At The Crossroads

[Gunnut]

I bought my 94 LS400 this past May. At the time it had @143k on the clock. Here are the known issues at that time and what if anything was done:

Cracked drivers side exterior door handle. (Now broken)

Filthy interior (Interior removed and cleaned conditioned)

Darkened climate control (No action taken)

No keyless entry (No action taken)

Worn tires (New tires 12/06)

Badly cracked drivers seat Leather (Cleaned and conditioned but still worn)

Bent/broken antenna mast. (New mast but still won't go up or down. Need to take apart)

Broken cup holder (Ebay c/h for $10)

Stock chrome wheels have seen better days.

Left fog light out (still out)

left side headlight shooting low. (No action taken)

Poor paint match from previous front end damage repair. No doubt these are related to the light problems.

Since then the A/C went out which was repaired for $915 and I have been getting intermittent C/E light.

I've put 12k on the car had changed the oil not long after I bought the car. I finally had the opprtunity to change the oil after 10k since the last change. I know what you'll all say, that 10k is way to go on an oil change but I never had the opportunity to change it. I use Mobil1 full syn so I guess if I HAD to go 10k between changes at least I had the right oil in there. The car used 1/2 a quart in the 10k.

Here's the reason for my post. I really love this car. It drives great and still looks pretty decent considering its' age. When I first bought it I was thinking I would have my money's worth out of it if I could get 50000 carefree miles out of it. I paid $4000 for it BTW. Now I am thinking I may want to keep it much longer. I have never been one to change out cars more than every 7-8 years. My old car I averaged 10k a year but I have already hit that number in 6 months with the Lex.

I'm wondering if I do keep it, what issues should I address and which ones should I just live with. Part of my concern is the availability of parts in the future. I know there haven't been many issues to date, but what if some become harder and harder to get?

Basically how much should I put into this car, if anything?

I'd really like keyless entry but the $300 price from the dealer hurts. I know about the climate/clock fix as well and could do the repair myself if I had the time. Same with the door handle. Actually this issue WILL get fixed. It is too annoying not to address.

THe car drives great and has no squeaks or noise issues.

JimA

[rwallican]

Sounds like you got one that someone neglected. I'd say that 143k is low and you still have lots of mileage left in the vehicle. Plenty of people here have 200-300k on their odometers. Cosmetic stuff happens to all cars.

I'd find a good independent shop and have them do a once over. Do you have maintenance records? If not, I'd go ahead and get the 90k service done (timing belt, water pump, fluids, filters, etc.). ($1500-1800). Trust me, the investment is worth it. These are some of the most reliable and dependable vehicles ever built.

And you definitely don't have to worry about not being able to get parts for it. I hear you can still get Datsun parts!