2004 Lexus LS 430 Review | An Aged Fine Wine 

Crazy good car. Lopes along on the highway at 2k rpm at 75mph all day long without the slightest problem. Pure understated elegance, refinement, and class.

I currently have an 04 with 210,000 miles and it's the best car I've ever owned!

My 2002 Lexus LS430 rests with 47,100 miles on the clock today. Blue Pearl Metallic over Ecru Leather interior. I will drive it forever.

Pure class and elegance. An exquisite blend of art and technology.

Fun fact: the car has multiple temperature sensors throughout the cabin and will direct the oscillating vents towards whichever side of the car is hotter, like when the sun is only shining on one side of the car. And once the car cools down close to your set temperature, both vents in the center stack will points towards the driver only when there is not someone sitting in the passenger seat. Also the “display 2” button on the steering wheel toggles the outside temperature display in the bottom middle of the gauge cluster

This was the best luxury car on the road when it came out

These are better built then today's vehicles. Facts

I just purchased a black 2006 Lexus LS430 as my daily, 1owner, 126thou miles, rides way better than my BMW and BENZ. I own multiple cars but the handling of this 14yr old car is superb and 98% works as if it’s new. So happy with my purchased

A BMW 7-Series at the same time of the LS 430's release is a money pit today. Now I understand why the Germans hate Lexus.

I bought a single owner 2005 LS430, with only 37,127 miles on the clock earlier this year (2018). I paid $15k and it was worth every penny. When I purchased it back in April it was the lowest mileage LS430 for sale in the entire country. I wasn't looking to buy one, but I couldn't believe the find and had to have it. The more I drive it the more I love it. I'm in complete amazement how quiet, soft, compliant, yet well controlled the ride is. It's so immaculate, I touched up a few rock chips on the hood, then had a local shop apply a clear bra kit on the front, lights, mirror caps, door cups, and rear bumper. When I took it into my local Lexus dealer to have a new 3rd master key programed my service advisor told me every employee in the shop wanted to see my car before I took it home. I'm a proud car-dad!

I was looking for a 93 Granada Cosworth, but unfortunately they are mostly rusty by now. However, this week I purchased a low mileage 2005 Lexus 430SL and WOW !!! How did I never know about these !!!. Fast, comfortable, most economical and I feel like an old Chairman of some PLC. All the comments I read claim that they were the best car of that era, and having driven it up the M1 in a monsoon, I must agree with them. How do the Japanese do it. It reminds me of motor cycles. I was one of those diehards who ran unreliable English bikes well in to the mid 80s. Then Honda brought out the CBR1000f and when my local dealer said "time to have one of these" it was the same revelation . Japanese engineering can be awesome (and very reliable).

That angle of the car in the thumbnail of this video looks so good, I keep clicking on this video over and over again. Such a beautiful car.

I have one with 100,000 miles all driven by me. It has never missed a heart beat. Truly the best car in the world. I liken it to an exclusive Country club lounge. Impressive and comfortable. It wafts you along with confidence and, when you need it delivers power that surprises you. Not many cars can be driven on a German Autobahn at 145mp for 2 hrs without noticing the speed . I hope Lexus get round to making another ground breaking model like this before this one finally fades away.

One of the best cars ever made...Own a 2004 model since 2011...Bought it for E16,500..Mint condition with only 100.000km...Depreciation since new E90.000.....My lady neighbor bought a brandnew Dacia Logan back then for the same money....Ok, when some thing brakes down and you do need parts it aint come cheap...But with ebay etc, you come a long way...Still enjoy every day driving it...And fun to hear from the old Lexus mechanics that the 430 is their favorite car...People are just missing out;-)

Japanese cars age like fine wine🥂while German cars age like milk🥛with a early experation date!👍🏽🇺🇸🇯🇲🏎💥💭💭💭

I cant believe this car is a 2004 model, is ahead of it time

There's a reason why Lexus's age well. Dr. W. Edwards Deming is the man behind Toyota's quality control that over took the Germans in quality control. He helped shaped the Japanese manufacturing industry during post World War II. #Kaizen "continuously improvement" was one of Deming's 14 points.That's why Toyota products are so well made.

340,000 Miles on my ‘04 LS430 and it keeps on cruising! Best car ever built by far

I gotta drive one of these,I drove the 08 460L and it was very POWERFUL AND COMFORTABLE,real good review my man...

This car has keyless ignition. As long as that key is inside the vehicle, just turn the dial, no need to put the key in. Also, I think it also has a special air filter that cleans outside air, but I think it’s just for the Ultra Luxury Package

Ls 430 king of the all car

I have the same color car (2005) with 163,000 miles and love it. Hard to find on car sites because owners don't want to trade them in! Love it :)

The 04-06 model perfected the original design of the legendary LS400 and is the pinnacle of the LS to this date. Unfortunately, Lexus LS went downhill after the 2006 model. I don't know what they are trying to achieve, but they have lost their identity without understanding that going after the younger generations meant they lost the fan base that made them famous in the first place. I can't tell how many times random people compliment my 04 black LS430 in gas stations. Everyone who has sat in my car has described it as one of the best cars they had ever been into. The power curve in this car is very different. It is not AMG type power, but it always gets you out of hurry on the highways. I can listen to that satisfying gentleman V8 sound every second, and nothing feels better than going on highway at 60 mph and slamming on gas. I have an eargasm every time I do it. Too bad my next car is going to be an S550. While Lexus LS has lost its identity, S550 has kept the simple and subtle luxury design that the fans of this segment strive for.

My favorite car of all I've owned, and it's not even close.

A large touch screen and a 6 speed auto that generally advanced for 2000

Love the 04-06 but honestly I've gotten so accustomed to 2 Glove Boxes in my 01. but in reality when I upgrade I'll probably do an 04-06. I'm 6'4 and I need a Man's car

I purchased my LS430 New Year's Eve, year 2000. It now has 299,650 miles on it, with original engine and transmission. Same silver color as the demo. Exterior still looks good, although a couple of rock chips on left front fender that I do not like. Interior also looks good, although could use some saddle soap on the leather. A few minor issues: I repaired the rear speaker, replaced the front bottle holder. I need to pull the radio--I think there is a loose wire leading to the speakers. The left driver's window needs looking at--does not always go up or down. And the telescoping steering wheel no longer moves, but its current position if fine for me. One reason I bought the LS430 was the trunk size--room for my road bike with wheels off, plus trip luggage for wife and me. Drove Atlanta to Seattle and back about 10 times, plus all other lower 48 states and some Canada. I can still get 30 mpg if I get on freeway immediately after gassing up and before exiting freeway. Maintenance included replacing timing belt every 90,000 miles, usual timely oil changes, and a replaced radiator, plus a variety of minor issues. The driver's side floor mat is tacky. Love it !!! [Have a 2006 LS430 as backup if and when this one fails--purchased used with 2500 miles.]

Love these cars. I just bought one with the ultra luxury package with 230,000 miles. The person who owned it was a fanatic and a bunch of maintenance records came with it. It still runs great and doesn’t burn oil. Can’t wait to see how long I can make it last with the original drivetrain.

This would make a fantastic road trip car!

TO KIRK: The LS430 is much faster with the "PWR" button engaged and the shifter placed in "S" sport sequential mode; you only experienced normal "Drive" acceleration Lol. Also, the "odd" key you had is actually a fob; you start the car by turning the grey piece with you hand, not the key. There is a regular looking for the non-smart key setup which comes with the base/non-navi model. You missed the rear seat vanity mirrors that fold down from the ceiling, power headrests, rain sensing headlights, adaptive turning headlights, soft close doors, door handle touch lock/unlock, retractable cup holders, auto-tilting mirrors when put in reverse, but otherwise a nice review. Not sure why the 90K timing belt/water pump service was done at 60k, and why in the world is that engine bay so dusty/dirty...? 99% of them usually look so clean you can eat off them Lol.

Thank you, great video!! I absolutely love the amount of wood trim Lexus put in that model!!

The engine really superb

FYI: It’s a smart key. Never have to take it out of your pocket. Grab the door handle on any door and the car unlocks, grab the ignition, push and turn to start. Get out and push the small black button on any door handle to lock the doors

Sorry if any of these were addressed in previous comments but I’m not scrolling through over 400 comments lol The button to the left of the steering column that you didn’t know is the release for the change tray. The trunk has a power closing mechanism so you only have to lower it down gently and it will pull itself last half inch or so to latch. The LS430 has a near perfect 51/49 weight distribution which is why it does well in snow with good tires. The HID headlights are self leveling and adaptive… above 18 miles an hour if I remember correctly, the drivers side headlight will swivel 15° to the left, the passenger side will swivel 5° to the right as you turn the steering wheel around corners. Yes that was a flashlight in the tool kit. The power steering assist is progressive, so it reduces the amount of assist from the power steering pump above a certain speed (I forget how fast) to keep it from feeling heavily over boosted. The 2004-2006 gained knee airbags for driver and front passenger, which very few vehicles had back then. It also has side bolster and side curtain airbags for front driver/passenger as well as for rear passengers. There is also a full size spare with a matching rim in the trunk, so no one will be able to see that you got a flat tire and had to use your spare. The ETC switch: In normal mode it smooths out initial throttle application through the drive-by-wire throttle body (no mechanical connection between gas pedal and throttle body) and gradually rolls into the power so the car doesn’t jerk/snap forward from a stop. -Power mode disables that and gives you sharp, immediate throttle response. It changes the transmission shift logic, delaying up shifts and making the car more eager to downshift at speed. It also measures steering angle along with throttle input, so it’ll know if you’re heavy on the throttle around a corner but come off the throttle a little to maintain speed, it’ll hold that gear in anticipation of you getting back on the throttle as you exit the corner, therefore saving you from having to wait for it to downshift again and keeping you higher in the RPMs where the power is. -Snow mode basically does the opposite of power mode. It greatly delays/dampens initial throttle application while starting you in 2nd gear instead of first, in an attempt to send as little torque to the rear wheels so you don’t break traction. Similarly it avoids downshifting at speed unless you’re on the throttle quite hard. The headlight glare sensor inside the rearview mirror is linked up to the side view mirrors which also dim at night. In addition to the rear window shade retracting in reverse, the sideview mirrors dip down like a lot of new cars so that you can see what’s beside the back tires. There was an optional Euro tuned sport suspension offered (my 2004 has it) that comes with 10% stiffer springs, re-valved shocks, slightly stiffer rubber suspension bushings, 2mm thicker anti-rollbars, and wider 18 inch wheels which wore 245/45/18 tires instead of 225/55/17 (04-06 only. 01-03 has 225/60/16 as standard and 245/55/17 for sport). *you could also get the larger/wider wheels and tires for all model years as an option, so 17” wheels on 01-03 and 18” wheels on 04-06 doesn’t necessarily mean it has the sport suspension. Having driven standard suspension models, UL air suspension models, and sport suspension models, it’s my opinion that the sport suspension is by far the best option if you want to do any kind of ‘spirited’ driving. The standard is just too soft and wallowy for my taste and doesn’t feel confident on the highway if you had to make an emergency maneuver. The UL air suspension is also too soft, allows for too much body roll, and doesn’t have enough damping or rebound even in “sport” mode The sport is only slightly stiffer than standard so it doesn’t kill the ride quality at all. It’s the absolute perfect compromise between a soft, pillowy, compliant ride while minimizing body roll and gaining stability at speed. The car feels more powerful than you would think because of the very broad power band. People like to compare these older V8s to new V6s, but don’t realize it’s not all about peak hp... and torque matters a LOT. For instance the IS350 has 311 hp but doesn’t hit that until 6400 RPM, but most importantly only has 277 lb-ft torque that lazily arrives at 4800 RPM. The LS430 has 290 hp that comes in earlier at 5600 RPM, but again most importantly has 320 lb-ft of torque that arrives early at a low 3400 RPM. You don’t have to floor the LS430 up to redline everywhere you go to get into the power, unlike today’s NA V6s. And if you do floor it, you don’t have to wait for the RPMs to climb up to redline to get pushed back in your seat, so overall acceleration is much faster especially off the line. The brakes on the LS surprise a lot of people because they’re 4 piston fixed calipers in the front and 2 piston fixed calipers in the rear. Even today I see a lot of “performance oriented” cars that have single (sometimes dual) piston *floating* calipers 👎🏻 Ps are you still obsessed with geese these days like you were a year and a half ago? 😂

You can find this car nowadays for well under 10k, it's a great buy if you're looking for a dependable cash car. Throw on some nice aftermarket wheels, some tint and this car still can hold it's own even today... This timeless classic is definitely one of the best cars ever made!!!💯

I have a 2006 LS430 with 51k miles, still looks brand new and drives like new as well...

I have LS for 2003 127000 miles Rides great Best car I bought it brand new

Im currently in the process of purchasing a car identical to this in the review. Cant wait to have this thing home!

Beautiful machine with a beautiful review. Hope u got this car and enjoyed it. Keep up the good work

Good job, guy. I think it may be the most perfect car ever.

.26 drag coefficient standard and .25 with optional suspension that lowered at highway speeds. LS430 premiered as a 2001 model. 2004 was updated on exterior, especially the front. Mechanically changed with the addition of a 6 spd transmission to replace the 5 spd. Acceleration times improved with 0 to 60 now taking 5.9 secs and fuel also improving. 2004 to 2006 are the ones to have if in the market.

I have the custom 2005 LS 430 with 42k miles. I also have a 2024 ES 350 and love the LS More. Although the 2GR FKS is smooth the 3UZ is so refined. As a side note the UZ Motors are aviation certified. That’s how good they are.

give the whole video a chance, its actually a very thorough and solid review. Thanks kirk!!!

Thanks for this review. I've been looking at buying one of these cars and I haven't found a bad thing about them yet.

I am so glad I'm not the only one who can never remember the proper name for stuff when making videos. "Lug nut connector" was the greatest. 😁

I have a 2002 Ls 430 My car rides like new , drives like new , and runs like new. It has the power if a new Ls 430 {meaning one with little to no miles on it and hardly taken out of the garage , and never driven in the rain or transported in the rain.} The car i am comparing mine with has 4000 miles and is 2003 model in 2018. This car has never been washed , only dusted off , No need for washing really.....My car runs , rides , and drives just as good as this one. I know because he let me use the car for an evening. My car has 180,000 miles and everything still works , i have made repairs but nothing to the engine or transmission. I put some air shocks on the trunk and new wipers and general tune up , and preventive maintenance , and this is it. No rips in leather , a little dirty in a couple of places , no big deal.Not a scratch on the exterior of the car........My car is for sale for 10 x what it is worth only . I love my car.

i am happy for you man

I just raced one today, it was real clean, in my 14 Fiesta ST with a Cobb stage two Tune, we race from a dig, then a 3 gear roll, I beat him by 3 cars to 90 mph. We talked at the next light, he was very impressed. The Fiesta Flash.

The 01-03 LS430 had standard HIDs too

loved the LS since conception .the bench mark for perfection

beautiful video the way he looked in the camera and said "just feels right" XDDD

l love my ls430. same color

People with the right mind love Toyota and Lexus. That’s what we have in common. Reliability is the most important.

I CANNOT WAIT TO GET MY 2005…

I have a burgundy ls 430 2006 highest trim level... only has 38k miles on it, best car I've ever had especially with its Adaptive Cruise control!

Didnt this model have keyless entry and you could start the car without inserting the key?

Great job Kirk! Thank you. My sediments exactly.

It’s a good looking car. I don’t like huge wheels anyway. Less tire sidewall means a harsher ride.

I had the 2000 ls 400 the 2005 ls 430..the Lexus ls 430 is one of the best cars ever made.. I may be getting the LS 600HL..

Impressive review. I think that this has long been an overlooked luxury sedan. I made the mistake and bought an E38 (740i) back in the day. It would have cheaper if I could have bought 430.... just not as exciting. Thanks for the video.

Got one; same year and just broke 63,000 miles.

The key does not have to be inserted. Just keep it in your pocket. The front seats are cooled, not just ventilated.

I just bought this car, 135k on the clock, drove like new, the rear wheels are bent a little so it vibrate on highway. any leak problems with the car?

HID headlights were standard equipment on all LS430s 04 was the standard mid model face and butt lift

Hey also those wheels are part of what makes this car such a plush ride, lots of Tire sidewall makes a difference. The rear reminds me of a Mercedes.

Love my 1998 LS400. I’ll be honest, I don’t feel much of a difference between the two other than that 6 speed tranny and slightly less road noise. Very classy cars, and they keep up with the modern cars very easily.

Thanks to your monotone monologue, you helped me crack my addiction to sleeping pills. Now all I have to do is play your video and I go right to sleep! Thanks man! Subscribed!

"That was a Harley there...farting through the underpass." LOL!

such a great car

Great video , great car.

Thanks for the wonderful video, might get one myself , found one with 58,000km mileage and a clean title and superb clean interior :)

if Lexus wanted to they could rerelease this generation with minor updates to the body style and id applaud.

Had 2003 same color. Best car I ever had.

I like your channel and how you review cars i will love it if you talk about Lexus es350

2015 LS L 22000 miles ,garage kept . wowzers

That’s what fine wood looks like lol hold out for the black finish wood then dang

Lamborgini is the best Lexus. Hold my engine

this is Lexus LS 430 very good

I am willing to buy a brand new LS430 if Lexus revives the production line!

great video, your reactions were hilarious

Hey buddy here is a great Review of an original LS 400

Lug nut connector 😂😂😂.. great video bro. Keep them coming. Very informative

thanks for the review video man

Bruh, the button which is nameless under ur side mirror controls is a small drower... You can use for coins I guess

Great video! Really enjoyed your quality camera work and smooth production, let alone this beautiful land yacht, I love Lexus so much, it's just difficult to justify the mpg here across the pond. These are alot cheaper here in the UK, maybe because they're supposed to be RHD 🤷🏼‍♂️ no idea, but I can't wait to trade in my newer Audi for one of these, my first V8, and at £1.50ish per litre for 98, I'm going to have no money left 😂

Still waiting for you to buy one!

Is that kirk ?this guy really love toyotas toyota lexus..

Mazda had that swing feature for the vents in the 90's

The way his hand flopped around in the glove box made me nervous.

I have an 04 Ls 430, night brake lights not working, can someone give advice please

the best of the best

Fantastic video❤️

Why would they need to replace the timing belt @ 60,XXX ?

i still use CD's. Mate

got the same kind of rock chips on my recently acquired LS430. sanding pen + touch paint + polish/wax improved a lot the situation. Other than that, superb car..................

"It is a Master Piece!" Nuff Said. I've seen some 430s with huge 5 spoke wheels have you caught any of those yet they look amazing.

Nice to see more folks reviewing cars. The LS460L with air suspension was the first head-to-head competitor with the Germans (and also the nicest looking of 25+ years of LS). The SWB stuff before was 🤷‍♂️. You couldn’t even get air suspension on an LS430 unless you laid out six-figures for the Ultra package back in ‘06, and who wanted to do that for a SWB car? Not Americans. BTW, these rare air-suspended LS’s are just in need of attention as Airmatic W220 Benzes. Just ask Arnott 😂

Not a bad video. But what is “comfortability”?

I’m looking at this as one of my dream cars as well. 04 126k miles 7k used. Is this worth buying??

The Lexus LS has been using HIDs for the low beams since the 1998 generation.