Xenoblade

Hello there Lexus enthusiasts,

I'm new to this forum and this is my first post. I have been thinking, reading and researching long and hard about a great and affordable luxury car which I may buy next and after leaning towards a Mercedes W140 or an Audi or BMW for a while I remembered about Lexus and after researching it further, they seem even more amazing than I remember. I'm looking at getting a 90's edition LS400, from 91-97.

I already appreciate the elegant looks interior and exterior-wise and reliability is a big factor for me so winning all those awards critically & commercially for it's build & reliability for 15 years straight is a definite drawcard for me. I don't have a lot of money nor am I mechanically inclined. I know a bit but not enough to do my own work and all that so... Here are a few things I need to know before taking a definite aim on getting one so I can truly join your club. My questions are aimed at anyone who can truly answer them from some sort of experience and especially those who have experience in either ownership or own a car yard or are mechanic or something of the sort. Questions are in no particular order. The numbers are just a guide.

1. Maintenance. My biggest question I've been hoping to get some good answers from... How expensive are they to maintain as opposed to other cars such as a Honda for example & are they really as costly to maintain as some make out? 2. How reliable are they really in your experience? 3. How are they in terms of fuel usage? 4. Comfort? (I'm 6'2 tall) 5. Repairs and so on.. are parts expensive? 6. Are there any particular known defects I should be worried about? 7. How much money have you spent on your Lexus since purchase & how much am I looking at spending at yearly on maintenance? 8. As opposed to a BMW or Mercedes... are they as expensive in terms or parts and maintenance? 9. I'm looking for a truly reliable and comfortable luxury car with good power & hadling, has to be V8 which I know it is, that will last me atleast the next 5-10 years without burning my pockets. The Lexus is what I'm most interested in now as opposed to the Mercedes W140 which comes in at 2nd. Will this Lexus LS400 be a good buy if I choose to go with it? 10. Which year models are known to be the best to go for from 91-97 & why? I've heard some years are even more reliable & better than others or are the changes minimal?

Any sort or guidance or further information or advice you can give me as a prospective owner is gladly appreciated if you can provide it. Please include your mileage/kilometres and the year of your Lexus along with you advice and/or answers & what you've needed done to yours if you can so I know. Also, if you can, let me know what condition and mileage it was in when you brought it.

Thanks in advance. I look forward to your advice and responses.

j2b4o

Check the stickies for common issues and stuff.

But for some personal experience. I bought a 90 a few months ago with 120k on it for $2500. The issues when I bought it were noisy front suspension over heavy bumps (clunk), blacked out climate controll(works just can't see the temp or time), had no cd magazine in changer, small rip in both front seats, squeaky idler pully, intermittent loss of subwoofer, whiny power steering, tiny amount of smoke on startup.

Clunking in from suspension was upper ball joints(200-500$ each depending on make)and strut rod bushings (~100$ each oem).
Friend had a broken changer in his LS so he gave me the magazine and the changer works fine.
Idler pully bearing was ~25$
Haven't narrowed the sub problem down yet.
Whiny power steering was because of a system full of the wrong fluid and a flush and fill cleared it up.
Smoke on startup was the air controll valve on the power steering pump which is real common and I just plugged it along with the vaccine lines but the part is like 90$ oem. Didnt see a difference but the valve was bad when I got the car so I have nothing to compare it to.

All the prices I gave were for parts only.

Mine still has the stock air suspension which is like 1200$ a corner for the shocks alone so most people avoid it. It's easy enough to convert it to a coil suspension but could leave you stranded if a bag suddenly deflated. Mine was garaged so the shocks still look real nice and function real nicely but it's just a matter of time before I need to replace it.

Ive only driven like 2500 city miles so far but I've never had a real issue other than what I knew going in. It drives nice and smooth, is very very quiet and has plenty of power when you need it. Most reguard the power train as bullet proof and they regularly run for 300k.

Xenoblade

Thanks for your response. Could you please elaborate a little further on the suspension issues you were speaking of. In particular, the part where you said people avoid it. What exactly did you mean by that? Also the part about converting it to a coil suspension. Is this a common thing & why would you convert them to coils? Thanks again.

j2b4o

If you buy a car that still has the stock air suspension(not all do,there is a switch next to the fear shift if it did) it will eventually need to be repaired/replaced because its a 20yr old car and it's a wear item. The cost of the shocks alone are ~1200$ each for front and ~700$ each rear. Almost every other component to the air system is also north of $1000 before labor. This is why people avoid cars with the stock air. There is several options to convert it to a coil suspension but t would probably run around ~600$ for everything if you buy inexpensive or junk yard parts. It should be a piece of cake for someone who knows how to wrench to convert, so not really a big deal other than the cost.
In summation it's not worth the cost to repair the stock air when it goes.

Luxurexus

In my opinion this the ls series is the finest built cars you can buy. The cost of maintenance is about twice what it costs for your typical car unless you use all genuine lexus parts (which are generally way over priced). If you can do the labor yourself or if you know a reasonable indie shop its not terrible and they have proven to be some of the most reliable cars on the road.

Xenoblade

Just to update. I finally bought a Lexus LS400 after many years of looking for a good one! They aren't easy to find around here as hardly anyone wants to sell the. It is an incredible car, granted I have only owned for about 3 days but wow! It's a masterpiece and quite honestly, the smoothest and most refined car I'e ever driven. And I have driven some brilliant cars from all the German heavyweights. Anyhow, just have to say, I can't stop driving this thing... As a kid I always wanted one and I finally got one and I am very happy so far!

Just a question, it still smells like a new car! Why is this!? Granted, it has been looked after quite meticulously but is it normal for it to still smell like a new car after all these years? It definitely drives like one but to also smell like on is crazy to me.

Legender

Two years since that post... you've waited a long time... glad you found one to your liking. Yes, they are great and some would even say addictive. You're probably smelling the leather in the car mostly. And the well cared for ones will still smell like new as they've been treated well and taken care of. I think that's a good sign for you. Welcome to the club and glad you found one. Now you're learning what the rest of us already know. Congratulations.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

Most likely the leather cleaner and conditioner they used to give it the new car smell.