2013 Avalon vs 2005 LS 430 vs 2010 LS 460 AWD

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11-24-18, 07:53 PM

#46

leisinjp

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Peacebay

Hmmm, yeah my mom has those on her LS400 and they’re outstanding. Like I said, I’d still get them roadforce balanced (this will also detect if any wheels have a slight bend) and then get the car aligned. The steering wheel should have a heavily weighted feel on center at all speeds.

Last year, for a couple months after I bought my 430 I could not get rid of a tiny imbalance at highway speeds, no matter how much I complained to my local tire shop. I finally gave in and brought the car to the dealer. Turns out, one of my wheels was actually slightly bent. After I replaced that wheel the shake was almost gone, but at that point I decided to get the remaining 3 tires roadforce balanced and it is the smoothest ride I’ve ever felt. It will cruise at 100 without disturbing the surface of the water in my water bottle.

Thats what I like to hear! Sounds like a trip to the dealer will be in store. I would really love to drive a non UL and see if I can tell a difference with no air suspension and no double paned windows.

Last edited by leisinjp; 11-24-18 at 07:56 PM.

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11-24-18, 08:00 PM

#47

Peacebay

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Mine is a base model (I’m a huge audio guy so I specifically sought one out in that configuration to add my own head unit/ backup camera). It’s still incredibly quiet.

Buy some Honda shin-etsu grease (search on Amazon) and apply it to all the rubber door seals. This rejuvenates the rubber and cuts down on wind noise/creaks considerably.

Dont be discouraged. I was in your exact same boat last year when I bought mine. My alignment was slightly off, the ride wasn’t quite as smooth as I thought it should be, and it just wasn’t as quiet as I had been led to believe. Especially with these lower mileage examples (I got mine with 63k miles) they’ve been sitting for a while and need to get broken in again.

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11-24-18, 08:40 PM

#48

Wintercat

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Little

Turning the wrenches is not a problem at all. I used to build fast cars and had a performance shop for ten minutes lol. My 2001 Mercedes E430 doesn't ever let me take a break with turning the wrenches either. Her name is "Mercy" but sometimes she is called mercilous. Even by my five year old daughter. I've had the car since 2004. I intend to keep whatever I get for ten years as well if they will let me.

I think the hardest part for me has been the pricing of these cars .I feel they should be around $9-10k but everyone I want to see is 12k plus which is making it hard to pull the trigger.

They're out there. Mine was $8000 for an 04 that was one owner and always dealer serviced, and I found it due to a combination of circumstances.

- Widow kept it, drove it little, had it serviced regularly.

- Family service center/dealer bought it from her with dreams of profit.

- Said dealer was in a blue collar town where RWD luxury is not a big mover.

- I offered cash at that price. They had been hesitant to finance it to others, worried about deadbeats who just wanted a Lexus, since they'd have to repo a likely trashed car.

Also check local newspaper classifieds. Many of these are owned by elderly in retirement communities, and they don't necessarily understand CL. Newspaper classifieds are what they always used in the past, so they use it to try to sell something now, and the circulation is very limited. Good chance of scoring a deal, if so. Friends of mine have scored mint supercharged luxury boats that way.

Last edited by Wintercat; 11-24-18 at 08:43 PM.