'95-'97 Ls400 Vs. '09 Camry/accord

[90LS400Lexus]

No, but I have driven a 2009 Toyota Avalon XL with 700 miles on it. It still did not ride as nice as my 1991 LS400 and the transmission did not shift as nice as it does on my LS400, despite it having about 217K more miles and being nearly 20 years old. It was nice though not to feel vibrations and have power steering leaks. I wonder how long before that plagues a 2009 Avalon?

Hopefully Toyota has cured their power steering leak issues that plagued the early 90s models.

Still I would take a new car over my worn out LS... I think, unless someone gave me about $1500 to get my LS up to par. ;)

[nc211]

Driving my gf's Corolla and the LS, I noticed that my LS decelerates too quickly when I get off the gas pedal. Maybe I have a stock brake caliper???

As soon as I ease off the gas on the LS, the speed drops from 80 to 70 in about 3 seconds.

Do you notice a slight bucking around 40-45mph on gentle throttle, and easing off of it gently? If so, you don't have drag, you've got the old engine computer that drops the fuel supply too quickly when to take your foot off the gas. A very common issue with the 95's.

[jcrome04]

Hey NC do you know how to get rid of the drag?

I don't have bucking. But when I take my foot off the gas going +40mph it decelerates, kind of like down shifting a manual transmission.

[Brett in AK]

This might explain something...

My other cars are:

2008 LS3 Corvette 6 speed

2008 Dodge Charger 5.7L

Driving my gf's Corolla and the LS, I noticed that my LS decelerates too quickly when I get off the gas pedal. Maybe I have a stock brake caliper???

As soon as I ease off the gas on the LS, the speed drops from 80 to 70 in about 3 seconds.

Thank GOD! A Lexus owner who has something else interesting in the garage! (And not another identical Lexus!)

I just had to reply to your comment about something else interesting in the garage. I'm willing to bet that I have another vehicle in the garage that no one else on the LOC has. A 1950 Dodge B1PW Power Wagon. Lets see someone top that! I'd also wager that most if not all probably don't even know what one looks like? Do the Google thing and check out a real truck. They say that opposites attract! B) Car poor, but loving it! Camry content - I think I saw one once! ;)

Okay, my other vehicles:

2008 Harley Davidson Anniversary Screamin' Eagle Ultra Classic

2005 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

2003 F350 6.0 Lariat

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 (Like a 4wd Corvette)

1974 Dodge W200 CC (Snow plow & wood hauler!)

[Marklouis]

I bet the insurance guys are lovin' you mulit-vehicle peoples!!! on another note, just took a trip to Burkville,(Newton) TX in the LS, and it did great! the only issue i had was the main vent freezing up due to low Freon in the AC, but no biggie, running the outside air solved that issue. 1800 miles total with an average of 23 MPG w/2 passengers and a full trunk of luggage at 75 mph average. I love to travel in this....747 as someone called the LS.

time for Shocks and rod bushings this summer!!

by the way, i absolutely LOVE the way Texas builds thier roads, even the backroads were smooth and very well laid out....cant say that for Louisiana and Missippi heading west on I-20 was Awful!!! :(

[Brett in AK]

I bet the insurance guys are lovin' you mulit-vehicle peoples!!! on another note, just took a trip to Burkville,(Newton) TX in the LS, and it did great! the only issue i had was the main vent freezing up due to low Freon in the AC, but no biggie, running the outside air solved that issue. 1800 miles total with an average of 23 MPG w/2 passengers and a full trunk of luggage at 75 mph average. I love to travel in this....747 as someone called the LS.

time for Shocks and rod bushings this summer!!

by the way, i absolutely LOVE the way Texas builds thier roads, even the backroads were smooth and very well laid out....cant say that for Louisiana and Missippi heading west on I-20 was Awful!!! :(

You only get to go around once in this old world so you might as well enjoy yourself while you're here. Look at it this way with more than one or two cars you get the "multi car" discount. <_<. After over 20 years in the military and now retired for that many more, I'm entitled to a little fun! Eagerly awaiting spring :)

[Dr. Car]

I have personal experience with the two cars that the OP is interested in - too bad I didn't see this thread earlier.

I have a 1997 LS400 with 155,000 mile that I've owned for 5 years and I've racked up most of its miles. I'll note that it has sportier (firmer) KYB GR2 strut inserts and I have good tires on it, Yokohama V4S, giving it excellent ride control and cornering. I've driven floppier LSs that I didn't like as much. The right tires make such a difference, and good shocks are the most effective suspension modification you can make, for most cars.

Last September I got rear-ended on the freeway pretty hard. $5000 of bodywork took about a month, during which time the at-fault driver's insurance company provided me with a 2009 rental Camry. It was of course just a 4 cylinder. It's impressive how adequate 4-bangers are in large sedans these days, the power and torque is far above what economical engines used to make. However, I wasn't blown away by the fuel economy. There is a point of diminishing returns, particularly if you drive a car pretty hard, and I only netted about a 3-4 mpg increase over my usually 21-22 mpg in the LS. Coupled with the drop in gas cost by filling with regular instead of supreme, the Camry saved maybe 20% in fuel costs, which I did not think was worth the loss of torque. Had the Camry had the V6 I bet I would have been fully satisfied with the power (equal hp, a little less torque than the LS, and a couple hundred less pounds to move), but the gas advantage would shrink in half and I would still miss the smoothness of the LS V8.

Now on to the interior and here is where the Camry really suffers, as it must since it is built to compete at a lower price-point. The LS has high-quality materials, smooth edges, beautiful and elegant electroluminescent gauges, leather seats (mine are still excellent due to leather conditioning at regular intervals), and every part that moves has beautiful detents. On the other hand, the Camry interior is full of plastic and rubber parts that look ugly and feel cheap, and while some of the moving parts feel alright, the overall sensory experience is unsatisfying. I was really sick of the Camry and missed my Lexus by the end of my month. The seats were not as comfortable for me (I am 6'1", 205#) and made me uncomfortable on drives longer than an hour. I missed the LS's beatifully weighted steering, with its ingot-like solidity, and the feel of the polished leather steering wheel. Every time I shifted the Camry, the plasticky shift knob felt tacky as it moved through the gates, whereas on the LS, the spring loading and gates for the shifter feels so much richer, not to mention the pleasure of handling the polished leather knob. The Camry's stereo had as much bass as the old 97 Nakamichi system, but didn't have the quality of sound in the mid and high frequencies that makes the LS stereo such a pleasure to listen to on an hours-long drive. The doors on the Camry shut with a high-frequency ping of an economy car, whereas the Lexus doors shut with a rich bassy thump befitting a luxury car.

Styling-wise, I think the LS has a beautiful and classy shape. On the other hand, I think the 2009 Camry has horrible hand-me-down styling from the already revolting Bangle-era BMWs.

The Camry has a good ride - for an economy sedan. But it is not nearly as smooth (or quiet) on the highway or over rough pavement as the LS. The Camry's handling is as demoralizing as I expected it to be. The problem is not lack of grip, but lack of fun. Like all modern sedans, the Camry can achieve adequate cornering speeds, but it has a dreadful conflagration of nose-heaviness, numb steering, front wheel drive, squeally non-performance tires, and excessive understeer. My LS, with good struts and performance tires, is far more lively and fun to drive. The rear wheel drive layout and torquey V8 allows me to transfer weight to aid turn-in and I can roll on the gas earlier as I exit a corner, whereas the Camry's front tires are loaded up with double-duty to accelerate and steer its nose-heavy chassis. The Camry felt bouncy and cheaply suspended, whereas my 155K, 12 year-old LS feels far richer in its handling. The Camry's annoying handling traits would be worse with a heavier V6 in the nose, and more hp & torque being fed into those squealing front tires.

Midsize cars are now pretty large and the Camry was only a little smaller than the LS - but it is smaller, if that matters to you. I thought its size was adequate, so no real demerits there.

To me, the 2009 Camry was a penalty box and I would not ever own one (4 cyl. OR V6) if I can help it. I am not going to tell you that the LS is the car for everyone, because there is no such thing, but I would recommend getting it or another used luxury sedan over a new Camry. I was so glad to get my LS back from the bodyshop. For new Camry money, you could get a used LS430 that is a better luxury car than my '97 LS400. If you get an LS400, get a '98-'00, which have 30 more hp, a very needed 5th gear in the automatic tranny, and auto up & down for all the windows.

[VRicherson]

Just budget an extra few thousand to the cost of the LS when you buy it, because you will be paying it in maintenance.

Mine needs to have the suspension converted ($1000+), the PS Pump replaced ($500 parts and $400 labor), 90K maintenance ($1500 at dealer). I am no handy man to do this stuff myself. So my $10K car + the maintenance will cost me $15K over maybe 5 years (hopefully it will last longer than that), and when the 5 years is up it will be worth maybe $5K if I am lucky.

I bought a 97 Altima in 2002, for $10K. With little maintenance (probably less than $1000 in total maintenance not including oil changes), but it is worth about $1000 with almost 200K miles and slignt body damage that is not worth fixing. So the total cost of ownership for these two cars will be about the same but I enjoy the LS more.