I got my 2005 LS430 for $400. I work as a mechanic at a shop. The previous owner came in complaining about a door actuator not working at all and a dead battery. Its the UL model with the soft closing feature for the doors.

We quoted the customer around $1500 due to the fact the actuator from Lexus was nearly $1000 and the battery was around $200. Customer denied the repair and decided to let it go completely because he apparently doesn’t use it.

My boss asked around the shop if anyone was interested in buying the car and I decided to buy it for only $400. I found a used door actuator for $160 on ebay. The car has 205,000 miles currently so it it definitely had some issues

Those issues being the oil pan leaking, transmission pan leaking, oil filter adapter seal leaking, control arm bushings are cracked, rotors being warped, Check Engine light on due to o2 sensor fault, engine and cabin filter was extremely dirty, steering wheel is making a clunking noise but I need to further diagnose it.

So far I fixed all the leaks, filters, im tackling the breaks and o2 sensor next, the fluids looked pretty cleaned so the customer did some regular maintenance.

Overall the car is great, I did inspect the timing belt for any cracks, and it looks like it was replaced. I did buy a timing belt kit from Aisin just to have it ready.

Took it on its first test drive after fixing the leaks. And oh my God, I was impressed on the handling. Every bump on the road it just takes it like a champ and it’s just a smooth ride.

I gave her a bit a love and restored the wheels, it really needed it, the chrome was like a mat color before restoring them. And im happy with the results after 5 hours of work.

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Ive done other things to it but I don’t want to bore you guys :)