Hi all,

I'm moving out of the Bay Area in May and plan to get rid of my 03 LS430 by then. Great car that has been reliable and trouble-free throughout the 100,500 miles clocked since my parents bought it in Dec 2002, but I'm now in the mood for 2016's advanced tech which you can even get on Fords. I'll do my best to sell privately and only resort to the lowball offers from CarMax and other used-car dealers if I can't sell by the end of April.

There are a few factors which may work in my favour when it comes to asking price - the relatively low mileage, the brake pads/rotors and 12V battery were replaced in July 2016, the timing belt was replaced at 75k miles, it never broke down even once, and zero accident reports were filed.

However, there are a few flaws which may work against me:

• 10 years ago, my dad didn't make sure the garage door had completely risen before backing out. The antenna snapped off but the roof was thankfully unscathed. We didn't bother repairing it because the AM/FM radio and GPS were unaffected, and Lexus Link was discontinued by then.
• There is a rattle coming from the cassette player (just a guess, not entirely sure) when going at freeway speeds, especially on more worn-out roads
• The suspension springs tend to creak when braking.
• Whenever the steering wheel auto tilts/telescopes (when you turn the car on or off), there is a rather loud creaking sound. Sometimes I wonder if the system will just fail one day and lock the steering wheel in an awkward position...
• One of my key fobs is cracked and will probably fall apart. It already happened to the other key fob a few years ago, forcing me to buy an ugly aftermarket switchblade shell (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Upgrade-Flip-Folding-Remote-Key-Fob-Case-Shell-For-Lexus-IS200-LS400-RX300-GS300-/391437172232?fits=Make%3ALexus) which also has poor build quality - the Lexus logo fell off a month after buying it.

Would you guys think any of these flaws are worth addressing before I put up an ad to sell the car? If so, where in the Bay Area would I be able to do it cheaply? Thanks!

 

Have the steering column checked out and quote a price on fixing it, might just need to be oiled, might be something easy to fix before it totally breaks.

Roof antenna, I wouldn't worry about it.

Have that noise with the brakes/suspension checked out, get advised on what it is and how much it is to fix.

Rattle from the cassette player, that could be a multitude of things rattling in the dash. Have you tried yourself to maybe figure out what it is? You can sometimes put some double sided flock tape on plastic panels that are rubbing together.

I'd absolutely get at least one good key made for the car. Aftermarket or OEM, I'd consult with a couple of different locksmiths and see what they have to say, as I'm sure the dealer wants to charge you an arm and leg for a new OEM key. If that aftermarket one isn't falling apart, remote opens the doors and trunk, then I wouldn't worry about it.


Also where are you moving to??? I assume this has been a California car its whole life, great paint, ZERO rust anywhere on the car. If you're moving to the northeast, take the car with you and sell it there. I guarntee you'll get several thousand dollars more for it up there since its a rust free California car. I'd also imagine the Bay area being a tough market for a used V8 luxury car, what with everybody being a car hating, tree hugging hippie type lol.

 

If it were me, leave it as is. Say you fix the telescope wheel, even if you diy'd, you likely would not increase the selling price by the motor's cost on eBay. Just be sure to sell as is, no worries. It's a 15 yo car....

 

I'm moving to the northeast US. While this is originally a California car, it actually spent 12 years in Canada (where my family lives) before being "re-imported" back into the US so the "California advantage" is totally lost. The original 12V battery died twice over the last 12 years in Canadian winters and eventually had to be replaced.

I did think about bringing the car to the northeast to sell, but there's just not much time before I start my new job I'm actually a foreign graduate student so I have to sort out all kinds of paperwork between when I move out of California and when I start my new job.

Thanks for the tips - I'll definitely at least get the brakes/suspension looked at.

About the key, the aftermarket one is still intact, just that it no longer has a Lexus logo. The remote part was easily swapped over because the button holes aligned, so it opens the doors and trunk with no issue.

And yeah, the Bay Area is full of people like that haha. Every other car is a hybrid (not that I have anything against that - my next car is likely going to be one) but it certainly works against me for selling a V8 luxury car.

 

• Whenever the steering wheel auto tilts/telescopes (when you turn the car on or off), there is a rather loud creaking sound. Sometimes I wonder if the system will just fail one day and lock the steering wheel in an awkward position...

i just took my 2002 in to the dealer to fix the same noise. They quoted $1,645 to replace the "non-working motor." (It worked fine). I took it back to the dealer and asked why didn't you try to "lube it?" They said it probably wouldn't work and that it would cost $450 to try that repair. I took the car home, removed the 3 screws holding the lower cover of the steering column, sprayed some WD-40 on the telescoping screw (you will see it-a dab of graphite probably be better), replaced the cover and 3 screws and guess what, no noise! Start to finish about 10 minutes and $0.02 cents of "parts" (no labor cost!)

 

I live in Sacramento. Sorry to say, but the prices these days for private sale 01-03's is pretty low. A couple of months ago, I sold a very nice 01 Base (105k) that looked great, didn't make any noise and needed nothing. Good tires, chrome rims. Did TB, lower control arm bushings and recent brakes. I had a complete maintenance history, Car Fax and it was smogged. I listed for 8,500 and took 8,000. It took a couple of weeks. Lex dealer #1 offered 6,000. Lex dealer #2 offered 6,500. Car Max offered 6,000.

It depends on how knowledgable the buyer is. All the people that called and test drove mine knew about LS430's. One was a LS400 owner. The TB, LCA's, trans drain and fill, etc helped. I sold my 01 thru Craig's. Sold my 03 to a friend. Zero action listing in here. IMO it's easier to sell an early 430 here and the prices are higher. Probably a hard sell in a Northeast winter.

For yours, I'd do the cheap stuff. Detail it. Disable the tilt/telescope (I paid an Indy 105). The missing antenna is probably a non issue (I've sold 2 LS's and no one noticed that I'd removed them to save my car cover). Def replace the key fob. It might be worth it to have someone diagnose the cassette and see if it's just something loose. Of the list, the suspension creaking may be an expensive fix (replace lower control arm bushings for 750-900 if you pay someone). Depends on how noticeable the sound is.

Good luck. Hope everything works out well.

 

This is understandable, when I was a young lad and into the 200 Series Volvos, the Volvo dealer does not repair fuel lines, and they even told me, it's not worth $420 to fix, there are likely to be indie garages who will repair it for you. Sure enough, got an indie in VT to do it for $95. Funny, that Volvo was only 11 y.o., and I considered it junk that I liked. I already bought the LS 11 y.o., and I don't consider it junk. What I really think it is, is when you mature, economic theory kicks in, where wants are unlimited, but resources, are not.

Again, my .02 is none of the flaws, if fixed, will yield a higher sale price. If a lube on the telescope helps, it kind of imho is dishonest in that it's masking a potential failure. I'd rather just tell the buyer up front there are issues that I know of, and likely ones that I don't know of, and the car is being sold as is. I'm not trying to present it in a way that it is not. That's me I guess. P.S. I yanked my fuse because I don't want the wheel to fail in a wrong position. My telescope was barely working and making noise.

 

I did the same as oball2400, fixed the steering column noise with some lube and that was years ago - the motor never failed. Do that first. Fixing these various 'noises' would be a priortity for me (though I'm a DIY'r and it wouldn't cost a whole lot). I agree that it won't yield much, if any, selling price increase BUT people will be much more willing to buy your car if it doesn't have random noises that they think portend expensive repairs.

 

I agree that it won't yield much, if any, selling price increase BUT people will be much more willing to buy your car if it doesn't have random noises that they think portend expensive repairs.

Agree !

 

I used to be the person that went out of my way to make sure a car I was selling was "perfect", but in my experience on low dollar values like this, you're usually better off just conceding the issues and taking the hit and moving on.

Even if a car is perfect, most buyers are going to negotiate down anyways.

You might though want to disable the steering column automatic movement with Techstream or lube it as that will be something I could see a buyer being legitimately concerned about because it will be the first thing they experience when test driving the car.

But I wouldn't spend a lot of time, money, and energy making a $7,000 car perfect for the next buyer.

 

For the key, if you dont mind spending $100 you can go to a Lexus dealership and ask for an "Eternity Key". It's shaped like the original Lexus fob but very slightly ticker and bigger. They cut you a new metal key but have to use your old electronics from your previous keyfob. It's VERY solidly built compared to the original keyfobs.

I would personally disable the auto tilt feature of the steering wheel. A) if its creaking when it auto-tilts, a prospective owner is going to be a bit distraught by that and is going to note it. B) as evident it's only going to get worse, might as well maximize it's life and tilt it sparingly.

 

This got me interested so I looked them up, and the nearest Lexus in PA is in Pittsburgh! But using NJ, it's like all the Lexus dealers are on board....is there actually one shaped like the fob, as opposed to just the key (website seems to show only a key with buttons)....

 

My bad I might be using the word "fob" incorrectly. It is just the key with buttons in the housing, more-so like the 01-03 LS 430 keys.

 

Thanks for the responses, everyone! Much appreciated.

I just came back to California after a vacation and now the steering wheel isn't quite aligned :/ It's slightly off to the right from the 12:00 position. I'll check my tire pressures first to see if that's causing the issue but if not it's another list of things to get checked out.

I'll definitely try out the WD40 on the steering column! It is annoying that there are no user controls to disable the automatic tilt/telescope when turning the car on and off.

 

Basically agree. To sell my 01 (Base), it was a Car Fax, total clean, typed maintenance history and current smog. Looked great/ran quiet. Sold quickly for 8. Dealer(s) offered 6-6.5 so I knew I could get more. Nor CA private sale seems to 7-8 if no problems. If ML/UL maybe a little more. If a dealer offered me 6 for a car (Base?) that has a rattle, noisy T/T and creaking suspension (LCA's?), I'd probably take it.

Most buyers these days don't know anything about cars. If an old car makes "needs repair" noises, it will be harder to sell.