Lexus LS 430 2002 Model

[Tim Collis]

Good morning everyone. I am looking to buy an LS 430 2002 model. It has done a high mileage at 159,000. according to the owner the cam belt and water pump were changed at 120,000 miles. I would be really grateful if anyone could advise me what else I should look out for/ask the owner. He says it has a full service history which I will check.

Thank you very much,

Tim.

 

[sorcerer]

Welcome to the club Tim.

There are lots of very knowledgeable folks here so I'm sure someone will be able to help you but I'd suggest that you'll get more answers if you post directly in the dedicated LS forum rather than here.

Good luck with your quest - and we need to see photos of it when you do buy one 

[The-Acre]

1 hour ago, Tim Collis said:

Good morning everyone. I am looking to buy an LS 430 2002 model. It has done a high mileage at 159,000. according to the owner the cam belt and water pump were changed at 120,000 miles. I would be really grateful if anyone could advise me what else I should look out for/ask the owner. He says it has a full service history which I will check.

Thank you very much,

Tim.

 

Hi Tim, the mileage is nothing for an LS. The most likely problems that will cost you even more than an arm and a leg will be the suspension system (assuming the one you get has air) Make sure it sits level and rises and lowers when you adjust the height. Ideally see it before its been driven after sitting over night to make sure it hasn't dropped.  The steering wheel motors should go up and down and in and out but often fail. Side windows can de-laminate and make sure the transmission is perfectly smooth, and do a search on this forum on how to prevent transmission failures.  Also there should be no knocks over bumps from the front. They're great cars. Good luck!

[cruisermark]

I have copied and posted and earlier post of mine - sorry if i have repeated some things mentioned above.

 

Here are some of things u should check:

 

Make sure it has a full or at least a good service history

 

On driving the ride should be quite smooth comfortable with no noises or creaks from the suspension.

 

Gearbox changes should not be noticeable

 

Upon inserting key the steering should tilt and retract - test and make sure the mechanism works as motors are very expensive

 

Check the Keyless entry works - sometimes its a bit hit and miss especially on the earlier models

 

Braking should be quite and smooth - if you get a groaning noise when coming to stop that’s a sign of cheap aftermarket brake pads - they will need replacing.

 

Check colour of gearbox oil it should be red with no smell of burning.

 

Check all electrics work

 

Check the Sat Nav works - there have been reports of some screen failures

 

Check the sound system properly to ensure no blown door speakers or woofer

 

Check the air suspension works  - when the switch is flicked the car should rise about at inch slowly - and the compressor does not make any noises

 

Check the bonnet struts hold the bonnet and the if the boot lids seems heavy to lift then the boot struts are gone.

 

Check the car has the correct Toyota red coolant

 

Check for rust around the doors near the plastic trim and around the boot area

 

Check rear quarter panel glass for cloudiness - this indicates the glazing has failed

 

Ask if the cabin filter has ever been changed - these are often over looked.

 

Check the bonnet pull works as it should - some of them fail

 

Check the exhaust back boxes for rot

 

Check the rear air con works - often the pipes corrode and it stops working.

 

Check toolkit is present

 

Make sure there are no warning lights lit in the dash

 

Ideally you want 3 remote keys

 

Check the car has a matching set of tyres and wether they are branded or not - this should give an indication wether the car has been pampered or neglected

 

Before driving off make sure you have the say nav code and locking wheel nut key.