91 Ls400 Reliability.

[SamHouston]

Hi all,

I am looking for a reliable car. I currently drive a 95 Maxima 5-speed manual. The Maxima is the most reliable, dependable car I've ever owned. It has given me 195Kmiles of trouble free motoring and appears to continue to do so in the foreseable future.

But I always admire Lexus. Now I have an opportunity to buy a used 91 LS400 with 150Kmile in excellent shape inside and out. But I'm worrying about reliability (compared to my current Maxima).

Could owners of 91 model please share your experience on its reliability?

Many thanks in advance,

Sam

Houston

[Steve in San Diego]

We bought our 91 new and currently has 198000 miles. Excluding routine maintenance (tires, brakes, etc.) we have had no problems other than air conditioner compressor at about 80K -

A few recommendations:

1 - Ask for service records-make sure care has been well cared for - auto detailers can make an abused car look good.

2 - Find a good independent mechanic that know Lexus' - you don't want to take to a dealer-too expensive

3 - Have car checked out before buying by reputable mechanic or dealer

I believe most Lexus' are well maintained and if your's is you should be able to go to 300K

Good Luck

[sha4000]

def. do all the things that steve recommended. personally i think they are rock sold as long as they were taken care of, my 91 never gave me problems except that a/c compressor and i just upgraded in 03

[akewlguy]

Always nice to have a awesome looking and long lasting luxury LEXUS.

I have a 93 and from what I see and hear these things last forever.

Carfax.com

Lexus mechanic maintenance records with vin

Good luck, although buying an awesome LS is more then LUCK..

[monarch]

I think the '91 is a bad choice for ultimate reliability - especially one with 150K miles. Here's just a partial list of expensive repairs you could be looking at:

1. Cracked EGR pipe requiring $transmission removal$ to replace

2. Worn out lower ball joints

3. Worn out transmission mounts

4. Broken axle boots

5. Water pump failure requiring $timing belt removal$ to replace it

6. Starter failure requiring $intake manifold removal" to replace it

7. Engine valve lifter trouble due to an irregular oil change history that could require camshaft removal to replace.

8. Leaking heater core requiring $instrument panel removal$ to fix

LS400's that have been driven gently and never missed any preventive maintenance and always were serviced with genuine Toyota parts and fluids won't have these problems, but almost no LS400's are treated that well except for a few low mileage grandma driven ones.

[nc211]

I agree with Monarch. Take a look at my signature below for what i've done on my 95. Although not all the suspension parts were needed, once one part fails and you replace it with new part, it can tend to show the flaws in the other older parts. I think I am now facing the dreaded steering rack problem :cries: . This car sure is lucky that I love it, otherwise I'd put it down like an old mule. Don't get me wrong, these are awesome cars! And can last longer than just about any other car ever made, but 100k+ miles is 100k+ miles no matter how you look at it. The car will get you around just fine, but you will not be satisfied with a shimmy, vibration, clank, clunk or whinning noise in these cars. That smooth, quiet ride is so damn addictive that you won't stand it if it's not running like it should.

[SamHouston]

Thank you all for sharing your experience.

Sam