rwallican

You can buy a new seat on ebay for a decent price.

Try ebay. They always have stuff like that for sale.

I LIKE THE '00. THE WOOD GRAIN WHEEL IS DEFINITELY AN UPGRADE!! I DONT THINK THE BODY STYLE IS MUCH DIFFERENT THAN THE 98 BUT I JUST LIKE THE IDEA OF PURCHASING SOMETHING NEWER. I HAVE A 96 LS400 AND I'M WAITING A COUPLE OF YEARS FOR THAT '04 LS430 TO DEPRECIATE. THEN I'LL SNATCH IT UP AND BE DONE BUYING CARS FOR AT LEAST 10 YEARS!!!! <_<

Thanks fellas. I think I'll go with the flush/fill. Better to be safe than sorry!

Thinking of changing cd player. My 400 didn't come with a factory changer. Put an aftermarket Alpine under the passenger seat. I think I saw someone with an aftermarket cd/dvd player/navigation system mounted under their ac controls. Anyone have any idea where to get one of these systems and at what cost?

sweet! they keep the "classic" look of the car.

Any opinions on just draining/filling transmission vs. flush/fill? My dad and I were arguing about it. I was told that the LS 400 doesn't need to be flushed. :chairshot:

It must just be a problem with the 96. I have the same problem. I bought my car from a Lexus dealer and, after I noticed the missing paint, I called my salesman. He said that just happens to those 96s. It's not really noticeable.

Definitely check out other Lexus specialists and I guarantee you won't pay nearly as much as the dealership. I think that they include the price of the free cappucino's in the labor cost at the dealership!!! I called my mechanic (only works on Lexus and Toyota's and uses genuine parts) and he said the 90k service is $800. Talk to the owner of the shop first and see what kind of "feel" you get for him.

NXT is awesome!! Used it last month and it works great. Used the meguiars cleaner wax and deep crystal polish then nxt. buffed with an orbital buffer. Looks like glass!!!!!

nice! i'll probably be purchasing an 04 in 06. question----is there a monthly charge for the navigational system? how much better does the mark levinson system sound than the regular?

Yes..........I love the 04 too! But, wait 3 years or so and let that puppy depreciate from $58K down to $30K, then sell your LS outright and pick the 04 up! Every month you can hold out it saves you $400+/mo. in depreciation alone. 2004 - The ride is very close to the same, but even quieter. More trunk, head & interior room too.....It's awesome car for sure. Best reason to hold off..........let your wife drive the NEW car for a while :D Thanks everyone. I think the most logical advice is to wait 3 years and let that '04 depreciate. I never really noticed the difference in the body style until I went to the lot yesterday. I'll do a few things to customize mine now (18" chrome OEM wheels). The next one I buy is gonna be for keeps!!!!

I have found a shop in my area that only works on Lexus/Toyota's. The owner was a mechanic at a local Lexus dealership for 15 years before he branched off and started his own thing. He uses Lexus parts and does excellent work for much less. Did the 60k service for $450! Dealership wanted $900. Check your yellow pages and see if you can find a Lexus/Toyota shop. Then go there and get a feel for the servicepeople, owner, etc.

MUST BE NICE TO GET A LEXUS HANDED OVER TO YOU. MY COLLEGE CAR WAS AN 85 CUTLASS CIERA (THIS WAS 1992!) MY WIFE HAS A GS300. IT HAS A NICE RIDE BUT NOT NEARLY AS GOOD AS MY LS. ISN'T AS SMOOTH AND DOESN'T HAVE NEARLY THE POWER. I ALSO NEED THE EXTRA LEG ROOM. TAKE WHATEVER YOU CAN GET BUT DEFINITELY GO WITH THE LS. I TEST DROVE THE 430 A COUPLE OF TIMES AND IT'S MORE POWERFUL THAN THE 400 AND HAS MORE GADGETS. IT'S JUST HARD FOR ME TO FATHOM STARTING OVER PAYING ON A CAR NOTE (I FIGURE A 2002 LS430 WOULD RUN ABOUT $42K) WHEN MY LS IS STILL A BABY-63,000 MILES- AND WILL BE PAID OFF SOON. I THINK I NEED SOME FINANCIAL COUNSELING

Is anyone else considering the jump to the 430?

LEXOL IS THE BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD. I'VE USED IT FOR YEARS AFTER SAMPLING WITH LOTS OF OTHER BRANDS. I USE IT PRETTY OFTEN ON THE DRIVERS SEAT TO PREVENT THE CRACKING THAT OCCURS ON THE LEFT SIDE. IT WORKS!

It definitely has a lot more features. It costs a lot more too!! My friends say the 400 has a lot more classy look. I think they'll be changing the body style again in '07. I guess newer isn't always better.

Sounds like the battery. Take it to auto zone. They'll test the battery and alternator for free. No need to get too nervous. I had the same problem with a former car and the battery needed replacing (although it was only 1 year old)

Just trying to get some opinions. I know most people on this site, like myself, have the ls400. I have a '96 with 63k miles, mint condition. When the ls430 first came out, I absolutely hated it. It's finally growing on me 4 years and one wife later! My wife really wants the newer model. We just bought her the '04 gs300. I wouldn't mind upgrading but it's soooooooo nice to be 1 year away from not having a car note and, since joining this site, I really enjoy reading the posts and seeing how much pride you all have in your cars. I know I'll be disappointed with the trade-in value. Please give me some opinions that'll coax me to stick with the 400!!!!!! :cries:

I found out the hard way that there is no aftermarket cd changer that will work with the original head unit. I purchased a 96 ls400 without a changer and thought I could pick one up aftermarket and have it installed. I had to eventually put in an aftermarket that runs off an fm modulator. I'm still in the market for an oem. Just found out about ebay so I'll try that.