BujuOnFri

Hey everyone,

New to the forum and likely a new Lexus owner this week (should have been last week). My question is if I should still go through with buying the LS400 I have a deposit on. Here is the story:

1997 LS400 with 120K miles on it with recent service (new battery, alternator, steering pump, brakes) in pretty good shape (some paint issues, no rips in leather). I'm getting it for $4400 on the contingency that the seller is having the timing belt, water pump, and cam seals replaced before I pick it up. I put a $400 deposit down on the car last Monday to have the work done by last Friday.

I talked to the seller on Thursday and he said all the work was done, but that now the cam sensor needed to be replaced. Didn't seem to make sense to me that that sensor would go out after replacing the timing belt, but I said OK. The symptom was that the RPMS were dipping after hitting ~2-2500.

He got the sensor today and low and behold, it didn't fix the problem! He is now saying that the new timing belt is off by one tooth and the job needs to be re-done!

Two questions:
Can the belt being off by one tooth ruin an interference engine (or does it need to be off by more to cause damage?

Would you still go through with the deal, or walk away, since clearly an incompetent mechanic has been working on the car?


Thanks for your advice, and I'm looking forward to becoming an LS owner!

LScowboyLS

No


Walk away, but get the $400 bucks back


find one for close to that price with no paint issues, one that is a beautiful creampuff, they are out there if you look hard, don't forget ebay, craigslist, etc.

Legender

I'm with cowboy on this... walk away. Don't get emotionally attached to it.
It's just a car.
Take your time, determine what you want and wait for the right one.
I have a philosophy when you're buying a used car... you don't just go out and buy one....if you do, you're limited to what's on the market at the time...and what you can find, which may not be the best deal or what you want.
Instead determine what you want and what you're willing to pay and wait for it to show up and then pounce on it.
That way you'll be more satisfied with the car and the deal. I know it takes time..but in the end you'll be much happier.

deanshark

100% agree. Figure out the exact car you want and start hunting, even if it's a little ways away from you. It took me 8 months to find the LS400 I wanted. Had to drive 4 hours and 300 miles to get it. I spent $200 in gas there and back but well worth it with the deal I got.
$4400 for that car I think is too much and it seems like that mechanic isn't that great. Walk away, find something else.

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

just an FYI a cam sensor can easily be damaged during a timing belt replacement job. it needs to be put aside. RPMs dipping could be a sign of leaking capacitors on the ECU (common). buying a used car is always a gamble but do some more homework before pulling the trigger.

i would be skeptical if the timing belt job was even done in the first place. is there a receipt to prove it? ask to show the old belt and parts for proof if possible.

if the deal isn't comfortable to you then walk away (with your deposit). like what everyone said, you need to be fully happy with your purchase. good luck!

bass911

Get one from an individual off Craigslist. That is what I did. I'm not a mechanic but I know cars well enough to know if it's a good buy. You should walk away!

The car I bought wouldn't even start and the a/c was hot when idling. I put a new alternator, new battery, and recharged the a/c the same day I went to look at it. The owner deducted the the repairs from the price of the car. I drove the car for almost 2 hours before I bought it. I pushed it pretty hard and fast. Sometimes you need to drive over 50 miles while test driving to know if the check engine light has been reset. People will do anything to make a sell. I don't even think the previous owner took good care of the car. I was mostly sold on the fact that it only had 106,900 miles on it and wasn't smoking. It runs great but I'm still replacing things on it. It needed front shocks/struts, brakes, brake wear sensors, cabin filter, fuel filter, air filter, hood shocks (because the hood wouldn't stay up), antenna mast, wiper blades, and rear wheel bearings. I also have to get new tires because it has 4 mismatch tires. The people that looked at it before me thought the car was no good because it wouldn't start. They missed out because they didn't know jack about automobiles.

LexusLexi

I am in the same boat. I got bit by the LS bug a couple of months back. I was considering getting a 98 that had issues starting. Got great advice from the guys on this board and moved on. I looked at a few 96 and 97 but after reading cowboy's thread about the ECU capacitors I focused on 98. but cannot find something clean and in my range. I couple of days ago I started looking at 97s again. I will go back and read the ECU thread in hopes of finding telltale measurements for the ECU. IT is mind-blowing how 15-20 year old cars command such high resales but I guess there is a reason. I am still trying to reason though if it is better to buy off of a private seller or a dealer. The better deals seem to be had at dealers but I think the trust factor is much lower. WE shall see... As bass911 suggested, I am staying at it ready to pounce.