RNelson

Hi Everyone,

I thought I would just let you know that my father-in-law has a 2003 LS430 with 15K miles. Mercury Metallic with black interior. It does not have navigation or parking sensors. Basically in as new condition. It is parked at their vacation home in San Diego, covered in a parking garage. It has never not started even after not being driven for 6 months. We just disconnect the battery when we leave. The car was his fathers who passed away a couple of years after purchasing it. I'm sure he will sell it at some point in a few years...

Does anyone know of one with less miles? I will verify actual miles and take some pics during the 4th of July.

He has not changed the timing belt yet. It drives smooth as butter. Only thing I can tell is that it needs new trunk lid support struts, and the cup holder is broken.

bradland

Can't wait to see the pics !
I wouldn't worry about the timing belt. Just warm it up gently for 4 - 5 minutes before ( IF ) you pull out of the garage.

lextout

XJSFan

Sounds like it is a wonderful car but it has not been driven very often. A lot can go wrong with cars that have this kind of low miles and I would drive it as much as you can whenever you get the chance. If it was a 2006 then maybe worth high teens but it is a 2003 and 15 years old. I do know it is hard selling a parents car because I still have my mothers 2006 GS430 with 39K miles. Good luck with whatever you all decide.

lextout

Daspyda

iTrader: (1)

Change that timing belt ASAP! While the miles don't preclude it, the age of the belt sure does...

Mbodall

Exactly! Miles wear out a timing belt, but ultimately time does, too. It's made of rubber and will start to degrade with just time. RNelson, these are interference motors so if the timing belt were to break when the engine is running, kiss that silky smooth engine goodbye. I'd definitely replace the timing belt ASAP!!

caverman

Not saying he couldn't get that kind of money but it's not going to be easy. Even with the low miles it's still and 15+ year old car and missing a few features like the ML stereo. My guess is a low to mid-teen if you find the right person. After all, you can get a 2011 - 2012 for about $20k and although there are some that still prefer the 430 vs 460, I would think a majority of people would still pick the 460 for that kind of money. Even if someone prefers a 430 over 460 they are probably going to want the '04-'06 for all the upgrades.....although there are still some that prefer the previous generation. The good news is that it only takes one person who wants it and is willing to pay the price. Something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

OP, even with low miles like that I would still consider having the timing belt done due to age. It might go for a 100k miles like it is without issue or it might let that the timing belt go tomorrow. If the timing belt goes the car will be worth very little. Change the timing belt just for insurance.

Bob04

Yeah, 03 and lack of options would probably keep the price lower. If it were an 06 CL or UL, it could probably get to $20k or maybe more with the right buyer. I'd buy it right now for $20k if it were a silver, 06 CL.

Jabberwock

Some folks prefer an LS430 with no NAV or ML stereo. I'd personally pay more for a non ML and non-Nav LS430. LS430s so equipped are easier to update with latest tech, and have much fewer obsolete tech items to break. The Lexus LS430 NAV and the hokey over-hyped ML cassette equipped stereo system were nearly obsolete when these cars were brand new. 15 years later the same systems are a joke, while the rest of the car is still amazing in quality and reliability.

A mint condition garage kept LS430 with 15 k miles on it should get a premium price to the right buyer but it will take US wide ad - like in Auto trader and some patience.

Mbodall

I have to agree with caverman and Bob... If it was an 04+ model with even the modern luxury with premium package, it'd easily fetch somewhere between $15k-$20k. Some here prefer the black interior, but I think most, like myself, shy away from a black interior in these cars.

Like the timing belt, tires, and fluids that degrade strictly from age, the rubber suspension bushings might also need replacing, as well as external and internal engine seals that may have dried up from not having oil regularly coat and moisten them as the engine runs. Worst case scenario and all those items need to be replaced, you could be looking at a hefty repair bill. Good tires = $800-$1000, timing belt service = $1000-$1500, all fluids = $500-$800(??), suspension bushings = $1000-$1500, engine seals = $400-$1300++(??).

You should probably bring the car to a dealership and have them do a thorough inspection on the whole car to figure out what all needs to be done. At the very least tires, fluids, and timing belt should be done ASAP. It may not be worth it to you to sell if you're only going to get somewhere around or just about $10k, but you'll at least have a rock-solid daily driver that you can drive for another probably 15+ years with minimal maintenance.

Mbodall

Speak for yourself... my ML system in my '04 sounded amazing until a few weeks ago when my subwoofer randomly stopped working. And yeah, it has a cassette deck, so what? It also has a 6 disc in-dash changer. Wanna fight about it??

And the NAV?? .....well, yeah alright the NAV looks like Windows 3.1 compared to today's GPSs... as any car's NAV would look 17 years down the road (pun intended?)

But really though, the ML system (especially in '04+) still sounds amazingly crisp, clean, and balanced, and gets louder than my ears can handle without over-driving the speakers and distorting, which is the first factory stereo system that could do that out of all 8 vehicles I've owned in 17 years of driving (I like excessively LOUD music sometimes). I think the ML system in the 430 even sounds better and gets louder than my Nakamichi system in my '94 LS400.