Considering Purchasing A Lexus Ls430 - Please Help!

[jsb1990]

Hello to all you Lexus enthusiasts! I am writing from chilly Hobart. I am potentially considering purchasing a Lexus LS430. I took one for a test drive the other day and it was AMAZING.

I am very fussy with everything in my life, and cars are no exception. I want one in absolutely mint condition, low mileage with full service history at Lexus dealer. Also colour - I am dead set on a beige interior with either a black exterior or preferably that lovely midnight blue shade. Would anyone know of one for sale that may fit this description? I would be willing to pay $30,000 for one - which seems about on par with what is on the market for a car of this condition and specifications.

I drove a 2002 model. I notice the MY2004 update was much better and had quite a few extras as standard that used to be optional. The 2002 was lovely to drive but quite basic without the rear extras or the navigation screen. Would you consider it worth forking out the extra for a MY2004? The wheels on the latter also give it a bit more character. I also heard the MY2004 gets the Mark Levinson system. A friend used to own one, and his words to describe the sound system were "off the f***ing chain" and "mental". I listen to a lot of classical so I want a very deep, echoey, concert hall sounding system with excellent bass that sounds like sitting in the Opera House. I heard the cars have Digital Sound Processing too which is excellent - Concert Hall setting is AMAZING for classical!

I have also been considering a late 80's 20,000 series Rolls Royce Silver Spirit. They are magnificent cars but somewhere, somehow, I fear some heart stopping repairs should something fail. The local Hobart based Rolls Royce mechanic assures me buying a late 80's Rolls Royce is cheaper maintenance than a Lexus LS430 as they are old and straightforward mechanically without complex electrics, but I am not sure. They also use a heinous amount of fuel.

On that topic, what sort of fuel consumption could I expect with an LS430 around the city? I am guessing about the 15 litres per 100km mark.

Any sort of assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Justin

[nice nige NZ]

Hi Justin,

You must have given up expecting a response from your post!

The LS430 is the best car in the world!

I had one in the UK for four years and 85,000 miles without a problem

Now living in NZ and missed it so much I bought another and imported it from UK. Mainly because the LS430 on sale here don't have the sat nav screen. That's important because it controls the audio and air con through touch screen

Yes the mark levinson system is totally awesome. I have bought and fitted an iPod/iPhone connector which you can control from the screen and the resultant sound quality is outstanding!

You must get the updated LS 430, it has 6 gears and a better looking front end.

The wheels are the only vulnerable item, subject to corrosion, but a refurbish sorts it out.

The car is so quiet some people think its a hybrid when it pulls away!

I get 12.5l100km on average and on a steady run will get 9.8l100km.

My car is very cherished, stays in the garage if raining, the underside has been shot blasted, galvanised and epoxy painted!! The inside is like new, everything works perfectly and has had full Lexus service history with 50,000 miles. Not everyone's choice in colour, it's gold, and I had the wheels refurbished in body colour. I think it looks amazing.

My friends think its a new car, I tell them it's 8 years old and they don't believe it!

The Rolls is a great idea, but the Lex will be a better drive, with amazing performance too.

Nigel

[Maccatdon]

Good afternoon Justin,

I also purchased my first LS430 in April 2013 after vigorously monitoring those on offer and brought it to Hobart (Margate) from the mainland. I understood from the Lexus dealership in the city that there was possibly only one other in the state at that time. I've since seen one offered for sale in Mornington, so perhaps there are only our two now if you were successful in locating one to suit your demands.

If you did you will now know at first hand what a magnificent vehicle they are. If you're interested in catching up to swoon together and compare notes I'll be very happy to meet up.

Best rgds

Barry