I did a search, and amazingly, only found one thread. I know we've discussed these before, but it must have been on the old board.
Anyway, I'm looking for a car for when I am finally back stateside in May, and I have always liked the thought of these cars. I remember fondly building one of these up in Tokyo Xtreme Racer for the PS2, and the interest has stayed ever since.
What should I look out for? All of the ones a cursory glance has afforded me seem to either be low mileage, or have been around the planet a few times. I definitely want one that's well-optioned, so are there any telltale signs that the car is equipped a certain way? Thanks for the help.
The one you want is a "Custom Luxury" optioned model, but they're rare. They're one step below the "Ultra Luxury" option package, but they leave out the air ride shocks which are prone to failure.
The reference I was using when I was shopping these was this here:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-3rd-gen-2001-2006/255082-how-to-tell-if-ls430-is-equpped-with-ultra-luxury-package-6.html#post7019688
Also, this was the pre-purchase checklist I was working off:
Laser Adaptive Cruise Control
A/C & Heated Seats (Front And Back)
Make sure your vents under the Navi move back and forth
Test the electronic seatbelt height adjusters for both Driver and Passenger
Test electronic headrests for driver/passenger (Seating Position button pressing up or down)
Fully Recline the rear seats, Test massagers, adjust both headrests, every button on the console!
Make sure your power mirrors fold
Make sure all the locks work with power using the key and the button on both driver and passenger door
Test out the sport suspension and adjust to high
Check both foglights, headlights, taillights, reverse lights, DRLs, License plate lights
Check for spare tire and trunk accessories such as roadside kit or first aid kit
Headlight washer check
Memory seats check
Electronic steering column up, down, in and out
Rear privacy curtain and side curtains
Back up camera
Check the parking sensors for paint overspray
Test key fob out
Check dash lights
Check slide out tray underneath cd player
Use Buttons next to center console on the passenger seat to adjust seating position
Check headlights and taillights for cracks or damage
Check the lifts for hood and trunk
Note Master key fob has trunk button, Valet key does not and it may come with a credit card key
I have a 05 black cherry pearl 05 Ls430. Mine has the pretty rare sports package with the fat 5 spoke wheels.
I bought it at 13k miles
i have 77k miles on it. Did the big t belt service and it’s needed brakes once
I am a Lexus senior dealer tech. I can tell you that they are one of the best cars ever made. The checklist above is a good one for an overall checkup. A few common areas that aren't hard to fix but some are pricey. First check the electric mirrors. Make sure they fold in and out and make sure the actual mirrors move in and out and up and down. With the mirror folded out grab it and make sure the housing isn't loose. Mirrors and parts can be very expensive. Make sure all of the AC functions are working. Fresh and recirc, hot to cold, make sure both climate zones work. Make sure none of the climate control servos are making any clicking noises in any of their various positions. Servos are expensive and aftermarket ones never work properly. Run the AC to full cold and make sure the carpet doesn't get wet. There were some that had evaporator box leaks and although itnisnt common it is brutally expensive. If it is over 100,000 miles it will soon need lower ball joints and upper control arms and front rearward lower control arm bushings. The lowers are fluid filled and the bladder rips open over time. None of these parts are very expensive from Moon and they work great. The rear differential pinion seals are prone to leakage on higher mileage cars and it requires replacing the flange and seal. Not very expensive and easy to fix if you are mildly capable. Normal engine gaskets. The cam seals rarely go bad but when they do you need to pull the cams to replace them so keep that in mind. Again, not really hard if you are a mechanically inclined person but it does take time. Stay away from the air suspension cars unless you want to get a good deal. The parts are all brutally expensive and diagnosis is a pain in the ass. A actually bought an air suspension car that had a bad compressor and put a set of HKS coilovers on it and made my money back by selling the struts on eBay. The car actually drove quite well with the coilovers. Also, the LED tail lights are fairly expensive. Not a common problem but they can go bad. I've actually rebuilt a few and it's not a terrible job. The last thing is the steering intermediate shaft. The can get a knock in them and all though it doesn't cause any mechanical or safety problems it can be a bit annoying and the part is almost $400
All of this being said, they will run forever and I personally prefer squared off sedans so I love the LS430
Awesome guys, lots of great info here. Thanks!
How big of a job is doing the timing belt? Do-it-yourself friendly, or something better left to a shop?
I recently helped a buddy get into a 01 LS430 Ultra. He loves the car with one exception so far. He has not figured out a way to update the sound system with a blue tooth/i pod type of adapter as everything is tied together with the nav system.
We just got a 460, because of a "need" for awd. Otherwise I would have gone after a 400 or 430.
Once you become familiar with the options you can pick them out from interior pictures; our 460 has standard suspension and cold weather package, the buttons or lack of are notable on dealer interior pics. The pictures are more useful than the dealer descriptios.
I used CarGurus as the search engine allowed me to get specific and still displays individual dealer contact info.
Good luck finding what you want!
Esoteric Nixon - Jordan said:
Awesome guys, lots of great info here. Thanks!
How big of a job is doing the timing belt? Do-it-yourself friendly, or something better left to a shop?
Not bad at all. Just drain the coolant and pull the radiator and it is very easy from there. Just make sure you st the crank timing on the timing DOT and not on TDC. This will make sure there are no pistons at tdc and no bent valves. You need to pull the cams out to do cam seals so if they aren't leaking don't bother doing them
_
Reader
2/3/19 9:44 p.m.
Esoteric Nixon - Jordan said:
I did a search, and amazingly, only found one thread. I know we've discussed these before, but it must have been on the old board.
Anyway, I'm looking for a car for when I am finally back stateside in May, and I have always liked the thought of these cars. I remember fondly building one of these up in Tokyo Xtreme Racer for the PS2, and the interest has stayed ever since.
What should I look out for? All of the ones a cursory glance has afforded me seem to either be low mileage, or have been around the planet a few times. I definitely want one that's well-optioned, so are there any telltale signs that the car is equipped a certain way? Thanks for the help.
Oh hell yes, someone else that remembers and played the TXR series! Mad respect man. Jintei is going down!
In reply to ErikTheSwede :
Hey can you contact me about how you converted the air bags to coil overs? This would help me immensely. Thanks. jpschreier@gmail.com
