Whoo Hoo!

[MadMax96]

Got the go-ahead from my wife to let me get rid of my '02 Maxima. The lease ends in a few months but at this point I wanted to cut my losses. I probably would have had to do brakes and with the factory warranty ending next month (39 mo lease) who knows what else I would have been burned with.

Went to Capitalone.com and got a car loan approved in about 2 minutes and the check is being Fed-Ex'd and will be here tomorrow.

Now to the good stuff:

Found a 1999 LS400 in green with grey interior with the wood steering wheel and HID headlights. 115k miles and ALL service taken care of. The guy has all printouts proving what was done (trans every 30k, and all the major services done at the Lexus dealer). Every aspect of the car is near-perfect... including the way it drives (not a surprise though eh?) Even the wheels don't have a single mark on them - they look perfect. No door dings or scratches on the paint either.

The owner has the title in hand so it should be a smooth transaction.

His asking price was a very reasonable $13,900 but I got it for $13,500. Score!

Another thing that he mentioned is that the display on the stereo (non-Nak) went out (a common problem that I've read I think) so that's already been replaced with a whole new stereo while under his extended warranty. I guess they already replaced some strut bushings or something in the rear as well. So I'm pretty sure I should be good to go for quite a while.......

Looks like a great forum you guys here - I don't think I could own a car (or motorcycle) without resources like this!

Here's a pic - sorry it sucks, but it's all I got for the moment:

[nc211]

Congrats amigo! You're gonna love this car!

[SRK]

That's about my favourite colour on the LS! Gray interior is also nice. I'd move up to a 99 like that if I could find one.

In Canada that car would sell for mid twenties, so you did really well. Congratulations and enjoy the ride!

[MadMax96]

I think I'm really digging the color... at first I wasn't sure. It seems that all of the LS's for sale are black, silver, or that beige/gold color. Nothing wrong with those - just too common!

The seller said more than half the people who called weren't interested after they found out it was green and that it didn't have the Nakamichi stereo... their loss!!

[Dust]

Congratulations buddy, enjoy the smooth ride. This machine will bring you nothing but power, joy and comfort. With proper scheduled maintenance, expect this beast to last for a very long time.

[SW03ES]

Congrats! Green with grey is a very rare color combo too, almost all of them came with tan.

[sha4000]

congrats, ive only seen green 2 times and i wish thatb i had that color

[RFeldes]

Excellent color combo!!! Enjoy

[VBdenny]

That is an incredible deal for a 99. I do like green cars but I will never have another one. Green cars are really bad luck in my family. For that price I could have it painted black.

[MadMax96]

Well the car is in my driveway! The seller is holding onto the title until the check clears but was comfortable enough to let me take the car w/ his license plates.

I went with my wife and she really doesn't like the ride of my 02 Maxima SE... so I even let her drive the LS home because of the smoother ride. Am I a nice guy er what? ;)

The guy had all three keys too. Been browsing through the owners manual to see what else the car has. I didn't realize it has dimming outside mirrors too...cool. I also noticed it has a small visor above the rearview mirror - nice touch. My dad's '89 Lincoln Continental had that.

I'd normally say "let the modding begin" but I'm kinda tight on money from a wedding (10 days ago) and purchasing a house about 6 months ago. But overall I can say I've had one hell of a year!

[Gumart1]

Congratulations Matt! There's another '98 owner nearby in Crystal Lake, I think we're almost ready for our own Lexusfest! Is the car due for any work or services? You made a great choice - Congrats :D

[nc211]

Matt, were we seperated at birth or something? You're coming from a Maxima, that your new wife hated because of the ride.......exact same reason why I got rid of my Maxima. You're a newly-wed "congrats by the way ;) " I'm about to be one myself. And, to top it all off, I spent my childhood in Lafayette, In, and have nearly drowned several times in Crystal Lake back in the 80's. Let me ask you this...brother....you got a big head on a skinny frame? I do. Infact I'd compare myself to a tomato on a toothpick.

Man, welcome to the club. yeah the outside mirrors are wired into the defrost, and the light sensor...great feature, especially the passenger side. You'll never think about that visor above the mirror until around 7:30 am, facing east...and you'll say to yourself "this car is the sh*t!" when you remember you've got that little thing. My CD changer that is 10 years old actually plays my burned CDs better than my 2002 home CD player. Truly amazing cars. By all means, and to ANYONE who reads this; please don't let my car and my threads influence you on your impression of these cars. Mine is that one in a hundred. But, do learn from me too....if it was "corporate"...don't buy it. 'course that's 101 stuff.

[atoyoT]

That is a smoking deal.

I see 95-97's go for that kinda money all the time. I saw a green one,a 98 or 99 at the dealer here back when I was shopping a year or so ago, it was priced right around 20 grand. It was an interesting color, green blue and with the HID lights which I truly envy.

I ended up with a silver 95 with 140K for $8000. Good shape but needed the steering screens cleaned, new lower balljoints, new trunk shocks and a new headlamp. They are great cars, this is my second one.

Enjoy!!

[dianelouise]

congratulations! new bride, new house, and a lexus in the driveway. I'm green with envy...We were married 20 years before we got our first lexus! May your marriage be as smooth as the ride in your lexus. Blessings!