blake918

That's a great mentality to have. If you do buy the car, haggle down (the price seems ok.) the lowest you can because their are things that brake on almost every first gen LS400 like the speedometer cluster, climate control lcd, power steering and alternator (it's a package deal because of their location.), possibly a costly timing belt job, and all of your suspension bushings/componets are fair game to need replacement. Some folks learn the heard way that actually buying the LS is only half the battle because they can put you in the poor house with the little nagging issues that come up here and there since the parts are so expensive. Good luck!

Wow, yall take things too literally (The new Chevy duramax can pull a train, btw!). LOL Of course an Azera will never compete with the LS460, it is not meant to. If they would have put it next to an Avalon, it would have just been another boring commercial. Much the same, the Sonata will never drive like a BMW 530i. They made a couple outlandish commercials to create a buzz, and obviously it is working because we are sitting here discussing it (other forums are doing the same too.). It is a great marketing plan and nothing else. I think they should be plugging away at some sort of exciting event where customers can see and experience the cars outside of a dealer setting. Most people have a bad image of Hyundai, but experiencing the car first hand would put all of that to rest since they are teriffic looking and driving cars at a great price with an excellent warranty to top the whole deal off.

I changed my shocks about a year ago, and I didn't replace any other parts (no insulators or bumpers) since they were still in good shape--no metal on metal contact. If they were ripped or torn, I would have replaced them, but they weren't even with high mileage, so I reused them. No strange noises or problems to speak of.

Check the codes first, and then, take it from there. Here's how to do it:http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/intro/codereading.html

Certainly. I was so relieved and happy for you when I got your message a little while ago! ;)

Since you are planning to keep the car for the next 8 years, my vote would be for the LS. The LS430s are built to last, so at 200k, she will be just broken in. The one downside is that the factory warranty will be expired. Parts/repairs are quite pricey on the LS, but they are infrequent.

DC, Sheab, let's please keep the personal remarks to yourselves. Thank you. blake918

Before you spend any money, try giving the dash area on top of the speedometer a good thunk. I have a '95, and my speedometer and tach don't always come to life when I start the car, but giving the speedo a pound will bring them to life. It may or may not help, but it is free! Take a look at this thread: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...;hl=speedometer

Not really; you probably already know the few that I'm going to mention but..... Everyone gets a kick out of the power headrest and seat belt height adjusters, and if you are listening to the radio, the car will adjust the antenna length to get the best reception. Your outside mirrors will tint (and I love the heat for those dewy mornings too.) just like the interior mirror if someone's headlights are shining in. If you pull (horizontally) on the visor, it will slide on it's hinge and extend to block the sun that comes through the driver or passenger window. Lastly, if you don't shut your door all the way and you hit the lock button on your remote, the car will beep until you go and close the door, and there is a button to turn the beeping on or off near the interior fuse panel.Congrats and good luck with your car!

I am a Corvette, and I'd say that's fairly accurate except for the athletic part. LOL

Congrats Rob!! That's a great car (and garage too!)! Enjoy it and try to stay out of trouble!!

It's been a while, but I think the rebuild kit came with the 2 springs and 2 piston stopper bolts. No rubber parts/snap ring/gaskets/etc. came with the kit from what I can remember.

After looking at my manual, I couldn't tell one way or the other. I guess this another one of those topics that they either hide really well, or they just don't cover it. ;) Taking the back seat out is easy, I'm more afraid of messing with that particle board rear dash!

Good deal! ;) I should have gotten odds, huh?!? It's so nice when it turns out to be something simple like this!

Ralph, I agree 100%! ;) Lexus took the family resemblence idea a bit too far. This is their first go at it, so maybe the next generations will have a similar but distinguishable appearance like Mercedes and BMW.

I agree almost 100% with you SRK. Having been through a long drawn out saga with my master cylinder which includes having one of the springs snap while I was drivng on public roads, I can tell you that their are no warning lights for this (before or after it broke.). The spongy brake pedal and fluid seepage are the only warning signs you are going to get. The cause of my trouble was that there was a hole bored in to the lining of the wall of my master cylinder that was chiseling away at my spring each time I hit the brake... It seems that this is one of those parts that never really goes bad, so finding a rebuilt master cylinder is almost impossible. They charged me something like $60 for the rebuild kit, and the whole new cylinder is like $350, I believe. Since new springs were going to do me no good, I called TAP and got one from a junked car for $100. Worked great! Matt, this is what you will see if your master cylinder is actually leaking (just that tiny little moist area below the cylinder): http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...ost&id=4165 Also, $600-$700 is really high considering that Lexus charges less than $400 for a new cylinder, and labor time + bleeding should barely go past an hour.

And I can respect that 100%. ;)

Steve is right, Lexus of Shreveport-Bossier City has driven 75miles (150 total) to Ruston to pick-up and drop off my car when I call them for service. Their sales and service staff over there is first rate.

It's a very unique and handsome looking car, but I still hate those pass through LS460-like tail pipes. I'm anxious to see the interior as well! It's astonishing to me how many people are concerned with what the neighbors think of what car you are driving. When you have a spare minute, stop by your local Hyundai dealer and take one for a spin; they are not building the little tin cans everyone thinks that they are. I'd take a 147mph Hyundai Sonata over a Camry any day of the week!! I didn't know it was possible to claim that one car company copied another's engine displacement!! <_< Ford and GM have built more 4.6 liter V8s (I'm sure there are other companies too, but when I think 4.6, I think Ford's modular 4.6 and the GM Northstar.) than Lexus ever will.

The car bouncing back a little sounds normal to me. Even a car with standard springs and struts will do that. If it's rocking back and forth a excessively after you've come to a stop, then, the air struts might be on their way out. Otherwise, it seems that everyone rides on their air sturts until they start leaking...

Robert, you only speak the truth my friend!! I'll have to add this one to our other "discussions" because it's too good! I can't imagine it's too tough to get that 'woofer out of there. ;) Wouldn't it be nice if you didn't have to pull the backseat!

I'd put a lot of money on the idea of your spark plugs sitting in a pool of water. I've done it, as well as many others based on the number of threads and posts we've had on this subject. Pull the two timing belt covers, blow the water out of there, and you should be back in business. ;)

I think that's the route I'd take because it's cheap, it should keep your stereo sounding the same, and it'll be easy since it's the original (no amps or wiring to mess with.). Were you listening to your favorite Celine Dion song too loud? Is that what blew out your subwoofer??

I think they've already noticed this and have started to shut it down. I was taken aback when I called my local Toyota dealer the other day to have them give me a price on a p/s air valve that was only $5 more than Park Place's. That's just one incident, but lately, I've noticed their prices jumping up across the board.

Alexander, I changed my transmission filter (and cleaned the solenoids) a couple years ago, and I just used the sealer that we had sitting in the garage. I can't remember what brand it was, but it wasn't anything special, and it has been fine for the past couple years and many miles. The price they are charging you for the T-IV is really high too. I pay about $6/liter. I'm sure I can find a better price, but I usually don't think about it before hand. Wow, $400 for a set of hood struts, that's insane!!