Considering an 04 UL. Advice
07-22-13, 10:10 PM
#16
Spoke to the used car sales manager today on the phone. Kind of hard to negotiate over the phone but he was pretty adamant about the price. Did not want to budge under 21 at least over the phone. Plus the color combo is what I really like. I am seeing better deals with a little less mileage but many of them are not as clean and do not have the timing belt / water pump service. This is a $1,400 dollar service. Anyway, I'm not happy at 21k but I really don't think they will come down to 19. Maybe 20 - 20.5 Not really happy with that number. 
07-23-13, 11:33 AM
#17
I passed on a 06 black/saddle deal 4 years ago and have no regret. Keep looking for a better deal. Saddle will eventually become an eyesore. It has a great first impression but I don;t think saddle really goes well with image of LS430.
07-23-13, 01:54 PM
#18
Interesting. I'm also looking at a black 06 with beige interior and only 64k. Also in immaculate condition, 1 owner and it has 18" all-season tires with alloy wheels. Smart key and the modern luxury package. They are at 22,4. I really think this will be a smarter deal. Does not have the awesome UL package but then again I won't have to deal with the pos air suspension failing.
Last edited by Lavrishevo; 07-23-13 at 02:01 PM.
07-23-13, 04:56 PM
#21
Interesting. I'm also looking at a black 06 with beige interior and only 64k. Also in immaculate condition, 1 owner and it has 18" all-season tires with alloy wheels. Smart key and the modern luxury package. They are at 22,4. I really think this will be a smarter deal. Does not have the awesome UL package but then again I won't have to deal with the pos air suspension failing.
Buying an LS is difficult, you really have to be patient. Because most people that buy them are "wealthy" they tend to trade them in at dealerships rather than going to the trouble of a private sale. And dealerships really mark them up. And they're a rare car to begin with,they don't sell many.
I really prefer private party sales, in my state, private transactions don't have a sales tax. That alone usually pays for the maintenance and repairs for the vehicle for several years. But they don't come on the market that often.
My 2004 had higher miles (around 130k) but it was the color combo I wanted (charcoal on black leather). I paid around $15k, and it was in immaculate shape with all dealer service and the timing belt done at 90k miles.
07-23-13, 05:00 PM
#22
Serious.Additional discount for
- Fixing dings on rear bumper and one parking sensor,
- Driver side Mirror doesn't fold and folding has been disabled by disconnecting wire inside the mirror
- Driver side door lock actuator is gone. I have motor on hand but haven't got a heart to disassemble door yet.
Everything else is perfect!
Someone make me an offer.
Last edited by BMW7_LS430; 07-24-13 at 10:00 AM.
07-23-13, 05:40 PM
#24
Driver School Candidate
bought a 05 LS 430 from a friend for $14K
3 weeks ago I bought a 05 LS430 ML option with 88K miles, but it will need a TB,WP service soon. He was offered $14K as a trade in value from a Toyota dealership, so he offered to me for the same price.
07-23-13, 07:35 PM
#25
From what I am gathering, single owner, garage kept, and extensive maintenance at the dealer significantly increases the value of the car over one that does not have a documented history. There are not a lot of them that have pristine interiors and page after page of service history. The 04 UL I was looking at by far had the most. 19 pages of service history. The 06 I am seriously considering now has the important history but only two pages. The main thing is the 60k maintenance. The owner was not going to the dealer for oil changes and whatnot. It seems even Car Fax does not document this so well. I am sure there are cheaper cars out there and I have seen them at mom and pop dealerships. But I would rather pay more and know I am getting a reconditioned beauty from a Lexus dealer.
07-25-13, 08:59 AM
#26
Lexus Champion
saddle interior actually adds little flavor to otherwise very boring car in my opinion. it holds up much better than ash and parchment interior.
07-25-13, 09:04 AM
#27
Lexus Champion
2004 Lexus LS
Mileage: 73,000
Private Party Valuewhen selling the car yourself
Excellent
$17,574
Very Good
$17,124
Good
$16,724
Fair
$15,424
this is more realistic...
07-25-13, 10:14 AM
#28
I bought my 04 from a private party end of 2012..non UL, but ML with Nav and it had 48k miles on it... silver with the gray interior. Paid $18.5 and thought I got a good deal...even without the UL. Car was pristine with all records on the Lexus site. It's an older edition 04 so did not have the tranny issues...
07-25-13, 10:20 AM
#29
The one with 64k is a 2006 not 2004. The 04 UL has 104k but absolutely perfect maintenance record. 22 does not seem too bad. Clean retail NADA and KBB are over 24k. Both are garage kept single owners.
Last edited by Lavrishevo; 07-25-13 at 10:26 AM.
07-25-13, 06:08 PM
#30
I don't know, reading on this forum the UL seems to only appeal to some people and it only adds so much value to the 430 pre owned price. 6 months ago I got traded in my UL for a Modern Luxury. The Modern Luxury is a 2006 got it with 20,500 miles and paid 26,500 from local lexus dealer. 22K+++ for a 2004 with 104K on the clock would be a deal I would not loose sleep over...
Also, In the current car market from what I can see people arent really getting the figures that NADA and KBB are showing based on your year, options, mileage, etc.
As more and more people wanting LS430's become educated buyers they know the potential problems that can be very expensive on an UL LS430. Some don't end up having problems but some do. My UL had 175K on it and I did not have any of the usual problems that are reported to happen in 430's. Towards the very end of my ownership I started to feel the suspension getting firmer and the Local Lexus dealer took it on trade and that was it.
Do I miss the UL? Not really. Most of the goodies are in the back of the car. I never sat in the back. I don't really notice that much of a difference at all in suspension feel and I even have the 18" wheels on my 2006. In my opinion the 2006 will be the better car in the long run...
Also, In the current car market from what I can see people arent really getting the figures that NADA and KBB are showing based on your year, options, mileage, etc.
As more and more people wanting LS430's become educated buyers they know the potential problems that can be very expensive on an UL LS430. Some don't end up having problems but some do. My UL had 175K on it and I did not have any of the usual problems that are reported to happen in 430's. Towards the very end of my ownership I started to feel the suspension getting firmer and the Local Lexus dealer took it on trade and that was it.
Do I miss the UL? Not really. Most of the goodies are in the back of the car. I never sat in the back. I don't really notice that much of a difference at all in suspension feel and I even have the 18" wheels on my 2006. In my opinion the 2006 will be the better car in the long run...