Move to 04-06 series or stay with trusty 01
#16
Have an 01 LS430 Base. Bought 3 years ago w/ 89,000 and now have 102,000. Perfect paint, excellent interior, lower control bushings done, 90k w/ new plugs, brand new Michelins, tinted windows, etc. Full service history, runs perfectly, no leaks. I've seen a couple of nice 04-06 LS430's but it means starting over w/ possible replace/repair items. Unless the possible replacement is a perfect 04-06 (right exterior/interior colors, dynamic cruise, ML) there's not much reason to change. Plan is to keep this one and keep an eye out for a possible 460 addition to the fleet.
#17
Buying a single owner, full dealer service is no guarantee there won't be problems! Always have a mechanic checked it out! Last year, I bought an 03 LS430 base w/ 108k miles. 90k was done. The Cypress Pearl looked nice. An intermittent vibration showed up after I bought it (needed motor mounts). My indie looked it over and found valve cover leaks (1,800 to fix). Driver's side mirror failed. Weird gas tank dent. No tinted windows (car gets much hotter inside). It was private sale 1.5 hours out of town and having someone check it out wasn't a practical option. . Sold it for about what I paid and went back to enjoying my 01.
#18
Pole Position
Just came back from looking at an 05 LS430 with 96,000 miles and asking price of $12,995. The car turned out to be an absolute piece of d.g.s..t. Dings everywhere, scratches, no wood left on the steering wheel, ripped headliner. This was a one owner car serviced at lexus. I left the dealer without starting it. It's looking more and more on keeping what I know I have. Once I do decide to replace the bearing hub, I will stop looking and drive this car to the ground.
If you're that amped up about getting something different, why not buy a LS460? Higher mileage ones are going for $12,000-$14,000 (maybe less).
#19
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
I do think the newer LS430's look a little bit better than the 01 models, but is it really worth spending an additional $5,000-$6,000 to get essentially the car you already have? And like everyone has said...it's still a 10-12 year old car. You know what you already have...you don't know what you'll be getting into with another 12 year old car...bushings wear out, oil leaks, transmission may not have been serviced, you may need a timing belt...who knows? All you need is a wheel bearing and bumper covers painted?? That's probably $1,500 in repairs...you'll spend that in dealer fees, hidden costs and getting the thing registered...then you'll you'll spend $2,000 on surprise repairs. And the car will basically look and drive like the one you already own...probably worse.
If you're that amped up about getting something different, why not buy a LS460? Higher mileage ones are going for $12,000-$14,000 (maybe less).
If you're that amped up about getting something different, why not buy a LS460? Higher mileage ones are going for $12,000-$14,000 (maybe less).
#20
Racer
I'm the same boat... I have a 2001, very dependable car with minor issues on it, I'm sitting on about 229K on my daily driver.
I have been eyeing a 05/06... As I am happy with my car but, I dream of having blue-tooth and dynamic/laser cruse control (I drive a long way to work and if it works like they say, it would make my commute easier).
Only other feature I might be tempted in, is getting a AWD LS...just to help in the bad winters that we see here. Don't want to blow a big chunk of cash trying to get a 10+ and end up paying $30k+ for it.
Sigh, what to do....
I have been eyeing a 05/06... As I am happy with my car but, I dream of having blue-tooth and dynamic/laser cruse control (I drive a long way to work and if it works like they say, it would make my commute easier).
Only other feature I might be tempted in, is getting a AWD LS...just to help in the bad winters that we see here. Don't want to blow a big chunk of cash trying to get a 10+ and end up paying $30k+ for it.
Sigh, what to do....
#21
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
I'm the same boat... I have a 2001, very dependable car with minor issues on it, I'm sitting on about 229K on my daily driver.
I have been eyeing a 05/06... As I am happy with my car but, I dream of having blue-tooth and dynamic/laser cruse control (I drive a long way to work and if it works like they say, it would make my commute easier).
Only other feature I might be tempted in, is getting a AWD LS...just to help in the bad winters that we see here. Don't want to blow a big chunk of cash trying to get a 10+ and end up paying $30k+ for it.
Sigh, what to do....
I have been eyeing a 05/06... As I am happy with my car but, I dream of having blue-tooth and dynamic/laser cruse control (I drive a long way to work and if it works like they say, it would make my commute easier).
Only other feature I might be tempted in, is getting a AWD LS...just to help in the bad winters that we see here. Don't want to blow a big chunk of cash trying to get a 10+ and end up paying $30k+ for it.
Sigh, what to do....
#22
Racer
DavidnCT...Interesting that there are so many 01s on the road today. With the redesigned LS430 in 01 I believe they sold many cars and the first year was a super reliable car. I am pretty much resigned that any of the repairs I have already made on my 01 I will be doing again on any 04-06. I'm not thrilled about that. In addition it is still a very old car. Unless the repairs on your car are extensive, it's always best to drive it to the ground. In addition, the 04-06 have even more items that may require fixing that are more expensive than the first series. I'm curious, as the most expensive item that I worry about is the Nav. Have you ever had any issues with it during your ownership? That one repair would bring me over the edge to dumping my car. So far so good.
The Navi system has been solid, in fact I did the 04+ upgrade on it. Changed out the DVD drive in the trunk to one from a 2006 car. It updated the look. I picked it up on ebay for $150, it came with a 2013 disc in it, took my 2001 drive, dropped it on ebay and got $250 for it.
So yea, I profited $100 off an upgrade
I was hoping the logic would get better but, it's shocking that a $50 cell phone's logic works better than one built into a $60K car... boggles the mind..
#23
Racer
The 05 and 06 LS is somehow more desirable than yours. First find a car in superb condition ( like yours ) and satisfies all your discriminating criteria for repairs, mileage, color, options etc ... and then decide if its worth it to you. Whatever you choose, you'll be right !
#25
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
The 05 and 06 LS is somehow more desirable than yours. First find a car in superb condition ( like yours ) and satisfies all your discriminating criteria for repairs, mileage, color, options etc ... and then decide if its worth it to you. Whatever you choose, you'll be right !
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stemirra
LS - 3rd Gen (2001-2006)
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07-27-12 07:52 PM