ScottBass

Ive been utilizing the knowledge base here in my search long before I joined and wanted to say thank you, I purchased a 1999 ls400 with a 120,000 miles a couple of weeks ago and I love it. Here is a small list of issues you helped me with and now the car is probably as perfect as I could have hoped for.
1) using carfax to find an accident free one, I went through several advertised as accident free but the carfax saved me on these.
2) abnormal vibration... The forum directed me to the third transmission motor mount, replaced in a shop for about 150 and now she is smooth as silk.
3) intermittant starting issues... This was a little tougher to diagnose because we had thought we had fixed it with a loose connector, however my shop finally did trace it to the starter itself... Pricy at 550 but it's fixed, no issues since
4) service records.... Almost as hard as finding one accident free was finding good service records...I followed a tip here and went to my Lexus, typed in the vin and that gave me complete records through 60000 at Lexus of Tampa bay.
5) I was fretting still about not finding the 90000 mile maintenance record so I researched to find other records and finally determined the car had just gone in for oil changes etc since it was purchased from the original owner... So straight to the shop it went for a new timing belt and waterpump etc..... And the timing belt was not looking to good at 120000 so it was probably approaching end of life.
6) only issue I have left is an incorrect brakelight bulb was installed so I'll have to replace those on by one to get the failure lamp to turn off.

Thanks again to everyone... Got the car a couple thousand less than dealer retail and so with the money I put into it I am sitting just about right

billydpowe

iTrader: (1)

Welcome to the club, if you like yours as well as I like mine, we are wearing a big smile around.. mine drives like a new Lexus, no nothing, just smooth and silent.
this is mine, post a photo of yours..

ScottBass

a few pics of my 99
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RA40

iTrader: (6)

Nice, congrats!

ScottBass

Thankyou, I was pretty pleased with the find, a few minor light paint chips/scratches on exterior but the interior was perfect, I don't think anyone ever set in the back.... It is actually pretty shocking how new it seems to be 13 years old, also pleased it had the self leveling headlights and seat heaters... Some of the others I looked at did not

yoitskenn

iTrader: (4)

Wow.....both white and black one are clean!

Im so jealous. I got ugly green.

yoitskenn

iTrader: (4)

oh and BTW....WELCOME.

I am a new owner too.

ScottBass

I think the green looks pretty good... The black is beautiful but it makes you feel the need to wash it very often.... Waterspots etc really show up fast and it gets really hot to touch, seriously thinking of cleaning out my garage to see if it will fit in there

BobN54

A coat of Rejex will help a lot with shedding water and keeping those spots away! Congrats on the new purchase. You did your homework.

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

lovely lovely lovely, and good execution on the maintenance. it truly is hard to find a good car, but when you do it results in what you have here. tell us, how long did it take to find the gem? days, weeks, months?

ScottBass

I would say it took about a month.... I actually found this car right away but I had to go and see several others to understand how good it was, it was the combination of carfax and mylexus that opened my eyes to how good of a deal it was