Ls 430 Advice (04 Plate)

[ubaid221]

Hi.

What do you think of an LS 430, 04 plate with 117000 miles on the clock for 9K? is it worth it? Am a bit tempted..or shall I wait a bit longer for a lesser milage one?

av heard of some transmission problems on the 04 plates. Can someone clarify this.

And is 117000 too much on these cars? how often should the timing belt be replaced?

Also, for 117000 miles, how many service stamps should there be or how many services should the car have had (or is that a daft question?!)

whats the average cost of a service at Lexus for an LS 430?

Finally, av also heard of suspension problems on LS 430s....is this correct?

Thanks

[lexusls4302001]

Hi.

What do you think of an LS 430, 04 plate with 117000 miles on the clock for 9K? is it worth it? Am a bit tempted..or shall I wait a bit longer for a lesser milage one?

av heard of some transmission problems on the 04 plates. Can someone clarify this.

And is 117000 too much on these cars? how often should the timing belt be replaced?

Also, for 117000 miles, how many service stamps should there be or how many services should the car have had (or is that a daft question?!)

whats the average cost of a service at Lexus for an LS 430?

Finally, av also heard of suspension problems on LS 430s....is this correct?

Hi

Its great that your thinking of a 430. I can give my experience based on my 2001 LS430 which I bought about 5 months ago. At the moment, these cars are a buyers market. No one is buying big V8s so if its the car you want, I think you can get a better deal than £9k.

Personally, I dont think mileage is a great important factor when buying such a car. It depends on how well has it been looked after. I would go for a high mileage one rather than a low mileage one as I will know that it will have been sat on the motorway with little wear and tear compared to town driving where it will have been subject to more strain. Even though my 430 is 160k, it feels really tight and spot on! It has full Lexus SH and was owed by a Chairman of a company who went up and down the country in it. I have all the print outs and what ever it needed, it had it done! Thats why the 160k didnt bother me. Obviously, I checked (which you should do) that everything works and in order. It also helped when it was for sale for 5 months for just over £4k!! Yes £4k!

Not sure about transmission or suspension problems - wasnt aware of any

Timing belt every 100k, so you would have some time before you had to replace it

Service should be every 10k or 1 year- which ever comes sooner

Not sure about servicing from Lexus, but I use a good independent that has done all my past cars. They charged me £145 for a full service including brake pads at the rear

Good luck!

[graham8370]

Hi Ubaid, a 2004 LS430 is an awful lot of car for £9000.

If it's the car i'm thinking of (from John Stamford) then this particular car was first registered on the 9th July 2004. An average of only 500 miles per week which is nothing for these cars. As every member will tell you. 'Check the service history'. I'ts advertised for £9k so I would expect to pay no more than £8.5k

Regarding the transmission, I have never heard or seen any problems on the forums, and doing a quick search revealed only a couple of posts both concerning earlier models with well over 200k miles. The transmission was changed to the 6 speed box in 2004 with additional upgrades of Keyless Go, Tyre pressure warning, Side Knee airbags, check for these and you will know if it is a Mark 2 430. I wouldn't have thought a car first registered in July 04 was manufactured in 03 but you never know.

The timing belt should be replaced every 10 years or 100k miles, whichever is sooner. If done, there will be a sticker on the engine cover and also be recorded in the service record book

I would expect to see about 10 service stamps in the book.

Have recently purchased my 3rd Lexus, a 2006 430 with 115k on the clock, couldn't be happier.

Should you wait a bit longer? NO NO NO, Go for it.

[ManicMark]

Hi 117K is high for the year. should have 11 or 12 stamps at that mileage, will be due its second cam belt at 130k if the last one was replaced at 67k, if its motorway miles its no problem for it,as long as its been maintained. £9k is a lot for the miles but not for the year.I would try and get it for £7,500 to £8,000 If you dont do many miles a year ,say under 5,000 it could be a good buy if you were planing on keeping it a few years. If you do a lot of miles it would be a car for keeps as it will drop in value like a stone & be virtually unsaleable in a couple of years. Personally I would wait, if you have the time ,the new plate comes out in a couple of months & used cars are likely to take anouther big hit on the prices, Keep an eye on the Auctions for a later lower mileage one with some warranty left. It took me 12 months to find the right one for me ( I really wasn't in a hurry) but ended up with a mark iv instead of a mark 2 or 3 for the same money. If you are deperate for a car I would spend a grand on a good mk3 with history & drive that around untill the right 430 comes along at the right money, mileage/ history.

[ManicMark]

Hi,

With regards to the cam belt on the 430 are you sure its 100k miles not kms, on the mark 4 ls400 which is pretty much the same engine vvti & all its 6 years or 67,000 miles. 100k km's.

ta Mark

[graham8370]

Quoting from page 13 of my Lexus service schedule ,Lexus LS 430, which I currently have in front of me

''Timing belt replacement- Every 100,000 miles''

[ManicMark]

Hi Graham.

Good to know, I wonder if its a different belt to the Mk4 ls, ill take a look into it. as it states in the mk 4 handbook 67k, ( might not need to change it so often)

Ta Mark

[graham8370]

Hi Mark, the Mark 4 LS 400 is different. My last LS was a 99 400 and the timing belt interval for that engine is 6 years or 60k miles.

[ubaid221]

Hi 117K is high for the year. should have 11 or 12 stamps at that mileage, will be due its second cam belt at 130k if the last one was replaced at 67k, if its motorway miles its no problem for it,as long as its been maintained. £9k is a lot for the miles but not for the year.I would try and get it for £7,500 to £8,000 If you dont do many miles a year ,say under 5,000 it could be a good buy if you were planing on keeping it a few years. If you do a lot of miles it would be a car for keeps as it will drop in value like a stone & be virtually unsaleable in a couple of years. Personally I would wait, if you have the time ,the new plate comes out in a couple of months & used cars are likely to take anouther big hit on the prices, Keep an eye on the Auctions for a later lower mileage one with some warranty left. It took me 12 months to find the right one for me ( I really wasn't in a hurry) but ended up with a mark iv instead of a mark 2 or 3 for the same money. If you are deperate for a car I would spend a grand on a good mk3 with history & drive that around untill the right 430 comes along at the right money, mileage/ history.

Thanks for the advice....I am really desperate for the car.....but I dont want to spend 9K (thats a lot of money for me) on a lemon...I am really looking for a car that will last me a few years without any problems cz I am intending to keep the car for a few years.

I think I should take my time.

Do you know of any car auctions? cz the only place I look is the autotrader.

Thanks

[ubaid221]

Hi Ubaid, a 2004 LS430 is an awful lot of car for £9000.

If it's the car i'm thinking of (from John Stamford) then this particular car was first registered on the 9th July 2004. An average of only 500 miles per week which is nothing for these cars. As every member will tell you. 'Check the service history. 'I'ts advertised for £9 so I would expect to pay no more than £8.5

Regarding the transmission, I have never heard or seen any problems on the forums, and doing a quick search revealed only a couple of posts both concerning earlier models with well over 200k miles. The transmission was changed to the 6 speed box in 2004 with additional upgrades of Keyless Go, Tyre pressure warning, Side Knee airbags, check for these and you will know if it is a Mark 2 430. I wouldn't have thought a car first registered in July 04 was manufactured in 03 but you never know.

The timing belt should be replaced every 6 years or 100k miles, whichever is sooner. If done, there will be a sticker on the engine cover and also be recorded in the service record book

I would expect to see about 10 service stamps in the book.

Have recently purchased my 3rd Lexus, a 2006 430 with 115k on the clock, couldn't be happier.

Should you wait a bit longer? NO NO NO, Go for it.

Thanks for the advise.

you know what graham8370...i think ill check that car out...ill make an offer and see what happens....wish me luck

Thanks

[jsj24uk]

I've had my 54 plate for a year and a half now. The only scary thing has been the replacement of four tyres, and those 245/45/18's arn't that cheap I'm afraid. I did have a suspension problem which was sorted out under warrenty which involved the replacement of front suspension bushes and somthing was tightend to stop a clonking noise when the steering was on full lock. Make sure it has a full service history and press every button to make sure it works. Cambelt's are changed every 100,000 miles or 10 years. I've not had a problem with the gearbox on mine at all. It feels like a CVT when driven normally but can be quite fun when put into sports mode or used manually. It is suprising how quick these LS430's can be when you get them in the right gear and give them a boot full.

I absolutly love mine to bits. Your first long journey in it will be amazing. Crank up the Mark Levinson system, set your cruise and off you go. Not alot beats it in my opinion. I'm averaging 22mpg at the moment and that's running it on BP Ultimate 97RON petrol. If you use Castrol Edge 0W-30 fully synthetic oil on services, that improves your MPG as well.

Jim.

[ManicMark]

Hi 117K is high for the year. should have 11 or 12 stamps at that mileage, will be due its second cam belt at 130k if the last one was replaced at 67k, if its motorway miles its no problem for it,as long as its been maintained. £9k is a lot for the miles but not for the year.I would try and get it for £7,500 to £8,000 If you dont do many miles a year ,say under 5,000 it could be a good buy if you were planing on keeping it a few years. If you do a lot of miles it would be a car for keeps as it will drop in value like a stone & be virtually unsaleable in a couple of years. Personally I would wait, if you have the time ,the new plate comes out in a couple of months & used cars are likely to take anouther big hit on the prices, Keep an eye on the Auctions for a later lower mileage one with some warranty left. It took me 12 months to find the right one for me ( I really wasn't in a hurry) but ended up with a mark iv instead of a mark 2 or 3 for the same money. If you are deperate for a car I would spend a grand on a good mk3 with history & drive that around untill the right 430 comes along at the right money, mileage/ history.

Thanks for the advice....I am really desperate for the car.....but I dont want to spend 9K (thats a lot of money for me) on a lemon...I am really looking for a car that will last me a few years without any problems cz I am intending to keep the car for a few years.

I think I should take my time.

Do you know of any car auctions? cz the only place I look is the autotrader.

Thanks

Hi try looking under british car auctions BCA they come up on quite a regular basis. good luck Mark

[JellyBean]

Perhaps you should only go for it, if it has a full Lexus service history.

If so, offer £7,000 and see what happens. As the man said, it really is a buyers' market at moment.

[graham8370]

Mark,

I really think that anyone who asks for advice on an owners club forum, and further asks for where an auction is taking place, is not really knowlegeable enough to contemplate spending upwards of £8k at his first auction. I know a few people who ''know a little'' about cars getting their fingers burnt. I think we should tell Ubaid to get some real solid advice before going to the Auctions.

Graham.

[Hunt.trophy]

One thing is for certain, these cars are bullet proof. So chances of getting a lemon are greatly reduced.

Good luck with the search, I assure you that nothing will compare to the joy of driving an LS. It learns your driving stlye, so the fun continues for ever.

I am 2 years in my 2001 LS430 with 103,000 on the clock. It is still like driving a new car and I drive it everyday.

* Service history is important *

[ManicMark]

Hi Graham

I spoke with him on a previous post about this , my advice was to look for a late one 56 plate at auction with some lexus warranty remaining.

I used to be in the trade & would not buy a car of this class at auction unless I had a Manufactures warranty to fall back on, if the body and paint is all original. & it is quoted all good at the auction there isnt really a risk. I agree with you to buy an earlier one would most probably be a financial nightmare. but late large cars are going for peanuts at auction at the moment as the dealers cant shift them.

[1967andy]

i have had 2 ls430s now. an 02 and an 04. both have had rear suspension problems - the self levelling relays get waterlogged and fail resulting in the car constantly looking like it has a couple of bags of cement in the boot! both times were fixed reluctantly under lexus warranty. however if you do have to pay i was quoted £170 per relay and about the same in labour plus vat, which works out at about £750. i dont know if this is a known failure or i have just been unlucky - twice?

but aside from that, these cars are brilliant - happy hunting

[ubaid221]

Mark,

I really think that anyone who asks for advice on an owners club forum, and further asks for where an auction is taking place, is not really knowlegeable enough to contemplate spending upwards of £8k at his first auction. I know a few people who ''know a little'' about cars getting their fingers burnt. I think we should tell Ubaid to get some real solid advice before going to the Auctions.

Graham.

You know the last time i bought a car from the auctions, it turned out to be a ROTTEN lemon...

anyway av learnt alot of lessons from (expensive) previous purchases...

[ubaid221]

i have had 2 ls430s now. an 02 and an 04. both have had rear suspension problems - the self levelling relays get waterlogged and fail resulting in the car constantly looking like it has a couple of bags of cement in the boot! both times were fixed reluctantly under lexus warranty. however if you do have to pay i was quoted £170 per relay and about the same in labour plus vat, which works out at about £750. i dont know if this is a known failure or i have just been unlucky - twice?

but aside from that, these cars are brilliant - happy hunting

:shutit: :shutit:

O my God!! that is just SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO scary...

anyboby else experienced this??

[Haylands]

Hi

If you are going to spend 8-9 grand on a car like the 430 you have to expect to pay large amounts if it goes wrong....

The car cost 60,000 when new, it's not a fiesta

Lose the keys and it's £3000

Four tyres £650

Major service £500

Cam belt at 100,000 and 10,000 service at the same time nearly £1000

Air bag £400

The list goes on and on.... they are very reliable cars much better than most, had mine for 18mths did over 20,000miles and nothing broke.... still cost a fair bit in service, tyres etc

If you can't aford to pay the above then you will not enjoy owning the car, shuddering when every squeek rattle or groan happens is not a nice feeling....

Perhaps you should set your sights a bit lower.... by a top of the range Avensis or something similar....

Pete

[JellyBean]

Perhaps you should set your sights a bit lower.... by a top of the range Avensis or something similar....

Allow me to apologise for our fellow member's condescension. He is still in mourning for his LS 430. You go ahead and buy one. See below...

I had to take out a £10,000 loan to buy my LS400 - so that had to be repaid over four years.

The day I bought it, I decided I would henceforth pay someone to service/fix it - a former Lexus main agent does it - so I don't save any money by doing it myself.

In heavy commuting traffic the fuel consumption is pretty grim, about 19-20mpg.

Tyres are expensive but they are very big wheels so you should get 20-25,000miles on a set.

HOWEVER, a mate bought a diesel Picasso at the same time I bought my LS, for the same price. After nearly five years, with all things added up, inc. depreciation of course, his nasty little buzz-box has cost him about £1,500 more than the Lexus.

So do it. I hereby guarantee, to be underwritten by my fellow LOC members, that you will not regret it.

Have you test-driven one ? You name will surely be proscribed if you have.

Good luck and tell us all about it !

- Jelly Bean

[CB1300]

Jellybean is spot on.

Just ask yourself this ? What did the LS430 cost new and why ?

It speaks for itself.

[Haylands]

The only point I was trying to make was, if he is this nervious BEFORE buying a complex and expensive car, will he enjoy the ownership or just worry for evermore that something will go wrong.....

Personally I bought a Lexus becasue I was fed up with owning cars that made me feel just like that...

If he get's in the right frame of mind before buying then he will feel better.... I hoped my "Avensis" mention may set him straight....

So go ahead and buy one, they don't go wrong often........

And yes I do miss mine, wish I had had another 10 to sell though, I'm still getting calls and the advert was removed last week......

Pete

[Chris Skelton]

If you're worried about the self-leveling suspension, then get a Ser 4 like mine! REAL springs! And more than enough car for most folk.

(Funny how Citroen got self-leveling right...in the 60s! I never had ANY trouble with FIVE Citroens with hydro-suspension over 15 years. Some folk pine for LS430s. I still look at Citroen DSs and remember.......my youth?)

[jsj24uk]

Crikey, I forgot to mention about the keys. When the dealer had mine, he didn't have the master key so they had to replace the ECU and supply two master keys. I remember seeing the bill for this and it was well over £3,000 though. Also heard that it was an extortionate amount to have the touch screen replaced.

But, renew the warrenty, and don't worry.

Jim.