TA in KC

It is not at all uncommon for cars with V8 engines to raise people's insurance rates. My rates for a V6 Mitsubishi Diamante were higher than for the 4-cylinder Camry, but going from the Mitsubishi's V6 to the Lexus' V8 did not change my rates at all. So it probably depends on your insurance company, and the relationship you have with your agent (if you have one). My agent is a family friend who does his best to work with me on the price of my coverage. That is probably why my rates did not change.

If you have further questions about the things above ask. That is what the forum is for.

Congrats! Let's see some better pictures of the car. It does look to be in great shape.

Call your local Lexus dealer and have them run the VIN through their national service database. They will be able to tell you what kind of service work Lexus dealers have ever done to the car. Timing Belt is probably the most important thing. With this year SC, you don't really need to worry much about it though. 92-94 have a non-interference engine, meaning if the belt breaks, no damage will be done to the car's engine. When doing your visual inspection, I think the most important thing to look at is the body lines where the fenders and doors etc meet. If the car has ever been in a collision, the lines near the area hit will probably not look the same as the ones on the rest of the car. You can also look at weatherstripping and fasteners behind the doors. If there is paint on any of those, it is a good indication there was paint/body work performed at some point in time. If only 1 fender or door has been repainted/replaced, it would not keep me from buying the car. Often times that happens just because of large dents or scratches. If more than one part of the car has had work done, I would pass and look for another car. Mechanically, just look carefully at everything. Listen to the engine, check to see if the idle speed is correct, and look at all the fluids. When you drive the car, drive slowly over bumps to see what kind of noise the suspension makes. Some is normal for a car of this age. Floor the gas pedal a few times, and when you slow down, hit the brakes hard after making sure there is nobody behind you. Listen for squeaks that indicate worn out brake pads, and check the condition of the rotors. Any pictures of the car?

Couldn't tell you what is wrong with the ignition, but I can confirm that if you replace it, the original key will still work in the doors.

Hi Steve, Check with the previous owner to see when the timing belt in the car was last changed. Replacement interval is 90,000 miles OR 6 years. Getting the belt replaced is a significant expense that the owner will remember. "I think" is probably not a good answer. Attached is a chart from the Gates Timing Belt Replacement Guide, showing timing belt data for several Lexus vehicles. A "*" indicates a vehicle with an interference engine. According to the chart, none of the ES models have one, meaning, if the timing belt breaks, no damage will be done to the car's engine. Some people say the ES had an interference engine beginning in 1999. This does not agree with what the chart says. I have verified that the information on the chart is correct with several Lexus dealers and independent mechanics, although I have not done it with all models, the ES being one of them. So I am not absolutley sure that the ES still had a non-interference engine after 1999. Possibly someone else can confirm whether or not it did.

I think I remember reading somewhere, probably on this board, that Lexus' target consumer for the ES was a 35 year-old male with an average income of around $125K per year. I think I would have to agree with Steve though. Most ES owners I know, and Lexus owners in general, are somewhere in their 50s.

Sounds like a good idea. Doubt you will have any problem making it 10K more miles. I am pretty sure the opposite is true. I thought they all had interference motors up until 1998. The chart agrees, and I have been told by several people also. The chart came out of the Gates Timing Belt Replacement Guide. I have verified many of the listings in the guide with several different Lexus dealers and mechanics, and it has always proved to be very accurate.

Replacing the timing belt/water pump is probably going to cost significantly more than just the valve cover gaskets alone. If you don't travel out of town much, and wouldn't mind being stranded if the belt broke, it is o.k. to wait for that to happen. Your ES has a non-interference engine. Absolutley change the transmission fluid. Some people say when it gets to that age "the old fluid is holding it together". That is a myth that I wish would die. Instead of doing a transmission flush, you could do several drain and refills over the course of 5-6000 miles. It is easy to do yourself and is much cheaper than taking the car to a mechanic to do a flush. Make sure you use Toyota-branded transmission fluid.

Battery and alternator would probably be the first things to check. I believe there were a couple of club members who have had this same issue before. Perhaps one of them will share their expenience.

Looks good! I can't seem to find the conditioner I used to use, Blue Magic, in any of the stores anymore. I think I will try that next time.

Do a search in the LS400 forum and you will come up with a lot of useful information about that topic. It is not exactly the same but very similar.

Attached is a guide to interference and non-interference engines in Lexus vehicles. "*" denotes an interference engine "#" denotes a water pump powered by the timing belt

Service manuals- techinfo.toyota.com

Sam, All of those services are things I do to my LS and other car myself. If you have the mechanical ability, you should just do the work yourself. It is much cheaper, and you get the satisfaction knowing it was done right. You can get the factory service manuals from "techinfo.toyota.com". Pay $10 for one day's worth of access, and you can download service manuals for as many Toyota/Lexus vehicles as you like.

If you do not plan on doing the work yourself to fix that problem, the labor will probably be very expensive. Between that and the cosmetic work, probably expensive enough that you could find a car in better condition for the same amount of money.

If the car has been maintained well, and you continue to maintain it, I think you will get many more miles out of it. I have a friend in the insurance business whose daily driver is a 1994 LS with over 300,000 miles. He changes the oil frequently and takes the car in to our local independent Lexus mechanic every year to make sure everything is working correctly. A co-worker of that friend also drove a 1993 LS. She maintained it similarly, and the car had 400,000 miles on it before it was finally rear-ended and totaled. My 1992 LS currently has 142,000 miles and I do a great job maintaining it. Judging by these people's and other's experiences, I expect mine will continue to work well as long as I continue to maintain it properly.

get the ES!!!! Accords are a bore to drive. Trust me. I had one. LOL He bought the Accord. I went over to his house tonight to take a look. Drove the car, and while better than the Impala, I think it is still a downgrade in just about everything compared to my Camry. Judging by how picky he was with the other used cars we looked at, I expected this one to be in excellent condition, especially with 66K miles. That could not have been farther from the truth. Had I not known earlier, I would have guessed the car had at least twice that many miles. The car was owned by a smoker, and the interior shows. The exterior of the car has quite a few scratches, a 2-inch ding in the passenger door, and a large dent right in the front of the bumper. Has no maintenance records and is due for a timing belt change, but he seems to think that is not important. The belt will probably have to break for him to finally realize what a big deal that actually is. Main reason I thought he wouldn't like the ES I looked at earlier is because it had a couple scratches on the trunk lid, but I think this car is actually in worse condition. Worst part is, he paid $200 more than what Blue Book says the car is worth. Their values seem high to me anyway. But, it has LOW MILES. (rolls eyes) Needless to say, he is a good friend. It was just frustrating to go to all the work to try and help him find something good, but he just got too anxious and bought a piece of crap.

He is getting ready to buy 2001 4-cyl Accord EX. He was not able to find any ESs with the miles and price he wanted. I am sure how the Accord compares to the other cars in it's class, because I have never owned one. In addition to my LS, I also have a 2000 Toyota Camry. I have never driven an Accord, but ridden in the various years/models owned by family members. My impression of all those Accords, ranging from 1991-2003 model years, has always been that they do not ride as softly as the Camry, and that the interior materials are not of the same quality either. That being said, it is probably still a much better car than it's American competition. I cannot even begin to tell you how disappointed I was the last time I drove a Chevy Impala. I think the Camry is just a much better car than all of them. My opinion of the Accord, and Honda products in general, would be much higher if they would do something to help their customers who have had failed transmissions in Accords, Odysseys, and Acura TLs. I know 3 people personally with those cars, who had a failure that was not covered by warranty and were all forced to pay close to $4000 to cover the cost of repair. Last month, the transmission failed for the second time, in the Odyssey owned by a family member of mine. The excellent service I have gotten from Lexus corporate, and the same great service the few times I have been to the dealer, are enough to make me a Lexus owner for life. They built their reputation on great cars and great service. They have done a great job keeping that reputation.

Not an expert as my car does not have air suspension, but I don't think that will work. You could try Strut Masters, and another place called Arnott Industries. I think some other club members have used their products and generally been pleased with them. http://www.arnottindustries.com/promotion/...-suspension.asp

Agreed. That is the only kind I use in my transmission. The cost difference between Toyota ATF fluid and the other brands is insignificant. To me, it is worth the extra couple of dollars to use what I know is the correct kind.

Try techinfo.toyota.com. Pay $10 and get 1 day's worth of access to their online database. You can download all the service manuals you want for any Toyota vechine during that time. That is probably the cheapest and best option.

He has looked at a few 1997-2001 models. He is back looking at Accords again, but I hope he does not have transmission trouble if he buys one of those. I know 3 people personally who owned Accords and had complete failures before 100,000 miles. Anybody here know anything about Accord transmissions? That makes two of us.....they have had alot of problems with the tranny's in the late 90's & early 2000's. Has you friend driven both vehicles? No, he has not driven either one yet. Sadly, I think he will never get the chance to drive an ES as the only ones within his price range have 90-100K miles, which is "too many" for him. Don't really understand this as his current vehicle (Accord) has over 150K and runs fine. If he drove the Accord and then the ES, I'm sure he would see what a difference there is and reconsider. Just seems like he has his heart set on the Honda though. I looked at and drove an ES with 127K that I thought he might be interested in. While it is not the same as my LS, it is a wonderful car. If anyone is looking for a good deal on a 2000 Coach Edition, there is one for $7000 here in KC! Just needs a little cosmetic TLC. Felt like just buying it for myself....

The switch may be worn out, however, I think it is far more likely that it is the element itself. They do not last forever. The TRAC button on my car does light up at night when the headlights are turned on, but not at any other time.

He has looked at a few 1997-2001 models. He is back looking at Accords again, but I hope he does not have transmission trouble if he buys one of those. I know 3 people personally who owned Accords and had complete failures before 100,000 miles. Anybody here know anything about Accord transmissions?