LS400~es

I was not aware of an "Aniversary Edition" of the LS400. What features does it have beyond the standard model? How do you tell if it is an Aniversary Edition? It sounds like you ended up with a very nice car! ~ ~ LS400~es ;)

Sorry for not responding sooner - life gets a bit crazy at times. I haven't checked my email in a while. WOW ! ! ! - - 24,000 original owner/miles - That is fantastic! LS400s do seem to be a bit more avaialable in Florida than here. I am hoping I don't have to end up going to Florida to get one that is "right." I appreciate your encouragement! ~ ~ LS400~es ;)

That is pretty IMPRESIVE ! ! So. there may be more there than meets the eye! It seems like it easily pays for its self in gas savings. ~ ~ es ;)

I am looking for a 93 or 94 LS400, they are nice cars! I would look at www.craigslist.com for your region. If you haven't already done so, look at cars.com and autotrader (traderonline.com). Look at the local newpapers, get a feel for what things are going for, then weigh it up. The milage and features seem pretty good. I have seen 94s with reasonable milage as low as $4000 to $5000, but none near me! This is a GREAT forum, lots of REALLY knowledgable people! Good luck ! LS400~es ;)

I agree with all points. What I am hoping for is an original owner, who has pamper his / her "baby" and is now ready to move up to a newer version. I appreciate your input on synthetic oils, oil additives, specialty filters. It sounds like if the guys at Toyota could design such a fine vehicle, they probably know best about how to care for it as well! ~ ~ es ;)

That's not my bottom line when car shopping. That's true if you are on the selling end, but I certainly wouldn't want to buy a car from someone that was just advertising a car one way, but it really isn't especially if I wasn't able to drive it. I take a sellers advertisement with a grain of salt since most don't know what they are talking about. When I talked to the guy selling my car, he said it had every option, but it really only had a few(no heated seats, trac, nak, or air ride). You are right; I would have a really hard time selling my car. Sadly, mileage dictates condition to most. I let the car speak for itself not the odometer. I'd maybe get a little more than half of the money I've put into it(about $9k) because it currently has 240,2xx miles(I think it'll be near 250k by the time we hit our 1 year anniversary. lol). I plan to keep this car for a really long time anyways...at least to 350-400k! :D Indeed!! It sounds like you have a great buying strategy...well put!! ;) There is a RX owner that bought a RX with all of it's maint. stamps, and is about ready to set it ablaze. Lloyd Laycook in Utah has over 555k miles on his '90. That's impressive stuff!!! :) 99 told me about his Rhino Ramps; I bought them, and they are a must have for oil and fluid changes. You don't have to worry about the car falling on you while you are under there change the oil and what not--gives peace of mind! Pay special attention to him for all of his excellent maintinance advise. ;) ← I will look into the Rhino Ramps, that sounds like the way to go! That is amazing about the guy in Utah with 500K miles! ~ ~ es ;)

I apologize for that, somehow I did not see them, now I do. Thank you! ~ ~ es

Hey, I appreciate you telling me that, I was budgeting around $50.00 per month, and hoping that would do it. It sounds like if I am willing to get a little grease under my nails (I really am quite handy ~ when I have -want- to be). I think with this car, I will feel more like doing it myself, because I have put so much time and energy into research. I have a true "feeling" for the LS400 and what it stands for. A freind of mine in Portland was part of the original American team to prepare the launch of the Lexus. He went to Japan various times and did test drives prior to the launch. He says that first model of Lexus was almost "hand built!" He says it is a car that will last and last if you just treat it right. I just picked up a new "creeper" and some "Super duty" car stands today, so I will be able to work on it with a little more comfort and better safe than my regular stands. Have you found a real difference between standard brands when it comes to oil and fluids? Some people say synthetics are better. Other people say taht all oil today is so well refined and of such good quality, that it makes NO DIFFERENCE. What have you guys found to be true? Do you have recomendations on filters and any "special" tools used to these jobs? Any body want to weigh in on to Slick-50 or not? ~ ~ es ;) ← NO COMMENTS??? - or did everybody just eat too much turkey to feel like commenting for a few days? ~ ~ es ;) ←

Hey, I appreciate you telling me that, I was budgeting around $50.00 per month, and hoping that would do it. It sounds like if I am willing to get a little grease under my nails (I really am quite handy ~ when I have -want- to be). I think with this car, I will feel more like doing it myself, because I have put so much time and energy into research. I have a true "feeling" for the LS400 and what it stands for. A freind of mine in Portland was part of the original American team to prepare the launch of the Lexus. He went to Japan various times and did test drives prior to the launch. He says that first model of Lexus was almost "hand built!" He says it is a car that will last and last if you just treat it right. I just picked up a new "creeper" and some "Super duty" car stands today, so I will be able to work on it with a little more comfort and better safe than my regular stands. Have you found a real difference between standard brands when it comes to oil and fluids? Some people say synthetics are better. Other people say taht all oil today is so well refined and of such good quality, that it makes NO DIFFERENCE. What have you guys found to be true? Do you have recomendations on filters and any "special" tools used to these jobs? Any body want to weigh in on to Slick-50 or not? ~ ~ es ;)

You are absolutely correct!! However, don't let some dealer maintinance stamps be your deciding factor on a car...that's all I'm saying! ;) My LS has no stamps, and it's an excellent car! My ES has all of it's dealer stamps up to 100k, and I'm not really all that impressed with it's reliability over the past few years-electrical gremlins, bad radiator, alternator...but it's all water under the bridge on a 11y/o car. Personally, I'd never ever buy a car without driving it, sitting it, inspecting it, playing with all of the controls, etc...not even a new one. You have to go with the mentality that no one will ever be as meticulous as yourself in describing the car(JN, the seller said he was fanatical, but any fanatic would notice a grinding antenna! That noise could drive anyone insane. lol Case and point. The seller of my car said that it had every option, but my car is no where near the top model like yours. My only options are leather, sunrf, cd changer, and memory seats. No nak, heated seats, trac, or air ride.) and that this isn't the only good used car that you will come across in your search. You are very correct though; if you must buy sight unseen, dealer stamps are just about all you have to go on. I bought my LS when it had 224k miles. It had no service records except for a recipt for a new p/s pump and a recent brake job. No timing belt recpits, no suspension recipts, nothing. But, I bought it anyways because it truely runs, shifts, drives like a new car. To me, a maintinance stamp will never be able to dictate how the car runs, drives, looks, but I will indeed know that it has a greased chassis and fresh brake fluid. As of today 16k miles and 7.5 months later-I'm at 240k and some change, this car is still excellent, and I know it will continue to be a superior car for 350k-400k. Not a single thing has broken on it. So, this is my reasoning for not puting the world into maint. stamps. Furthermore, except for a few services, they are not detrimental services -like changing the brake fluid, flushing the coolant, greasing the chassis, etc. They are all good measures, but I'll never be on the side of the road because I didn't get my dealer to change my gas tank cap gasket at the 60k mile interval. My car even had the origional plug wires at 225k miles. Everything you will ever want to know about 90-94 LSs: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=11775 :D Have you looked at an cars yet? ← I agree, the buying guides and tips are a GREAT resource! ! ! Yes I have drive a few, as I mentioned in my last post. I also agree that stamps are just stamps, but that is at least a good begining! I am very pleased to hear that your LS has well over 200K and doing just fine. I think 320K is the highest I have seen for sale, but I am sure there are ones that are way beyond that! I wish I had your level of knowledge as to "how to know if a car 'just feels right!'" I do insist on test driving for myself, but I still need one (or more) mechanics to tell me what they see, hear or feel. ~ ~ es ;)

I am hoping for something like what you got, I would like a 1993 or 1994 that had been well maintained. I hope to get one that will last me for a long time to come! I would definitely prefer to find one nearby, but so far the only ones I have seen are older, and have more miles than I am looking for. I have test driven a few LS400s. They did have everything (including the air supension), but they were older and had more miles than I prefer. Safety is an issue, and the 93 was the first to offer the passenger side airbag. Having snow here part of the year, I would also like Traction Control. For the fact that I frequently drive for a few hours at a time, I thought premium sound would be worth looking for. The air suppension sounds like it is likely to fail at about this age, so I am no longer seeking that (but, with the information from this site about replacements, I am no longer afraid of such). ~ ~ es :)

I have planned on doing maintenance and upkeep (I was hoping it would be a little less than $2,000 a year, at least if it had just had it's service completed). I don't plan to sell my LS400 once I get it, I would like to treat it right and have it give me many years of reliable service. By the the time it is old enough that I feel like I want a newer one, I will probably hand it down to someone in the family. I do appreciate you giving me meaningful numbers on costs and such! ~ ~ es B)

I do not agree about the maint. record statement above. My '95 does not have a single maint. record to it's name...vin rather, and this is by far the best and most reliable car I've ever had. I'd say something like a good inspection and test drive speak louder than maint. stamps. This is just me, but I feel that maint. stamps are a little worthless save I think 60k-spark plugs-and 90k-tb(I think those are the right intervals). She just purrs along at 239, 8xx miles!! B) I don't know how much your Lexus mechcanic knows...why jump to '96? It's the exact same vehicle as 1995!! ;) How many miles?? The sky's the limit!! lol LS400's of this era are all pretty much the same. The most common option package is the heated seats & trac package and cd changer; otherwise, they all pretty much have leather, sunroof, memory, etc. Air ride is not a very common option, but it's out there. Everything else you aren't thinking of(as well as this exact question) is in the sticky: "LS400 Buying Guide." ;) ← Just in talking to people (including owners and Lx mechanics), they seem to think a well maintained car is a safer bet. (And I agree.) I would like a 1993 or 1994 LS400 with somewhere in the ball park of 120 K miles. I do want TracK Control and nakamichi sound. As to the 95 vs 96, I have just heard that the first ones out of the shout had a few more problems. However, once they are this old, those problems should have been ironed out. What do you mean by your statement - "Everything else you aren't thinking of(as well as this exact question) is in the sticky: "LS400 Buying Guide." ;) " ??? ~ ~ es ;)

:D ~ That would be PERFECT ! ! ! That is what I am hoping for, is a well maintained ls400 that with a little TLC will last me for years to come! ~ ~ es ;) P.S. - What is " /\WP or two"? (Water Pump?)

I tried, but just got: Go back and fix the following errors and then resubmit your form. Domain identifier missing from the Transportation Page. ~ ~ es