A Wisconsin Car Dealer's Niche Business: Selling the 2004-2006 Lexus LS 430
Posted by HawtGarbage918@reddit | cars | View on Reddit | 22 comments
Posted by HawtGarbage918@reddit | cars | View on Reddit | 22 comments
adudestolemydog@reddit
They’re all overpriced fyi
averagemaleuser86@reddit
They all are, everywhere... but, have you driven one? Theyre smooth and solid. Very comfortable. They engineered everything on purpose down to the sound the doors made when they closed. The LS400 from the 90s and the LS460 of the 00s were such absolutely solid cars that'll go 500k+ miles on average. People will pay for that.
Captain_Mazhar@reddit
My grandad passed down his LS430 when my brother and I were learning to drive, and my god we were spoiled by that thing.
Utterly luxurious in every situation from traffic jams to highway cruising, decent fuel economy, and second to non build quality.
I've driven modern 7-Series and S-classes, and I still think that the 430 was a far better product, even by today's standards. Amazing what talented engineers and designers can do when given a generous budget and simple constraints.
pineapplecharm@reddit
I know this is a typo but I love the idea of "second to non" as a sarcastic malapropism.
V12-Jake@reddit
The LS460 simply does not live up to the standard set by the LS400/430 unfortunately, it’s much more akin to an S Class in terms of maintenance.
lowstrife@reddit
This. The 400 and the 430 are the same platform, with the 04-06 430 being the final endpoint of development and refinement.
The 460 was a clean sheet redesign, and it's not built to the same standard.
Successful-Growth827@reddit
I actually don't really see too many of them anymore in my area, and they used to be VERY prevalent here. Either their owners traded them all in for a newer Lexus RX or ES, or they've sold them off to elsewhere, which to me is quite sad, especially since the LS line is d/c.
I'll just have to sustain my fill of peak Toyota luxury when the local business owner brings out his Toyota Century for the summer time lol.
JoyRydr@reddit
I kinda figured but even from the article you can tell this is for people like me who were really big fans of these since I was a kid (the main antagonist in the PS2 game "The Getaway" had a while one IIRC) and if the opportunity came, would be willing to pay top dollar for a really good example in the perfect spec.
dissaver@reddit
I had a 2006 LS430, it was a very nice and comfortable car, a bit boring, and definitely not cheap to repair. Also rust is a huge issue if you don't buy one that lived its whole life in a rust-free area.
Gas_Grass_Ass_Class@reddit
Absolutely wonderful cars.
A little story: I was working for a Lexus dealer in the South East and we had a green (I think it was called Millennium Jade) LS430 that had been sitting for a bit, and the used car manager had put a little bonus cash on it for whichever salesperson sold it that coming weekend. Basically every salesman in the place tried to get their customers to drive/buy it, but the color turned most people off before they even sat in it. It gets to be about 30min before closing and a lady drives up in a green S500, and she was there to see a new LS460. She drives the car but didn’t really like it because it felt too big and floaty. In a last ditch effort her salesman pitches her on this green LS430. She says she didn’t like the 460 and figured this thing would feel the same. He finally convinces her to take it for a drive. About 10min later they come back into the parking lot and she has the biggest smile on her face. She is absolutely ecstatic about how it felt and she never thought a Lexus would drive like that. At this time I was walking out and heading home for the day and I hear her say that she still wasn’t sure if it had the power of her S Class and that was something she was a bit weary about. The salesman says “I’ll show you what kind of power this has”, takes the key and tells her to hop in. Now, this dealership has a huge lot behind it that is shared by a couple other large stores owned by the same owner. You could literally do whole test drives and never leave the lot. As I’m walking to the employee parking which was all the way in the back corner I hear a cars engine heavily accelerating and decelerating, and tires squealing. I walk about another 50ft and I see a green bolt of lightning shoot out from behind the recon building, fully sideways, straighten out, and continue to rip across the parking lot. In the drivers seat was the salesman, and in the passenger seat is the lady, mouth wide open, and hollering with joy.
Monday morning, that green LS430 was gone.
AwesomeBantha@reddit
Are these the same guys who rebuild instrument clusters?
earlyslalom@reddit
Dang that’s like 10 miles from where I live. Might have to check it out
warrenj18@reddit
Looks like we can all meet up with ease lol
daybaek@reddit
oh shit, same. i'll race you
earlyslalom@reddit
I drive a VW Atlas that weighs 4,500 lbs so you’ll definitely win lol
SirLoremIpsum@reddit
Not for long it sounds like!
Ketchup1211@reddit
This is legit right by my house. I always wondered why they always had so many of the same vehicle out front. Cool stuff.
timetravelerfrom2027@reddit
I just bought a 60k 1998 LS400 a couple months ago. I’m own to keep it forever. So, so happy.
ahorrribledrummer@reddit
I absolutely love my 2021 daily driver but have considered trying to trade it for one of these recently.
TheProwlerMech@reddit
I had an 05 LS430 I bought at 185k miles, I kept it until it had 230k. I regret getting rid of it, that was the most solid and comfortable car I've ever owned. I may need to take a look at another one!
Seeker80@reddit
My dad has an '05, people love it. It's a little worrying how many get upset when he doesn't want to sell.
__adlerholmes@reddit
it’s one of the best cars ever made.