2002 Lexus LS430: Regular Car Reviews 

Remember when the Ford CEO drove one of these and when questioned why, he just bluntly said it's the finest car ever made

The radio ad bit in this had me in pieces 🤣 gold. ABSOLUTE GOLD.

LS430 owner here. I named mine Apollo, because I'm determined to get my odometer past the distance to the moon. Less than 2K miles to go.

Bought an LS430 about a year ago after owning a gen 1 LS400 for a while, both from the internet hype😂 so far the LS430 has been to near the canadian border and the southern most point of the US in key west, once did 22 hours in one session and got 650 miles of range out of the tank. Truly is the best used car available today

My 75 year old dad recently gave me his LS430 because he was afraid of wrecking it… the man loved this car so much that he was willing to give it up just make sure it stayed in good shape. My daily driver is an LS460L but my garage queen is my dads old LS430 and one day I’ll gift my son his grandfather’s LS430 😭

This channel drives up the cost of used daily drivers like Haggerty does classic muscle cars.

*Immediately* sent this to a friend who daily drives one of these. He’ll love it, naturally.

RCR is one of the only channels that either gets better with every video or retains it's value. Every Monday you can depend on some fun and insight without question.

Owned a 01 ls430 ultra luxury edition. What a car inside and out. Absolutely loved that car. The most comfortable car I have ever owned and one of the most reliable. Actually handed it down to my nephew for his 1st car.

"It dissolves into the distance like mist in Turok 64" I laughed harder at that than i should have.

Man, I was missing Roman's music in these reviews. Nice to get a little taste of it again.

As someone who used to be on the air, it's too easy to talk too much. This...this is gold. The part about Spotify playlists is spot on.

HOLY SHIT HES FINALLY REVIEWING MY CAR!!! IVE BEEN WATCHING SINCE THE BEGINNING QHEN I WAS IN HIGHSCHOOL WOOOOOOOOOO

DJ Dubblelunch is slowly but surely becoming my favorite piece of the RCR universe, right up there with Barry Hoffsetter

I’m a detailer so I’ve driven a lot of cars. The LS430 is one of my favorites. They look so much better in black.

I want a radio station with nothing but that DJ.

The LS400 was Dark Side of the Moon. The LS430 was Wish You Were Here. I have a 2006 face-lift, and it's by far the best car I've ever owned, even over the E34 535i I owned.

I'll never forget when I was a young kid and I found one of these on the getaway and loved it in game, and since then, I've loved them more in real life 😅

I was a Lexus tech in the time frame of this car. Tires, brakes, fluids, and trying like hell to explain the electronics to senior citizens- that is all there was to do.

I had an '05 LS430 Ultra-Luxury (AKA every option possible) and it is hands-down my favorite car. The air suspension needed to be replaced which was a real pain in the ass, but other than that everything worked perfectly and I never had a problem with it. The fridge was actually way cooler (pun intended) than one might expect and after the '04 facelift they switched from Lidar cruise control to radar cruise control which worked just as well as modern implementations. That thing was hands-down the best road trip car (especially if you were in the back seats, which were heated/cooled like the front but also had power recline and massage!) Also an incredibly safe car, mine was totaled by an old guy running a light but I walked away with just a broken arm - they fit an amazing number of airbags in there! RIP (Those temperature controls make a lot more sense with the nav package, which completely rearranges the center console!)

It's time for a timing belt service if it hasn't been done yet. Very important!

I drove my dad’s 2004 LS430 when I was 16 for the first time and fell in love with it. It’s like riding in a sophisticated lazyboy recliner inside a cocoon of silence all the way past highway speeds. 10 years later; and I still would absolutely LOVE to buy one. Once you drive one of these; you will find that everything else sucks. Yes, they are that good.

My grandfather passed this car to me and I could not have been more grateful! It survived some close calls, long road trips, and is at 224k... Thank you for doing this vehicle justice with this review

My grandmother drove the 2005 430 for over 10 years! That car was just unbelievably smooth, and it felt like a huge understressed engine that never reved above 200 RPM. First car I've ever seen with heated and cooled seats My dad had the 2004 model, and I think he drove it to over 350k miles. Traveled for work all over Alabama and the car was an incredibly smooth cloud

I just bought a 2002 LS 430 it's the best car I've ever owned by far. The interior is so nice I love the leather and wood and the acceleration is smooth. I just got the timing belt changed not even 10 minutes ago. Its the first V8 I've ever owned and the first RWD car I've owned. In fact I actually work at the very same Ray Catena dealership that the car in this video was bought from 20 years ago.

my 2000 ls400 platinum is the only car of the 30 I've owned that I regret selling. what a gem. took me on a 2 week road trip with zero issues

My grandma had one of these, same color and everything. I thought it was boxy and ugly. Then I tried driving it and my perception of Lexus changed forever. I had no idea that anyone could make a car THIS good.

My old man had one of these, 2003 model. Thanks for the memories. He’s been gone 4 years but I fondly remember his silver LS.

My father has one of these (the facelifted version). Apparently the windshield is heated by the engine cooling system, it has a tube stuck to it, which makes it quite expensive to replace.

That radio spot was amazing! 😂😂😂

dude, im a touring comedian and I drive a 2006 ls430 (the reason I checked out this video). I just wanted to tell you that I love what you're doing. you had me informed and cracking up. kudos, sir. tight work.

Finally! More Lexus content please! As an 07' ES350 owner I'm yet to sample the grand daddy LS430 I hear nothing but great things about!

I actually reviewed one of these on my channel recently, however the one I reviewed was the absolute top spec, and had 195,000 miles on it, not that you'd know that, because with the exception of the drivers window sometimes sticking, literally everything worked perfectly. Every interior panel fit just right, nothing creaked, nothing was loose, hell none of the buttons had even lost any of the colour. If you told me it was 40,000 miles, I'd have believed you. Very understated design, incredibly comfortable and superbly quiet. We had the sunroof open for most of the day and it was that quiet WE FORGOT IT WAS OPEN. I've driven cars with everything closed that make more wind noise than the LS430 does. Honestly an absolutely superb example of amazing engineering and I have to hand it to Lexus for what a superb car they made there. And you're dead right on that engine, electric smooth

I definitely had the dual cassette Mellon Collie album - the one here had a nice patina, true to the times

Got my 2004 LS430 “Modern Luxury” edition right around when this video was released. I was lucky to buy one from a friend who is, perhaps, even pickier than I am about maintenance (and I was a service advisor, so super paranoid). Mine is the desirable silver with black interior with 18” five-spoke wheels. I’m absolutely in love. I’ve had many cars that were newer and lower-mileage, but only my old 1998 E320 compared to this LS430 for overall enjoyment and long-term quality.

Mr. Regular, that DJ rant was one of the best things you have done in years! Going to see my divorce attorney on Monday! Haha! It reminded me of the old rants from the guy that drove his wife's car ;)

Mr Regular reviewing Toyota products is the greatest thing on RU-vid factual

You completely blew the DJ Bit… it was perfect until the end. You had to have the DJ talk over the first 15 seconds of the song.

I love driving mine every single day. The novelty never wears off.

This is the car equivalent of a Pentium 4

You've done it guys. Your relentless praise for Toyota/Lexus products had turned me onto a path that has ended in me selling my E39 540i touring and getting into an L10 GS 450h President. Not looking back.

You can actually see the prices of these rise between yesterday and this morning..... Thanks RCR.

I had a 2001 LS 430 "ultra luxury" as my first car a purchased in 2019. Was T-boned half a year in, still beats any new car I've owned since.

"Is this Matt Farah's Million Mile Lexus?"

I just put 1300 km in one day in mine. Same colour as this one, but with better looking chrome badges. It was a great ride. Came out of the car at the end feeling fine.

We just drove our 2004 LS430 from Boston to Cleveland and averaged 29.9 mpg. Comfortable drive all the way!

This was perfect. I hope you eventually do the next generation of this car.

The ads and commercials that you guys do are AMAZING! I would LOVE more of them

I recently test drove one with an exhaust, pretty underrated engine.

My mom had one of these! I took my driving test in it during a time where cars didn’t commonly have back-up cameras so it made things pretty easy 😂. Now I’m 27 looking for one of these things to daily. I can’t wait to see my mom’s face when I get one.

I had bought a 2004 LS 430 (facelift design) Mid Luxury spec. So it came with push start, navigation, soft close doors and much more. Paid $4500.00 back in 2020, regret selling that car considering the market of where it is now.

I had a job as a lot tech at a Lexus dealership at, in all places, Cincinnati. Pretty sure RCR is my spirit RU-vidr lol. One of the few pleasures of working where I did (or well, working for WHO I did) was when an ls430 would come in to us for delivery. Sit in the auto touchless bay with it for a few minutes, the 5 minute drive to the gas station to fill up... Loved sitting in that car. To this day the most comfortable cars I've ever sat in.

I wanted one of these for the reliability and comfort, but then I got an Audi A5 because my ego couldn’t handle what an old person car it looks like. Paying for it

Finally Roman is singing again. I miss his intros and outtakes

Dammit! I have been keeping my eye on these for years. Now you’re about to make the value sky rocket even more 😩

I had a 04 LS430 for six years. Absolute peak of JDM manufacturing. Smooth reliable sturdy and classy even at 18 years old. Single owner elderly Manhattan doctor used it to drive to Fl in summer. I got it with 50k miles and took it over 250k miles. Was planning on taking it to 500k Miles but we hit a deer and totaled it. I bought a new Tesla model 3 LR as replacement. The Tesla is cool and fast but I miss the LS430 every day. I should have bought the wreck back and had it fixed up. It was fixable. Oh well I’ll pick up a newer LS460 LWB for long trips and general loafing around when the market cools off a bit.

Even when I'm rolling in my V12 E38 I can't help but give these Lexus sedans a second glance. Great cars and great looking at that.

One of the most popular used cars in the gulf states especially UAE. Used examples of LS430s costs nearly nothing yet it's far more reliable than it's European & American (sans for the Town Car) of it's day. High mileage examples are common

That radio bit - hilarious! Easily my favourite RU-vid channel.

That exterior design language is quintessentially 2002

These cars are my favorite mid-2000s cruiser. I drove a 2005 and fell in love. I need to pick one up before the prices get silly.

Wow the Steely Dan cassette and the gold on gold Lexus !! This guy is my whole life !

I will never forget playing Rigs of rods, because this is the first car I played on.

@RegularCars - for the love of all things holy, fly between Philly and Cincinnati. I've been doing that drive on a semi-regular basis (Xavier = Cincinnati) for decades now and between Ohio's intense love of orange barrels and the never ending construction between New Stanton, PA (visit the Sheetz!) to and through Wheeling (take I-470 if you value your sanity), the third world hellscape that is parts of PHL is worth it, especially if your trip is short and don't want to spend it all in the car.

I bought my 2003 LS 430 in 2016 when my 2002 Isuzu Axiom's engine exploded, almost literally. Have had it ever since. From time to time i do think about selling it and getting something else, but i never do. I haven't owned many cars in my time, but have driven enough different and more modern ones to realize that the old LS's have the absolute comfort of a $60K vehicle with the reliability and ease of repair of a $23K vehicle. Yeah, i will admit. The clock is ticking. Parts are going to start to dry up in the next 10 to 15 years as 3rd party makers stop making new bushing or shock absorbers for these. Hell, im willing to bet a new Accord rides better than my LS 430. But for the time being. The LS 430 is a win. I'll never get rid of mine and i pray that im doing a good job of keeping it in good health. It's sitting at 110K miles at the moment, and would love to see it reach 300K miles. Thanks for doing a review on this, i was totally expecting it to be shit on since i know a lot of drivers think an older LS is "boring".

I LOVE this review! Rcr back to the basics! ♥️♥️♥️

I’ve never been so early for one of my favourite cars! Also, I still listen to the radio as well as my Spotify playlists.

My nephew has been driving one of these for years. He was hit by a distracted driver and it got totalled. He walked away just fine. What did he do with the insurance settlement? Went out and bought another one. 😁

The radio segment is absolute peak, unsurpassable RegularCars.

Thank you so much for this review. I helped my grandpa pick one of these over another Town Car back in 2003, and in hindsight, it was a big part of why I became a car guy. The hvac buttons make a ton more sense on the model with the navigation screen. Too bad this wasn't the higher trim level my gramps had with that dvd based nav, xenon auto leveling headlamps and the Mark Levinson stereo. But same Jewish Racing Gold with gold badges!

Even the 2002 6 cylinder ES300 with it's hydraulic shocks was super smooth and comfortable. I can only imagine what the LS430 feels like.

The LS430 is one of the greatest luxury sedans, they look really sharp with the oem 5-spoke wheels, too. This one is kind of retirement-home spec.

Thank you for saving me! I needed this!

Glad you made this, needed this video to confirm

Thanks for making me choke on my lunch with the radio bit! Not sure if it's good that I recognize the codi vore reference though lol

The radio bit sounds like something out of GTA 😂😂😂😂

Miss the hell out of my ls430, was passed down to me by a close family member. Some dude totaled it running a red, and I only owned it for a month - but that was long enough to know I'll never own a car like her again. Glad you're doing it justice with this video.

Your content is masterpiece tier my friend , thank you for everything you do 🙏

Currently watching this while sitting in my 2002 LS430, what are the odds lmao.

One of the single greatest vehicles of all-time

Regular Car Reviews: The only show where the cut away gag overshadows an already great episode.

The radio ad was a fantastic interlude. That was great.

I was beginning to worry this channel was losing material, like a 5th season of a great show. This review was a welcome reminder that I was very wrong.

I love mine. The 2004 facelift with the sport package is actually really good looking imo

A friend has one of these, and yes he winters in Ft. Lauderdale. It is an amazing car. So relaxing.

Okay I know the car is gold with gold on it, but that damn DJ segment had me hit pause to write a comment. That alone should get you an award. On to the Lexus. I've owned one in the past and by far one of the best car brands out there. Also your comment about BMW age Mercedes covering the engine I can attest to. Thank you and keep up the great work!

These have been my familly cars for over 5 years. The 1 first one was rusted, but the second one came from florida and is almost pristine. Both were the most reliable & confortable I ever owned, and probably drived. Oh!, and the truck has more cargo apace then my wife Outback with seat up, because with 2 childrens you can't lower back seat..

As a radio guy: goddamn, I think I worked with that guy.

just picked one up today. i’m super excited

I upgraded to an 03' LS430 from my 91' LS400. I wasn't expecting myself to get another LS after the 400, but the timing of it all jush sort of happened. But I am so happy with the car, especially aftwr driving the ls400. I can really see the incremental upgrades they have done while keeping the spirit of the LS lineup the same. 200k+ miles and going strong

I just bought an LS430 this winter after owning a 95 LS400 for 8 years. I'm sure this is an unpopular opinion but I think the LS400 is the better car

these cars are excellent highway and around town machines

I've watched one and a quarter of your videos and hit the Subscribe button how have I not seen this before

Got dang that was an excellent review!

You guys just jacked up the price of these by 25 percent.

I've owned 2 430's and I loved them so much, I now have a 460 😁

"Fading into the distance like the mist in turok on N64" Ooooff, right in the member berries. I wasn't expecting that.

I sat in one at an auto show back in the mid-00s. Absolute cream puff, in the best sense of the words -- everything felt spot-on. I'm sure it's just as beautiful to drive as it was to sit in it.

My absolute favorite affordable car I've never owned

DJ Doublelunch can’t stay employed at one radio station for any extended period of time, can he?