LScowboyLS

every LS this old will need even $1000 put into it - they are all OLD - even the best ones that are garage kept need many small issues attended to, it is nearly 25 years OLD!!

if this one is really nice inside and out (interior and paint) and drives good, I would put $2100 cash in my pocket and drive to where the car is and spend whatever it takes to come home with it, before someone else does!

xxmariolxx

I'm gonna show him this forum and show what your saying as soon as I have the cash I'll go with 2000 and see how much I can get it for

Stereorob

aaah a clean Ls400 hunt.. yep im no stranger to those! i was 17 when i got my first Ls400, a pearl white 90 with black leather. loved it! had it for 8 years and it lasted me 390k miles before it took a ****. i got mine back in 01 and even then they were hard to find in really nice shape. yes i ratbagged mine. tore it up crashed it rebuilt it slammed it messed with the electrical system etc etc but it just kept on going forever and ever. mine really was one of the first ones made september 1989! wish i had it now that im almost 30 and really appretiate these cars for what they are and how rare nice old ones are. anyways if this one dosent work out, keep looking and be patient! dont give up cause you will find one. follow the advice these guys are giving you cause yes it is true. you want that granny car that was always taken care of. id look for one with around 150k miles on it. not too many but not too low. if you find a really clean example with 65k miles on it, it means it was put away for a number of years and all the seals are bad. or it saw nothing but city traffic driving its whole life and is beat to death in ways you cant see. your geographic location is good too, due to the dry mild climate. here in florida finding one with seats that dont have stuffing missing from them or dashboards with earthquakes is a very very hard to find. anyway stay away from ones with height control / air suspension!!!!!!!!!!!!! i had it on my 90 and it was a really neat feature but when a shock goes, and it will, expect to **** up a grand for each one

Stereorob

also check to see when the timing belt was last changed, and check for power steering leaks as well. the power steering pump is directly above the alternator on these cars and if its leaking they tend to take the alternator out with them. check for tranny shifting too hard, and make sure all the electronic stuff works. im not trying to scare you cause they are the best cars in the world, but there also very old cars these days and things do start braking. but a well maintained Ls400 can go a million miles. anyway after i got rid of my 1990 i didnt have a Ls400 for about 5 years, and nothing was as good to me as that car, and nothing else felt right so i decided to try to track down another one, well since i had a 1st gen already i figured id give the 95-97 style a chance, it still took me 6 months to find the right one. a search across 5 counties, 25 dealerships and 39 test drives and almost giving up before i found a super clean original one owner 95 with 139k miles on it. ive had the car now for over a year and it dosent have the same ride quality my old 90 had, its not as quick and drives like a boat but i love it and it is totally reliable. aside from a tune up and putting gas and oil in it, and dealing with the hiccups that come with any car thats almost 20 years old, its been a dream! good luck in your hunt! i hope you find the right one!

xxmariolxx

Rack and pinion was replaced or fixed??? in 2010. timing belt on this one was done in 2010. the hoses were also done 2010. So everything with this one is good. There was this one owner ls400 owned by a old lady with 175k dealer serviced its whole life But it was gone by the time i replied to the ad. I hope this is the one its been serviced until 3 years ago which is really good.. its been taken care of. I also played with all the electronics every single thing works on this car other then the recliner on passenger seat.which the acual switch is broken i found one on ebay for 50. Ive been reading on these cars issues and I know if the power steering hose is leaking it leads to the alternator being shot. Was the 2gen really slower? as far I know the 2ls was about one second quicker then the 1ls. Thanks for the advise. Ive accually wanted one of these cars forforever. but my parent wouldnt let me get my car. But they know once im 18 they cant stop me so there letting me get one now. Im really hoping to get this one. Im gonna work out whatever deal so i can get it when i meet up again. Im gonna ask him what offer will make him sell the car right now. and work from there

Stereorob

2nd gen is supposed to be faster but honestly the 90 seemed faster to me and it was more fun to drive. just my preference. and yeah, i was 17 when i got my first Ls400 and my parents hit the roof when i came home with it. they were scared to death i was gunna die in it, and i almost did a few times lol. the Ls400 is a surprisingly powerful car for what it is and you can get into alot of trouble in one if you are not careful. i know i did. and yes the speedo goes to 160. the Ls400 is the only LS that will really do 160 if you want it to lol

Stereorob

good that the timing belt was replaced on the one your looking at, if it snaps you wont blow the motor but it will be a expensive nightmare replacing it. if the steering rack has been replaced thats good too. looks like you found a good one! hope you are able to get it! keep us posted! youll love the car! first Ls400 i ever had any real contact with was a old bosses 1999 that he got new. i got to drive it with 4,000 miles on it and fell in love with it. i HAD to have one. it took me a year saving working odd jobs to get one and i got a 90 cause at the time it was the only one i could afford lol. never thought back then id still be driving Ls400s all these years later. ill never drive anything else.

LScowboyLS

the only way an LS400 rack and pinion is replaced or fixed is when either an incompetent or crooked mechanic gets a hold of it - this part doesn't go out or even leak on LS400

xxmariolxx

Hmmm. There's a lot of threads on rack and pinion leaks. You positive?? As long as its using OEM parts is that a issue?

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

this is a straight up lie.

Rack seals die and they die with reasonable regularity on the LS, usually around 150-175k miles. This is above average compared to many cars but inevitably, the seals in a rack and pinion do fail.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

I believe they topped out at 149mph realistically but I could be wrong.

LScowboyLS

I have never seen a factory LS400 rack leak in less than 300K miles - however I have seen hundreds of cases where a leak elsewhere on the power steering system (o-ring, washers, hoses, etc.) let the fluid migrate down to the lowest point in the system, which is the bottom of the rack, and either due to incompetence and ignorance of this fact or just plain crookedness, a customer has a rack replaced that doesn't actually need one.

Shmee

iTrader: (3)

Well because the cowboy has never seen it, it must not be true!

Sorry I have seen more than a few leak when I was looking to buy... It's far more common then you make. It out to be. Pressurized boots are a pretty good indicator is not a migration!

xxmariolxx

so its good then right? the stteering felt better then the 2 other ls400 i drove. the way cowboy said it i thought maybe its a redflag and i should skip

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

R&R'd rack is always a good sign provided it wasn't half-assed.