ChopsGS

I haven't had my LS long enough to get tired of it yet. But I can say this... I do the same thing with this car as I did when I first started driving 26 years ago. I look for reasons to drive somewhere. I never even did that with my modded 2016 Nissan 370Z!

I only wish this platform had more of a following than it does. Not a huge amount as far as aftermarket goes, not a whole heck of a lot of action in the forums. Of course, I know a lot of that has to do with the age of the vehicle. Oh well. I still love the car and have some unique plans for it down the road.

vredniykot

after driving my GL350 for 7K miles in the last month (Uber, hello!) i sure do miss the LS and drive it anywhere possible where i don't have to drive the GL
GL is rattly, squeaky, and soooo harsh on the bumps! grrr, like this car is riding on no suspension at all even though it's got air bags...
get back in the LS and it's like - ahhhh!!! this is awesome!!!
so, nope, she's not going anywhere

AJT123

I used to do that years ago when I got mine. I would just get in and go driving, often in my bathrobe lol.

Sometimes I still do it.

It's just so soothing and refined in everything it does.

I can objectively say the LS430 is/was one of the most refined cars in the world.

tallcaguy

In San Antonio and driving a rent a box. Yes the lane change alert, high res back up cam, display and push button start are cool. However, nothing beats the quality of an LS. Sports Suspension does add to the car (for me). Yeah maybe I'll buy something fancy one of these days. Tried a Tesla. Nice car but interior finish isn't even close to an LS. Our LS stays in the family.

AJT123

Just picked mine up from the dealer today for an alignment.

Not one....not two....but THREE Service Advisors there have LS430s.

430SLOwner

Not only are you tired of the LS430, nearly the whole world is. Not only tired of the LS430, but of the sedan in general. Why is Ford stopping production of cars except for the Mustang. Look at the best selling vehicle in America. It is a truck. The Ford F-Series truck sells nearly 3x more than the number 1 selling sedan in America. The top 4 selling vehicles in America? All trucks! While I like the LS430, it is getting close to 20 years old. And, it is basically just an improved design copy of a car that is almost 30 years old. (Have a neighbor who often quips "When you gonna get rid of that old Merc?" ... Yes, after seeing it for nearly 2 years, he still doesn't recognize it as a Lexus LS430, but, instead thinks it is the Mercedes model that started selling in early 1991.) So, it seems that the LS430 is basically sort of like a 30 year old land yacht, maybe mostly for fogies. As I see many for sale, often with low miles, apparently there are many other LS430 owners who are tired of the car also, and they just want to get rid of them. You have a lot of company.... I still think the LS430 is a very fine car. But, so what....Maybe a poster on these forums said it best. "The LS430 is rather whimsical."

Johnhav430

Look at a 2019 LS and it ponders the question should Lexus even exist today? Maybe the 3rd gen was the pinnacle of the car co. The RX screams "nothing special" about the marque. Nearly $60k nothing special

Is a 1989 BMW or Mercedes Benz outdated? Yes. Are they special? Yes. The 2001-2006 LS430 has something about it that in 2019 still says it's outdated, and special. These are not exclusive of one another.

And seriously, 312 lbs. ft. may not be anything to write home to mother about, but name the 2019 vehicles that make that without a turbocharger. Those are the cars one wants.

AJT123

I agree. I think the LS430 is the W126 of LSs. It's definitely a special car. There wouldn't be such demand for them if it weren't. Look a few posts above where I said 3 service advisors at Lexus have 430s. One SA totaled hers and bought another one, actually from a friend of mine lol.

About the engine, it's probably the smoothest engine ever made (at the very least that's up for debate), and it's plenty torquey. You can barely touch over 2k RPM wafting away from a light and still be ahead of traffic. LS is no Hellcat but it has very good acceleration and the V8 is always eager to respond....and it sounds great.

430SLOwner

If I may, most compare the LS430 more to the W130 (W130 photo courtesy of Paul, LS 430 photo courtesy of Oxmoor Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram) ... I like the LS430 very much. But, there is really not the demand there was for them anymore. However, the lower demand gives one who may be interested, an opportunity to chose from many and to acquire one attractively ...

AJT123

I don't disagree, at all, that Lexus copied the design of the W140 (which is also one of my favorite cars).

But the W140 was a nightmare in many areas, are a nightmare to maintain, etc. Electrical systems, biodegrading wiring harnesses, engine issues, etc. I'd have one myself but they cost too much to maintain. But the W140 is badazz believe me I agree.

The W126s before it were pretty bulletproof and basic, nothing too fancy on them.

That's how I feel the LS430 is now. It's not a very complex car (at least compared to a 2020 something) and it's easy to work on. And, like that W126, LS430 is as solid as a bank vault.

BTW, there is definitely demand for LS430s here. The other day my service advisor told me that if I let the dealer buy my car from me, that it would be gone again by the end of the day. LS430 is held in very high regard by the dealer.

430SLOwner

Thanks. Appreciate the explanation. (And, sure your nice LS430 would. But, think you are planning on keeping it. As, I plan on keeping mine, for some of the reasons you state.)

AJT123

LS430 just change the oil and timing belt, fill with gas and forget it for 100k miles. They just drive and drive and drive. I've had mine 8 years and it still drives identically to how it did when I bought it then.

Johnhav430

I myself am aspiring towards a W221, in about 3 years, and hoping to do AMG. I still have a lot of research to do. I don't think the W222 is doable for me, not just the price, but what I perceive to be the complexity of being able to DIY. And I've heard complaints from people that own them, yet seemingly less complaints from owners of the 221. Too bad Lexus didn't copy the 222 with the current LS. Why they decided to copy the Mazda 6 is beyond me.

That V12 on the c pillar brought back memories. A girl I knew in Montreal, her boss drove a black one. It was in 1996.

AJT123

As a 15 year old with a learner permit I got to drive a brand new '97 S600 for a full 15 minutes. I still remember the sound of the V12 firing up.

That was a $140,000 car....25 years ago.. Insanity.

Johnhav430

I myself need to get a feel for the sweet spot for used German cars. I have only purchased new and that's not realistic anymore as I have a 5 y.o. I remember A8's with 20k less miles were cheaper than the LS430 I bought, around $12,800 for a 2006 A8 that listed for $78k, $13k more than the LS430 new. Again the car market is somewhat perfect meaning there's a reason the Audi was $2k+ cheaper than the LS430 when they were both 10 y.o.

Right this instant, I am totally comfortable with what a used S63 AMG goes for, when it's a 2013 (interior is beautiful and 186 mph top speed with perf pkg). The issue is the TCO that I need to get a feel for and its DIY. I bet TCO is higher than a brand new 2019 RX350, just for illustration. My point is how "impractical" can we get when we are a "family man."

Driving a LS430 (and I do enjoy it because performance is not everything, I get the reliability part too it's valuable) enables me to have bigger and better choices down the road. I was gonna get a Golf R or M2--look at how much expense I avoided in 2016 by getting the LS430 used.

Wife has it today I'm filling her SUV up across the bridge. She takes relatively good care of it when she drives it, but the mpgs go down.