Me and my buddy just picked up a black 01 with 266k that still drives great. Ended up driving it home for $1600, which I think is just alright but it’ll be a fun project nonetheless.

These high mileage 430s are still good cheap transportation if you can work on things yourself.

 

so true. You'd have some suspension issues, plus regular maintenance, all very doable and cheap. I guess a Camry or Corolla would be as cheap but not as good a ride.

 

if it has the maintenance records , I would go for it. That is a lot of car for 2500

 

Yea I am pretty comfortable doing the brakes and misc maintenance .

 

If it's current with big maintenance items like timing belt, water pump, etc. I say go for it!! For that price I wouldn't worry about the mileage at all. That's a lot of car for $2,500. It's hard to find a cheap beater LS430 with maintenance records in my experience.

 

So the car needs some paint work, rear bumper and right body paint is peeling. Tilt motor not working , couple of door actuators are done. check engine light on. Vsc on, probably a oxygen sensor. dunno if it’s worth the stress to get all that fixed, I mean for 5k I can pick up a one without these items.

 

Yikes! Ok, I take back my comment about buying it. Like you said, in my area you can pick up a nice one (not perfect) for under 5K. It's always a balance between price and quality, but it is usually a good idea to get the best you can afford (within reason of course). I say wait for a better one unless $2,500 is your max budget.

 

my 94 ls400 had 300k when I bought it, at 315 I was rebuilding the transmission...however the engine was solid.

The asking price is on the low end of kbb estimate so it's not a "bad" deal...but I would expect to have to have the transmission rebuilt, about $1900, if the t-belt hasn't been done that's another $700-$1000 using independant shop. brakes you can EASILY do yourself, if no bad vibrations just replace the pads so maybe $100? It's not bad but it's not great...for a little more you can get a lot more. If I had my own shop I'd get it, fix it all myself, maybe sell it and turn a profit...but as I don't have a shop I'd personally pass *shrug

 

I passed on the car, I had this thread open and sat in my car and went back and fourth for about 20 mins. I had the guy down to 2000, which I thought was a steal but in my state I would have to get rid of the lights even to have to car pass inspection. I guess in nj they don't care or its easier to get it through inspection. I figured it would need a good 2 to 3 grand even if did some of the work myself. it was siting on original suspension, the guy never did any sort of transmission service, there was the steering fluid leak. one side of the side would need to painted including the rear bumper. If this was 10 years ago and I had time on my hands I would pick this up as a project but with kids and all it very hard to get the time. I feel like I should have kept my own 430 back in the car which was spotless in and out.

 

I hear ya' man! I've had to stop myself from looking at or buying a couple of cars myself. Like you said, with a job and kids it's hard to find the time. That thing sounds like a money pit just to get it where you want it, and more than anything, you'll need a lot of time. Good decision IMO

 

Hi I'm new to the forum, just wanted to know if I should buy this used car. It's a 2005 Lexus LS430 with 250k miles for $6000. It's had 1 owner the entirety of the car and the owner has the maintenance logs as well. The car looks incredibly well taken care of and the guy sounds like he's 60 or something so I'm sure he didn't rough it up. That being said, the mileage seems pretty high to me. How many miles is too much for these types of cars?

 

That's about right for an ultra luxury model. High for a non-UL model.

 

I got my 04 UL 180k for 6k I’m about to hit 210k if that helps paint was ok.. had a slash in the driver seat timing belt was done with new lower ball joints

 

250k is a lot of miles on any car but with the LS430 it is less about total miles and more about buying a car that has been well maintained and driven gently. If an LS has been poorly maintained and driven hard it will be pretty done at 250k miles.

But assuming it is a good taken care of car, if the engine runs smooth, and shows no smoke or smell on start up, or during heavy acceleration, and ride is super smooth, and maintenance records look great, it might be a good car even with 250k miles.

I would be careful to check to see if there are any suspension issues or past suspension component repairs. I'd want new shocks and LCAs if they are original.

 

4500 if in excellent condition max. Be a hard car to sell at 6k in my area. I see older ones sit on CL for a long time