TKPK430

I ended up buying an 06 ML. I’m very happy about it, and I’ll share pics when I can!

But the way that I ended up making the purchase decision was unexpected, so I thought it might be worth sharing. (I apologize in advance for the length of this post – please only read it if you have the interest/time.)

The first LS430 that I looked at seriously was an 06 ML, Mercury Metallic over black – my favorite color combo, 60k mi., one owner, traded at an Infiniti dealer who was asking $ 27k. I took the car for any overnight demo drive, and I had a Toyota/Lexus shop to do a pre-purchase inspection that showed no real issues. But there was an unusual amount of scratches and dings in the rear passenger compartment and on the outside just behind the rear doors (use of child seats is my best guess at to cause).

I decided to keep looking for a lower mileage CPO vehicle. I found a CPO ML in the same colors about a five-hour drive from me (38k mi.; one owner; dealer asking $ 31k). I had someone do a pre-purchase inspection as detailed via following link:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...e-history.html

Given the mechanic’s findings, the dealer’s pricing, etc., I kept looking.

Not long thereafter, a 33k mi., 06 CPO ML (Mystic Gold over cashmere; consistently Lexus maintained in Naples, FL; dealer asking $ 30k) became available 10 miles from my house. Here’s the link to the listing:

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...ingId=54921865

Although not my ideal color combo, I rushed to the dealer for a test drive. (The dealer made clear that other people had appointments to see this low-mileage car.) Seemed like a way to get a Florida “cream puff” without the travel. That’s where the story took the unexpected turn.

Compared to the 60k mi. silver 06 I’d already driven, the 33k mi. gold 06 drove so much worse! The silver car had felt tight with essentially no rattles, and good bump absorption along with very nice handling! The gold car was noticeably worse on bumps, had obvious rattles, and also wallowed in a way that the silver car did not.

Neither car had the sport suspension (no fender badges) and both were on 18” Dunlops. Also keep in mind that the exterior and interior of the gold car seemed to be in very nice condition. No visible signs of neglect/abuse.

Five minutes into driving the gold car, I knew what I needed to do. I drove it to a spot near (but out of sight of) the Infiniti dealer that still had the silver 06 for sale. I drove the silver car again right away for a back-to-back comparison. Despite its 60k mi., the silver 06 just felt right. So, once I was able to see the full details of the (immaculate) Lexus service history on the silver car, I negotiated to buy it. Ended up paying just over $ 25k (it had been listed originally at $ 27k, with an intermediate price drop to $ 26k).

I know that the reality is that I’ve only been looking a few weeks. Many folks do much more extensive searches. But given my current situation, I did not feel I could realistically travel around the country to test drive potential purchases. And, in general, I don’t think my metro area (Washington, DC) is a good environment to find nice used cars. Too many grinding commutes, etc.

The real decisive factor for me was that the gold 06 looked so good on paper but drove so poorly (despite low mileage and consistent Lexus maintenance). It basically undermined my faith in my ability to locate the right color/mileage combo far away, pay someone reputable to inspect it, and then make a purchase decision without personally driving the vehicle.

So my new (to me) “baby” should come home sometime this week after the Infiniti dealer does some detailing. I am really happy about my decision, and I think I should still get many years of enjoyment from the car. And I’m looking forward to being part of this community of LS430 owners!

sojah

iTrader: (1)

that's a pretty decent deal you got yourself and if the car felt right then you really can't argue with that. congrats. i have been looking for an 07+ impreza hatchback for my wife's next car and have driven a few lately; i definitely understand when you say that one drove completely better than another when they are supposed to be somewhat identical cars, can't really explain why 2 cars would be so different, but i do understand exactly what you are saying.

Jabberwock

That was also my impression when I tested lots of used LS430s, there seemed to be a uniqueness about each one of them in terms of how they drove. My guess is that the previous owner's size and driving style may have a lot to do with the way a used car feels and drives.

GLIDESUL

Congrats on ur. car.

edarte

Enjoy your new LS!

I had a 2001 and drove it for nine years and 190,000 miles without any significant problems. Lexus may have peaked in quality with that version of the LS. Smart purchase.

caddyowner

Congrats on your purchase. I find it very interesting that you found a low mileage LS that drove so poorly in comparison to other LSs. I found that LS430s were much more consistent car-to-car than, say, Cadillac DTSs. I drove about 20 03-06 LS430s and aside from one with the sport package, they drove very similarly. However, as you found, nothing beats a good test drive.

CarGuy89

Congrats and welcome! I had my eye on a silver/blk ML with 60k mi (there weren't many 430s floating around MI), but ended up finding an 04 flint mica/blk with 25k mi CPO. I just couldn't ignore the low miles. I got lucky and the 04 drove beautifully so that's what I ended up with.

Bocatrip

Congrads on your ride. Considering that there are so many horrible colors offered for the LS430, finding both the right color combo, mileage and condition can be a feat. I know when I settled for my car, one thing I did not want to cave in on was on color.

caddyowner

When I was looking, I divided colors into four groups and planned my search to gradually expand to include the less desireable colors:

Top picks (colors we both liked): Flint mica (#1), and Mercury
OK (colors both could live with): Blue onyx, Black cherry
Acceptable (colors only my wife objected to): Cypress pearl, Moonlight pearl, Crystal white
Unacceptable (neither of us liked and would not consider): Black onyx, Mystic gold, Briarwood pearl.

As for interior color, I eliminated all cars with an Ash interior because my last few cars had gray interiors. I would probably also have eliminated Saddle because my wife would likely not have liked the orange shade. However, that being such a rare interior color and mainly available on black UL & CL units, the point was moot. I was also not keen on Ecru, but would probably have accepted it on the right car.

In retrospect, since I'm mainly driving the car on nice-weather days, I would probably have moved black up to the acceptable ranks and, after seeing more cars with it, been more interested in cars with an Ecru interior.

CarGuy89

Silver was my top choice as well. I have always loved dark colors on the LS (flint mica, black and blue) but was afraid of how hard it would be to keep clean. White was so so but not really for me (a 21 yr old male, I can see my sister with a white car), and didn't think briarwood, cypress or red cherry suited the car well (just my opinion, no offense intended). Ended up with flint mica b/c it was the best I could find. It came to no surprise that flint mica (like black or blue) is a high maintenance color that constantly shows dust (and scratches if I look carefully), but it's all worth the weekly washes for such a wonderful car.

Jabberwock

Yep the LS looks great in dark colors. I am also a big fan of silver.

TKPK430

Thanks for the welcome, guys. As far as the difference in the driving feel I mentioned between the gold (32k mi) car versus the silver (60k mi) car I'm buying, I think it comes down to the car's psychology. Meaning a gold over cashmere car thinks it's a Cadillac, whereas a silver over black car thinks it's a BMW...

More seriously, I'd also driven a 70k mi 03 (just to test seating position/comfort) and a 65k mi 05. The 05 felt quite good. The 03 felt "beat" -- especially in how it handled bumps. The 32k mi 06 (gold car) felt much more like the "beat" 70k mi 03, rather than like my 60k mi 06 or the 65k mi 05 I also drove. My best guess is that the Florida owner of the gold car was a snow bird who spent half the year pounding the LS into horrific bumps somewhere up north. Buyer beware, I guess.