atoyot

Hi all. I'm new and have been searching, reading the FAQ and all i can. I'll try not to be long winded.....

I currently own a 1995 Toyota Land Cruiser 80 series that's lifted and a true mountain goat. Love the truck and aint sellin'. But gas is killing me (10 mpg) and i'm a Real Estate agent, so the cruiser just aint cutting it anymore. Now that it's lifted and muddy half the time i can't show property with it well.

So i've always had my eye on the LS400/430 (major toyota/lexus fan). Right now the 430 is slightly out of my price range. The 400 is a great looking car and from what i've read it's just as reliable as my cruiser (220,000 miles).

I would like to hear from you all what would be the "best" year to buy and what to look for in my search. Also what years not to look at (if there are any ).

So far it seems that they need timing belts at 90,000 miles. Is it a belt or chain? Head gasket issues on these motors? That's the one weak link on my cruiser (1FZFE motor) is the HG.

I had my eye on a 99' that has 78,000 miles. Good looking car.

Thanks in advance for any insight. I look forward to contributing in the near future after my purchase.

Atl

I bought my 99 with similar milage, and you might want to put about $3k aside for the near future. 90K timing belt service: : $1,100.00, and is critical as 98+ engine's valves crash into the pistons if belt breaks. If that happens, figure $4-5K to fix (so I'm told). My brake pads needed changing ($120.00), the rear main seal ruptured ($800.00), one valve cover gasket blew ($400.00), engine and tranny rubber mounts go bad around this time (about $400.00), and you might want to flush the tranny fluid as well. But after that, so far, nothing but oil changes and $4.00 a gallon gas. But you can get these cars cheap, and the service you get is the best, I even get a free loaner for oil changes. BTW, I get about 18 miles in the city and 25 on the hwy.

Put some money aside, get a car fax before you buy, and enjoy!

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

where the hell do you get you're work done, sounds like dealership prices....

atoyot

can i replace the timing chain? I can replace it on the cruiser. I'm sure i can replace the pads.

I can live with a little leak from the rear main.

Sounds like i have to run premium fuel, correct?

Also, is there a good parts dealer on the board? We have a guy on my landcruiser board that gives us all OEM parts for list.


thanks all.

Kansas

It's a timing belt - not a chain. Yes, premium fuel. Lots of discount Lexus parts around. I often use Sewell Lexus in Texus.

The rear main seal and valve cover gaskets and fix prices (yikes!) are very unusual problems and the prices a wee bit HIGH.

LS400's commonly need some front suspension attention between 80,000 and 125,000 miles - strut rod bushings, etc. Yes, you definitely want to have a reserve fund to pay for the occasional repair.

My suggestion is to look for a one owner car with documented service history. You might even want to advertise ("Want to buy") for such a car.

Personally, I wouldn't be afraid of buying from a private party as long as you get a private party (i.e. low) price and can see maintenance documentation. I've known several people who, like me, bought an LS new, maintained it perfectly, and passed it on to its second owner after a number of years.

I also suggest that you review the specifications for the various model years on www.lexus.com. You will have to do a search to find the specs for models too old for the CPO program but they are there. There were a number of useful options and well equipped models sell for only slightly more than base models.

Avoid LS400s with the navigation system. Buy a Garmin or even a POS portable nav if you want nav. The cheapest portable nav you can buy is far better than the old Lexus nav.

atoyot

good info, thanks.

EDIT: couldn't find the older ls400 models on lexus.com. I did a search and it still didn't pull up any old models. Perhaps it will if i register?

Kansas

Try this link to see the specs for a 1999 LS: http://www.lexus.com/contact/pdf/1999/1999LSspecs.pdf

Overtype the "1999" in both places in the above URL to see the specs for other model years.

If you want to see the specs for a GS, also overtype the "LS" in the URL with "GS", etc.

TJW98LS

iTrader: (1)

98-00 LS400 no doubt

heyhowyado

it is a great car....and with that mileage, it's not even broken in yet!

shonn

iTrader: (1)

I recently upgraded to a 98 from my old 91. I LOVE IT! Definetly go with the 98-00.

dashan

Are you sure the problems of RMS and VCG are true, but not getting F by the dealer? Never heard of RMS and VCG problems on a young 99 LS4.

The Lexus Dealer told me the car needed a timing belt (the TB was changed like 20K Mile before).

sonyman

Don't use made-up acronyms. It reminds me of a guy on another forum that said "msp" as if the casual reader would know he meant Mazdaspeed Protege. It inserts an unnecessary layer of translation regardless of how obvious you think they are. Also, the only way to tell for certain that a car needs a timing belt is to remove the belt and squeeze it inside-out, so you are looking at the underside of the belt. You want to look for cracks or defects in the belt. If you changed the belt someplace else than the dealership then there is no way for them to know for certain that you don't need a belt since no place is going to remove the belt just to find out if you need one. They will base their recommendation on mileage alone.

Atl

When they did my timing belt, they placed a sticker on the engine cover near the radiator with the milage and date.
Yes, dealer prices, but I checked with an inde. shop, and his prices were not much cheaper, and no free loaner. I do not know of a good shop here in Atlanta to fix these cars other than the dealer, and as the pricing was similar, I saw no reason. If it were cheaper I'd try them, and also, I know that if anything goes wrong, Nalley Lexus will stand by their work. The rear main seal hurt though. And I am surprised at the number of things that had to be fixed on my 99 LS. But, so far so good, fingers crossed that this will remain true.
Still have not replaced the hood struts, $400.00!! Are they/Lexus Nuts!?! I'll continue to use a stick. And why these are shot already, is pretty damn sad. I am seriously thinking of writing Lexus about this.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

you can get aftermarket hood struts for <$100 off ebay...

Atl

Have you tried them? I'd hate to buy them and not fit, but that's a good price.