Buying A New Ls 430

[MyronAub]

I've had a '99 LS 400 for over a year now and while dropping off the car for a service, made the fateful mistake of picking up an LS 430 brochure ...

Reading the brochure was like being a kid at Christmas again, I got more and more excited as I turned each page. The list of features and gadgets is just incredible. :)

So I think I'm at that time in my life when I ought to buy my first ever brand new car. Never having done this before, what sort of deal should I aim for?

Its going to have to be silver, will I have to pay full MRP or is there a standard accepted discount on the list price? I'll be paying cash so no extra margin on the finance for the dealer.

Adaptive Cruise Control looks really cool, anyone here got it? Does it work well?

Thanks in advance,

[ColinBarber]

Not sure if anybody has the adaptive cruise here. It's only been an option in the UK for a few months.

I don't think dealers discount the car too much although it would be worth playing them off against each other.

You could also try brokers and get the dealer to match their prices

e.g. http://www.drivethedeal.com

If you cannot get anything knocked off the price then aim for free services etc.

[MyronAub]

Not sure if anybody has the adaptive cruise here. It's only been an option in the UK for a few months.

You could also try brokers and get the dealer to match their prices

e.g. http://www.drivethedeal.com

Ah, thanks for that, I didn't realise the ACC was so new, that'll explain why there was so little info about it anywhere - couldn't find it at all on the Lexus UK site.

I'll check out the broker's site properly later, my pop-up blocker is blocking ads from the site but also causing the pages not to load properly - very strange.

[ColinBarber]

Only thing on the Lexus site about ACC is this press release:

http://www.lexus.co.uk/news.php?page=article&id=safety

[MyronAub]

Only thing on the Lexus site about ACC is this press release:

http://www.lexus.co.uk/news.php?page=article&id=safety

Great find. The Pre-Crash System sounds both scary and fun at the same time!

"The ACC/PCS option ... can be specified on new LS430 models ordered from Lexus Centres now."

I can't imagine anyone buying a new LS 430 wouldn't want this fitted. And you just know one of the first things you'll do is jump on a motorway and try it out. :)

I finally managed to get a price out of drivethedeal.com after a lot of fiddling about, I'm sure most people with pop-up/ad blocking software would just have given up and looked elsewhere.

I'm normally a big fan of ordering online (for the first time ever this Christmas I ordered all my Christmas shopping online) and I could save over £4k (i.e. effectively ACC fitted for free) but using the site was so frustrating that it didn't inspire much confidence.

I've also found allbrandsnew.co.uk and broadspeed.com, anyone know of any other brokers?

[MyronAub]

I can't imagine anyone buying a new LS 430 wouldn't want this fitted. And you just know one of the first things you'll do is jump on a motorway and try it out.

Well I finally found time to see the real thing and take one on a test drive, wow was I impressed.

If you like your gadgets then you'll be in heaven with a LS 430 - the number of controls now available on the steering column is just mind boggling. I used to get confused with those on the LS 400 so I'm not sure how I'll get on with what must be twice as many on the 430 but I do know its going to be fun. :)

In all we spent a good few hours at the dealership, mostly with me going "wow" as each new gadget revealed itself while my mate relaxed in the back of the car having his back massaged. :D

The drive seemed even quieter than the LS 400 and that is really saying something. Everything was smoother and more refined, the 6 speed gearbox makes a big difference although I missed the power judder you get when you kickdown in a 400.

And then we get to the ACC... oh my *** is it the coolest thing ever! Activating it is simplicity itself, exactly the same as normal cruise control, except you get this neat icon on the dash showing your car with a radar emanating from the front. You set it to say 70mph and the car smoothly accelerates while there's nothing in front of you, as soon as there's a car ahead it shows up on the dash and then the ACC kicks in and slows you down. The best bit though is that if the car in front turns off so you've a clear road ahead then the ACC starts accelerating again. Forget all that turning cruise control on and off on the M1, ACC is the only way to go.

So I'm sold, I know I have to have one, we get back to the dealership and then the bombshell. There are no new Silver ACC LS 430's in the UK (except for one with a beige interior - yuk) and won't be for 3 months, Lexus aren't even starting to build any more until March. In fact I'm told there are only 4 LS 430's with ACC in any colour currently available in the UK.

There was a glimmer of hope, the dealership does have a demo Silver 430 with ACC that's been registered just a couple of months but the price they're asking is only a few £k less than a brand new one. I decide the price difference isn't tempting enough and for now I can wait.

A day or two later I get a text message, Lexus are offering me a revised deal on the demo model and this time the price difference is sufficient to sway me... so I've now paid the deposit and will collect the car in a week.

And the only fly in the ointment, the day after I collect it I'm away on holiday for a week, what a bummer! This means friends looking after the house while I'm away will be playing with my shiny new LS 430 while I'm stuck in some hotel in St Moritz. :winky:

[Monster-Mat]

well done..............you truely sound chuffed to bits....and so am i for you :D

[Lexxy_703]

i don't know your age, but i can offer 2 options - can you adopt me as a new daughter (my dad's getting a bit past it, so i could do with trading up :P ) or i make a wonderful wife/home-maker/s*x goddess/bit on the side etc etc....

i drove a new LS430 at a recent open road day - thought i'd hate it as it was so big - oh, did i fall in lurrvve instantly! you are one very lucky guy B)

[Matthew_McNally]

congratulations on the new car - sounds beautiful :)

And then we get to the ACC... oh my *** is it the coolest thing ever! Activating it is simplicity itself, exactly the same as normal cruise control, except you get this neat icon on the dash showing your car with a radar emanating from the front. You set it to say 70mph and the car smoothly accelerates while there's nothing in front of you, as soon as there's a car ahead it shows up on the dash and then the ACC kicks in and slows you down. The best bit though is that if the car in front turns off so you've a clear road ahead then the ACC starts accelerating again. Forget all that turning cruise control on and off on the M1, ACC is the only way to go.

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now that just sounds too cool for words! B) B)

[MyronAub]

you truely sound chuffed to bits....and so am i for you :D

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Cheers, I am - but not got it yet, another 6 days and 14 hours to go... :)

i don't know your age, but i can offer 2 options - can you adopt me as a new daughter (my dad's getting a bit past it, so i could do with trading up  :P )

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I'm thirty-something, scarily some of my friends do have daughters that are old enough to drive but sorry I'm not quite ready to be a dad yet. :)

i make a wonderful wife/home-maker/s*x goddess/bit on the side etc etc....

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Lexxy, now you're talking, where have you been all my life? :D

We've just got to make sure my girlfriend doesn't find out or else the new 430 may suddenly acquire a custom look - probably caused by every conceivable panel being struck by a heavy blunt object.

now that just sounds too cool for words!  B)  B)

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I have to be honest, I was covering the brake pedal throughout the entire time I had the ACC activated... just in case!

We did ask about testing the PCS (Pre Crash System) but the sales guy wasn't too keen. For anyone that hasn't heard of PCS - when the car realises that you're simply going too fast to brake in time to avoid an object ahead of you, it goes into "scare you witless" mode: it throttles down, changes gear, applies the brakes, adjusts the suspension and tightens the seatbelts - now that is cool!

[Lexxy_703]

i make a wonderful wife/home-maker/s*x goddess/bit on the side etc etc....

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Lexxy, now you're talking, where have you been all my life? :D

We've just got to make sure my girlfriend doesn't find out or else the new 430 may suddenly acquire a custom look - probably caused by every conceivable panel being struck by a heavy blunt object.

hmmm, perhaps not then! we want to keep your new toy in pristine condition for as long as poss...

now that just sounds too cool for words!  B)  B)

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I have to be honest, I was covering the brake pedal throughout the entire time I had the ACC activated... just in case!

We did ask about testing the PCS (Pre Crash System) but the sales guy wasn't too keen. For anyone that hasn't heard of PCS - when the car realises that you're simply going too fast to brake in time to avoid an object ahead of you, it goes into "scare you witless" mode: it throttles down, changes gear, applies the brakes, adjusts the suspension and tightens the seatbelts - now that is cool!

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wow! now that REALLY is cool!!!

p.s. serious amount of curiosity getting the better of me here, but how the heck do you manage to be getting hold of a brand new 430 at your age?!?! what's your secret??? rich parents or are you just in the mafia...?

[MyronAub]

p.s. serious amount of curiosity getting the better of me here, but how the heck do you manage to be getting hold of a brand new 430 at your age?!?! what's your secret??? rich parents or are you just in the mafia...? 

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You're a girl, curiousity is in your genes... or is that jeans? :winky:

There's no secret, ten years ago I was driving an Austin Montego (5th owner - blue mostly with a custom stippled effect due mainly to rust), since then I've just worked very long hours building up my business.

About five years ago I was driving down the M6 with my then girlfriend and the most awesome car I'd ever seen overtook me - I was so smitten (with the car ), I didn't even notice what make it was at the time.

Later I worked out it was a Lexus LS 400 and I set my sights on buying one. It took me a couple of years but eventually I picked up a '99 LS 400 and it was everything I'd dreamed of. My girlfriend had left me by then but, heh, you can't have everything.

And then came that fateful day a few months ago, while waiting for my 400 to be serviced I started idly flicking through the LS 430 brochure... those guys really know how to sell a car and I was hooked. The rest you now know. :)

[MyronAub]

And then came that fateful day a few months ago, while waiting for my 400 to be serviced I started idly flicking through the LS 430 brochure... those guys really know how to sell a car and I was hooked.

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I'm a happy man, proud new owner of a LS 430 (with ACC!) and I think I'm in love for the second time in my life. :D

She's a beaut, drives like a dream and has more gadgets and buttons than a jumbo 747! I hadn't even realised it had voice control for most operations and yet it works flawlessly.

Best of all so far is Smart Key, after hearing all the horror stories about car jackings (and I really do feel for the few people on here affected), I was hoping this would work just like advertised. Incredibly it does. With my key safely hidden away in my pocket, I can unlock the car, start the engine and lock the car.

If four blokes approached me I'd just leg it and there's nothing they can do. If the engine was already running then they'd possibly get a few yards away before the car shut down. This could be the future for car security.

[Matthew_McNally]

excellent!

errrr - is this a "I've just got a new car thread"?

You do know the rules about "new car" bragging threads and pics?

[MyronAub]

errrr - is this a "I've just got a new car thread"?

You do know the rules about "new car" bragging threads and pics?

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Bragging? I'm just informing fellow users about some of the more interesting features on a new LS 430, ahem. :winky:

Sadly it was way too dark to take pics by the time I got home, didn't know it was the rules but was going to show off (sorry I mean elaborate with illustrations) anyway as soon as I got chance. :)

[Kazi]

I've had a '99 LS 400 for over a year now and while dropping off the car for a service, made the fateful mistake of picking up an LS 430 brochure ...

Reading the brochure was like being a kid at Christmas again, I got more and more excited as I turned each page. The list of features and gadgets is just incredible.  :) 

So I think I'm at that time in my life when I ought to buy my first ever brand new car.  Never having done this before, what sort of deal should I aim for?

Its going to have to be silver, will I have to pay full MRP or is there a standard accepted discount on the list price? I'll be paying cash so no extra margin on the finance for the dealer.

Adaptive Cruise Control looks really cool, anyone here got it? Does it work well?

Thanks in advance,

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Nice motor, think Id give Silver a wide birth though. Nothing against the colour, infact I like it, but theres just to many silver cars on the raod.

[MyronAub]

Nice motor, think Id give Silver a wide birth though. Nothing against the colour, infact I like it, but theres just to many silver cars on the raod.

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Each to their own, I think there's a reason there are so many Silver cars on the road - in my opinion its easily the best colour going for a big executive car.

Funnily enough I've bought the LS 430 for me because I like it and I couldn't care less whether nobody else had one or everyone did. :P

I think I mentioned in previous threads that I actually ended up buying a few months old pre-owned car, the only reason for this was that there weren't any new Silver LS430s with ACC in the country and wouldn't be probably until May. I did consider a brand new Alutian Gray one but my girlfriend pointed out that I'd never be really happy as silver just looks so much better on a LS 430.

As an aside, next to the Lexus Oxford dealer is a Jaguar dealer and they had a Silver jag parked up there - to all of us there it really didn't work at all, the jag just looked awful. However my friend who drove us to Oxford has a British racing green Jag which looks just perfect. Horses for courses I suppose.

[Monster-Mat]

i think the car looks great...........Think the number plate is a little illigal though :D

[Bazza]

enjoy :D

[chib1177]

thats a lovely motor, ill have to talk my dad into one when he comes back from the USA, that way ill have it off him in a few years when his eyesight fails him :winky:

ive been looking at the gold ones in the lexus used site I think they called it Cashmere at one point, thats another colour that looks crap on most cars but great on the ls

my personal favourite is the bordeaux red on the GS models, i just fell in love with the colour straight away, shame its not available on the is200.

like you said each to their own i suppose

[mudzs]

i like the colour, think it suits all the chrome trim and dulls down the front lights ,which in my opinion stick out a bit on the darker cars and give it that frog look.good choice

[LennyLexus]

Looks very PIMPY!!!! B) just need tints and 20" chrome spinners...

O and black looks better IMO :P

[MyronAub]

errrr - is this a "I've just got a new car thread"?

You do know the rules about "new car" bragging threads and pics?

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I've added a couple more pics to the Gallery as the global limit of £100k meant I couldn't post any more here.

LS 430 pics

Note the small screen on the grille behind the Lexus badge which is the giveaway that ACC/PCS radar is fitted.

[Matthew_McNally]

Bragging? I'm just informing fellow users about some of the more interesting features on a new LS 430, ahem.  :winky:

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yeah yeah - right :winky:

you was bragging - but as you've provided pics - you are excused

lovely looking car mate - you must be very pleased.

I wouldn't mind a few shots of the centre console if you ever got around to it - see what toys are on there - sat nav looks different to the one on the IS and GS.

[gazwalker]

I wouldn't mind a few shots of the centre console if you ever got around to it - see what toys are on there - sat nav looks different to the one on the IS and GS.

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Me too :)

Thats a stunning car.

A friend sent me some pics of the HKS demo car at TAS '05. Supercharged, quad exhaust LS430. Yummy...

Definitely the car I want after the V300.

(might be a few mins for the pics)