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And if you buy a used luxury sedan, you can have all that stuff now. Go pick up a 2006 Lexus LS430 with 150,000 Mike's on it for $10,000; they were $70k new and

And if you buy a used luxury sedan, you can have all that stuff now. Go pick up a 2006 Lexus LS430 with 150,000 Mike's on it for $10,000; they were $70k new and have all those whizbang safety features and it's a Toyota Avalon underneath. You can put 400,000 miles on them if you treat them right. You can do the same thing with the big German luxury sedans, but upkeep will be more. Those aren't Toyotas underneath. It's still pretty reasonable for the amount if car you get; just budget for it.

TylerE 9y ago
You couldn't be more wrong. Built on a totally different platform than the Avalon (The Avalon is even FWD) No pre-collision braking (A partial system was included on some Japanese models, but none on the US model) No blindspot monitoring So, hardly "all that stuff".
- alexanderstears 9y ago
  Here's an easy way to be more wrong: The LS430 is basically a Toyota Cavalier. Or - the LS430 is basically a Toyota Century.
alexanderstears 9y ago
Not going to pile on the Avalon comment. But the LS430s aren't really comparable to the current gen Toyota safety systems. The LS430s have dynamic cruise control but they won't bring the car to a complete stop, the dynamic cruise control in the 01-03s is a little weird (and I think it has some reliability problems). And the dynamic cruise control is bundled with the Ultra Luxury package which has a lot of stuff to break (an extra A/C unit for the rear, air suspension, and double thick glass that can fog internally if it cracks). The Modern Luxury trim cars have the dynamic cruise control without the air suspension, a/c unit, and a few other gizmos but they're really rare. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it, but the 01-03 LS430 is probably the best used car value in America. You can get a decent one for 5k (they'll ask for 7k but tell them to pound sand) and they're unbelievably nice. They're not Avalons, but they drive like every Toyota ever just with more poise and fluidity.
- sedachv 9y ago
  Is there something special about the LS430 air suspension? I own a Town Car with rear air suspension and it is my favorite feature of that car. Parts don't seem to be expensive and there is a large aftermarket. I have been recommending rear air suspensions to others interested in comfortable road trip cars.
  - alexanderstears 9y ago
    It's a volume thing - the LS430 is a relatively rare car, air suspension is a relatively rare option (only available on the top two trip levels), and the replacement parts are only available through lexus. There isn't anyone who rebuilds them or sells them private label. For the price of 1 air shock replaced at the dealer, you can get an independent mechanic to put the car on conventional suspension and it'll still ride good enough on smaller wheels.

TylerE 9y ago

You couldn't be more wrong. Built on a totally different platform than the Avalon (The Avalon is even FWD) No pre-collision braking (A partial system was included on some Japanese models, but none on the US model) No blindspot monitoring So, hardly "all that stuff".

alexanderstears 9y ago
Here's an easy way to be more wrong: The LS430 is basically a Toyota Cavalier. Or - the LS430 is basically a Toyota Century.

alexanderstears 9y ago

Not going to pile on the Avalon comment. But the LS430s aren't really comparable to the current gen Toyota safety systems. The LS430s have dynamic cruise control but they won't bring the car to a complete stop, the dynamic cruise control in the 01-03s is a little weird (and I think it has some reliability problems). And the dynamic cruise control is bundled with the Ultra Luxury package which has a lot of stuff to break (an extra A/C unit for the rear, air suspension, and double thick glass that can fog internally if it cracks). The Modern Luxury trim cars have the dynamic cruise control without the air suspension, a/c unit, and a few other gizmos but they're really rare. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it, but the 01-03 LS430 is probably the best used car value in America. You can get a decent one for 5k (they'll ask for 7k but tell them to pound sand) and they're unbelievably nice. They're not Avalons, but they drive like every Toyota ever just with more poise and fluidity.

sedachv 9y ago
Is there something special about the LS430 air suspension? I own a Town Car with rear air suspension and it is my favorite feature of that car. Parts don't seem to be expensive and there is a large aftermarket. I have been recommending rear air suspensions to others interested in comfortable road trip cars.
- alexanderstears 9y ago
  It's a volume thing - the LS430 is a relatively rare car, air suspension is a relatively rare option (only available on the top two trip levels), and the replacement parts are only available through lexus. There isn't anyone who rebuilds them or sells them private label. For the price of 1 air shock replaced at the dealer, you can get an independent mechanic to put the car on conventional suspension and it'll still ride good enough on smaller wheels.