Just Bought A '97 Coach Edition

[amcdonal86]

Hi guys,

I just bought a '97 Coach Edition. It is in pristine condition (okay, it has a small ding in the fender and a small ding on the door and a few scratches on the rear bumper if you look close, but the interior is flawless), and it drives like it's brand new, even with 91k miles on it!

So far, I am very pleased with this car. I enjoy driving sporty cars with manual transmissions, and I was sure that I would never go back to driving an automatic. But I test drove some LS400s after realizing what a fantastic value they are, especially in this economy (I got mine for $7400 out the door), something about the car just felt right. It didn't seem like a car just for old people, and it instantly felt familiar.

Well anyhow, I look forward to being a part of this community!

P.S. The car is shimmying on the highway at around 55-65 mph. It is most noticeable in the steering wheel. I got an alignment and this did not fix the issue. My first thought is the wheels are out of balance. Is this the most likely scenario or are there more sinister things at work here? The tires are nearing the end of their life (I'd say they're about 5-10k miles away from hitting the wear bars on the tires), so I'm hoping that that's not the issue. I'd like to hold off on buying new tires until the summer, so I'm thinking of just getting the wheels balanced for about $50. Any thoughts?

[SRK]

It wouldn't hurt to get a wheel balance - see if you can find a shop that does a "road force" balance. I just had new Michelin LTX tires installed on my Dakota service truck, and I watched the tires spun up on a road force machine (which is why I bought them at this particular tire shop) I could see a small "hop" in the brand new tires just mounted on perfectly straight wheels. As the force drum was applied to the tire, I could see the hop being removed as the assembly rotated. Took about 15 seconds. Then they were balanced, spinning in the reverse rotation. Even those Michelin truck tires took less than 2 ounces each, and they are PERFECTLY smooth at all speeds. Incredible.

So get that type of balance done. If that doesn't fix it, have the alignment shop check for worn suspension bushings. They should have done so before the alignment, but if you complain, maybe they'll check more closely. These cars are famous for being sensitive to worn bushings.

[amcdonal86]

It wouldn't hurt to get a wheel balance - see if you can find a shop that does a "road force" balance. I just had new Michelin LTX tires installed on my Dakota service truck, and I watched the tires spun up on a road force machine (which is why I bought them at this particular tire shop) I could see a small "hop" in the brand new tires just mounted on perfectly straight wheels. As the force drum was applied to the tire, I could see the hop being removed as the assembly rotated. Took about 15 seconds. Then they were balanced, spinning in the reverse rotation. Even those Michelin truck tires took less than 2 ounces each, and they are PERFECTLY smooth at all speeds. Incredible.

So get that type of balance done. If that doesn't fix it, have the alignment shop check for worn suspension bushings. They should have done so before the alignment, but if you complain, maybe they'll check more closely. These cars are famous for being sensitive to worn bushings.

Bah. How much does it cost to replace worn bushings?

I feel like it's really a balancing problem, though. The car is PERFECT under about 55 mph. I've never driven a car so perfect in my life! :)

Thanks for your help!!

[landar]

Bah. How much does it cost to replace worn bushings?

Uh oh, you know what they say....."if you have to ask the price, you cant afford it"

Should we tell him about the 90k service interval? :o

Congrats on the purchase. The LS400 is one fine machine.

[jcrome04]

Hey man welcome to the club!

I've got a 97 Coach Edition too!! :D :D :D

I'd recommend getting some clear bumper lights. Really changes the look of the vehicle!

http://luxurymods.com/index.asp?PageAction...&ProdID=541

[eatingupblacktop]

Bah. How much does it cost to replace worn bushings?

The car is PERFECT under about 55 mph. I've never driven a car so perfect in my life! :)

Thanks for your help!!

No bahs about it. Good advice you're getting here. Welcome to the club. Now that your a member, take advantage of all this info on how to keep that 97 Coach Edition in "PERFECT" conditon.

[amcdonal86]

Bah. How much does it cost to replace worn bushings?

The car is PERFECT under about 55 mph. I've never driven a car so perfect in my life! :)

Thanks for your help!!

No bahs about it. Good advice you're getting here. Welcome to the club. Now that your a member, take advantage of all this info on how to keep that 97 Coach Edition in "PERFECT" conditon.

Haha thanks for the welcome.

I took it to the Lexus dealership and had the wheels balanced. It's not shimmying anymore! :)

I was under the impression that the LS400 is a car that is very inexpensive to maintain. I'm trying to budget about $100 a month on maintenance and repairs. That's $1200 a year and about 10 cents per mile. Do you guys think this figure is reasonable?

[amcdonal86]

Hey man welcome to the club!

I've got a 97 Coach Edition too!! :D :D :D

I'd recommend getting some clear bumper lights. Really changes the look of the vehicle!

http://luxurymods.com/index.asp?PageAction...&ProdID=541

That does look pretty cool. Maybe it would make the styling more suitable for a young soon-to-be college graduate like myself!

[1990LS400]

I was under the impression that the LS400 is a car that is very inexpensive to maintain. I'm trying to budget about $100 a month on maintenance and repairs. That's $1200 a year and about 10 cents per mile. Do you guys think this figure is reasonable?

I think you are on track with a $100/month expense allocation over the long haul. As the miles mount up, you will likely be having a number of front suspension components replaced that usually wear out between 75,000 and 140,000 miles. If it has not been done, you will probably spend $1300 - $1600 on the 90K mile service if you have someone do it for you and depending on if you have an indie shop or a Lexus dealer do the work. You might even be able to squeeze your tires out of a budget like that.

Without checking my files, I'd guess that our 00 LS400 costs more than twice as much to maintain as our 98 Camry with a similar number of miles -- about 105,000 miles on both. But then, it feels like twice as much car.

The 95-97 LS400 is definitely my favorite LS body style -- very clean design.

[amcdonal86]

I was under the impression that the LS400 is a car that is very inexpensive to maintain. I'm trying to budget about $100 a month on maintenance and repairs. That's $1200 a year and about 10 cents per mile. Do you guys think this figure is reasonable?

I think you are on track with a $100/month expense allocation over the long haul. As the miles mount up, you will likely be having a number of front suspension components replaced that usually wear out between 75,000 and 140,000 miles. If it has not been done, you will probably spend $1300 - $1600 on the 90K mile service if you have someone do it for you and depending on if you have an indie shop or a Lexus dealer do the work. You might even be able to squeeze your tires out of a budget like that.

Without checking my files, I'd guess that our 00 LS400 costs more than twice as much to maintain as our 98 Camry with a similar number of miles -- about 105,000 miles on both. But then, it feels like twice as much car.

The 95-97 LS400 is definitely my favorite LS body style -- very clean design.

That's good to know.

I just hope there will be no surprise repairs. My '94 Miata (which I am now selling) had many many surprise repairs that added up!

I had also test driven a 2000 LS400 which I also liked. Initially I preferred the styling of the 2000 when they were parked side by side, but now that I can see my LS400 by itself, I think it looks fantastic. I also prefer the 4 speed automatic to the 5 speed because there is less shifting (which, IMO, is good for such a torquey engine)!

Would've been nice to have wood grain on the steering wheel, though!

[blake918]

Congrats! B) Any pics?

I was under the impression that the LS400 is a car that is very inexpensive to maintain.

I wouldn't say that. I can't imagine labeling any $55k luxury car as inexpensive to maintain. The OEM parts are quite expensive.... $70 for a lower ball joint, $50 for a tie rod end, $250 for a front lower control arm (the control arm bushings aren't available by themselves unless you want poly), front upper control arm is $300, $125 per shock, $115 per suspension spring, 8 platinum or iridium plugs aren't cheap either, a set of plug wires is $120, and so on. The good news is that the parts are going to last for quite a while & the quality of the parts is excellent!

[amcdonal86]

Congrats! B) Any pics?

I was under the impression that the LS400 is a car that is very inexpensive to maintain.

I wouldn't say that. I can't imagine labeling any $55k luxury car as inexpensive to maintain. The OEM parts are quite expensive.... $70 for a lower ball joint, $50 for a tie rod end, $250 for a front lower control arm (the control arm bushings aren't available by themselves unless you want poly), front upper control arm is $300, $125 per shock, $115 per suspension spring, 8 platinum or iridium plugs aren't cheap either, a set of plug wires is $120, and so on. The good news is that the parts are going to last for quite a while & the quality of the parts is excellent!

I guess it doesn't really matter--as long as it averages about 10 cents per mile I think I'll be okay!

I only have pics from the dealer's craigslist ad, which are quite accurate (naturally). The Coach embroidered floor mats came with the car but were in the trunk when these photos were taken.

My car didn't come with an owner's manual. I already registered on the owners section of the Lexus official website and ordered my free replacement owners manual, but I don't know where I can find the maintenance schedule for the LS400. Do you know where I can find a PDF version online?

[1990LS400]

There can always be the occasional unplanned repair but it shouldn't be a worry if you really do reserve your $1200/year for funding repairs and maintenance. Regardless, maintaining a Lexus LS is far less expensive than maintaining a BMW or Mercedes of a similar model year and new car price.

Your 97 Coach did come with the most important piece of original equipment, didn't it? I'm speaking of the "COACH Leather Cabin Bag" -- the specs are here: http://www.lexus.com/contact/pdf/1997/1997LSspecs.pdf (Ignore the parts about HID and rear heated seats being an option on the U.S spec 97 LS -- they were not.)

Don't be concerned about not having a wood steering wheel -- the leather wrapped wheel is more comfortable. Funny that outside the U.S., the wood steering wheel was standard and the all leather wheel was optional on the LS430. Americans are just plain silly about wood in car interiors.

Regarding the number of transmission gears, modern transmissions shift so smoothly that shifting isn't really noticeable anymore -- the more gears the better.

It looks like you have a nice car. Take care of it and it should last you for at least another decade.

[amcdonal86]

There can always be the occasional unplanned repair but it shouldn't be a worry if you really do reserve your $1200/year for funding repairs and maintenance. Regardless, maintaining a Lexus LS is far less expensive than maintaining a BMW or Mercedes of a similar model year and new car price.

Your 97 Coach did come with the most important piece of original equipment, didn't it? I'm speaking of the "COACH Leather Cabin Bag" -- the specs are here: http://www.lexus.com/contact/pdf/1997/1997LSspecs.pdf (Ignore the parts about HID and rear heated seats being an option on the U.S spec 97 LS -- they were not.)

Don't be concerned about not having a wood steering wheel -- the leather wrapped wheel is more comfortable. Funny that outside the U.S., the wood steering wheel was standard and the all leather wheel was optional on the LS430. Americans are just plain silly about wood in car interiors.

Regarding the number of transmission gears, modern transmissions shift so smoothly that shifting isn't really noticeable anymore -- the more gears the better.

It looks like you have a nice car. Take care of it and it should last you for at least another decade.

Mine didn't come with the leather cabin bag unfortunately. I agree that the leather wrapped steering wheel is more comfortable, but I would've at least wanted a chrome "L" badge on the steering wheel. Regardless, the interior looks great.

About the number of transmission gears, for some reason the 2000 LS400 I drove just didn't feel as "meaty" as the 1997 LS400 I bought. Even though shifts were seamless, the 2000 LS400 seemed to be faster revving and, if it did shift when you pressed the gas pedal, you would have to wait a half a second or so for the power to come. They're both great cars, I'm just glad I actually prefer the one I got (and not the more expensive one)! :)

My girlfriend is driving up today for New Years. I think she will be very impressed with the car!

[jcrome04]

Wow.....

That thing is so clean.

[David Culberson]

Great car, that thing is in excellent condition! Especially for the price!! I'm in the same boat having come from a '99 Miata. I still miss it occasionally, and might buy another one soon. But the LS has been everything I wanted when I bought it: comfortable, reliable, and safe. My Miata had absolutely no maintenance issues, of course I sold it with only about 50k miles on it.

Do you do any of your own maintenance and repairs? If so, your $1200/year will be way more than enough. I've had my '95 LS400 for close to 2 years now and have only spent, other than tires, about $1000 on it. Tires were an extra $500 or so; it's not cheap to get good touring tires with the right speed rating. Mine needed the infamous '95 starter replaced (common failure on my year), a good tune-up with plugs/wires/rotors, and all new brake rotors and pads. Since I did all the work myself, it was a lot cheaper than having a shop do it. Mine has a lot more miles on it than yours, at about 152k miles. Still has an amazing ride and will go faster than I'm comfortable with. (Feels stable at 100+)

As far as parts prices go, they're not cheap but also not that bad. Having priced parts for a lot of vehicles lately, I can tell you you're not getting OEM shocks for much less than $125 on *anything* these days. Hell, my mother in law's Saturn needs rear springs and the local dealership quoted $147 EACH! I managed to find them online for $80 but still a Saturn LS is nowhere near the quality of a Lexus LS.

Good luck with the car, and enjoy!

-David

[amcdonal86]

Great car, that thing is in excellent condition! Especially for the price!! I'm in the same boat having come from a '99 Miata. I still miss it occasionally, and might buy another one soon. But the LS has been everything I wanted when I bought it: comfortable, reliable, and safe. My Miata had absolutely no maintenance issues, of course I sold it with only about 50k miles on it.

Do you do any of your own maintenance and repairs? If so, your $1200/year will be way more than enough. I've had my '95 LS400 for close to 2 years now and have only spent, other than tires, about $1000 on it. Tires were an extra $500 or so; it's not cheap to get good touring tires with the right speed rating. Mine needed the infamous '95 starter replaced (common failure on my year), a good tune-up with plugs/wires/rotors, and all new brake rotors and pads. Since I did all the work myself, it was a lot cheaper than having a shop do it. Mine has a lot more miles on it than yours, at about 152k miles. Still has an amazing ride and will go faster than I'm comfortable with. (Feels stable at 100+)

As far as parts prices go, they're not cheap but also not that bad. Having priced parts for a lot of vehicles lately, I can tell you you're not getting OEM shocks for much less than $125 on *anything* these days. Hell, my mother in law's Saturn needs rear springs and the local dealership quoted $147 EACH! I managed to find them online for $80 but still a Saturn LS is nowhere near the quality of a Lexus LS.

Good luck with the car, and enjoy!

-David

I will probably do all minor maintenance myself (spark plugs/wires, brakes, etc.) myself, but I'll probably have a mechanic do some other things. :)

By the way, I just sold the Miata today. I got $3275 for my '94 Miata with 162k miles on it! I should be a used car salesman!

[David Culberson]

I will probably do all minor maintenance myself (spark plugs/wires, brakes, etc.) myself, but I'll probably have a mechanic do some other things. :)

By the way, I just sold the Miata today. I got $3275 for my '94 Miata with 162k miles on it! I should be a used car salesman!

You should be fine on repairs, cost-wise, then. Your car has so many fewer miles on it than mine that I bet it'll be very reliable.

My Miata was awesome!! We bought it for $9700 when it was just three years old or so, drove it for over 3.5 years and sold it for $7500! The only repairs I made was the brakes and shocks (upgraded to adjustable shocks). That was a good deal.

[amcdonal86]

I will probably do all minor maintenance myself (spark plugs/wires, brakes, etc.) myself, but I'll probably have a mechanic do some other things. :)

By the way, I just sold the Miata today. I got $3275 for my '94 Miata with 162k miles on it! I should be a used car salesman!

You should be fine on repairs, cost-wise, then. Your car has so many fewer miles on it than mine that I bet it'll be very reliable.

My Miata was awesome!! We bought it for $9700 when it was just three years old or so, drove it for over 3.5 years and sold it for $7500! The only repairs I made was the brakes and shocks (upgraded to adjustable shocks). That was a good deal.

My Miata was a whole different story. Here is a list of major things I had replaced and the mileages I had them replaced at:

Clutch/rear main seal 125k

rear calipers/pads 127k

motor mounts 130k

convertible top 130k

catback exhaust 133k

driveshaft 146k

EGR tube 147k

Now that I think about it, it wasn't that bad, but those are just the major things. In total, I spent $4500 on maintenance in 3 years, not including oil changes. I hope I don't have to invest any more than that on the Lexus! $1200 a year is my conservative allowance for repairs, but I would truly like to spend only $600 a year! (I'm dreaming, right?) :)

Anyhow, about the Miata--I bought it for $3100 in January '06 and sold it 3 years later at $3275. But I did have to invest a heck of a lot into it. That was a great car, but oddly I don't find myself missing it--at least not yet. Maybe when a warm spring day comes around... :( I think the Lexus is the right car for me at the right time!!

[landar]

I must have missed it in this long thread about maintenance costs. How long ago did the timing belt, water pump, and tensioners get changed in your 97 Coach Edition with 91k miles?

[amcdonal86]

I must have missed it in this long thread about maintenance costs. How long ago did the timing belt, water pump, and tensioners get changed in your 97 Coach Edition with 91k miles?

The sticker indicates that the timing belt and water pump were changed at 60k miles in February 2003, so it's probably due soon because of the time that has lapsed. I will probably wait at least until the summer, though.

[David Culberson]

I must have missed it in this long thread about maintenance costs. How long ago did the timing belt, water pump, and tensioners get changed in your 97 Coach Edition with 91k miles?

The sticker indicates that the timing belt and water pump were changed at 60k miles in February 2003, so it's probably due soon because of the time that has lapsed. I will probably wait at least until the summer, though.

I bought my wife's LS400 in early 2008(I think? Time flies.) with a broken timing belt; it was the original from 1991 and it and the water pump had 240k miles on it. The call is obviously yours, but I wouldn't worry about changing that belt after just 5 years and 30k-40k miles!

[amcdonal86]

I must have missed it in this long thread about maintenance costs. How long ago did the timing belt, water pump, and tensioners get changed in your 97 Coach Edition with 91k miles?

The sticker indicates that the timing belt and water pump were changed at 60k miles in February 2003, so it's probably due soon because of the time that has lapsed. I will probably wait at least until the summer, though.

I bought my wife's LS400 in early 2008(I think? Time flies.) with a broken timing belt; it was the original from 1991 and it and the water pump had 240k miles on it. The call is obviously yours, but I wouldn't worry about changing that belt after just 5 years and 30k-40k miles!

I don't think I'll worry about it. I think I will wait until 120k miles before I change it.

I don't know if what I was looking at was a Lexus publication, but it indicated that the timing belt was to be changed every 60k miles and did not give maximum life (time) for the belt. According to the Lexus Owner's website, my car has had the 90k service completed by a dealership already, so I think I am set for a few years of trouble free and relatively maintenance free driving for now! I'm stoked!

[GKLCPA]

Hi guys,

I just bought a '97 Coach Edition. It is in pristine condition (okay, it has a small ding in the fender and a small ding on the door and a few scratches on the rear bumper if you look close, but the interior is flawless), and it drives like it's brand new, even with 91k miles on it!

So far, I am very pleased with this car. I enjoy driving sporty cars with manual transmissions, and I was sure that I would never go back to driving an automatic. But I test drove some LS400s after realizing what a fantastic value they are, especially in this economy (I got mine for $7400 out the door), something about the car just felt right. It didn't seem like a car just for old people, and it instantly felt familiar.

Well anyhow, I look forward to being a part of this community!

P.S. The car is shimmying on the highway at around 55-65 mph. It is most noticeable in the steering wheel. I got an alignment and this did not fix the issue. My first thought is the wheels are out of balance. Is this the most likely scenario or are there more sinister things at work here? The tires are nearing the end of their life (I'd say they're about 5-10k miles away from hitting the wear bars on the tires), so I'm hoping that that's not the issue. I'd like to hold off on buying new tires until the summer, so I'm thinking of just getting the wheels balanced for about $50. Any thoughts?

Congrats on your car. You're right about the fantastic value of LS's given this economy. I keep looking at 430's that are selling for little more than what I paid for my 96 two years ago. They're nearly giving them away. I can't justify buying however as my car is too good.

[GKLCPA]

Here's an example of what I'm talking about with regard to how cheap the LS 430's are getting. This is a 2003 Ultra:

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp;?...leadExists=true

And it's negotiable.