I traveled to checkout the 2006 430 UM silver/black. Unfortunately the deal didn’t happen even at $7k the deal didn’t feel right. 1st thing the owner said when I got in to drive was “ Oh I noticed there’s a loud roaring noise coming from the front of car when you get up to around 45 mph”. He followed up with trying to explain it away to to the plastic cover beneath front bumper under engine area. I took a look and it was drooping down maybe 1/8” at the center of about a 1 inch area due to the faster missing. I likened it to a wheel bearing noise. 2nd, the rear bumper had minor damage and looked like Someone had used spray paint in an attempt to mask. I explicitly asked about minor damage and scratches etc from which I noticed several around car. Interior was excellent however. Was not the car for me. Very disappointed so the search will continue. Not a total wasted trip in that I did gain more knowledge of what to look for.

 

That 216k miles, I wasn't surprised to hear that there were several problems. Yes these are old cars now, but you can still find clean examples.

Bad stuff aside, were you able to at least see if the 430 is a good fit for you?

 

I don’t think I did drive enough to get a good feel for the 430. Mind preoccupied with the roaring noise i heard i think. Plan to look at a couple more on Friday. Another 2005 Siver/Black 145k miles and an 04 Briarwood Pearl/ tan 155k miles.

 

Having a ‘01 430 and a ‘14 460, both are great cars. Of the two, I prefer driving the 430 but a +’13 460 will spoil you (if the mouse controller is not intimidating).

Finding an ‘04-06 430 will be a project but well worth it when the right one is found. Could take a while and a wide search area will be in play. Keep us updated on your efforts. Ask whatever you need and the members here will give their opinions for sure…..😏

 

An 01-03 may not have smart access or the swiveling headlights, but they are a good deal cheaper. I personally like those a little more than the 04-06 but to each their own.

The 13-17 LS is going for ridiculous money lol. And yeah, the mouse controller is not for everyone. I like good old fashioned buttons myself.

 

Yeah we recently sold our RX-350 that had the cursor control. Wasn’t really a fan of it.

 

Agree 100000000% with this post.

I had an 05 base LS but it was optioned with the smart key system and 18 inch wheels. It also had parking sensors which I am not sure were standard equipment. Anyway, I LOVED how simple it was and timeless in terms of tech. Since these were flagship models the base trim examples are rare. I looked for a black on black base 05-06 for 4 years but could never find one that was low miles and worth buying. You will never regret going with a base model. I miss that car to this day.

If you are a bells and whistles type try to find a Custom Luxury trim that has additional leather inside on the door cards, console, dash, etc. With black interior they did a burned wood effect trim in Custom Luxury cars that looks stunning. They also have smart cruise control which was very high tech in those days.

 

Well search is over. Hooray! We decided on the 2004 LS430. I’ll get pics up at some point. It’s ready for a good wax.

Thx again to all for the info you’ve provided. It did help me make an informed decision.

Build info