age degradation.

Thanks

Bocatrip

250,000 miles is a piece of cake! I hear about over 300K on many of these cars.

Mugipper

Good to hear Bocatrip - we have the same year same color ls btw

mewhee

Yep, we had two of 'em - both early 90's of which one was sold just this Spring and the other donated to a good cause last year. There were NO major mechanical problems w/ either (both over 125k miles) other than minor a/c work but power accessories such as the drivers window on one ($850-) started showing up including fogging on the digital displays. The latter isn't really relevant to the LS430. Also, stay on top of conditioning and caring for the leather. No matter how good the quality Lexus uses, w/o proper upkeep and being an organic material, it'll eventually show signs of wear and deteriorate over the long term.

Obviously, the more electronic goodies you get w/ your purchase and the longer you keep it, the more POTENTIAL there is for rather expensive repairs but that potential is minimized w/ the Lexus brand thanks to the overall great reliability of these mechanical/electronic wonders.

CarGuy89

As long as it was well cared for with a good service history, I say do it!! There has been quite a few of these threads popping up lately and we are all starting to repeat the same thing: it is an awesome car, period. Go for a drive. If you love it, then buy it and enjoy it for the next few years!

Mugipper

Just got it - it's getting its belts and water pump swapped right now. Rides like a dream, should last another 100k at least, and for the price of a used camry. I cant complain at all.

kenttz

Congrats on the purchase

CarGuy89

Congrats man and I would like to extend an official welcome! Post some pics when car comes back!

caddyowner

Congrats. Let's see some pics.

Mugipper

Will do. Thank you for the warm welcome.