westopill

Hello all,

I've been considering coming back to my roots and getting a Lexus again and am looking for your thoughts. The car I'm looking at is a 2005 LS430 which I will include a link to down below. It has roughly 163,000 miles on it and seems to be in great shape. Price seems OK also, but I'm not filled in on its previous maintenance history as of yet so its hard to say if its a good deal or not. Here's the link: https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...ckType=listing

A few questions:

What are the main things I need to look out for as far as the issues that are most common on this model LS? I did a quick search and found a helpful post on this, but I'd like to know what you guys think as well.

As an owner of this car (If you do own an LS430 which I would think some of you do) would you recommend this car?

Thanks,
Wes

caddylover

i bought a 2004 Ultra Luxury with 181000 miles, one owner, full service records and serviced at Lexus dealer only. Paid about the same as what they are asking in the ad. Car runs as if it's new. It sold me on the first test drive.

Bocatrip

TriC

It would be hard to go wrong at the asking price. I typically look closely at wear items (driver seat and steering wheel are good examples) in forming an initial impression as to the care a car has received. Run the VIN through both Carfax (or the like) and the Lexus driver site to check service and accident history. The former is hardly all-inclusive, but better than nothing.

jimbosr1

It says its a one owner and the price is very good and 40 records on the carfax. Run a carfax and go drive it and if all the vin tags are there buy it.
https://www.auto.com/cars/lexus-ls_4...bn36f455003371

kevin3344

Between the Lexus Drivers site and Carfax we were able to get a lot of service history before purchasing our SC430 last year. That and knowing the TB/WP was changed at 80k. Since that's a big expense at the dealer I would make sure those two items were done (or factor it into the price if you like). Overall it looks good.

ebxgsxr

looks clean. if it's a smart key, make sure they have 2.

westopill

Alright guys, so I have some bad news. I want to trade in my 2005 Prius for this car so I had them take a look and see what they could offer me. They offered me $600... However, this is somewhat understandable for many reasons. The prius has a salavge title, 150,000 miles, the check engine light is on, and it has rust. I can't say it was a waste of time going down to look at the car though since I got an idea of what I can expect to make on my prius if I trade it in. I would have had to pay a $5000 difference which is still a good deal, but I'd rather wait until I can put my prius on the market and try my luck with private party. The saleswoman said that I should expect to make roughly $1500 on it selling it private party.

So, all in all it was worth a shot. I took it for a test drive and it seemed really solid and had no rust whatsoever. The carfax showed that it had minor damage (Backed up into garage door) but nothing major wrong with it. If anyone here is interested in the car its still for sale in Minnesota.

I will definitely be in the market for one of these cars this summer, but until then I'll have to settle for my prius.

Thanks for the input guys!

Bocatrip

Too bad.... It sounded like an extremely fair deal especially being a one owner. I guess it was meant to be. You'll get a good car when the timing is right for you. Good luck.

Johnhav430

I bought my car from a GMC dealership so I learned some things. Never spent more than $2k on a used car before. They will fix things free after the fact. I get the feeling that is a slim chance at a used car dealer, and zero chance with a private sale.

My car had a bunch of things wrong that I missed because my test drive was too short. High mount bulb out. Driver door actuator not working. Brakes pulsating. Zero coolant in reservoir and showing in radiator. Cupholder broken. interior rubbed off on b pillar driver side. driver seat bottom sag. mirror switch non responsive at times. telescope weak. pass mirror glass autodim glass gel gone. Keep in mind this is a Lexus, anything we don't DIY is a joke of a price (example the mirror is like high $400's for the part alone, a brake sensor wire over $100 list)

What surprised me, that was since it was a new car dealer selling a used car, they fixed everything free. I even said I wanted Lexus OE parts used for the brakes. Proving that the dealer had integrity? They returned all the old parts in Lexus boxes, and they told me sorry for the delay we were told to replace the caliper bolts and they are coming. Had to go back for the door actuator.

It's a given imho if the door actuator was not replaced, it's going to need replacement. but I bet a lot of folks out there don't even know. How often does one lock the car, then put the fob out of range, and check the doors to see they are locked?

But also since this is basically a 2000 car, it's easily DIY and maintainable...good luck

westopill

I've got my eyes set on a new potential LS430 for me to buy. I'm going to take a look at it on Tuesday. It has basically a brand new engine that was installed by Lexus. Apparently one of the mechanics forgot to put the gas cap on, so the engine was ruined and had to be replaced. 127,000 miles on the car, and 47,000 on the brand new engine. Owner claims that it was serviced at Lexus its whole life. It is also a three owner car, so that's something to consider. Here's the ad: https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/r...786389656.html

Trilkb

I just want to say this is extremely rare for a GMC dealership to care about a used lexus and fix EVERYTHING. I'm honestly blown away.

TriC

Strongly suggest that you review the Lexus service history. It confirms engine replacement in 10/08 at 84528 miles with a motor that had 7000 miles on it. Service records are less than perfect, especially early on (possible cause for motor failure?). Good luck!

jherr

JffGRY706

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