Trying To Buy My 1st Lexus

[ls400dream]

I've been doing alot of research regarding the Lexus brand. After viewing this club for a few months and gathering information from mechanics as well ad Lexus owners in my area, I've decited to purchase a 1st generation Lexus. My budget is $5,200 My 4 interests are in order of importance.

1) 90-94 ls400

2)94-96 es300

3)92-95 sc300/400

4)91-95 Acura Legend

It's hard for me to find a ls400 in my area (New Jersey) that has extensive service records. My 3 questions are.

1)Is the sc300/400 more reliable than the above mentioned es300 and acura legend?? my mechanic has suggested that I buy an acura Legend instead of the es300 because of the es300 transmission problems.

2)I know that the ls400 is much better than the other 3 cars but in what order do you guys rate the other three cars?

3)Should I get the sc300/400 instead of the es300 if I can't find a good ls400?

any advice would seriously be appreciated. Please keep up the good work guys.

[kcpth]

Hey and welcome to the club. This decision is all about personal choice. If you can, see if you can test drive all of them.

I am a little biased. I love my 92 LS400. :P My g/f just drove my LS for the first time 20 min's ago... n she was yelling @ me saying how much different it is from her 92 ES300 n she likes how it handles. :whistles:

However, to her, my LS is a BOAT . It's pretty big for her.

Every one of those cars will have their pro's and cons. I know for a fact that i pay a LOT more in gas money for my LS400. Even mechanic bills are more expensive than my g/f's. There are a lot of factors you have to weigh in. The luxury factor is different in all the cars. My car feels a lot more lighter in the steering wheel and the shocks seem to feel like it floats. However, my LS400 SUXS big time in the winter since its rear wheel drive whereas my g/f's is Front i believe.

I love the power i feel in my car. My lil sister's b/f just bought a 92 SC400... so turkey day i can tell u how they all feel. The SC is probably more of a sportier feel to it.

I've yet driven a legend, but i've been in a 92 legend before... but i forgot how the ride was since it was a while ago... hahaha sorrie :chairshot:

Since you live in NJ, i'm sure you can find a great LS in NYC or the surrounding cities in NJ. I'm sure there's bound to be a great LS with all its service records. O and just to note something, if you find a car in NYC, you might want to find out if the ball joint is still ok... cause there r sooo many potholes there and its expen$ive to change it. Hahaha most likely you won't have to worrie about it.

Good luck B)

[jahon]

LOVE my '93 es300, great price and value for the car too. make sure you know the history of the car if you can to see who owned it, how it was driven, and anything done on the car. fortunately mine was owned by an old guy who babied it and had EVERYTHING done with all paperwork. auhh lexus lovers..

oh yeah, its the es300 is a PERFECT size, not to big, not too small. OH, and welcome to the club man!!

[VGR]

I would avoid the SC300/400 unless it was owned by an older professional type person like a doctor or by a rich old lady. Reason? Well look over the SC300/400 forum and you'll see how many of the young owners use them for drag racing and street racing and how they modify the heck out of them.

$5200 is too low a price to pay for a LS400 in excellent condition so I wouldn't get one unless and until you could afford to pay $7500 - $9,000.

If I was in your shoes I'd search for a ES300 with extensive service records owned by an older professional type person like a doctor or by an older lady. Any Lexus that has had regular transmission fluid and coolant changes and hasn't been raced or driven abusively will be reliable for years to come.

[SW03ES]

The best car out of the ones listed is definately the LS400, but you've got to be prepared to pay to repair it. Check out the LS forum, parts for that car are very expensive and the older ones have some inherent problems like faulty alternatiors, power steering pumps etc. Nothing serious, but can be very costly. That thing will never see a Lexus dealer at less than $1000.

My suggestion is the ES. I haven't hard about any transmission problems on the 94-96 models...