amcdonal86

I will try to get those readings. I don't have a voltmeter, but I will say that the battery looks brand new. The independent dealership I bought it from probably replaced the battery just before selling it to me as the terminals have absolutely no corrosion and the battery itself is very glossy and shiny!

Can't you attempt to have Lexus buy the car back through your state's "lemon" laws?

Hi, I just purchased a '97 Coach Edition with 91k miles. I noticed today while driving at night that the backlighting for the climate control kind of dims and brightens very slightly (and randomly). However, I also noticed that when I rev the engine in neutral with the headlights on, they get significantly brighter. Could this be an indication of a bad battery or a bad alternator? Or is this normal behavior? I appreciate any advice/help! Thanks!

Glad you found the solution to your problem. This was an interesting read! :)

I will probably do all minor maintenance myself (spark plugs/wires, brakes, etc.) myself, but I'll probably have a mechanic do some other things. :) By the way, I just sold the Miata today. I got $3275 for my '94 Miata with 162k miles on it! I should be a used car salesman!

Mine didn't come with the leather cabin bag unfortunately. I agree that the leather wrapped steering wheel is more comfortable, but I would've at least wanted a chrome "L" badge on the steering wheel. Regardless, the interior looks great. About the number of transmission gears, for some reason the 2000 LS400 I drove just didn't feel as "meaty" as the 1997 LS400 I bought. Even though shifts were seamless, the 2000 LS400 seemed to be faster revving and, if it did shift when you pressed the gas pedal, you would have to wait a half a second or so for the power to come. They're both great cars, I'm just glad I actually prefer the one I got (and not the more expensive one)! :) My girlfriend is driving up today for New Years. I think she will be very impressed with the car!

I wouldn't say that. I can't imagine labeling any $55k luxury car as inexpensive to maintain. The OEM parts are quite expensive.... $70 for a lower ball joint, $50 for a tie rod end, $250 for a front lower control arm (the control arm bushings aren't available by themselves unless you want poly), front upper control arm is $300, $125 per shock, $115 per suspension spring, 8 platinum or iridium plugs aren't cheap either, a set of plug wires is $120, and so on. The good news is that the parts are going to last for quite a while & the quality of the parts is excellent! I guess it doesn't really matter--as long as it averages about 10 cents per mile I think I'll be okay! I only have pics from the dealer's craigslist ad, which are quite accurate (naturally). The Coach embroidered floor mats came with the car but were in the trunk when these photos were taken. My car didn't come with an owner's manual. I already registered on the owners section of the Lexus official website and ordered my free replacement owners manual, but I don't know where I can find the maintenance schedule for the LS400. Do you know where I can find a PDF version online?

I think you are on track with a $100/month expense allocation over the long haul. As the miles mount up, you will likely be having a number of front suspension components replaced that usually wear out between 75,000 and 140,000 miles. If it has not been done, you will probably spend $1300 - $1600 on the 90K mile service if you have someone do it for you and depending on if you have an indie shop or a Lexus dealer do the work. You might even be able to squeeze your tires out of a budget like that. Without checking my files, I'd guess that our 00 LS400 costs more than twice as much to maintain as our 98 Camry with a similar number of miles -- about 105,000 miles on both. But then, it feels like twice as much car. The 95-97 LS400 is definitely my favorite LS body style -- very clean design. That's good to know. I just hope there will be no surprise repairs. My '94 Miata (which I am now selling) had many many surprise repairs that added up! I had also test driven a 2000 LS400 which I also liked. Initially I preferred the styling of the 2000 when they were parked side by side, but now that I can see my LS400 by itself, I think it looks fantastic. I also prefer the 4 speed automatic to the 5 speed because there is less shifting (which, IMO, is good for such a torquey engine)! Would've been nice to have wood grain on the steering wheel, though!

That does look pretty cool. Maybe it would make the styling more suitable for a young soon-to-be college graduate like myself!

No bahs about it. Good advice you're getting here. Welcome to the club. Now that your a member, take advantage of all this info on how to keep that 97 Coach Edition in "PERFECT" conditon. Haha thanks for the welcome. I took it to the Lexus dealership and had the wheels balanced. It's not shimmying anymore! :) I was under the impression that the LS400 is a car that is very inexpensive to maintain. I'm trying to budget about $100 a month on maintenance and repairs. That's $1200 a year and about 10 cents per mile. Do you guys think this figure is reasonable?

Bah. How much does it cost to replace worn bushings? I feel like it's really a balancing problem, though. The car is PERFECT under about 55 mph. I've never driven a car so perfect in my life! :) Thanks for your help!!

Hi guys, I just bought a '97 Coach Edition. It is in pristine condition (okay, it has a small ding in the fender and a small ding on the door and a few scratches on the rear bumper if you look close, but the interior is flawless), and it drives like it's brand new, even with 91k miles on it! So far, I am very pleased with this car. I enjoy driving sporty cars with manual transmissions, and I was sure that I would never go back to driving an automatic. But I test drove some LS400s after realizing what a fantastic value they are, especially in this economy (I got mine for $7400 out the door), something about the car just felt right. It didn't seem like a car just for old people, and it instantly felt familiar. Well anyhow, I look forward to being a part of this community! P.S. The car is shimmying on the highway at around 55-65 mph. It is most noticeable in the steering wheel. I got an alignment and this did not fix the issue. My first thought is the wheels are out of balance. Is this the most likely scenario or are there more sinister things at work here? The tires are nearing the end of their life (I'd say they're about 5-10k miles away from hitting the wear bars on the tires), so I'm hoping that that's not the issue. I'd like to hold off on buying new tires until the summer, so I'm thinking of just getting the wheels balanced for about $50. Any thoughts?