92' Ls Question

[BigBuggie]

Hello guys, I am going to look at a 92' LS 400 w/ 116k on it. The gentleman has given me the usual, maintained well, t belt done at 90 blah, blah. The photos Ive seen are pretty nice looking. The thing that red flags me is the wheels. It has 20" giovanni rims (personally I cant stand rims, If I do purchase this vehicle, I would trade them for a set of stocks) Im just curious as to whether or not this may have unforeseen consequences on the vehicle. I don't even know where to start, perhaps someone could help me?

Thanks a mill, Peter

[nolyaw]

I have a nice set of factory rims from my '93, which are 16"...the '92's had 15's. I'll trade ya!! The tires are about 50%. The rims are in great shape.

[1990LS400]

It is hard to imagine how harsh the ride with 20 inch wheels would be on a car with a suspension designed for 15 inch wheels. It would have to be awful.

I doubt if the 20s would have caused damage other than perhaps introducing a few squeaks and rattles form all the jarring.

Be sure to verify that the 90K service has been done by looking at the receipts or other evidence - it is an expensive service.

You might consider having the car checked out by a dealer or Lexus repair shop if you are truly interested. The car is at or past the mileage when a number of fairly costly front suspension parts begin to fail - like ball joints and the front strut bars.

Instead of buying stock 90-92 15" directional wheels, consider buying nondirectional 16" wheels from a 93-up LS400 and using 225-60-16 tires. Yes, your speedometer will be off a bit and the ride will be harsher than with the OEM 15" wheels but the wider tires on 16" wheels will provide better and safer braking.

Also realize that the headlights on the 90-92 LS400 were especially poor. Make sure you can deal with that or wait until you can get a later LS with much better headlights. The poor headlights were the primary reason I sold my 90 LS after 13+ years.

Good luck.

[OmarG]

just get 16's and put 225-55-16's you'll have a correct speedo. personally i think the 93-94 body style is perfect. 90-92 had skinny wheels(didn't fill out the wheel well), small brakes and thin cladding. the 93 refresh made the car beeffier. wider tires, bigger brakes, thicker cladding, and very small wheel well gaps.

[BigBuggie]

Ok, went to look at this vehicle (then I had school) just getting home now. It ran great but was a little more hacked (cosmetically) than I was willing to deal with. The rims were pretty badly abused, I doubt I could have even given them away. I guess I have to keep on looking.

Which reminds me!!!!!

There is a gentle man in brooklyn NY selling a 92 Blk/beige LS with 110k on it. I have received extensive photos from him. Let me tell you, The car looks mint! He says other than a small tear in the drivers seat the interior is indeed mint. About a dime sized ding in the passenger rear quarter, other than that I can't find anything els wrong! The best part is He will take 3100! Almost seems to good to be true. It's about a 3 hr drive for me but at this point Im seriously considering it. I need a vehicle soon and already have my mind set on the LS. What do you guys think?

BTW he cannot find the title....makes me a bit uneasy

Thanks again, Pete

[nolyaw]

Look for a 93 or 94. MANY inprovements, you'll be much happier

[BigBuggie]

Im sure there are more improvements. I actually kind of like the more slender, bullet like design of the 90-92, seems like it started to get more beefy in 93. Really they all look good. I really like the miles on this blk one. I have decided to take a ride up and check it out friday. It'll waste a full tank of gas ad about 6 hours out of my day but if I like the car it'll be more than worth it to me!! :D

Thanks again!! Pete

Had no idea the 1UZ-FE was so light on the throttle!. Gave it a couple of whacks today. Nearly tached it out, I was used to the slow roll of my 2000 528i. Its kind of refreshing!

Let me see if I can get some pics of this vehicle.

[BigBuggie]

Here are a few shots of it....

Looks darn good to me!!!

[jcrome04]

BEAUTIFUL SHINE!!!!!! I had 20"s on my old 91 and it seemed to cause a lot of problems with the front end... bad on hubs, hard on brakes.. ride was still really smooth though. Looking back I would never again put heavy 20"s on a car designed to be on 15"s.

[new2mud]

$3100 is a decent price, but factor in maintenance history--as you know, it is NOT cheap to have major maintenance done on the LS.

But no title? :whistles:

[BigBuggie]

"But no title? " I know, I know. Makes me a bit uneasy.

I was actually hoping to work on it myself.