blake918

I guess I got lucky! I really can't remember how I got them for that price; I can't remember what I did yesterday muchless what happened in May. ;) LOL A few years ago struts would sell for $50/corner at Park Place; now all of a sudden, the prices have mysteriously sky rocketed...

The brakes on my '95 were extra mushy, and it turned out to be a failing master cylinder (that eventually broke while I was driving. Talk about a stress test. LOL). Mine was leaking where it mounts to the booster. I believe that the repair manual states how far the brake pedal should travel. Maybe someone with a '98 repair manual can post that info for you. I've grown accustomed to the mushy brakes in my car; it makes smooth stops much easier. When I most other cars, it feels like the brakes are either on or off. I guess it's all in what you get used to...

The treads came apart on mine because they were plugged and patched far too many times. They still had plenty of tread left. This picture isn't 100% clear of the treads, but there is obviously enough rubber left to have pebbles stuck in the treads (they passed state inspection shortly before this picture.)......

Jeez, that's not very many miles. Mine had close to twice that mileage before the treads started to fall apart.

It wouldn't be normal for Mullay to have a daily driver that is anything other than a Ford/Lincoln/Mercury. What kind of message does it send out when the CEO of a company like the FMC is driving around in the competiton's car? If he doesn't believe in the FMC products, he should go work at Toyota. I'm not saying that he should only drive a Ford, but when you are the CEO of a massive, public corp like Ford, you should at least have a few of them. What's next is Bill Gates going to come out and say that he has an iMac in his office because it doesn't lock up as much as his PC does?? LOL

I've heard that statement before in a magazine or something, and I think they are two very different looking cars. I really can't see any resemblence between the two of them (maybe, someone could say that the '98-'00 LS head lights are similar to the W140s', but that's about all that I can see and even that is a stretch.). I think pretty much every Lexus is unique except for the slightly Bangle-like trunk on some of the models. Is it just me or do these two cars look nothing alike?

I searched high and low for replacement carpet for my '95 with no luck. Maybe I didn't look hard enough. The dealer will gladly order it for you for about $1,000. LOL Anyway, it all worked out for the best because I was able to power wash the stains out that were bothering me. I pulled the carpet in my '95 a couple summers ago, and it really was a simple, straight forward task. You pull the seats, console, some trim here and there, and the carpet comes out. It was funny to see my car completely emptied out!.... As for the parts, for oem: newlexusparts.com, irontoad.com, lexus-parts.com; misc parts: ebay.com, car-part.com, taprecycling.net, and I'm sure there are some more sites that are slipping my mind at the moment. Welome aboard Jeff!

They bolt and snap in place.....http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/body/rearseat.html

Your car looks great!!! B)

The bad lcd for the gen 2 cars is the stereo LCD, and it is most certainly not exclusive to the 95-97 cars. A LOC member with a 98 or 99 tipped me off on Mikado Tech because he used them to replace the stereo lcd in his gen 2.5 LS. I agree with Rob (I've got 286k miles. ;) ), the 95-96s don't have any special problems that any other LS won't have other than the computer problems, and they should probably be all fixed by now (my computer was fixed back in '97 according to my dealer.). I really find it quite humorous when people start saying that one year LS is more reliable than the other. Based on all of the threads I've read on the Lexus forums, starters, bushings, lcds, power steering pumps/racks, oil leaks, etc. they're all fair game (and usually inevitable.) on ANY year LS400, especially once they are 10+ years old.

It seems like your insurance co would total the Caravan. The book value for a late '90's Caravan isn't much more than $3200 without any damage...less than $4k for a '99 in good condition according to kbb.com...A friend of mine backed in to my LS a couple years ago, and it was really easy to get fixed with State Farm. The body shop that I wanted to fix my car was on their list of approved body shops, so it was a smooth transaction as far as the insurance was concerned (I didn't have to go get any estimates or any of that.). I would love to know if State Farm paid the $1,800 bill that the shop submitted. On the invoice they listed $800 for the grey trim that goes at the bottom of the door. :o

I agree! I find the easiest way to tell the ES and LS apart is the general body shape. The ES350 looks very puffed up/bloated looking while the LS is wider and has a better, smoother shape overall. I think most of this thread is taken way too literally. Yes, I'm sure that most people can tell that the LS is the longer and wider car when parked next to the ES350. But, there are certainly a lot of similarities. I'm kind of mixed on the similar look for all of the Lexus cars. Part of me doesn't care, but the other part of me really likes that there used to be a unique LS, ES, GS, etc. before all of this L finesse styling came along.

Happy Birthday Ralph!

There are some online Lexus parts stores that are usually a lot cheaper than most dealers: www.newlexusparts.com, www.lexus-parts.com, and www.irontoad.com. Generally newlexusparts is the cheapest because they have free shipping even if you buy something for $1. Every now and then, you can find some parts from good aftermarket part suppliers at AutoZone, rockauto.com, and the others. You thought that sensor was expensive, just wait until your control arm bushings go! LOL This is an interesting post because I've always wondered how the drive by wire system is going to age. What part went bad? Is the pedal position sensor something up under the dash, or are you referring to the throttle position sensor? Yeah, I'd love to know why they burried the starter under the intake too! Lexus does a lot of things right, but the things they do wrong are way out of left field.

The wallet key in the trunk worked on my former ES300 as well as my LS, so I'd be pretty shocked if it didn't work on your SC. ;)

Congrats!!! What color is it? Yeah, as with any car, be sure to keep records. Probably 5w-30, but check your owner's manual to be sure. Just curious, why do the new tires make you nervous? Factory tires usually don't last very long.

The wallet key works on my LS's trunk locks. I'll lock the trunk, and then, I remember something that I want to get out of the trunk...while the car is running, so I just use my wallet key to unlock it without having to shut the car off. Yeah, if they have the wallet key, give it a try first. You probably just have a valet key...it's got a rounded head compared to the more square shape of the master. What year are we talking about? Don't quote me on this, but I believe that the remote keys that the older Lexus cars (like pre 1995ish) used have to be bought in pairs that come with a new chip for the keyless entry system, so I don't think ebay would be an option.

Yeah, you need a master or wallet key to unlock the trunk/trunk release. Instead of spending $290, why not just buy a non-remote master for $50?

Oh yeah, I wouldn't buy a new one either! I'll let someone else take that first hit, and then buy something that still looks and smells new. The only thing to watch out for is all of the Town Cars that Hertz and Enterprise get rid of. Rentals.....scary!! They changed the option package names every year (I know 03, 04, and 05 have different names) I believe, but any one of the packages with the "L" behind it will get you the extended wheelbase and rear mirrors/audio/ac contrls. What's sad is that I read that they are planning to kill the Town Car for some crappy little fwd...or that's what the rumors are at least. :( The Town Car just won't be a Town Car without a full frame, V8 power, and a quiet, floaty ride. Diesels have tons of tourque on their side, so it comes as no shock that your little Citroen took on the Spanish mountains with ease! The E320 CDI has close to 400ft-lbs of torque. Most V8s don't even have that much! I agree! ;)

Well, comfort is entirely subjective, so I'll agree to disagree with you! ;) The 6'1 part is just a broad generalization, and nothing more, that refers more to the smaller LS400s than the larger 430s. The SUVs have decent headroom, I agree. But, if I can hardly fit my legs in, it doesn't do me much good. I'm anxious to sit in a LS460 to see how I fit! The one that I really wish I could fit in is the ES330 because I really love the exterior styling of the car!Cool, another Town Car person!! The depreciation really isn't that bad. The base model (which are what most of them are) lists for $42k and some change (I'd opt for the $500 factory hid lights.). Take $12k off because of dealer incentives (and that's before you haggle!), and you've got a cool magic carpet that can easily go 300k miles for less than $30k!! So, seeing a '06 Town Car with 20k miles on sale for $25k really isn't that bad of depreciation. I certainly think that is part of the problem...along with the bad press that diesels have developed over the years as being loud and smokey. But, that's hardly the case today, and they get real world gas mileage that can go head to head with a hybrid without the complicated powertrain.

Gotta love Tony too....that's so awesome that you got to meet him! :D

I saw one going the opposite direction of me on the interstate, so I was looking at it from probably 40' or 50'. I nearly crashed because I was doing double, triple, and quadrouple takes to see if I was looking at an ES350 or a LS! LOL I figured it as a LS because it was wider and sleeker looking than the ES. I'd love to see one parked where I can really take a good look at it. LOL

Some '70's, almost any men's a cappella work, classical, and Frank Sinatra/Tony Bennett/Ella Fitzgerald/Vic Damone/etc. (that's XM73-Frank's Place.). I love Christmas music too...good Christmas music, which loosely translates in to any Christmas music performed by someone other than a pop or country music star.

I've noticed that they have been raising the prices on parts too. A couple years ago struts were only $50, no you are lucky if you can find them for less than $70. Same thing with the EGR pipe, I looked at it a while back, and it was $60, and when I went to order one the other day, it was more like $90 (I just bent the one that I had instead of paying that price.).

I think it's completely crazy to say that you'll never get married because you don't like to cook. I would, however, have a problem with a woman who does not like dogs. :D Hahaha, "The Bookstore...." that's one of the best episodes.... REBECCA: It's been flagged. I know. I used to work in a Brentano's. Mister, we're trying to help the homeless heare - it's bad enough that we have some nut out there trying to strap 'em to a rickshaw! GEORGE: (Desperate to get rid of the book) Alright, I, I'll just take fifty. Do - do we have a deal? REBECCA: Yeah, and here it is: You get your toilet book out of here, and I won't jump over this counter and punch you in the brain! GEORGE: I could take it in merchandise.. REBECCA: (Threatening to hit him) Here I come. And then, at the end, Newman runs over Elaine's boyfriend, Zach, with an out of control ricksaw! LOL There are a couple of references in this episode to past episodes like The Little Kicks and The Muffin Tops...both were great episodes as well!