Bubbadog, congrats! That is gorgeous and the most desirable color combo. Oh man I am jealous!! I saw that listing on FB Marketplace and I was just too late. I think there was even a buyer before you that came to look, and passed, what a mistake! As Jffgry706 said, yours should be worth a fortune based on the recent BAT sale. The seller shared the history and Carfax with me, but wouldn't give me her # or let me call. I thought maybe she was afraid of fraudulent buyers but I think it was because your deal was pending. From what I saw, it was babied at the Dealer every step of the way. Curious if you plan to do the timing belt based on age? Awesome purchase.

 

Thanks Gunmart.

It was the FB marketplace listing. I was the second person to contact the seller. I dealt with the niece who was assisting her aunt. The aunt has three other Lexus vehicles including a new 600h. She has a second home in Florida and this was their Florida car. Her niece told me she had 30 messages on FB. The first potential buyer was a young couple and the niece said they passed on the car because it was too expensive. I gave her the $11,000 she was asking. She had the car inspected at the local Lexus dealer and had new Michelin tires installed, an oil change, and a new battery installed prior to the sale. There is a faded timing belt sticker on the engine cover showing timing belt replacement in 2013 at 2?,000 miles. I will probably do it sometime in the next year. Isn't it 9 years or 90,000 miles for the timing belt? I have a few issues to address. The subwoofer is buzzing, the front passenger door speaker is also bad, and the cupholder won't retract. I am going to start tackling these issues after a full detail. I did find it funny that when new they paid for the UL package, for about $12,000, and then reported that no one has ever ridden in the back seat. The rear seats look literally brand new. The clear bra has some slight yellowing, likely from it's age, and I haven't decided what I want to do with it yet.

 

Thanks for your kind words and your advice.

You are correct as it does not have PCS. Best of luck with your new Custom.

I would love to see pictures when it arrives.

 

Most likely the speakers and subwoofer need new foam surrounds. The original foam surrounds disintegrates over time. Here is a kit to do all speakers and subwoofer. https://www.simplyspeakers.com/2001-...fsk-ls430.html

I believe there is also a DIY on this forum.

 

The subwoofer has some cracks around the edge. Is it worth trying silicone or something else to repair? If I can get it at least functioning without having to remove it, that would be awesome. What's the worst that can happen as it already does not function. Any advise on how to proceed?

 

Check the post right above yours!

 

I did but doesn't that require removal of the subwoofer?

I am wondering if I can somehow silicone/glue the rubber surround and fix it in place. I thought I might give that a shot first.

 

The kit is essentially just that, just that you're removing all the old stuff and gluing on the new one.
There is a thread showing how you can easily pull out the sub, or at least get more space,, without having to remove the rear seats, you just need to cut away some of the rear deck around the sub. When you put the grill back on you can't see where it's cut.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...t-removal.html

 

Thanks for the advice.

 

That looks real good man! Any plans for it, or are you just going to keep it crisp? If you're looking to go chrome emblems, I think @YannG is wanting to go gold, maybe y'all can swap.

Welcome to the forums!

 

Thanks.
My plan is to keep it OEM, nothing crazy.

My two current issues are 1) repairing the subwoofer surround and 2) getting the cupholder to retract. I tried to remove the cupholder but was afraid of breaking something. I watched a you tube video of the cupholder removal and in the video his center console came out much easier. I tried with several plastic pry tools to pop the center console trim loose but no luck. I am worried I might break a clip or something. I have contemplated taking it to Lexus dealer so if something breaks, it's on them. Thought? Suggestions?

 

Oh it's insanely tight, that's normal. The large wood panel is quite literally the most tightly fit panel I have ever removed from any car I've ever worked on. They don't want stuff shifting around

 

Hello - Very nice LS indeed!

I am looking to swap my perfectly clean chrome badges for some gold ones!

ps: do not go to a dealer, they will charge you a LOT - I'm happy to help you with removing the center console / cup holder.

 

I need help!

I just got done trying again and they are not budging. I wonder what the Lexus dealer would charge. I might stop in and see.

 

Very nice find and I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to drop $11k for that nice of one. The only slight down side I can think of is the fact that it has the air ride suspension. Hopefully that won't be an issue any time soon with that low of mileage.

The speaker foam repair is super easy and super cheap, especially if you're willing to cut the opening on the sub. Refer to the post above from Ellesse. The door speakers should be the basic same fix but you'll just have to take the door panels off, again, nothing hard at all.

For the cup holder, I would look at removing the center console lid and you'll probably find what's stopping it from retracting. My center console was loose on my current one and I had to remove it to tighten the bolts. I found a bunch of un-opened toothpicks in mine. I also found a $5k check from the original owner under there as well. It was several years old and I'm sure they had a panic attack when they couldn't find it. Point is that things can slip up under the console.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...lid-fix-2.html

I agree with your move to get rid of the gold badges. I would do that in a flash! I agree with getting rid of the chrome wheels as well but that can be put off until you can find a good set of OEM wheels. Or, guess you could go aftermarket but I would keep those wheels to put back on if you ever get rid of it.

Double check that all your doors lock/unlock as they should. The door actuators are notorious for going bad but with that many low miles and the fact that you can tell it was garaged I'm betting they are all still good to go. Same with the tilt and telescoping steering wheel motor.

Congrats on finding such a great gem!!! You're going to love it! and if for some reason you don't, hit me up.