First Time Lexus Owner - Ls400

[EazyG]

Greetings everyone. New member here. And a first time Lexus owner. Last month I lost my 4runner - totalled. So I went to the auto auction to find a replacement vehicle. There was a beautiful 1994 LS400 up for bid. Not what I was looking for, but too nice to pass by. My final bid was $3400. Its got 110K on the odometer and the glove box is full of scheduled maintenance receipts.

I have been enjoying the fine ride for 6 days now. WOW. I am sure you guys already now this, but what a package. Smooth as butter in interior comfort as well as smooth ride. I am very impressed. Click a few buttons and this car moves. I love the ECT switch and OD button. Very nice.

Is there a catch? Before 6 days ago, i knew nothing about Lexus. From reading through the forums, I got the info on the clock-temp gauge as well as the main instrument cluster. Is there anything else. I am a Do It Yourself person if I have the tools. Is this the kind of vehicle that I will be able to work on? Or does it need to go to the shop alot. I'm not sure what I have got to be honest. If I can work on it, I will keep it. But if it requires tons of special tools, etc... It will go.

Its gonna be my daily driver. So let me know what you veterans Lexus owners think.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Merry Christmas everyone.

EazyG

[90LS400Lexus]

Hello and welcome. For the most part, these cars seem to be easy for most DIY'ers. I am not much of a DIYer, but there is a lot of info here to help you through. For their time, they were highly advanced, but by todays standards and compared to the new LS's, they are very simple.

Main problems are power steering leaks, LCDs on the HVAC/radio, dash backlighting/needles and I often hear of vibrations, because these cars are so smooth and quiet- things that are "not right", are easily noticed! Also around that age, the valve cover gaskets are getting worn out - but its not that hard I do not think. Basically, the engines and transmissions are bulletproof on these cars!

$3400, you got a steal! I just paid $3200 for my 91' LS400 with 208K and had to pay an additional $400 to have it shipped from Atlanta, then I had to pay $350 to have it registered, so I have nearly $4K invested!

[scottmcc]

I am like you, relatively new to the Lexus owners experience and I said the same thing when I joined this forum.. WHAT A RIDE... I did not plan to buy this lexus and was in the process of purchasing a corvette or dodge viper..

I am so glad a purchased this car and still get excited to drive it.. Like that commericial says.. "when you turn your car on does it return the favor" Why Yes it does....

This forum is full of Lexus owners (Older vehicles and new) with very little complaints of not being able to fix things for the DIY..

You got a great car and a great deal.. I was just reading someone paid $4500 for about the same thing.. and someone else on this forum was looking to buy what you just got for 4K.. So if you do sell I am sure you won't lose any money or have trouble finding a buyer...

Welcome..

[EazyG]

Thanks for the response fellas. Today was my first daily commute to work. And again i must say - smooth as butter. My initial instincts are too keep it. And your input, that makes the decision much easier. I already had 2 offers today. One for 5K and another for 6K. Some of my co-workers want to help me out by taking it off my hands. Yeah right.

Again, thanks

[GKLCPA]

Thanks for the response fellas. Today was my first daily commute to work. And again i must say - smooth as butter. My initial instincts are too keep it. And your input, that makes the decision much easier. I already had 2 offers today. One for 5K and another for 6K. Some of my co-workers want to help me out by taking it off my hands. Yeah right.

Again, thanks

When you get a chance, check out the discussion strings on "who has the highest miles". You will find that your car is just a baby at 110K. You can run that car up to 300K+ miles and it will still run like new. The LS is just simply the best production car ever made.

[EazyG]

I have been ppounding the boards for a week now. I am loving everything that I am reading so far about this LS400. This vehicle line has won some amazing awards. And after driving it, it has ruined all other vehicles for me.

Most of my driving to and from work is highway driving. But there are a few spots - bad intersections, merge lanes, etc.. that require some acceleration to merge. Hit the O/D off button, and BAM - you are there. And it does it effortlessly. The V-8 is strong and the transmission feels geared perfectly. Perfectly...

I've got a ton of tools. I have always worked on my own vehicles when I can. I'll get it up in the air this weekend and get a real good look at the vehicle from underneath. So far everything I have seen looks accessable. I have been over every inch of the cabin, trunk, and enngine from the top. Its a much bigger car than I realized.

I'll see if I can hit 300K on the odometer.

Thanks

[dashan]

Post some pics.

[GKLCPA]

I have been ppounding the boards for a week now. I am loving everything that I am reading so far about this LS400. This vehicle line has won some amazing awards. And after driving it, it has ruined all other vehicles for me.

Yes, you really don't want to drive anything else once you're accustomed to the LS. Basically, from this point forward, LS for life for me. I'm not driving anything else.

[ROBERT THOMASON]

You got a steal, I just traded my 94 with 218k and they allowed me 3k.

[EazyG]

Originally I went to the auction looking for a SUV that woud hold a family of 5 and would pull a 19ft boat. But I couldn't pass on the deal. My original thought was to just get the lex and find someone willing to trade me a tahoe or suburban. Maybe sell it for a little more than I paid, and find a SUV then. But this thing is so sweeeeet.

I'll probably end up finding a cheap basic truck for boat duty and keep the lex. From everything I am reading, I got a good deal on a fine automobile. Everyone that has rode in it has nothing but compliments.

Very cool

[nc211]

Greetings everyone. New member here. And a first time Lexus owner. Last month I lost my 4runner - totalled. So I went to the auto auction to find a replacement vehicle. There was a beautiful 1994 LS400 up for bid. Not what I was looking for, but too nice to pass by. My final bid was $3400. Its got 110K on the odometer and the glove box is full of scheduled maintenance receipts.

I have been enjoying the fine ride for 6 days now. WOW. I am sure you guys already now this, but what a package. Smooth as butter in interior comfort as well as smooth ride. I am very impressed. Click a few buttons and this car moves. I love the ECT switch and OD button. Very nice.

Is there a catch? Before 6 days ago, i knew nothing about Lexus. From reading through the forums, I got the info on the clock-temp gauge as well as the main instrument cluster. Is there anything else. I am a Do It Yourself person if I have the tools. Is this the kind of vehicle that I will be able to work on? Or does it need to go to the shop alot. I'm not sure what I have got to be honest. If I can work on it, I will keep it. But if it requires tons of special tools, etc... It will go.

Its gonna be my daily driver. So let me know what you veterans Lexus owners think.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Merry Christmas everyone.

EazyG

Trust me...you'll keep that car for a long time. It turns the non-diy type into a full-on diy guru, because once you have one of these cars, you'll always want it to be in top shape. They're very easy to work on, very easy. When I got mine back in 04', I didn't even know how to change oil in a car. The LS taught me how to change the suspensions components, mounts, tie rods, ball joints, plugs, wires, clean the throttle body, etc... Now, nobody touches my cars but me. When I sold the car, at 132k miles, it was nicer than when I bought at 82k miles. In fact, I had the dealership test the check engine light just to make sure it actually worked, as it never came on.

Biggest thing in my opinion to do 1st is the fluids. Mobile 1 synthetic in the rear differential, go buy a case of Toyota tranny fluid from your local Toyota dealer "$50" and search the "drain and fill" phrase to learn about the tranny fluid. Search "seafoam" for some really cool tricks with that wonderful stuff. www.parts.com is a great place to buy parts at a discount, and all manuals can be downloaded from https://techinfo.toyota.com. Those manuals will tell about every screw, bolt, clip, mount, torque setting, procedures, from bumper to bumper. And, all the service bulletins that have come out for your car since day one. $10 gets you 24 hour access. Set aside about 6 hours, and download all the Pdf files.

You'll keep that sweet ride, trust me... It will ruin you too, very very hard to replace. Infact, most people only replace them out of need for a different type of vehicle, like an SUV, truck or minivan, that is unless you have the room to keep it. I had to get rid of mine because I needed an SUV, and only have a 2 car garage. Couldn't bear to let it sit outside.

PS: I recommend adding the year of your LS in your profile, so others can see it. There are some differences between model years.