Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Ain't that the truth Jay. Only non UL owners tell you not to buy a UL. It's odd to me. Although, the deal I got on my set of lightly used shocks was good it was not the original asking price. When it comes to eBay you need to be patient and persistent. I understand using a used air-shock is not for everyone but if they work at 1/8th the cost I'm quite happy with this solution.

SuperCoupe400

Funny you should ask, because I actually had this very scenario happen to me.

Just this past January my beautiful (near base model) Black Cherry Pearl '05 was the victim of a freeway hit & run that sent me doing a 360 into a ditch. (The guy came up from behind doing 85 to 90mph to my 65 to 70mph).

I was on AutoTrader THAT NIGHT scouring for a replacement 430. Moved up to an '06 ML package. Flew to Florida to take delivery and drove it back to Michigan.

Bob04

Nobody is "worried about it". The discussion is about reliability and cost to repair outside of warranty, and unless you are able to fix an air strut yourself after getting a deal on a used part on fleabay, IT IS EXPENSIVE. FACT.

Why does pointing that out bother some people?

Bob04

The "only non-UL owners tell you not to buy a UL" is not true. I didn't buy a UL because a UL owner told me his nightmare cost associated with air strut replacement. I personally know several people that are not happy about the cost they have incurred replacing one or more air shocks and will very quickly tell anybody not to get a UL. Conversions are very common.

I'm not bashing the UL. It's typical for the models with the most gizmos to have the most problems. Not sure why that gets panties in a wad.

R Z

The title of this thread is "Another 430 or give a 460 a chance". And it's placed in the 430 section of a Lexus forum. I've always noticed battle lines drawn between years. So, posing that question is bound to stir up the nest.

The answer is pretty simple. It doesn't matter what anyone says. It's the OP's money, and ultimately the OP's decision. End of story.

Why did I go from a LS400 to a LS430? Actually it was because in 2008 when I upgraded, I wasn't willing to shell out the money for a new LS460. As nice of a car as my 05 LS430 was, I never loved the car. Was it maintenance free? Heavens no! Both my steering wheel motors went out. My car was always in for an alignment. It wasn't perfect. For 6 years, I enjoyed it. But it was my decision to save enough to buy that LS460. Because I wanted it. I personally love the look. I personally love the interior. I personally love the ride and the quietness, and the DVD player/recorder with ML sound system. It's my personal decision. Same decision the OP needs to make when buying his or her next car.

Whether it be the LS430 or LS460, either way they are great cars. No car is right for everyone. That's why there is chocolate and vanilla. I hope the OP finds the right car for him or her and continues to enjoy driving a Lexus.

CarGuy89

Thank you sir! Glad to see you are still enjoying your 430! Black cherry pearl is a very cool color

Thanks! Yes it is true I am the traitor lol . Honestly RWD was really one of the only big drawbacks about the 430 for me. Glad to see you're still enjoying your 430 in sunny CA! I'll be sending much jealously your way once the winter months start up again!

toddmorr

i just bought a complete set off craigslist for $450 plus shipping. And a single rear a month ago for $200. kinda doubt the $500 per guys are selling at what they're asking

itsOD

I honestly think the 3rd gen is the worst looking one. The headlights look so weird. They honestly look malformed imo. I think the 2nd, 4th, and 5th gens look best. But I do agree the 3rd does have a Camry/ES design. But I’d rather have that design instead.

olBob

Unfortunately, I was put into the position of having to replace my beloved '06 Moonlight Pearl LS CL with 59.5K miles after some kids in a Cruze came flying around a corner and hit the left front corner as my wife was pulling head first out of a driveway. The collision took out the whole corner and middle front. The car was totaled by my insurance company who gave me $13K for the car. By the way, I live in Atlanta.

Back when I bought it in 2009, it took me 3 months to find it. I wanted an '06 CL with 18" wheels, Laser or Radar cruise (I got Laser), MLw/XM, in Midnight Pearl Met. w/ Ecru and no air suspension. I found this one in Colorado with all that and only 7.5K miles on the clock, kept in an air conditioned aircraft hanger and never driven in the snow!

I knew it would never happen, but nevertheless in trying to find a near-exact replacement, the closest I could find were a couple of '05 MLs with about the same mileage, one at a Lexus dealer for $20K and the other privately owned for $25K. I also found an 06 UL w/27K for $15K at a Lincoln dealer, but after having it checked out by a Lexus dealer, I found that the right front air shock had a blown seal with an estimated repair cost of $2300. The car looked uncared for with a lot of scratches and dings. Non-Lexus maintenance as well. I thought about replacing all the shocks with aftermarket ones and having the car refinished and detailed, but in the end, decided against it.

After about a month of searching and under pressure from my wife to get her another car, I decided to focus on an easier-to-find '16 or '17 LS. That very day a '16 CPO 460L popped up at a Lexus dealer in Florida that checked almost all my boxes. It did not have pre-collision, which I would like to have had and it did have AS, which I could take or leave, but everything else looked good, i.e. Liquid Platinum w/Light Grey w/Shimamoku, BS, 19" wheels, All Weather, Semi-Aniline, ML, LEDs, WT and Z2. Of course the price was 3X that of the '06 UL. I put a deposit on it, flew down to FL, inspected it, closed the deal and drove it home. I really love this car! I never thought I'd say it, but I like the my 460L better than I did my 430 and, at least for the time being, I'm glad I got the AS. It's only got 23K miles and we will put less than 5K a year on it, so I'm not too worried.

Striker223

Go to a 13+ 460 if possible and be mentally prepared that it will cost more to keep running