Lexus LS430 4.3

I own a 2001 Lexus LS430 and it's a great car for the money. This won't last long with prices going up since 1990. Anyway it's a reliable car with less problems than other luxury makes, which makes it a great value when compared to the others in the luxury/executive car segment. I have owned the ES300 and GS300 and GS400 and all the cars are great. The LS models are the tops though when it comes to ownership. Mileage is what it is, the car weighs about 3'700lbs, so gas averaging between 18-25 is good. The gas prices are high now so I feel it more only because of that. All in all it's worth the money because of the lack of costly repairs. One key is maintenance of the car that's what secures years of driving. If you don't do the servicing of the car right then you have problems like most complain of when buying used. There are still those unavoidable wear and tear items you can't avoid and I have had some issues. These are car by car cases some worse than others. Some people have said they have had zero trouble and others a ton. I'm in the middle. Again a great car if taken care of. I recommend a used 2-5 year old car under the certified pre-owned program here in the USA.

I looked long and hard at all the usual luxury marques (BMW, Benz, Volvo, Audi, Porsche, Jaguar) before deciding to buy this 23,00 miler from Lexus Hatfield.

The service was quite simply flawless, and I thought this car represented astonishing value for money compared to similar specced competitors, and with the promise of legendary reliability and owner satisfaction parted with my cash with few concerns.

Having owned a few 'biggies' I am familiar with the usual trim and refinement these sort of cars offer, but the LS430 really is quiet. So quiet you can murmer to a passenger at over 100mph, and they hear you clearly!

Performance is undoubtedly brisk as you would expect from a 285 bhp V8, but hardly sporty. I don't know whether this is a good or bad thing, but either way the speedo needle whips around the big dial very well!

0-60 in a whisker over 6 seconds and 155mph max is quite adequate for everyday use don't you think?

Part of the lack of sportiness is due to the ultra-smooth gearchange. You cannot feel any gearchange at any time, even under full throttle, as the ignition is retarded to momentarily drop the power a bit. Awesome stuff indeed!

Handling is very fine indeed, not as sharp as a BMW, nor as floaty as a Benz, more like a good Jaguar. The air suspension is silent in operation and like the gearbox can be switched into a sportier mode if you can be bothered to extend a digit to the exquisite wood console.

The exterior is fairly bland, but look closely to see how beautifully crafted it is, although the inside is where it gets more interesting...

Sumptuous leather abounds in the LS, and every concievable luxury is fitted. Some you will be familiar with, others are way beyond expectations, such as air conditioned/ heated front seats (obviously 18 way electric adjust with memory) and electric heated massage rear seats. Yes. Massage....

Other unusual items (You don't want to know about the normal offerings) include soft touch door and boot closure, rear fridge, rear console with A/C and HiFi controls (The 300 Watt Mark Levinson system is allegedly the best around) and dashboard vents that actually waft the air from side to side as if a ghostly hand was moving them.

Everything is just lovely in every way from the moment you touch the sleek door handle to the time you reluctantly close the door after a trip, knowing that you have just left a perfect Utopia and are about to step into the real world.

Passengers love this car, and it's easy to see why! One feels truly cosseted in any seat!

Owners seem to love them too, because although a big service is between £500 and £1000 in real terms, and fuel economy in the low 20's is good for it's size, but hardly impressive, but there are loads of early 90's Lexus kicking around with well over 200,000 miles, and they have had nothing gone wrong at all.

Many owners have run these for 90,000 miles, and not even fitted a lightbulb!

This is not my experience of large German cars, good as they are, and seeing as the Lexus is better equipped and quieter than anything else, and at the same time a fair match for all the direct competitors in all other ways, it seems to be a good choice.

So far I am still impressed, not least with the Lexus dealership who are leagues ahead of the rest.

Try one yourself!

Just hope oil prices go down soon :0