Lexus Owner To Be... Maybe

[petaloutha]

My heart says yes, though the last time I bought that way, it cost me. Have spent many hours searching here and elsewhere online and read many threads on timing belt, waterpump, catalytic converter, trunk lid struts, etc. I understand that reliability is second to none, and pretty positive about the opportunity... but I'm still leery of potential problems in any 10 year old vehicle. History looks clean and did not spend much time in snow. Would like to give my mechanic a 'short list' of big ticket items to check out before I drop ten grand on the table. Any help is appreciated.

[1990LS400]

There is not much to worry about if the car has a full maintenance history and appears to be in good condition. A plus of buying a base model is that there is less to go wrong but even the fully loaded 2001 Canadian LS430 (with power rear seat package) didn't have navigation if I remember correctly. You said the car has 100,000 "miles" - is it a US import?

If it helps for comparison, I bought my 2000 LS400 in 2003 at 38,000 miles and it is now at about 133,000 miles. Other than normal maintenance, only two components have failed in all that time. Either the TPS or PPS (I forgot which) failed and I had both replaced both since one was weak. And an overhead interior map light failed. I just checked and saw that the total cost of repairs for those two incidents was just less than US$1,000. This amount does not include the cost of regular maintenance, tires and an extra set of wheels for winter use.

If the car you are considering does not have a complete and up-to-date maintenance history, I'd pass on it. I see you have a 05 C230. I suspect an 01 LS430 will be less expensive to run than your C230.

[petaloutha]

Thanks for the confidence boost. Knock on wood (fake in the Benz) it has been a pretty good ride, but the time has come to count my blessings and move on. The LS is a Canadian car (though spent winters in Florida) - so 160000kms.