Expenses Running A High Mileage LS430

[@trynagayle9105]

I also owned a 2001 LS430. I purchased it in 2003 (2nd owner) and I loved my car- it was considered to be my “daily.” I also have a 2016 LS460 with 32K miles for long distance travel. Recently, I noticed on my LS430 that the transmission was slipping as well as the serpentine belt/water pump would need to be replaced. I was quoted over $2000 for the belt/pump replacement alone and the car’s Kelly Blue Book value wasn’t even worth that much!!! 😫 I reluctantly decided to sell it and buy a newer used car. I loved my LS430, but with 222,000 miles on it, I would say it gave me all it could. Plus, I couldn’t continue to pump money into it.

[@newera305]

Was it the original timing belt?

[@edmontontangobar4991]

I maintain that a used Lexus (LS, GS, GX) is a far better buy than most new cars.

[@lexusls4305]

1000% percent

[@paulbunyan9436]

You guys are good for another 20 years. A couple days ago I did all four brake rotors and ceramic pads on my 2002 Lexus SC 430. Yesterday I did all the bushings, control arms, sway bars, ties rods etc. Last year I did the valve covers, spark plugs and timing belt. No regrets. It drives like a brand new car.

[@RevLexus]

Has your exhaust went yet?

[@paulbunyan9436]

@@RevLexus I did a muffler delete and added new tips. Nothing fancy but that V8 sounds glorious.

[@RevLexus]

@@paulbunyan9436 oh that is good!

[@azmalu]

Hey Paul, for the control arms did you consider replacing just the bushings or did they seem to be damaged/bent?

[@paulbunyan9436]

@@azmalu The arms themselves were not damaged, but replacing the whole thing was actually quicker and cheaper than just the bushings.

[@tg040659]

2004 toyota tacoma sr5 with little to no maintenance (knock on wood). Rodger owned it before his demise in 2016 and I bought it for 7,000 and he paid 22,000 right off the lot. Not to shabby !

[@RevLexus]

Great video guys, I love the ownership cost type of videos. Ps Happy new year to you guys when it comes! :)

[@mx9695]

Wonder how much you will have spent on the Mercedes when it reaches the lexus mileage 😅 if it can even reach that

[@javierfuentes1418]

I owned a 2004 LS430 now with 308.000 miles and is my everyday car here in Florida. I purchased it in 2008 (2nd owner) with 28,000 miles for $29,500. The car has being in perfect condition until last year. I spent $0 dollar in repair (not include tire, oil change, brakes or batters) from 2008 to 2022 (from 28,000 miles to 298,000 miles). So the problem start last year with the transmission (at 298,000 miles) warming up in the morning for 10 minutes and them fine for the rest of the day. So I decide 6 mouths ago to do some repair/maintenance. So I order all of these parts from eBay. "Transmition with 89,00 miles from for $2,100", "timing belt with pump (15 part) $450", "radiator $140", "2 front bolt join and lower arms $350", "2 rear suspension ($250)", and my local mechanic charge me around $2000 to do the job (a friend of my of course). Now the car is like new again. So my conclusion is no car like ls430.

[@bightk10060]

I'm also considering buying a 2001 LS430 with 200k miles. But I would love to transform it inot VIP style vehicle.

[@lexusls4305]

So glad that worked out....you had me worried when you said it was fine until 298,000 miles...

[@Mabeylater293]

The reliability of this car is simply phenomenal. Brakes, battery, timing belt, paint job these are NOT issues. No offense but you seem to spend money as if you were dealing out a deck of cards. I can almost guarantee you it could have been done cheaper. $7000 for tires (2 sets on your Mercedes????). Are you insane????? Let me also add that regarding the Mercedes, you “prepaid” for many expenses just in the purchase price you paid for it which was tens of thousands more than the $3,500 you paid for the Lexus.

[@lexusls4305]

True on the Mercedes - you have to accept that you'll run into higher expenses. On high performance cars you ask for trouble by using cheap tires or fixes. The Lexus, on the other hand, is a car that requires few trips to the garage.

[@jtkmarc]

this is why im doing my maintenance in my garage lol im about to change out my water pump, timing belt, valve cover gaskets, lock actuators etc.

[@taylorp405]

Right lmao! Crazy to think someone paid $1200 for brakes!

[@Supanikaa89]

How’d it gon

[@charpentierdamien6601]

It’s not as bad as it sounds. Like you said it’s about the total cost per month. I would keep the possible rust in check, that stuff is cancer.

[@johnpaulson996]

Nice. It would be interesting on how many miles you have put on the Mercedes, and how many on the Lexus in those time periods. I seems like you use the Lexus more often.

[@deadeyedavid9112]

Do you know if my transmission wires (vehicle speed sensor) still work? They were disconnected from the connector… I reconnected them but they still dont work which caused my car not to start up or not even cranck .

[@johnyracercat]

I paid $33k for my new truck in Dec 2016. I only replaced the battery, then traded it in for $33k trade in value in 2021. I put 9k cash with it to get a 2021 Truck, exact same model that includes upgrades. Toyota Tacoma. If you buy a vehicle that holds value very well, your payment might be 600-700mo, but your loss of value should be less than 200 per month and you are driving a new vehicle that is reliable as well. I've lost far more money messing with used vehicles, than when I have bought new Toyota's. I wouldn't buy a high-end vehicle new though, that tanks in value, but I might still buy one as a second vehicle used, understanding that it may have some issues. Again, choosing something like a LS460 might be the more reliable choice over a Mercedes though.