LeXuSrAcIn

Im so tired of my LS400. Sure its a great machine, but the repairs are TOO expensive. I had a problem with my cd changer and the mechanic called me back today telling me that it's going to cost me another $500. I can't live without a cd player so i must get this done. Ive owned this car a little over 2 yrs, and so far I have had to get OVER $5700 in repairs. AND THATS NOT INCLUDING THE CD CHANGER!!! I thought Lexus was supposed to be reliable?????? And its not like this car was abused before i bought it (It had very low miles and seemed to be in good condition). ALL THE MONEY I SAVE FOR MODDING MY CAR GOES INTO THESE COSTLY REPAIRS!!!! IM SO TIRED OF IT!!!! And everyone here says how BMW is horrible. Well for all of u guys.. MY 7 SERIES HAS NEVER LEFT ME STRANDED. This LS has plenty of times. I dont know what to do. I spent so much money on repairs already that I believe that the smart thing to do would be to keep this car. However, if i get ONE more repair over $400... BYE BYE LEXUS. Im going to get another BMW or possibly an old NSX. It seems like something new happens just about every month in my LS. It has fairly low miles for a 94... around 90k. Theres always a problem with the alternator, or the brakes start acting up, or theres a leak in one of the valves, or some of the electrical components go bad, I could just go on and on. I was going to get a body kit for the LS within a couple of months, but now Im surely not gonna waste another dime on this POS car. Repair after repair after repair after repair. ITS DRIVING ME INSANE!! And the sad thing is that i take SUCH good care of my cars. Theres no need for it to be acting up. I do regular maintenance all the time. If the car was neglected then yes i understand, but theres no reason for this. I take much less care of my 7 series and it still runs perfect. I thought Lexus was supposed to have the cheapest repairs of all luxury cars. My sister has a 2nd gen Q45 thats only needed the shocks replaced. On the M class we had, we didnt have to spend a DIME on repairs (maybe because it had only 30k on it). Sometimes I wish i would have choosen a 5 series over the LS. The dealership had both cars... the ONLY reason i opted towards the Lexus was because I had heard that these cars are extremely reliable. BOY WAS I WRONG!! Im sure many of you LS owners are more than happy with your cars. My experience with my LS has tainted the possibility of getting another Lexus/ Toyota product. Man even the Seville we had was more reliable than this!!! With the cd changer fix its going to be $6200 in repairs for this crappy car. AND THATS WITHOUT MAINTENANCE!! On top of that I spent around 2gs on the 60k mile service. Not to mention all the oil changes at 2000 miles. I EVEN GOT THE OIL CHANGED A WHOLE 1000 MILES EARLIER THAN ITS SUPPOSED TO BE!! And yet did it help??? NOT AT ALL!! And no i don't think I have a lemon... I recieved the carfax of the car before i bought it. It all seemed great. I didnt even get a good deal on the car. The dealer kept saying "It was meticulously mainted." Ah man i want to go after that dealer!! GODDDDDD Im just so upset right now. Im wasting so much money on this car. And Im stuck with it now... thats the worst part. With all the money I spent on repairs I could have really turned this car into a pimp ride. Its really a shame. I used to be so crazy about Lexus. This car spends more time at service shops than my driveway. ( I dont even park it in my garage anymore) The more I type, the more irate I become. So im going to end this before I do something to my car. Has ANYONE else had major problems with their Lexus but are too afraid to admit it here on CL?? Anyways I'm going to do the only thing that calms me down... go for a long drive... Oh but not in the Lexus... Im going to take my trusty 740iL. NOW THATS A CAR WORTH DRIVING!!!

bluestar

I feel for you. It surely has to be really frustrating to have to spend so much on a 10-yr-old car with <100K miles on the odo. Lexus, in general, are very reliable, but yours certainly have been an exception. Real sad to hear this. Maybe you should just get rid of it and move on instead of throwing your had-earned money after a bad car. Sometimes, we just bite the bullet and move on. This should NOT be a blight on ALL Toyota/Lexus cos it is not the norm, as you can attest to from hearing from many owners on this forum.

Good luck....

gs4to4

After reading your post I came up with the following conclusions:

1. Since you bought the car used, the mileage was turned back and the car has over 200,000 actual miles.

2. The car was hit by a freight train and splapped back together. In other words, the car's acting up because it was in a heavy accident (carfax doesn't show accident history accurately, especially if the accident was years ago).

3. The previous owner abused the car (slamming it into park while driving on the highway to see what would happen, driving in reverse at 7,000 rpm, you get the point.)

tuterz

iTrader: (11)

you said the cd changer is messed up... have you thought about just a regular indash cd player...might be a lil cheaper... and if you like the cd changer b/c you dont have to change cd's often then. try finding a cd player with mp3 capatible. you can fit more than 6 albums in a disk.

Milla...

If the car does one more thing over your 400 dollar minimum then yes get rid of it. Me myself I would have chucked the car a while back.

SQ-LS

I know how you feel. My Lex is driving me nuts with funny idles( drops and goes back up to 1K rpm sometimes, then dies sometimes at light) guages (works, don't work, works...), AC unit (only cold at max and runs crazy hot at any other setting?!?!), need new tranny & motor mounts, etc... I kinda do want to get rid of it but the crazy stereo system just sounds so good and I worked so hard and so long to get that stereo sounding and looking good. Maybe I should buy another LS400, swap stereo and other mods over and get rid of the one I have?

leosls400

Sorry to hear that you had such bad luck with your LS. I feel for you spending so much money, but don't think that all Lexus cars are like this. I myself had not had any problems with my 91 LS, bought the car with 120K miles on it and I currently have 151K and have never had any problems with it. Of course I had to do some maintenance but have only had to rebuilt the power steering pump before it started to leak and also replaced my darkened A/C controller LCD screen, other than that, car has been great.

dj.ctwatt

I've NEVER heard of 10 year old BMW's being reliable. They are great cars too, but if you can't afford repairs on Lexus, they why on earth would you go for BMW? Infiniti will be cheaper, maybe also consider Acura. Don't get me wrong, I've had my share of repairs as well, but I beat the hell out of my car and so far my brother's 2002 530 has more downtime(I have a 1990, that's a 15 year old car!)! I'm not exaggerating! His Beamer wouldn't start, two weeks after owning it(bad ECU) and a few months later tranny problems. And expect at least $60 for an oil change. There was an article, you might be able to search for it, but it was from consumer reports. A 7 year old Lexus statistically has few problems than a brand new BMW!!!!! Really consider getting a CPO Lexus (certified pre-owned) or make sure that a Lexus experienced, qualified mechanic looks over the car before you buy a used Lexus.
I'm sure you're farting flames in anger at me right now, but I'm honestly trying to help you. If you do dump your Lexus, you'd be making a mistake going with BMW. Believe me or not I don't really care. You can get a great deal on a 97 LS 400, or even 95, and if it hasn't been abused by some kid, it will last you 10 years if you treat it right.

Kansas

LeXuSrAcIn,

As one who bought a 90 LS new and drove it to 185K before I sold it after nearly 14 years, I am curious as to exactly what repairs made up the $5700 over the two years. For example, which electrical components failed and how much did each repair cost. And what failed that caused you to be stranded.

Not that this happened to you, but it is also possible that unnecessary repairs were performed on your LS. For example, my local lexus dealer service writer told me, shortly after the 4 yr/50K basic warranty expired, that the main engine computer needed to be replaced at a cost of $1,000 to solve a starting problem. When I told the service writer that I was taking my LS to an independent shop for a second opinion, he suddenly "realized" that the car only needed a new $15 battery cable. Wow was it odd to see that service writer "dance". Needless to say, I only take a Lexus to this dealer for warranty repairs.

Personally, I l-o-v-e the way BMW's handle - especially the 5-series - but I can't bring myself to buy one. I would abandon Lexus in a heartbeat if BMW's were as reliable, as inexpensive to maintain, had understandable controls, and were similarly priced. But we buy cars for the "long haul" and aim to keep cars far past their depreciable life - usually 12 to 15 years. My CPA wife was leary when I bought the first LS in 1990 but quickly found that she loved riding in it and, more important to her, that it was an exceptionally low cost vehicle to own. So she let me buy another LS.

I distinctly remember looking at a BMW 735i in 89 or 90 just before I bought an LS. I was surprised to find that I (only 6 feet tall) could not sit in the back seat behind the drivers seat without my head being jammed into the headliner or my knees jammed into the drivers seat when the drivers seat was adjusted for a six footer. And it listed for $20K more than the LS I bought. And with I-drive, the newer BMW's are just plain silly and inconvenient - people at BMW need to do a "reality check".

USLEX

Please sell it. Sounds like you have a salvage vehicle, lemon, or just bad luck. Never heard of any Lexus's or even low end Toyotas with reliability complaints.

SharpLS-96

Post your VIN # please so I can run it. Maybe it's just me but your story just doesn't add up.

Thanks

LexLS

Agreed.

Lexkost

LeXuSrAcIn, I will take this lemon off your hands, I will give you $500 bucks and I will pick it up and take it away so you will never see it again.....................MIKE

Lexkost

SharpLS-96, The link you post was that a pic of the lemon, looks like a good deal for $500 what do you think?

SharpLS-96

Yes it does.
I'll go half with you on that deal....heck I'll drive it out to you and we can cruise PCH.


I guess he forgot to update that site on what a piece of crap it is.
I quote:

"I got my baby when I was 17... tired of seein all those souped up Hondas n Acuras, I set out to soupe up a 4,000 lb luxury car... its still a work in progress... Oh and by the way... for all u haterz wit those crappy *** cars who talk all that ****... don't hate... if you wanna talk **** then atleast get a decent car worth braggin about... then you're free to bs all u want..."