fatboyq

are these as rock solid as the 96-00 LS400?
any particular issues to look out for?

I found a local one at a dealer 03 with 160k on it for 11,500 is that bit much it is loaded with all options navi, and levinson honestly that is all I want nave and the stereo, everything else is standard anyway. My goal was to find one for sub 10k but this one is clean and from a dealer not that it matters much no warrenty at all

CarGuy89

1) I will let someone who has owned an LS400 chime in, but the general consensus seems to be no b/c of all the tech in the LS430. I will say that in the 4.5 months I've had my LS there were no issues whatsoever, excellent car!
2) Make sure all the electrics work and there are no warning lights on the dash. When you start the engine, make sure that it is butter smooth and quiet. You shouldn't feel the engine at all and you shouldn't hear the engine much once the car warms up a bit. Make sure the trans shifts smoothly. Check for rust on the bottom of doors and the underside for excessive rust. Make sure each door and panel has a VIN stamped on (this means all items are original). If everything checks out it should be ok. However, hunt around for the lowest mileage possible. 160k seems like quite a bit. Good luck!

shawnlexus

11,500 for 160k seems a little steep. I saw one sell here in ut for 9k with 150 immaculate. With that high of miles you have the upper hand when going to purchase it.

Bocatrip

Once the miles start piling up to the 150+ mark, the 01-03 LS430s can be found if you look around for under $9,000. The 04s will be more. Those kind of miles are going to scare the majority of buyers away and it does become a hard sell. That is why if anyone owns these cars they should try to drive them to the grave as they have lost so much value and have a limited buyers audience.

2004TOYO

A stated in the other comments, that price is WAY high & you can get a better deal if you search a little longer. If you do decide to go with this one you have the upper hand (as shawnlexus said). Keep looking!

Jabberwock

I'd avoid ultra high mileage cars unless the budget absolutely can't go higher. If you don't drive much it might not be bad to buy a high mile car. But if you drive a lot of miles it might make sense to buy a lower mileage used car. As an example, if you pay 11.5k for the car with 160k miles and put 45k more miles on it in 2-3 years it will likely be worth very little with 205k+ miles.

Bocatrip

If you get the car for $8500 which is closer to it's true value, you cannot go wrong even if the car goes over 200K in a few years. The majority of the depreciation has already been realized and every year you own it will be money in your pocket. Of course the car must first be a healthy candidate. You don't want a money pit either.

Jabberwock

Agree at $8500 an LS with 160k miles may make $ sense.

fatboyq

thanks guys, I think I will keep looking they are not willing to budge much 11k is where they need to be, i bet they offered the guy 6-7k on trade in... I have found one for 8200 with 178k on it, I will see where it goes. I see 95-99 LS400 for 4-9k range so they do hold their value for a while.

warminwisc

Most guys will just take what they get here the buyer interest is so low. Most people who have even 10 g's to spend do not want to risk rapair money they do not have. Did ya ask him how many calls he has had, most people are surprisingly honest.

Stu

just remember that while a high milage LS can be had for a nice low price, ... the cost to fix an LS with high miles is just the same as it was when the car was newer ..... repair costs do not depreciate !

svlexus

It doesnt sound like a bad deal to me. Id be more concerned with condition, if its in great shape thats a good price. You can pay 10,000 more for a car with low miles and I guarantee it wont be worth 10000 more in 3-5 years.
I completely disagree with what most people are saying about the mileage. That car has 100,000 luxury miles left in it at least. First its a toyota product, they wear out with age or poor maintainance not mileage. And there are no known hi mileage problems with the ls430.

Jabberwock

Good points - Toyotas do seem to run well for a long time. I have a friend with a 97 ES300 that has 300k+ on the engine, runs like a top and has never had any engine work.

shawnlexus

NO one ever said the car would not run 400k miles? did they? what we were saying is if he ever plans to sell it the car, it will be very hard to sell and will probably loose a lot of money if he can sell it. Second: if he plans to run it into the ground then the car is a "good deal" if it has records and he was able to haggle to get it where similar ls430's are selling, "not asking price".

An es with 300k miles, wow i can honestly say i have never seen that motor hold up longer than 170 without blowing a head gasket. The es motor 93-98 is the worst motor toyota has ever built, but congrats to him he must maintain his vehicle well.

shawnlexus

link for 11k ls430 with 115k miles


http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=0&n...iew&ad=3690295