Gecko
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Hi All,
Over the last month or so, I've been on the hunt for a nice, low mileage '05-'06 LS 430... and that might be a bit of a shock since I just purchased my new 4Runner in November last year. I love the 4Runner but quickly realized that 17 MPG on the highway and all-terrain tires is not a superior combination for a road trip companion. The idea of something plush, reliable, smooth and relatively efficient became very appealing to me. At the same time, I've also seen the writing on the wall for the V8 engine: it's getting rarer and rarer. My plan for an LS 430 was born.
@krew can attest to my trials and tribulations, but I've kissed many frogs over the last 6 weeks and have been looking at cars as far away as Sarasota, FL and Toledo, OH because I was willing to travel to get the right one. (I live in Atlanta.) My search criteria was pretty specific: I wanted:
The first car I found was a 2006 with 108k miles, Briarwood Pearl on Cashmere and all service records from Lexus. One owner. Everything looked great on paper... until I took the car to the Lexus dealer and found a host of problems: deteriorating motor and transmission mounts, failing tie rod bushings, a computer code for a failed shift solenoid in the transmission and some poorly repaired body work on the front passenger side. PASS.
Second car was a real stunner - a 2006 Crystal white on Ecru Ultra Luxury model with just 34k miles. I talked to the owner a bit and he ultimately decided to keep the car and not sell it. This LS was in great shape but was realistically only worth about $14k on Kelley Blue Book value, and he was not going to take any less than $16,500 for it. He decided it was worth more than $14k to him, and to keep the car. PASS.
I found one car that was Black Cherry Pearl on Cashmere with 70k miles, 2 owners, clean service and accident record, but located in Toledo. Not minding an out of state purchase, I worked with the owner for about 2 weeks on pricing and logistics and towards the beginning of this week, it became clear that the deal was not going to work out. After me being willing to fly in, book a hotel and pay for the car in cash, we couldn't reach an agreement on how the tags would be handled since I'd drive the car back to Atlanta. Further compounding the complexity was the fact that the owner was leaving the country on Wednesday (yesterday) and on a very short timeline. After hours of negotiation, I threw my hands up in the air and pretty much said, "To hell with it." I felt like I was more than willing to accommodate him and his schedule and we weren't getting anywhere on the plates (to drive back to GA), and it really rubbed me the wrong way. Hard PASS.
Last week - in the midst of my logistical challenges with the Black Cherry car, I received an Autotrader alert for a black LS that was listed by my local Lexus dealer. I contacted the dealer about the car but shortly after, it looked like the Black Cherry car above was going to work out so I said, "Thanks but no thanks - I made a verbal commitment on a different car that I'm going to pick up this weekend." This was obviously when I thought that things were going to end differently.
This Tuesday morning, the salesman from my Lexus store texted me and asked if I'd picked up the car as planned over the weekend. By this point, I realized the Black Cherry LS wasn't going to work and quite frankly, after all of the last minute negotiation, I decided I was just done with my LS search for a while and would pick it up at a later time. I wrote back, "Actually no, I did not. Did you guys sell that black one from last week?" He mentioned that they still had the car and I should come see it in person.
In full disclosure, I did not want black interior nor black exterior. For some odd reason, I wanted a really traditional LS color combination like Briarwood Pearl on Cashmere, Crystal White on Cashmere or even something unique like the Black Cherry Pearl on Cashmere. It's probably not something you'd picture a 30 year old man driving, but it's what I thought I really wanted. I saw one LS that had black interior that was pretty poorly maintained, and for some reason, that car put me off on black interior overall. Furthermore, my 4Runner is black and I'm a detailing freak, so I was not keen on the idea of a second black car... I wanted something easier to keep. Needless to say, black/black was not what I wanted.
... until I saw that LS. The car was immaculately maintained inside and out, there was no sun damage to the steering wheel or center console, no rips in the leather, and the exterior was in great shape for a 12 year old car. Here it was at first sight:
Fast forward to last night, and after about 24 hours of negotiating, I brought that black LS home. This car has only 67k miles and one owner who leased it and then purchased it. As you can tell from photos, the interior is really immaculate - it looks new. The exterior is in pretty good shape with only a few small blemishes to repair. With the low miles and exceptional condition, I decided that black on black was a combination I could definitely live with. So far, I really love the car and am looking forward to a few minor mods soon: tint, swapping out the high beam and fog light bulbs, and that might be about it. I love the car as it is and don't want to mess with what I think is a classic and beautiful formula.
One thing that really strikes me is just how solid and smooth this car is after 12 years. My 4Runner only has 8k miles on it at this point, but even a 12 year old LS makes my 4Runner feel like a rickety truck. After a few miles in the LS, the NVH, smoothness and general refinement of the 4Runner look like a joke, even though its so much newer and lower miles. I think I've lucked out with the best of both worlds, so I'll keep you guys updated.
It certainly feels good to be back in the Lexus family! A few pics from last night:
Over the last month or so, I've been on the hunt for a nice, low mileage '05-'06 LS 430... and that might be a bit of a shock since I just purchased my new 4Runner in November last year. I love the 4Runner but quickly realized that 17 MPG on the highway and all-terrain tires is not a superior combination for a road trip companion. The idea of something plush, reliable, smooth and relatively efficient became very appealing to me. At the same time, I've also seen the writing on the wall for the V8 engine: it's getting rarer and rarer. My plan for an LS 430 was born.
@krew can attest to my trials and tribulations, but I've kissed many frogs over the last 6 weeks and have been looking at cars as far away as Sarasota, FL and Toledo, OH because I was willing to travel to get the right one. (I live in Atlanta.) My search criteria was pretty specific: I wanted:
- a 2005 or 2006
- 110k miles or less
- Navigation
- Mark Levinson audio
- 18" wheels
- Clear headlights (no to minimal sun damage)
- No sun damage on the interior and wood grain
- All service records at Lexus
- Overall in "very good" condition.
The first car I found was a 2006 with 108k miles, Briarwood Pearl on Cashmere and all service records from Lexus. One owner. Everything looked great on paper... until I took the car to the Lexus dealer and found a host of problems: deteriorating motor and transmission mounts, failing tie rod bushings, a computer code for a failed shift solenoid in the transmission and some poorly repaired body work on the front passenger side. PASS.
Second car was a real stunner - a 2006 Crystal white on Ecru Ultra Luxury model with just 34k miles. I talked to the owner a bit and he ultimately decided to keep the car and not sell it. This LS was in great shape but was realistically only worth about $14k on Kelley Blue Book value, and he was not going to take any less than $16,500 for it. He decided it was worth more than $14k to him, and to keep the car. PASS.
I found one car that was Black Cherry Pearl on Cashmere with 70k miles, 2 owners, clean service and accident record, but located in Toledo. Not minding an out of state purchase, I worked with the owner for about 2 weeks on pricing and logistics and towards the beginning of this week, it became clear that the deal was not going to work out. After me being willing to fly in, book a hotel and pay for the car in cash, we couldn't reach an agreement on how the tags would be handled since I'd drive the car back to Atlanta. Further compounding the complexity was the fact that the owner was leaving the country on Wednesday (yesterday) and on a very short timeline. After hours of negotiation, I threw my hands up in the air and pretty much said, "To hell with it." I felt like I was more than willing to accommodate him and his schedule and we weren't getting anywhere on the plates (to drive back to GA), and it really rubbed me the wrong way. Hard PASS.
Last week - in the midst of my logistical challenges with the Black Cherry car, I received an Autotrader alert for a black LS that was listed by my local Lexus dealer. I contacted the dealer about the car but shortly after, it looked like the Black Cherry car above was going to work out so I said, "Thanks but no thanks - I made a verbal commitment on a different car that I'm going to pick up this weekend." This was obviously when I thought that things were going to end differently.
This Tuesday morning, the salesman from my Lexus store texted me and asked if I'd picked up the car as planned over the weekend. By this point, I realized the Black Cherry LS wasn't going to work and quite frankly, after all of the last minute negotiation, I decided I was just done with my LS search for a while and would pick it up at a later time. I wrote back, "Actually no, I did not. Did you guys sell that black one from last week?" He mentioned that they still had the car and I should come see it in person.
In full disclosure, I did not want black interior nor black exterior. For some odd reason, I wanted a really traditional LS color combination like Briarwood Pearl on Cashmere, Crystal White on Cashmere or even something unique like the Black Cherry Pearl on Cashmere. It's probably not something you'd picture a 30 year old man driving, but it's what I thought I really wanted. I saw one LS that had black interior that was pretty poorly maintained, and for some reason, that car put me off on black interior overall. Furthermore, my 4Runner is black and I'm a detailing freak, so I was not keen on the idea of a second black car... I wanted something easier to keep. Needless to say, black/black was not what I wanted.
... until I saw that LS. The car was immaculately maintained inside and out, there was no sun damage to the steering wheel or center console, no rips in the leather, and the exterior was in great shape for a 12 year old car. Here it was at first sight:
Fast forward to last night, and after about 24 hours of negotiating, I brought that black LS home. This car has only 67k miles and one owner who leased it and then purchased it. As you can tell from photos, the interior is really immaculate - it looks new. The exterior is in pretty good shape with only a few small blemishes to repair. With the low miles and exceptional condition, I decided that black on black was a combination I could definitely live with. So far, I really love the car and am looking forward to a few minor mods soon: tint, swapping out the high beam and fog light bulbs, and that might be about it. I love the car as it is and don't want to mess with what I think is a classic and beautiful formula.
One thing that really strikes me is just how solid and smooth this car is after 12 years. My 4Runner only has 8k miles on it at this point, but even a 12 year old LS makes my 4Runner feel like a rickety truck. After a few miles in the LS, the NVH, smoothness and general refinement of the 4Runner look like a joke, even though its so much newer and lower miles. I think I've lucked out with the best of both worlds, so I'll keep you guys updated.
It certainly feels good to be back in the Lexus family! A few pics from last night:
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