Considering A Purchase

[chazglenn3]

Hello everyone;

My name is Charles and just joined the club yesterday. Looks like a great community! I have my eye on a 1997 LS400 with rather high mileage. The car belongs to a salesman and he has put 245,000 on her already! Obviously, these are highway miles. I am going to see the car Monday and think I will take it to a Lexus dealer for a buyer's inspection. Are there any things I should check for myself? I will be sure to ask for service records if he has them. I also think the price is right as long as the car is okay...under $10,000. Thoughts?

[blake918]

Welcome, Charles! :D

Don't pay anywhere near $10k for the car(you can get a car with 110k for that price!)! I just bought a '95 with 224k in Feb. for $6000. My car had no official service records other than the p/s pump at 215k and new front brakes at 210k, but I went for it anyways because it drove beautifully. The best thing to do is drive the car. Do every little test you can think of-go on the freeway(especially feel for vibrations that could be suspension problems), stomp on it at a stand still( it should go like a bat out of hell-I want to say 0-60 in 7.5sec range, right?-and please your ears with wonderful racecar-like sounds!), slam on the brakes, go in heavy traffic, etc. In every situation above, the car should be extremely smooth and stable even with that kind of mileage. You can expect suspension problems(bushings, lower ball joints, etc.), possible p/s leaks, and a burnt stereo LCD; Lexus bushings suck(my LS and ES have this prob.)! My car had a really badly torn driver's seat and console-easily fixed with junkyard parts and a few other common Lexus glitches like the power antenna problems, dead hood supports, and a dead stereo LCD. My car runs(dead silent) and drives like a new car! The only problem with my car is the paint; it's any weekend detailer's nightmare(the Onyx has NO clearcoat. urrr)! Also, check every body panel for official VIN stickers; this will let you know if the car was ever in a wreck if they are missing. Here's my baby at 226.8k(I expect many, many more miles out of this fine machine!) and only $6k--our little secret lol...

[chazglenn3]

Thanks for the welcome, Blake! The cars seem to fetch a lot of money here in the Pacific NW...I test drove a 1997 LS400 Coach edition today with 142,000 miles on it at the local Lexus dealer. The asking price for that car was $16,995. So, if I can talk the guy down to around $9000, I think it will be a good deal (as long as everything checks out). Your car was a real steal for $6000.

[wandawoods]

My name is Charles and just joined the club yesterday. Looks like a great community! I have my eye on a 1997 LS400 with rather high mileage. The car belongs to a salesman and he has put 245,000 on her already......

KBB (private party) in excellent condition with standard equipments + CD changer is valued at about $11K for 97 LS4 225000 miles.

so if you could get the price down to $10k or less, you would be doing very well!

[chazglenn3]

Thanks Wanda! That is what I was thinking. The owner says the car is in excellent condition, just the high miles. He also said he was in the middle of a divorce and was required by the court to split assets with his wife, so I think he may be willing to go a little lower. <_<

[90LS400Lexus]

Hello. I also have a high mile LS400. Mine is a 1990 however. Just today I noticed that it has 229,450 miles. I may have paid a little too much for my car, but according to KBB it was a good price. I bought it last year with about 223K for $4000. It was a 1-owner, garage kept car and aside from a few door dings, scratches and a bad A/C evaporator, it is in excellent conditions. The interior is still like new and the engine and transmission operates like new even at 229K. I do not think the miles have hurt it at all, but I think that $10000 is a little steep for a car with 245K - even a 1997. The same car lot where I bought mine now has a 1994 LS400, for $7995. Do not know the miles, since it has the electronic odometer.

Be sure to check E-Bay for prices. I have seen some LS400's sell cheap. That is why there are times I think I paid too much for mine, because I see ones on there with less mile and in the same condition selling for less than I paid for mine.

Good luck at any rate.

[UCF3]

$9k or a little less sounds like a good idea to me. Visually verify any colour blemishes and bodyshop detail. There are some people who don't know how to drive,a nd you're on the right track with the rest.

[chazglenn3]

Thanks for the replies, everyone! I just got back from the Lexus dealer and of course there is a laundry list of items the car "needs". Of concern to me are: rear main seal leak, no evidence of timing belt change (computer records or on the car), EGR tube cracked, excessive play in rear knuckles. I think I may have to pass on the car, unless I can find a shop with lower prices to change these items. The dealer wants $1900 to do the rear main and $1400 for the timing belt!

Charles

[VBdenny]

Hey Chaz,

You were very smart to take it to the dealer and have it checked. I bought my 90 from a friend for six bucks and it had 120,000 on i and wish I had done that before I bought it. That was two years ago and I am still happy even though I have had a few issues such as suspension, power steering and AC. The AC is something they want a fortune to fix but it looks like I can buy a compressor pretty cheaply and I have 30lbs of R-12 in stock plus all the equipment available to repair it myself.

Here I my suggestion for whatever it's worth. I would read every post on this site regarding the LS400. Once you are very knowledgeable on the problems and symptoms typical of this car, I would use something like autotrader.com and start looking. When you start going out and seeing what is available and the prices, you will be prepared and able to make a quality decision that won't lift too many $$ from your pocket. It is your money and I'm sure you worked very hard for it. Buy exactly what you really want. People are so full of BS about cars that you can't believe anything, so know it yourself first.

Welcome to LOC. Our strength is the top quality people who frequent this site. We watch each others back.

Denny

[mattbys]

I posted here a few days ago regarding the possibilty of selling my 1994 LS 400, per the responses it is on Craigs List (Seattle). If you are interested in a little older with less miles give me shout.

[vyhanh]

My back is pretty ugly :whistles:

[99lsguy]

Thanks for the replies, everyone! I just got back from the Lexus dealer and of course there is a laundry list of items the car "needs". Of concern to me are: rear main seal leak, no evidence of timing belt change (computer records or on the car), EGR tube cracked, excessive play in rear knuckles. I think I may have to pass on the car, unless I can find a shop with lower prices to change these items. The dealer wants $1900 to do the rear main and $1400 for the timing belt!

Charles

I'd definately pass this one up too.................. ;)

Keep looking Charles, and be picky & do your research; you'll find a good one if you are :D

[chazglenn3]

I posted here a few days ago regarding the possibilty of selling my 1994 LS 400, per the responses it is on Craigs List (Seattle). If you are interested in a little older with less miles give me shout.

Matt;

I looked at the ad on Craig's list...more details? Color? Traction and heated seats? Feel free to PM the information to me.

Charles

[mattbys]

Charles,

I can't seem to figure out haow to PM or e-mail you. Send me an email at mattbys@yahoo.com

I wil reply with more info and pics.

Matt

[ropeburn79]

Hey Everyone!

I just joined the club here and really enjoying it! I just bought a 1997 Lexus LS400, with 168,000 on it. It needed a few repairs but I got it for $8,000. It runs and drives like new! My parents have had four new Lexus's since 1991, so I was totally hooked at a young age.

The LS400 I just got, is a one owner who passed away. The car was purchased at an estate sale where the dealer bought it, and I bought it from them. The previous owner had it custom painted when he bought it new. It is a beautiful Candy Apple Red with the Lexus Chrome wheels. Its a real head turner! I will post pics as soon!

Smooth Ridin' --- Matt

[Leadfoot]

The LS400 I just got, is a one owner who passed away.

Its no joke, they last so long you have to put them in your will.... :D

[akewlguy]

Sounds like some action!

The LS rules.. Only this that stinks is I love it so much I drive instead of fly if place is within 600 miles... So my baby and I have about 14k in 11 months. Now were up to 105k. Anyways I bought last year with some nicks in paint and in need of belts.... Had my mechanic do the belts and water pump for $700 bucks.

Recently looked at the control arms and they are good to go.. I think there is a scrunch noise when its cold due to struts/shocks?? Also fixed the dash light issue last week. Finally was able to test when it hit 30 this week. So instead of $1300 circut board at Lexus I paid $15 bucks and did a horrible job soldering, but it worked!

Cheers to at least another 100k and 10 years on my first of many Lexus's.. Funny to hear people worried about China cars and lack of Chevy or Ford sales. Go out and get any rental. The Fords, Chevys and other American cars just dont have the quality/comfort of my 93 Toyota/Lexus.

[Charles M. Ware]

Hello everyone;

My name is Charles and just joined the club yesterday. Looks like a great community! I have my eye on a 1997 LS400 with rather high mileage. The car belongs to a salesman and he has put 245,000 on her already! Obviously, these are highway miles. I am going to see the car Monday and think I will take it to a Lexus dealer for a buyer's inspection. Are there any things I should check for myself? I will be sure to ask for service records if he has them. I also think the price is right as long as the car is okay...under $10,000. Thoughts?

Hey Charles,

My name is Charles also and I too am new to the Lexus forums. I just purchased a 95 LS 400 with 289,584 miles on it for under $6000 and it is a sweet deal. I had it checked by my mechanic and he gave it a gold star. I expect ths one to get to 350,000 miles and then some. Happy hunting!

[JUNCTION]

Hello.

just joined the forum and hoping to get some insight. Looking at an LS 400 with 189K that has some body damage near the small front headlight.

Owner says it runs great (haven't driven it yet), but needs motor mounts. It does have a current emissions and is a 93 model that has a body that looks between fair and good, but has some nicks and dings.

His asking price is 2400 OBO.

Any advice or suggestions on things I should look for? Is this a good deal or an okay deal?

Thanks!

Deric

Welcome, Charles! :D

Don't pay anywhere near $10k for the car(you can get a car with 110k for that price!)! I just bought a '95 with 224k in Feb. for $6000. My car had no official service records other than the p/s pump at 215k and new front brakes at 210k, but I went for it anyways because it drove beautifully. The best thing to do is drive the car. Do every little test you can think of-go on the freeway(especially feel for vibrations that could be suspension problems), stomp on it at a stand still( it should go like a bat out of hell-I want to say 0-60 in 7.5sec range, right?-and please your ears with wonderful racecar-like sounds!), slam on the brakes, go in heavy traffic, etc. In every situation above, the car should be extremely smooth and stable even with that kind of mileage. You can expect suspension problems(bushings, lower ball joints, etc.), possible p/s leaks, and a burnt stereo LCD; Lexus bushings suck(my LS and ES have this prob.)! My car had a really badly torn driver's seat and console-easily fixed with junkyard parts and a few other common Lexus glitches like the power antenna problems, dead hood supports, and a dead stereo LCD. My car runs(dead silent) and drives like a new car! The only problem with my car is the paint; it's any weekend detailer's nightmare(the Onyx has NO clearcoat. urrr)! Also, check every body panel for official VIN stickers; this will let you know if the car was ever in a wreck if they are missing. Here's my baby at 226.8k(I expect many, many more miles out of this fine machine!) and only $6k--our little secret lol...

[90LS400Lexus]

wow... this is an old thread. :)

$2400 is decent for a 189K 93' LS, but I would try to go even lower. I paid $3200 for my 198K 91' LS two years ago, but its required/requires more costly maintainence. As these cars age, it dont take no time to sink ALOT of $ into them.

Motor mounts will run you about $200 in parts alone and unless you are a DIY'er, it will not be all that cheap on labor to replace these.

Good luck.

[billydpowell]

how in the world did this thing get started again...

a 97 for under 10k in 2004 might not have been so bad...

wonder what he finished up with???

.

wow... this is an old thread. :)

$2400 is decent for a 189K 93' LS, but I would try to go even lower. I paid $3200 for my 198K 91' LS two years ago, but its required/requires more costly maintainence. As these cars age, it dont take no time to sink ALOT of $ into them.

Motor mounts will run you about $200 in parts alone and unless you are a DIY'er, it will not be all that cheap on labor to replace these.

Good luck.

[JUNCTION]

wow... this is an old thread. :)

$2400 is decent for a 189K 93' LS, but I would try to go even lower. I paid $3200 for my 198K 91' LS two years ago, but its required/requires more costly maintainence. As these cars age, it dont take no time to sink ALOT of $ into them.

Motor mounts will run you about $200 in parts alone and unless you are a DIY'er, it will not be all that cheap on labor to replace these.

Good luck.

Thanks for the insight, Guru.

[cottinghamaaron]

First post :) Im picking up a 92 this weekend for $1,000 238K needs a massive cleaning inside and out and a new drivers seat. Been sitting for a while needs a battery. The owner dosent drive it anymore. But it runs great and he has been the owner since around 50k. Figured I can't pass it up.

Aaron

[amcdonal86]

Sounds like a good deal. Congrats!

[dieselfitter64]

Hello members, and as an auto technician, I like the info posted here. just bought the first of what will be many more LS 400--97 with 270k-- it's kind of a pound puppy, but with a little tlc it will come back to what it was made for--at 1600 i think that i got a good deal--just ran 2000 miles over a weekend trip and no problems plus 26.2 mpg-will try to get on when i can--see ya.