catmo

I know this is an older post and you've probably parted out the car already but someone else on this board shared the toyodiy.com site. It's excellent. You plug in your car and you'll get four assemblies with all the parts included. I have to dispose of my 92 LS 400. Too many things wrong with it (cat and possible egr pipe, struts, brakes, etc). I was considering working on it myself with a mechanic friend of mine who was interested in teaching, but it's just too much of a project for a first attempt (I need to start with a more basic car). It's a shame because it's low miles at 92000, no accidents, and garage stored.

Anyway, hope your effort was successful.

Just sold my 91 LS 400 this weekend to private party for $2300.

Here's what was wrong with it:

1. slow oil leak - about a quart every 3000 miles

2. low rpm - needed to hit overdrive off switch to get up to speed on highway on ramps.

3. major crack in front windshield

4. 3 out of 4 windows did not roll up under power (only with manual assist).

5. speedometer off by 8 mph

6. gas guage inconsistant

7. interior ok, but 15 years of wear on leather with small cut in driver seat. some carpet stains

8. LCD out on a/c and radio but a/c worked great.

9. antenna shaft bent

10. exterior - two areas of small body work damage due to low speed impact (eg parking lot speed) and other misc. minor scratches. paint ok with minor clearcoat damage in one spot. Driver side door latch broken.

11. timing belt replaced 90K ago

alternator and power steering rack (etc) had just been replaced in 2004.

I drove this car 5 times across the country and never worried about breaking down. Sold it with just over 172K on it.

My logic for pricing was:

Looked at Kelly Blue Book - $4100 for "fair" condition for comp. year and mileage.

Dropped price by $1000 because I thought mine had more wrong with it that "fair" condition description.

Then got the crack in the windshield and dropped it by $500 for replacement allowance.

When it listed at $3100 (before cracked windshield) didn't get many calls (btw, I listed it on autotrader.com with pics....good deal). When I dropped to $2600, got a lot more calls.

I was satisfied. I bought the car in 1997 with 71k miles for $12K I just bought a 92 LS with 63K miles for $7700 and am really happy with the car....even though I just had to replace the a/c compressor. Still, a great car in beautiful condition.

Good luck,

Catmo

Within the next couple of weeks, I plan on purchasing a newer Lexus – most likely a ’98 to ’00 model. This is in part driven by the fact that my wife thinks that will be a better choice than continuing to maintain the ’91 to a high standard.

I bought the ’91 in 1994 as a CPO vehicle and have had nearly all the service done at the Lexus dealership. I’ve got a set of Michelin MXV4 Plus tires with a lot of wear left in them. Cosmetically the car looks great with glossy paint and a very nice interior including heated seats and the Nakamichi. I’ve already replaced the A/C head. I replaced the lower ball joints and also had new spark plug wires and other electrical components replaced at the dealer. In general, I’ve done everything right with maintenance without deferring anything. The car runs as quiet as ever and remains a pleasure to drive even with 170K miles on it. I still love this car as much as ever in many ways.

Nevertheless, the usual maintenance issues are starting to appear in spite of me giving the car meticulous care:

1. PS Pump is beginning to leak. Dealer quotes about $1850 to replace pump and high pressure hose. I’m guessing this could be done at an independent for less than $900.

2. There is apparently some buildup on the rear air suspension struts. I haven’t had any sagging or other problems yet so this could probably be left go for a while. Options include dealer w/ OEM parts for about $1,850, independent with reman struts at $495 each plus labor or a coil-over conversion.

3. The A/C Compressor and receiver/dryer need to be replaced. Unfortunately, I had an import shop “repair” my A/C system rather than Lexus. I think I ended up being a guinea pig as the shop replaced virtually everything else in the A/C system to the tune of nearly $3,000 over multiple visits and I still ended up with no A/C – lesson learned!

4. When having the vehicle inspected for potential repairs, the dealership commented that the rear main oil seal may need replacing at a cost of $970. I’ve never noticed any oil consumption so I imagine this could be deferred for a long time.

5. The antenna mast sticks about 3” out. The motor is still good but I think a new mast is about $60.

6. The front brakes will need replacing soon – dealer estimate of $320.

7. The timing belt and water pump is normally replaced at 180K. Given this is a non-interference engine, this could also possibly wait.

As you can see, it seems to make no financial sense to my wife to continue to maintain this car at the Lexus dealership. If I could swing a wrench or find a way to do the maintenance inexpensively, the story might be different.

So – what is a car like this worth? What should I ask for and more importantly what should I accept for it? I think it would be an awesome car for a student that would last a long time simply by replacing the PS pump and driving the car ‘til it can’t go any longer. The car might also be a great car for someone with mechanical aptitude. And, shudder to think it – but parting out the car might be valuable (though I’m not willing to do that myself).

Also, where is the best place to try to sell this – the local paper, Cars.com, AutoTrader.com, eBay?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Thanks, I did stop off at the Sac Lexus once and they were actually helpful and didn't charge me (not that it took more than 3 minutes to fix the problem). But, I'll probably try the Toyota options first. Thanks again.

I have owned a 1991 LS 400 for the last 7 years and recently bought a 1992 (we call it the "New Lexus" especially since it only had 63K miles on in as compared with 160K+ on the the "old" one).

We just moved to Sacramento. CA and we're looking for a mechanic in the area....one we can trust to give us the straight scoop. Does anyone have a recomendation? Current issue is the a/c not cooling, but would like to find someone we can call in a pinch for other issues that may come up.

New to the board, but have looked through posts and like what I see. Thanks in advance for any leads.

I have owned a 1991 LS 400 for the last 7 years and recently bought a 1992 (we call it the "New Lexus" especially since it only had 63K miles on in as compared with 160K+ on the the "old" one).

We just moved to Sacramento. CA and we're looking for a mechanic in the area....one we can trust to give us the straight scoop. Does anyone have a recomendation? Current issue is the a/c not cooling, but would like to find someone we can call in a pinch for other issues that may come up.

New to the board, but have looked through posts and like what I see. Thanks in advance for any leads.