1990LS400

On all the cars we have owned, we have had the 30K service done at 30,000 miles, the 60K service done at 60,000 miles, the 90K service done at 90,000 miles, etc. A few months before I sold my first LS at 183K+ miles, I had the 180K service (including a 2nd timing belt replacement) done at, yes, 180,000 miles. I have never seen the point of letting maintenance slide on cars, houses, etc. In the long run, it is less expensive to keep property well maintained. When I sold my first LS, the buyer was especially impressed that all maintenance had been done on schedule.

Personally, I think the biggest "bang for the buck" would be with a 98 GS300 - a 60K mile one should be well within your $12K budget - particularly if you go with a private party deal. The used car market is very soft so you might even find a low mileage 99 GS or a higher mileage 00 GS300 within your budget. But it is all a matter of personal taste. The front wheel drive ES (and RX) drives and feels completely different fom the GS and LS. Every time I drive an ES (or RX), it is a shock how different the Lexus front drive cars are from the rear drive ones. If you like front wheel drive cars, go with the ES. I agree with Steve that the ES will be considerably less expensive to own. And you likely get a much newer ES for the money. If you go GS, look for the best one you can find and avoid Nav if it is a 00 or older GS.

According to this link to Sewell Lexus (where I bought the net for my 00 LS), the cargo net for the 99 GS300 uses anchors already in the trunk rather than coming with additional anchors. http://www.lexus-parts.com/partdetail.asp?...roduct%20Notes:

ko90ls, In the 90 LS, the headlight beam pattern is mainly controlled by the glass lens instead of by the metal (it may be metalized plastic) reflector. In theory you could "bypass" (perhaps break out) the reflector by putting in a projector unit but the projected light is still going to be highly altered by the glass lens. Look at all the little lines in your headlight lens - these are what shape the beam. In theory you could probably put projecters into a 98-00 LS400 headlight unit since the plastic lens is clear and does not control the beam pattern. The only way I can see that projectors would work in a gen 1 LS headlight housing would be to fabricate a replacement for the glass headlight lens for the projectors to stick though - a la Range Rover. I sure wish there was an easy solution.

I would think that the cargo net for a GS would come with the anchors. The cargo nets we bought for a 90 LS, 00 LS, and 98 Camry all came with the anchor screw-hooks which replace push-in trim holders on each side of the trunk opening.

The ashtray in my 90 LS opened very slowly when the car was new but snapped opened quickly after a few years - it never bothered me - I used the ashtray mainly to store parking lot pay stubs.

Yep, the gen 1 U.S. spec headlights stink - I put up with them for 13 1/2 years. Even our 98 Camry has far better headlights. The problem with the gen 1 is the glass lens that controls the light pattern - it puts out a blob of light with no sharp cutoff. High wattage bulbs and HID conversions just blind oncoming drivers. I once considered buying Euro code headlights but the total cost was about $2K - too much for a car I had just bought new. One thing you could do is to break out the amber inner "thingy" on your fog lights to make them clear and drive with them on all the time - I have seen instructions on this forum on how to do this. Or buy some small projector lights, put them in the grill - perhaps below the bumper - and wire them to come on with the low beams. As much as "aerodynamic" headlights (legalized in the the U.S. beginning in 1986, I think) improved the looks of cars, before that it was so darned easy to just slap a set of standard size Euro code headlights into any U.S. spec car and get incredibly good lighting. I feel your pain.

I agree that chrome wheels are a hassle. I bought my current LS when it was three years old (38,000 miles) and the chrome wheels were very badly pitted. They were replaced by the Lexus dealer under warranty. Personally I like my non-chrome aftermarket winter wheels better. As long as you do not use them during the winter, chrome wheels should last fairly well - you can always have them replated when the chrome fails. Here is a pic of my LS with chrome wheels from the gallery: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...&cmd=si&img=815

Based on my experimenting in the early 90's on a 1990 LS400, I suspect that the 17's are going to be an "interesting" experiment. Are there many potholes in Texas? By the way, the standard 15 inch wheels on 90-92 LS400 came with 65 series tires - not 60 series. IMO, going from a 65 series tire to a 50 series is a huge step. On my 90 LS, going down from 205/65-15's to only 225/60-15's kept the speedo accurate but made the ride much harsher and the car noisier. The wider tires certainly improved the braking but my wife complained A LOT. I can't imagine going from 205/65-15's to 225/50-17's on a 92 LS. Ouch! To avoid pain, I suggest you keep the inflation at the absolute minimum recommended - probably 30 psi if like my 90 LS - and drive very slowly.

The 2000 LS400 is no longer available under the Lexus CPO program and Nav updates are no longer available for the 98-00 LS400. If Nav is important to you, consider an LS430 or an aftermarket Nav system.

It is normal for the the 5-speed transmission of my 00 LS to stay in 1st gear until a higher RPM when the engine/transmission is cold and especially in colder temperatures. The transmission usually functions "normally" after driving a minute or two. It has something to do with reducing the chance of damage to the VVTi engine - I forgot exactly what the Lexus dealer service rep once told me. My 90 LS 4-speed LS transmission did not have this "feature".

Ford Granada? Now that brings back memories. A small number of European Ford Granadas were sold in the U.S. in the 80's by Ford's Lincoln Mercury dealers as the "Merkur Scorpio." We once rented a Granada in the U.K. - drove it all over from Hastings to Stonehenge to all the touristy places and up into Scotland. It was a big, roomy and comfortable car - the four of us never felt cramped for space. The rear seat leg room was incredible and I think I remember the rear seat having an electric recline feature. Handling was tight and its V6 was decently powerful and fuel efficient. We had originally reserved an automatic Ford Sierra (sold as the Merkur XR4Ti in the U.S.) but the rental agency grudgingly gave us an automatic Granada for the same price when they ran out of automatic Sierras. Ford sold a lot more of the smaller Merkur XR4Ti in the U.S.

It looks like the front seats can be removed by removing a few bolts. Take a look at the post from Blake where he dismantled the interior of his 95 LS: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...c=21061&hl=seat

I think another purpose of the little "return shock" you are talking about is to reduce the noise of the parking brake pedal popping up when one pulls the parking brake release handle. Otherwise, the pedal would "bang" when released like on most American cars. Same principle is used in the front ashtray. For me this has been a winter-only problem when the temperatures dip. Could it be a bit cold in Toronto? I generally clean the parking brake pedal mechanism every year or two and spray the mechanism with clear silicon spray. Do not use WD40 which might stain the carpet and gum up the works after it drys out. Mainly I have gotten into the habit of pulling the parking brake pedal release twice during the winter - the second quick pull almost always fulling releases the pedal and makes the dash light turn off.

Jeff, You could ask a Lexus dealer which wheels would fit. The local dealer here sells new "take-off" wheels at reduced prices - lots of people buy them to use with snow tires. In 2003 the local dealer offered me a set of GS wheels for my 00 LS but he wanted too much so I bought my "snow wheels" from Tire Rack. Or, do you know anyone with a late model GS who would let you try his spare on your car? Or call Tire Rack and ask them if the wheel size they sell for an IS or GS will also fit your LS. I've bought wheels and a whole lot of tires from Tire Rack and I have found their people to be very helpful. Hope that helps....

I agree with LexusLooker. Waiting a few miles past 90K for the timing belt change should not be a worry unless a huge amount of the car's life has been spent with the engine idling without racking up miles.

Start prying at the front of the tray on either side of the latch. There are two friction "pegs" on the underside of the tray insert near the latch end. Mainly just be gentle - the plastic insert is flimsy. Like Blake said it takes only a few seconds to pop the insert out. The tray insert is not available separately from Lexus - at least that is what the local dealer told me a few weeks ago. If you break it, you will have to buy the entire lower console tray - I think the dealer said it was around $100.

If you are talking about the lower tray that holds the phone, the insert tray can be popped out by using a stiff taped (to prevent damage) 1 or 1 1/2 inch putty knife - at least this is how I did it two days ago on my 00 LS when I had to remove the insert to install a missing tiny rubber "bumper" stop on the bottom of the tray.

We also have a 2000 LS400 Platinum with the 01 LS430 wheels. I am not very knowledgable about wheels but I do know that the front brake calipers and rotors on our cars are much larger than on the early LS400. You have probably noticed that there is only a tiny amount of clearance between your front calipers and the inside of the wheel rim. I suspect that the large front calipers is main thing you have to account for when buying wheels. I bought a set of Mille Miglia Bello wheels from Tire Rack and they had about the same small amount of clearance at the calipers as the OEM wheels. Have you looked at the wheels on Tire Rack that fit your 2000 LS400?

Carefully pop the plastic light lens off and you will see the screws that hold the light/switch to the roof of your car.

I seem to get better prices when I remind an on-line supplier of what I have bought from them in the past. Whether it's on-line, on the telephone, or buying in person, its all about developing a relationship or connection. People really do appreciate repeat business. Shopping around for the best price is fun, but I find it gratifying to be given a great price because of past loyalty.

OK, this caught my eye. I'm curious why someone needs a "magnetic hide-a-key"? Doesn't everyone carry their Lexus backup key (in the plastic "credit card" size holder) in their wallet?

Yes, I bought my 1st LS400 in early 1990 and drove it 13 1/2 years. I think the new owner (a co-worker) has about 220,000 miles on it. He told me yesterday that it is still running great. I sold it only because of my vision issues -- I needed HID lights badly.

Here is a photo of the box my a replacement odometer for a 1990 LS400 came in. I wonder if the same unit is used in Toyota branded cars and might be less expensive at a Toyota dealer.

Here is an old thread about the mechanical odometers failing - it is quite common but at least they are fairly inexpensive: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...656&hl=odometer