timandjulie

Hello, Need to buy a 6000lb vehicle this year...in the 4th quarter. It will be a LX470. Are these beasts selling for normal MSRP or can you get one for a tad over invoice. I dont mind traveling to pick the car up if it saves money....besides, long drives in nice cars are fun. Thanks!~

Hello all, First..this post is not relevent to many but for those of us who are self employeed...paying tons in taxes...this is a great question; I love my old paid for 94 LS400. I got everything working perfectly...has about $14k invested all together. Just got back from a 400 mile drive and couldn't be happier. We need to get another car this fall. From the looks of things we are going to owe big money in taxes this year. (nice problem, I know). There is a tax law that allows self employeed business owners to write off 100% of a vehicle that weights over 6000lbs off in the first year. So, if you are in the 40% tax bracket and you buy a new Porsche TT SUV....you actually reduce the taxes you owe by.....$40,000. I friggen hate SUVs. But, even more I HATE depreciation. I can buy a sweet 98-00 LS for $20,000...pay cash. But, doing so would force me to pay more in taxes. If we buy a SUV I will have to make a payment....and pay interest....and deal with the depreciation....not to mention own a SUV. VS with the paid off LS....its paid off and I already know that they are the worlds best cars. I am not smart enough to figure out why I shouldn't buy the SUV and save the money in taxes....anyone? This is a real issue. Thanks!

Hello, Driving down a slow road this evening and heard something metallic 'fall' off my 94 LS. We turned around to see what it was and low and dehold....a very rusty part of a spring. I thought...no way is this from my LS....figured the noise was from driving over it opposed to having it fall off. Well....it fell off. I jacked the rear of the car up and the tops of both of the rear springs are very very rusty and the spring piece had actually fallen off the drivers side rear. The joys of living in salt country! Any ideas what replacement springs and shocks will cost....I would imagine that its a good idea to replace the shocks while the springs are out. And if I am doing the rears I should do all four corners....prices, suggestions? Any input would be appreciated...as always.

I think I will go with what is simply the best car. The dealer wont budge off $27k....I found what looks like the same car on ebay,...another Lexus dealer...for $21k. I was told that the dealers are buying these cars at auctions and dealer trade ins for $18-20,000. I cant imagine there would be $5k + worth of repairs needed to justify to CPO car.

Hello, Well, we are going to buy another LS. This one will be a 98,99,00. There are many for sale around the country. Seems to me that one can get a LS of that age with 40-50k on the odo for around $10-23k. I have seen very few with NAV. My local Lexus dealer has a 99 w/nav and its certifed but...he wants 27k. Please offer advice if a certified car is worth a $3-6k premium over a non certified. By the way...for those who responded to my previous post regarding getting a MB vs LS...thanks. This really is an awesome site.

Thanks! Any idea how much of a premium I should pay for a Lexus Certified car? I figure that if I am going to get Julie a LS I should get one with a warranty....ideas?

First of all...WOW...what great replies. I researched the MBs on line and they do indeed seem to have their share of issues. Its interesting to see that the MBs are priced almost the same as the LS's now. I found numerous 4-5 year old s420s for $10-13k. Those are amazing cars...but, I guess with years and miles all those neat features will break. I do have a great..non dealer...local mechanic that works on our existing Lexus. This is a big part of why I want to get another LS. I dont know of any non dealer MB mechanics. I think that I have her 70% sold on another LS. We spent all day Saturday checking out the would be competition...mostly new cars for under $30k. Even she agreed that our old 94 LS is 100xs nicer than a new $30k car. Now, the question is are the newer 98,99,00,01 LS..with the newer motor...as reliable as the older ones like our 94? Seems to me that we can get an LS from that generation with 50k or so for around $20k. How much of a premium should I be willing to pay for a certified car. Most of the dealer LS with warranty that I have seen are $3-5,000 more. Its great to be on the buying end of such a great car....now, after its lost so much of its value. Let me know.

Hello All, Happy owner of a 94 ls. Great car. Soon it will be time to get a new car for my wife. She thinks the LS is an 'old mans car' so we are considering options. I am sure she would get an LS with a little coaxing but, she wants to look into the w124 MBs Sclasses. Those are the S classes that were out prior to the current. I suspect these cars are very expensive to upkeep once they are old but would appreciate any real world advise. So, give me reasons NOT to get a 5-6 year old S Class. Thanks!

Hello all, Wanted to tap the brain trust for a quick question.. our 94 LS with 96k is making a odd noise when we go over bumps..speed bumps etc. Sounds like a crunching tin car from inside the car. I cant duplicate the noise when pushing on the front bumper. Sway bar bushing, ball joints....any suggestions. And, with your suggestion could you also share with me the least expensive route to repairing the problem. I have a Lexus machanic who I will hire to do the work...but, I want to go there with my eyes open. Thanks Guys!