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Haha, I think I missed more than one. Well, there goes my weekend! Haha. Good excuse to put off the weekend errands. "No, I can't get groceries, I need to do another clay bar treatment."
I should say, to anyone looking for a 430. Just took the car to the mechanic, he was extremely impressed with it. He described it at "pristine". Of all the sedans/SUV's we have owned, I really have been most impressed with the build quality of the 430, and the luxury that goes along with it. I was a Land Cruiser guy, and while I still LOVE them, and kind of do want another, DD'ing a 430 has been a much more enjoyable, and practical, decision. Added benefit, our babies carseat fits, with tons of space leftover. My wife does not even have to push her sit in, amazing!
Interesting thread.......What the heck is wrong with Cypress Pearl? To each his own...but several of us on this forum have this color.
As for the car that was stated as poor then detailed.........Well I am extremely picky and detail oriented. I drove 6 hours to buy my car....Cypress Pearl but after I bought it I did put 2k into it ...preventative maintenance and fixing anything that wasnt perfect. I would agree that finding a perfect car is tough....but finding a real solid car that needs some TLC is no problem. The OP is picky...nothing wrong with that.....either pay some one to professionally detail and fix minor mechanical issues or get your hands dirty. As for the seller of the ( poor condition ) car.....u did a real nice job on the car....lesson learned......next time u go to sell a car, put the 4 hours into detailing before u list it.
LOL Cypress seems to be a "love it or hate it" color! You put 2k in? I paid more to get a one owner dealer service LS hoping for fewer problems. Mine's an ML. So far, fixes have been subwoofer total rebuild (250), NAV screen rebuild (150), new battery (130) and multiple D/F's (400) Also swapped 18's for 17's (500). Did minor stuff (fluids replaced, trunk struts, etc). I'm in for roughly 1,700 including the wheel swap. Feels "cross country trip" ready and runs great.
Bottom line is this.....If an exceptional LS430 becomes available (unless on at a dealership for telephone #s) don't expect it to be around for any amount of time. Once the word is out it's Gone! That fast. Word of mouth for a well maintained one or two owner LS430 is usually short lived. Unfortunately, our cars are aging fast and have finally started changing hands regularly which brings down condition and values quickly. Finding the " real one" is getting harder and harder to find but not impossible! Good luck my friends. Our special example cars are disappearing quickly!!!!!
Patience is key. Found an 04, Blue Onyx over black with 18s and Nav with only 88K on it. It was a former California car and had records for the timing belt, LCA bushings, several actuators, etc... only problem is that it was 60 miles away. Made arrangements to go view it tomorrow when I got a text from the local Lexus dealer that they just took in a one owner 06, white over ash, 18s and no Nav with only 78K on it.Told him I was interested and would be down the following day. Well, shortly after that, he replied that the vehicle was already pending sale. I was disappointed but that is a feeling I've grown accustomed to during my search. Several hours later he calls me and says that the sale was held up due to the other parties trade-in and that he would hold the keys.
Today I rushed down and found that the 06 was in great shape. Can tell it is an ECP example with only a few flaws (power mirror switch doesn't adjust UP for either mirror [found the potential fix on this forum though], two small dents that PDR should be able to handle, painted on pin stripping that is fading, and it needs the 90k service). Car was complete with the full tool kit (batteries still shrink-wrapped together), full owners manual set, first aid kit, 3 keys and the credit card-sized emergency key, and a great service history. The dealer that had it was the dealer that sold it new and the previous owners actually only live a few miles from me.
Immediate plans call for the 90k service and new tires. Since it is a no nav car, I will add a head unit and replace the speakers. I will browse the second hand market to see if I can find a proper set of 17 or 18 inch Japanese wheels to compliment the car, but other than that.. no real plans for the future.
In conclusion, if you're looking for a specific LS430, it's out there if you're patient. You honestly have to have equal parts luck and persistence... plus being in the right place at the right time helps.
Congrats on your find. White is a true classic color.....Even though our cars are 13yrs old the body lines still look good.....especially in white.
Not sure if this is appropriate but I will take a stab at it........How much did you buy that beauty for? With low miles like that....and in clean condition....I would assume 12 or 13K??? ish assuming values have come down a bit since I bought mine a few years a go. A few yrs a go that car was going for $16 or $17K
A bit more than I hoped for, considering it needs the 90k service. They said they had another buyer ready to go if we couldn't get a deal done... whether that's true or not, who knows. Ended up OTD price of $14k (they had an 05 with 40k the day before that sold almost immediately for $18k... hot market for cars right now in Houston due to how many vehicles got totaled due to the hurricane). I was happy with it though due to the condition, one owner, well maintained, Texas car. They were asking more but we were able to reach a fair price and they gave me more than I was expecting on my 05 Scion xB that was a lot worse for wear.
This car will enjoy being in the garage and will only get 5-6k a year so it will take awhile to crack 100k. I'm going to try to make it as cosmetically perfect as possible and address any and every imperfection.
Hey 14K is right on the money really. Shoot I paid 11k for my 04 3yrs a go w 135k on it. Then I put 2k into it....new Pirelli's ..timing belt service...fluids....assorted parts for gadget fixes....brakes.....But once i got her right, she was right as rain. Now she lives the life that yours will......waxed and ready in the garage...maybe 5k per year.....my smooth weekend cruiser.
I will include a pic.....cause I know u love the color
A bit more than I hoped for, considering it needs the 90k service. They said they had another buyer ready to go if we couldn't get a deal done... whether that's true or not, who knows. Ended up OTD price of $14k (they had an 05 with 40k the day before that sold almost immediately for $18k... hot market for cars right now in Houston due to how many vehicles got totaled due to the hurricane). I was happy with it though due to the condition, one owner, well maintained, Texas car. They were asking more but we were able to reach a fair price and they gave me more than I was expecting on my 05 Scion xB that was a lot worse for wear.
This car will enjoy being in the garage and will only get 5-6k a year so it will take awhile to crack 100k. I'm going to try to make it as cosmetically perfect as possible and address any and every imperfection.
Hey 14K is right on the money really. Shoot I paid 11k for my 04 3yrs a go w 135k on it. Then I put 2k into it....new Pirelli's ..timing belt service...fluids....assorted parts for gadget fixes....brakes.....But once i got her right, she was right as rain. Now she lives the life that yours will......waxed and ready in the garage...maybe 5k per year.....my smooth weekend cruiser.
I will include a pic.....cause I know u love the color
That's the way to do it, IMHO. Buy one cheap and put some work into it. If it has great bones, maybe the geek in the glasses sitting in the corner is a gem!
Agreed....I think 60k is desirable but not necessary...80k might be the sweet spot--personally, I would like to have the timing belt done by my indie, so I know it's done correctly (imho better than the dealer), it has always seemed that some might dump the cars prior to major services which is why so many are 2 owner+. I think "dealer serviced" is not necessarily worth that much. When BMW offered free maintenance, this would mean every single used BMW for a decade, up to 4 y.o. is in fact dealer serviced. Doesn't make them better cars as dealer services are check this, check that, cha ching....
It's nice when you get a car to a point where you question should you spend money on cosmetic things or let them go....like a peeling drip rail, etc., i.e. the mechanicals are all solid. I'm at the point where my next service may be the replacement of the driver seat cushion, would be nice to firm it up....nothing else seems to be needed anytime soon (approaching 97k)....
09-28-17, 10:01 AM
but after I bought it I did put 2k into it ...preventative maintenance and fixing anything that wasnt perfect. I would agree that finding a perfect car is tough....but finding a real solid car that needs some TLC is no problem. The OP is picky...nothing wrong with that.....either pay some one to professionally detail and fix minor mechanical issues or get your hands dirty. As for the seller of the ( poor condition ) car.....u did a real nice job on the car....lesson learned......next time u go to sell a car, put the 4 hours into detailing before u list it.
