2000 Ls400s?

[thomas073]

After much research into luxury cars, I decided on the 2000 LS400. A beautiful white model slipped out from under me at a local dealer. You snooze, you lose as the saying goes.

I've been searching the lexus.com CPO website and find amazing few 2000 models anywhere within a 1000 miles of the Dallas area (that are CPO). I can find loads of '99 models and an equally large number of '01 and newer LS430s (mostly just back from lease).

Why so few 2000 models in the CPO program? Or are they just not available?

[1990LS400]

Personally, I don't place much value in the CPO program when buying a low mileage LS with a good maintenance history - unless you want to pay a whole lot more. When I bought a 2000 LS last November, the local Kansas City Lexus dealer was asking $9,000 !!! more for a silver 2000 LS with about 35,000 miles than I paid to an independent dealer a few days later for a similar white 2000 LS with 38,000 miles that had come off its original 3 year lease. (It was probably leased in August or September since it was manufactured in June 2000.)

You might ask a local dealer to look for a 2000 at the auto auction. I was lucky. I gave detailed requirements (white, no nav, no air suspension, total miles) to the owner of a local independent Lexus repair shop at 2:00 pm on a Friday afternoon and a he called me back at around 4:30 pm the same day as we hopped on I-35 for a road trip. The LS he had found had stuff (Platinum package, chrome wheels) I didn't care about but we still bought it on the spot, swapped the luggage between the old and "new" LS and drove on to Des Moines. My wife quickly appreciated why I wanted a car with HID.

In hindsight, I am glad it had the Platinum Package with the leather, wood, stereo and HID upgrades. I probably would have liked Nav and air suspension but I don't tend to get lost and hear a lot of negative comments about air suspension.

I don't have sales figures but have to wonder if fewer LS400's were made for the 2000 model year than for the 98-99 model years due to people waiting for LS430's and people switching to LX470 SUV's.

So, keep trying - you will find your ideal car.

Good luck,

Jim

[98 LS]

After much research into luxury cars, I decided on the 2000 LS400. 

Hey thomas073 ....... I'm curious ..... why not pick up a '98 or '99 since they are more available and save a few in the process? Aren’t they virtually the same? Is there a particular feature that exists only on the 2000?

Regardless ...... you will Love it.

[1990LS400]

The reasons I went with a 2000 LS instead of a 98 - 99:

1) I wanted a car that was still under the original four year/50,000 mile basic warranty - mine is for another 8 months. My chrome wheels were just replaced under warranty saving me at least a thousand - probably a lot more.

2) I wanted HID's badly. Some earlier ones did not have them but all the 2000's I looked at did.

3) Related to #1, the later the model year, the more lower mileage cars are available. There were more 2000's available that were within my target maximum mileage. There was one in yesterday's KC Star with less than 35K miles.

4) A probably silly goal - I bought one of the first LS400's shortly after they were introduced in the U.S. and I wanted to have one of the very last ones made.

Regardless, they are all great cars and I would not be afraid to buy one of any year if it has been properly maintained.

[99lsguy]

HIDS and the wood steering wheel / knob package became standard in 99, But I looked at 2 other 98's that had them also.

They were such a popular addition that a lot of 98's got these features and so LEXUS made them standard for 99 and up.

I think the 2000 have an auto sensor when on cruise control to match the car infront of you (if you want) - avoids "creeping up" to close.

Is that right Jim?

[1990LS400]

Hey Roy!

I think I remember a salesman at the dealership complaining to me in 98 about all the LS's did not come with HID - weren't they a $500 option if not part of an options package?

I don't see any mention of a "distronic" type cruise control feature in my 2000 owners manual - mine seems to work like it did in the 90 LS except I don't remember the 90 cruise control forcing the transmission mode to "normal" like the 2000 does.

The wood upgrade I was talking about on the 2000 LS and also the HID is part of the $5,504 (before $1,900 discount) Platinum Series package. Instead of Walnut, all the wood is maple - including the wood on the wood/leather steering wheel.

From the window sticker:

"** The Platinum Series Includes Specially Textured Royale Leather Trim; Bird's Eye Maple Wood Trim: Nakamichi Premium Audio with 6-CD Auto Changer; Power Moonroof; Heated Front Seats; High Intensity Discharge Headlamps (HID); Custom Alloy Wheels; Black Pearl Badging and Platinum Signature Embroidered Floormats"

Gosh I just now learned from the window sticker that it has "... Speed sensing variable Intermittent Wipers ..." Apparently I need to do some more reading.

Jim

[98 LS]

Gosh I just now learned from the window sticker that it has "... Speed sensing variable Intermittent Wipers ..."  Apparently I need to do some more reading.

I remember when I experienced the "Speed sensing variable Intermittent Wipers " for the first time ..... I thought something was broken for a moment and then I had one of those "Oh cool" moments when I realized another detail about the Lex that makes it stand out. At a full stop they revert to intermitent!

I do understand also ........ HID is a must. In fact they are "on" in the picture in my signature.

Enjoy the ride ........ :D

[99lsguy]

Jim,

Yes, come to think of it, those HID's were option on 98...I just happened to see/test drive 2 other 98's that had them on it (in addition to wood, etc...)

They do make a difference ! I love em :D

That "cruise" thing must have happened in 01.

98LS,

and about those intermittent wipers... I did the same thing one rainy afternoon. After stopping at a light, I kind of wondered, then thought.....HEY, THIS IS PRETTY COOL

99

[SW03ES]

Sorry I didnt chime in on this earlier...

Anywho, 00 was a half model year. They stopped production partway through the year to gear up for the launch of the LS430, LS400s were beyond scarce to see at Lexus dealers. Thats why you dont see many 00s.

As for HID on the 98s. MOST 98s have HID, wood/leather wheel etc. However it was an option that came in a package, made standard in 99. My dad's 98 had HID and the wood/leather wheel.

A couple other things, Air ride is very rare in all third gen LS400s, my dads had it too (the only one I've ever seen), and Nakamichi was rare in 99 (for some reason)...

And no laser distronic cruise on the 00, that came on the LS430 in 01. 98/99/00 are vertually identical in equipment, meaning everything was availiable the same. Only change in 99 was that the woodwheel/HID was made standard and electronic brake force distribution and daytime running lights were introduced. Only change for 00 was the availiability of the Platinum edition.

[1990LS400]

SW03ES,

My window sticker and owners manual indicates that HID was an option even for the 2000 model year. I agree that the vast majority of 2000's had HID but am of the opinion that a few had to have been available without HID, sunroof, or any other options just so Lexus could legally advertise the $54,005 base price shown on my window sticker.

Lexus and other manufacturers commonly pull tricks like this. For example, I only saw one early LS without any options at all (no sunroof, no leather, no remote lock) at the $35,000 list price. I later tried to buy one but settled for one that had cloth and only three options - sunroof, remote locking and floor mats. Same thing happened with the very first SC300's with cloth interior and 5-speed manual transmission - I only saw one or two. Lexus isn't the only manufacturer that plays these games. I tried to buy a bare bones Mercedes 300E with a five speed manual transmission in 1986 and was told they were only a handful of the thousands being imported.

It would be interesting if there was information on all the options and options packages sold on past Lexus models. Once a model year has passed, this information seems very hard to find.

Jim

[SW03ES]

I have the Edmunds price book for every year since 1994 or so and the 2000 brochure ;) I'll look it up for you, I just have to find the right book.

[99lsguy]

Here's the link to all the goodies & differences by year/model.

http://www.lexus.com/cpo/model_library.html

http___www.lexus.com_cpo_model_library.html

[thomas073]

So, I have to ask, not being familiar with such...are the HID headlamps those with the bluish tint that seem to be growing in popularity amongst the car manufacturers?

I've pulled up next to these at night and notice quite a bit of range improvement over the halogen headlamps, plus the "truer color" effect of the "bluish" headlamps versus the almost yellow tint that the others cast on everything.

Thanks for all the info everyone....making lots of notes.

[98 LS]

Hey 99 ...... nice find on the differences in the Gen III model years.

I played around with the URL's and found that a page for the 1998 was available too but not listed on the main page. I thought others might like the '98 link as well? It details the long list of changes to the Gen III.

After looking at all of the pages ........ it appears that there is very little difference amoung the 3 model years.

http://www.lexus.com/cpo/model_detail/ls/4...98.html

http://www.lexus.com/cpo/model_detail/ls/4...99.html

http://www.lexus.com/cpo/model_detail/ls/4...00.html

Enjoy the ride .......

[SW03ES]

So, I have to ask, not being familiar with such...are the HID headlamps those with the bluish tint that seem to be growing in popularity amongst the car manufacturers?

I've pulled up next to these at night and notice quite a bit of range improvement over the halogen headlamps, plus the "truer color" effect of the "bluish" headlamps versus the almost yellow tint that the others cast on everything.

Thanks for all the info everyone....making lots of notes.

Yep, those are HIDs ;)

[1990LS400]

Thanks guys for clearing all this up! And even my local dealer gets confused. Apparently there were two separate "Lexus Chrome Wheels" options in 2000 - one for the "regular" LS series and a different one for the Platinum Series which had different "16-inch, dish-type alloy wheels" (similar to LS430 wheels). It took the dealer more than one try to get Platinum Series dish-type chrome wheels instead of the standard chrome wheels when they were recently replaced under warranty.

Too bad the documentation on the Lexus site doesn't go back further.

Thanks again.

Jim

[99lsguy]

98LS,

Glad you found the 98 model too! I was wondering about that - glad to see the complete list of modifications made to the Gen III LS :D

Don't you just love that little "Sun Shade" visor over the rear view mirror - It comes in handy every now and then

99