farquad

Hey, this is my first post here and I was wondering if I could get some opinions about the first gen LS400.. as well as experiences with reliability and anything else worth mentioning that could assist me in making a decision on whether to consider it as one of my choices for a... personal automobile.
if a thread similar to mine exists, i apologize and i'd greatly appreciate if you could just link me to it :P.. thanks

LiCelsior

iTrader: (32)

1st gen LS is great, runs for a long time with the proper maintenance. first run a carfax on the car, or have a lexus dealer do a prebuy. then try to see its service records, any accidents and things like that.

Lextreme

You should consider 95 and up....

farquad

thanks guys.. another thing.. are the replacement parts reasonable in price and what kind of gas mileage do you get?

LiCelsior

iTrader: (32)

replacement parts are not that expensive. i get a mix of highway and local so i get between 16-17mpg but i also have a fuel problem so count me out.

EastWind

people always say, get 95 and up, but that depends on your budget, if you don't have a lot of money, get what you can afford. if it well maintained and tuned up properly, you will get decent gas mileage. I average 20mpg city driving, and get 24-25 on freeway. I own a 91, bought it was $2500 in Nov 2005 with 167k miles and now I am at 217k.

L_Sport

I love my 1stGen LS purchased new by my pops in late 1989, the car is way ahead of it's time and rides like a beast reliable and strong. My car has 248,250 miles and runs and rides better then my 1999 Chrysler 300M with 89,000 miles. The 1st gen is a solid car, however the 1995 and up is even further ahead. The interior of the 1995 is much more superior. The 1st gen is a nice car to push if you can get it cheap.

avalon42

iTrader: (1)

What I love about the 1st Gen is their non-interference type engines. I feel really bad about that guy with on the other thread with the VVTi pulley breaking and charging him up the Wazoo.

Get a 93-94 if you can because they are equipped with the R-134 type AC already.

Lextreme

I owned a 1990 few years ago and now I drive the 1995 daily. The 1995 has better brake, better cams. Since the 1995 is a newer car, the interior is alot better along with the body. You will find the 1990 slight cheaper, but after you fix all those common problems. The price will be around the same.

farquad

hey guys.. soo i found a 1993 lexus ls400 with 300,000KM (186,000ish miles) for 3500.. i emailed the person to ask about the condition of the interior as it only had one picture of the exterior.. i got a reply and he dropped the price down to 3000 just for inquiring about it + he said the interior is basically in mint condition.. he needs the money for a down payment on another car
it's supposedly fully loaded, with a 12 disc cd changer.. black on black, the exterior looked nice from the photo.. he claims to have also kept it in excellent condition and has all the receipts of work he's done on the car.. changed its timing belt, AC gas, Struts, and tires.. so noww.. before i bother test driving it.. first things first.. do you think 3000 is reasonable for an ls400 with 300,000KMs

omarg

if its clean... and has receipts and a maintainance record... then yes i think its a steal honestly.

JBrewster

Doesn't matter what car you buy, make sure the maintenance is up to date. These cars will run forever with proper maintenance. If the maintenance hasn't been kept up with however, the car can be a major money pit.