This 2004-06 Lexus LS 430 Dealer Defines 'Niche'Lexus (Lexus)"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."If you’re a fan of niche vehicle dealerships and repair shops, boy, do we have a treat for you. Tanin JDM in Caledonia, Wisconsin sounds like a typical Japanese car importer on the surface, but what this place truly peddles these days are 2004–2006 Lexus LS 430s.For the Lexus LS-minded, you likely already know this to be the facelift years of the third-gen LS. Lexus offered said generation in the U.S. during the 2001-2003 model years, but applied a fairly substantial refresh for 2004 before discontinuing the generation after 2006. This three-year period of post-update LS 430s is Tanin JDM’s sweet spot.AdvertisementAdvertisement“The reason specifically for that car is because I've owned a couple in the past and they've always just been great cars ... it's just the perfect [car]; reliable, comfortable, and maintenance is fairly cheap,” Jason Tanin, owner of JDM Tanin, tells Road & Track. “I think it's kind of the best car that Toyota ever made aside from the Century, but to speak in USDM [U.S. domestic market] stuff, you just can't beat it.”Lexus (Lexus)Tanin says he started the business as an importer and seller of JDM vehicles, but over the last year and a half, has transitioned it into being a one-stop-shop for all things 2004-06 Lexus LS 430. The other parts of the business still exist to a degree, though buying, fixing, restoring, and selling these specific LS 430s is now where Tanin puts the vast majority of his effort and energy.When asked why only the 2004-and-up cars, he has a long list of good reasons. The biggest one is the upgrade from the five-speed automatic to a six-speed transmission, which Tanin says is “night and day” better. Not only is it more refined, but he’s noticed they last longer than the five-speed, providing 300,000-500,000 miles of trouble-free motoring. Another big one is parts availability; Lexus has a much wider catalog of old parts still available to buy for the refresh, noting restoring the earlier cars can be much trickier. Lastly, demand: the small community of Lexus LS enthusiasts tend to agree with Tanin when it comes to desirability, which makes demand (and prices) much higher for the 04-06 models. Whether it be the tweaked styling, added features, or sturdier interior, there are lots of solid reasons to opt for the refresh model.Tanin aims to have around five to 10 '04-'06 Lexus LS 430s in as perfect condition as they can be on his lot ready to sell at any one time. He sources them from all across the country, but mainly focuses on purchasing cars from salt-free states on the West Coast or in the south. (The irony of bringing those cars to winter- and salt-heavy Wisconsin is not lost on us, but Tanin will tell you many of these cars end up getting shipped back south after he’s done working on them anyway.)AdvertisementAdvertisementThe sort of work Tanin and his colleagues do to these cars ranges from simple mechanical freshening to much more involved restorations. He recently opened a body shop to keep paintwork and other aesthetic tasks in-house. Being a Toyota and Lexus enthusiast, Tanin emphasizes the importance of using OEM parts for everything. He imports parts from Japan frequently, and even lists commonly needed LS 430 parts on his website as a source for folks in the U.S. to purchase from. As Tanin notes in some of his videos online, importing parts from Japan is a huge cost-saver versus buying them directly from Lexus dealerships in the U.S. The most dramatic example is the air suspension from the Ultra Luxury trim of the 2004-06 LS 430 that you can buy for a fraction of the price abroad.Lexus (Lexus)“We're not a real dealership in the sense where we just buy and flip and make a quick buck type of thing,” Tanin says. “We're more enthusiasts. Passionate about the cars first, and then, you know, hey, by the way, we rebuild these and make them all nice and use our expertise and everything else. And then this is our final product.”In case you were worried there won’t be enough like-minded LS 430 enthusiasts out there to sustain such a niche business, Tanin has a plan for the future.Toyota (Toyota)“So what we're really looking forward to is, in 2030 it'll be 25 years from the 2005 Century,” Tanin starts when I ask him about expansion plans. “And that was the refresh where they got the six-speed ... so we're just waiting for those to be legal to get Centurys, and then also the Celsior, the '04-'06 Celsior. It would be the same as the '04-'06 LS 430s. We're just gonna start bringing those in ... kind of the same process. There's a lot of parts interchange.”AdvertisementAdvertisementIn other words, Tanin is planning on being The Guy for this generation of high-end Lexus and Toyota products. Whether you want to get in the game and own one, are looking for service from an extremely knowledgeable expert, or want help finding one yourself, Tanin in Caledonia is likely the best person to give a call.Lexus (Lexus)You Might Also LikeIf You Can Only Own One Car, Make It One of TheseThese Are the Most Popular Cars by State
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