jpv7774

jpv7774

Well I took her for a long ride today to burn through some gas, circulate some fluids , and keep a good charge on the battery. Man she drives sooooooooooo nice, I drove about 60 miles through the country and she gobbled it up. Smooth....quiet.....strong.....fast.....comfortable. I dont think I will be able to equal this car given a budget. The only way to take a step forward from the 430 is to go out and spend big bucks. I would have to buy an newer Audi or BMW to hold a candle to my 2004 super car. I guess I am still selling but I will not give this car away.

Stu

I'm wondering ..... which Audi do you think is a step from your Lexus ?

jpv7774

Im no expert but there are some pretty darn nice Audi's on the road right now. Heck my wife drives a dang nice Audi Q5 but I am a sedan guy for the most part.......whats an A8 look like.....any good? is there an A10? I will have to google it.......But like I said, I would have to buy something a lot newer to be able to replace this old 04 Lexus. This would be wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy over budget.

Striker223

V10 S8 and the current A8 I would take over the 430, the last gen RS6 is also a good one but parts cost is hell even with free labor. The S6 is good in all years but is a little loud and harsh and doesn't give the raw feel of the RS6 to make up for it.

The S8 is pure awesome. All the comfort and extremely engaging to drive, the parts costs are beyond sanity though. The throttle bodies (known issue) are $1000 each with my discount and stuff like sensors and gaskets are multiple $100 each and maintenance alone takes over a day to carry everything out. I almost bought one instead of my 430 but decided to forgo the performance and emotion for reliability and ease of service. Comfort and refinement is the same imo.

430SLOwner

Saw your ad in the marketplace. You may be able to keep enjoying nice drives with your LS 430 for quite some time....

05ls430518

iTrader: (1)

Bahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
This post thank you life coach

Also you might want to dial back the snarky comments you are brand new to the forum lol

05ls430518

iTrader: (1)

Hey man this is my advice anything that has "premature bushing failure" just put poly bushings in it problem solved. Also from my personal experience I have had like 3 LS430'S and a RX330. I am looking to trade up to a LX570 soon that could always be another option. They are really great trucks super nice have newer tech and are extremely reliable. You can get a 2013 with 40,000 miles on it for about $30,000 something else you may want to consider.

On a side note the RX330 is not bad at all I enjoy driving it as my winter vehicle dont get me wrong its not exciting to drive, it has no power and passing people is not as easy but for an every day car its not bad.

jpv7774

Lets keep the budget in mind..........I drive a company car during the week so my garage queen isnt even necessary. That said I like to have my own cruiser. So now looking for a sport cruiser.......budget is like 12k or less. I think that formula is busted for what I want. Yes you can buy LS430's all day for under 10k but you cant buy a replacement for one that equals it until u get to the 20k mark. Thats what I am finding out so far.

Bocatrip

I empathize with your difficult decision. Personally, my choice would be influenced primarily with reliability as I no longer have the patience or time to deal with more frequent repairs. When on a budget and no longer buying new, this is a major issue. At 12K, you certainly are limited, as most cars 3 or 4 years old are more expensive. That being said, looking for an older European car in that price range certainly poses possibilities of expensive repairs down the road. This is only my opinion, but I'd stay with the reliable Asian cars if for no other reason, not be a slave to more frequent repairs. This is another reason for holding onto my LS. Also having a budget, and if forced to replace my LS430, I would probably be considering (although reluctantly) an Infiniti, most likely a Q70 (previously known as the M37) or an older GS350. Good luck to you with whatever decision you do end up making.

430SLOwner

Road and Track's solid fun choices for $12,000:
Cadillac CTS-V (First-Gen), Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, Porsche 911 (996), Lexus IS, Lexus SC, Ford Mustang SVT Cobra, Nissan 370Z, BMW M5 (E39), BMW M5 (E60), Honda S2000, Porsche Boxster (987), Chevrolet Corvette (C5), Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S / Toyota 86, Volkswagen GTI (Mk. VII), BMW M3 (E46), Pontiac GTO....

(Your LS 430 looks nice, and you know what you've got with it....)

Striker223

The CTSV manual is badass, the C5 is a rattle disaster inside and is just HORRID in terms of quality and fit. You will literally cringe........until you floor it. That's when the C5 comes alive and all those unimportant little details disappear when you are going 80 through a 45 recommended turn. The CTSV is very similar but with a far more livable interior but do mind the motor mounts on the manual in particular since they like eating those, same with the diff mounts.

GTO is also a great one and can easily be made to throw down 600hp without forced induction and is very easy to work on.

Stay away from those euro cars unless you know how to fix them yourself and are willing to deal with high parts costs. If the engines in those BMWs need anything (they always do) it's an instant 4K usually.

05ls430518

iTrader: (1)

So just an idea but maybe get an older nissen 350z I had one they are really quick have a ton of aftermarket as well as internet forum support and they are in your budget range with some cash left over for mods or the bank. The 07-09 come with the HR motor which would be a good choice its a high revving power house motor like the ls430. It also has tons of character which is very unlike a v6 engine also comes in auto or 6 speed if your really lucky they made a few with the paddle shifters they put in the r35 when it first came out.

Also anything Mitsubishi is a pile of rubbish, I would stay away from older BMW's such as the m3 and m5 they had vanois(?) Issues that were extremely expensive to fix its bmws version of vvti. Older porsches have the als bearing issue that cost a ton of money to correct also.

jpv7774

You guys are posting some really good suggestions. Im kind of a sedan guy for that cruisin comfort but I like for my cars to be able to haul *** at the same time....Sure a SC or Z car would be a blast.....I will think them both over a bit....but Boca hit it on the head. Now these arent the sexiest cars on the road but if you were trying to stay within my budget and trying to dodge major repair costs also trying not to be embarrassed pulling into a fancy hotel or restaurant....yes my grammar and sentence structure is awful........
A 2006 to 2010 Acura RL or an Infiniti Q37 seem to be the cars that are pretty nice and have a good reliability record. Now I have already told you guys I just purchased an 06 Acura RL as my run around car. Its nice but doesnt fill the shoes of the 430......but I was thinkin....maybe a newer RL would be sneaky enough to fulfill the absence of my Lexus super car. Ya ya ....I know the front grill is ugly as hell....but surely in a few years nobody will notice it.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

I owned a 2014 CPO Audi A8L and put 50k miles / 3.5 years. I had the supercharged V6. It was pretty fast and a pleasure to drive. Shiatsu massage in the front seats. A bit faster than the LS460. The twin turbo V8 is a monster and very fast but less reliable and even more expensive to maintain. Mine never left me stranded but after CPO expired I did not want to pay so much money keep it running. Be careful, driving an Audi A8 is dangerous. Be prepared but bust open your wallet. It's a very engaging & refined ride with top notch materials inside. The naturally aspired V12 in the older S8 is raved about as well. Super expensive to maintain.They are awesome cars and not reliable like Lexus. Tanks in the snow. Easily tuned and upgraded as well. It's much more refined than the LS460 drives way better. And it's not nearly as reliable... Thats why most wealthy people lease and dump them. Just like the S Series.




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