8 2001 - 2006 Lexus LS430 | Pretty Much a Used-Car Sure Thing
By Robert Cumberford
When the Lexus LS400 was launched in 1989, it was as close to a perfect new product as the automotive world had ever seen, and it scared the hell out of some haughty European firms. When the 2001 LS430 model came along, it was even better. And after the first owner or lessee decides after perhaps three years and 45,000 miles that it's time to move on, these superb sedans become bargain-priced treasures for second owners, like aerospace wizard Burt Rutan, subject of a profile in our May 2006 issue. Rutan understands good machinery of all kinds, including his own-design spaceships, but cars are not a focus for him, so he wants satisfactory performance and utter, absolute reliability. He had both an LS430 and a 1998 SC400 and said "they never give trouble."
In a moderately broad circle of friends, acquaintances, and nonautomotive professional practitioners in Arizona, California, and Texas, we counted about a dozen used-Lexus owners and could not turn up a single complaint. One medical specialist did get rid of his first used LS after fifteen years when he had trouble with a window switch, so he bought another one, with lower mileage and a bigger engine. For the keen driver, the LS430 is not a particularly rewarding vehicle, but it is absolutely wonderful for fuss-free in-town driving and for long runs on the interstate, and we have enjoyed pushing one a little on a California canyon road. But only a little.
These are owner-driven limousines, not sublimated track cars, and they do their intended job about as well as it can be done. Vintage racer and California Mille impresario Martin Swig likes to quote the saying, "the worst new car is better than the best old car," and he is basically right when viewing a twenty-year horizon. But you must search really hard to find any new car that is discernibly better as a luxurious, trouble-free daily driver than an undamaged LS430 with fewer than 100,000 miles on the clock. And remember that when you go to a Lexus dealer for routine service, even with a used car, you get good coffee, comfortable chairs, and clean restrooms while you wait.
Price Then $57,175 (2006)
Price Now $28,000
> Awards
All-Star ('01, '02)
> watch out for
Not much, really. The air suspension found in Ultra-Luxury models hasn't proved as durable as the standard setup.
> fun fact
The car is so ethereally quiet, and the standard sound system is so good, that listening to music in an LS430 is actually a better aural experience than going to a concert.
> Certified Pre-Owned
3-yr-from-purchase/ 100,000-total-mile warranty
> web sites
lexusownersclub.com, clublexus.com, planetlexus.com
> the specs
- 4.3L V-8, 290 hp, 320 lb-ft
- 5- or 6-speed automatic
- Rear-wheel drive ...next page >>