zorax2

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!

JRG

As I see it most everything aside from the PS pump is normal maint. stuff you/someone could have on another car out of warranty anyway. The value will not resemble its worth to you. IF POSSIBLE find an independant that knows Toyota/Lexus ie: old tech that opened his own business and don't sweat the small stuff. It sounds like a sound car.

I am new here so someone else please chime in.

JRG

RPH74

I would keep the car. You said that you love the car. What you've mentioned are what I consider to be minor problems, except for the rear main oil seal.

If you were to buy another used car, you would end up spending money on it also. I've owned 15 used cars over the years, and have yet to buy one that didn't need something. My rule has always been to budget $1000 for any newly purchased used car.

If you plan to purchase the 98-00 LS in cash, than it wouldn't be as bad, but if you plan to get a car note, just keep the old one going.

denverdog

first, keep those dealer quotes. they're good for starting fires in your fireplace.

get a toyota ps pump, with the parts made of metal. ther problem with the lexus pump
is that the critical part is made of plastic. get an independent shop that does lexus work
to install it. the total will not be anywhere near $1800. take your savings and go to vegas and put it all on 24 black. if you win, i'd like to get 25%. also, be sure to get this repaired before the leak destroys your alternator (another quaint lexus design feature).

i don't have the air suspension, and if you dearch this forum you'll find divergent opinions whether they are worth replacing. $4k at the dealer, and this is something you may want the dealer to do. it is a lot cheaper to replace with shocks. still rides pretty good. personal
choice.

time to have a talk with that import shop. if they did $3k work and still no a/c, they are incompetent.

run that rear seal by your independent lexus shop. get a price from them. that kind of repair
is mostly labor, so it will be expensive, but probably less so. also, dealers are notorious for not letting you out the door without giving you something big to worry about. at the age of this c ar, don't go making expensive repairs just because something MIGHT fail in the future. if you see no evidence of a leak, what's the hurry? just monitor it closely. hell, you might get hit by lightning before it actually starts to leak.

post where you are in minnesota. probably another forum member can refer you to a good indie shop, unless you are out in warroad.

if you sell i'd try the local paper and the nearest large paper. i'd say you'd be lucky toget $5000.
it would probably be better to get the repair costs under control and keep the car. you'd still have a great car. it gets decent mileage for a car that big. you'll never replace it without spending a lot more. if you put another 100,000 miles on it, it will only depreciate by half i would think. even with the repair costs, you are now at the value end of this car's lifetime, because depreciation is negligible. but only you can analyze your situation, and all the other factors.

zorax2

I did pull the trigger on a clean 99 LS400 with 75K, navigation, heated seats, etc. My wife is thrilled with it. I did plan on the various "fix-its" once I bought the car. I've already balanced the tires and changed the brake fluid. Now I've got to clean the condensation out of one of the headlights. I've also got a few small nicks in the doors to paint.

zorax2

I like your idea but the wife doesn't want me to put any more money into it. She figures that I should sell it for less and let someone else do all the fixes. Given I don't have the time to find an independent and the risk of repairing and possibly not getting all of my money out of the repairs - I tend to agree. I would love to go to Vegas and give you the 25% if I hit it!

100% agreed. While I feel (and was) raked over the coals, I wasn't going to get any further without suing the shop and I didn't want to pursue that route.

Fortunately, I am in the Twin Cities - I'll do another post later to see who is a good independent in the Twin Cities.

I haven't got the room to keep a fourth vehicle nor a need as my wife and I are the only drivers in our household. It's hard to believe someone would pay $4-5K knowing the PS Pump and A/C need repair. The KBB lists the Private Party value as $4,910 exc, $4415 good and $3795 fair condition. However, by their definition, my LS is not in fair condition due to the mechanical work needed. My car does have the heated seats and Nakamichi.

So I've definitely got to sell the '91. So do all of you believe it's reasonable to ask (and expect to get) $4K for it with the list of items I've given?

RPH74

I think your car would be a hard sell at that price. Timing is not on your side right now, since your A/C doesn't work and it is the beginning of summer. Though being up north might make that less of a problem.

I would say fix the antenna mast for cosmetics at the very least. You might be able to find a young kid who doesn't care about A/C, but I would imagine that most in the market for your car would expect A/C to be a given thing.

I would think that if you asked $3500 firm you could get rid of it quickly.

zorax2

I listed the vehicle today in the local paper which included a listing on Cars.com for $3,495 or best offer. Thanks for the advice! It'll be interesting to see how this goes.

RPH74

Good luck man! Hope it sells for you.