SeattleLS

I used to have a '93 ES and loved it, so I'm venturing to get a 93 LS (read that its the most reliable of all years). I found a couple and am driving one tomorrow from a private owner. I have not seen much online in terms of stuff to look out for, so any advice of current '93-94 owners would be appreciated.

Specs on the car:
134K miles
Heated seats
Air suspension
Factory phone
Sunroof
CD
White on black leather
Had timing belt/water pump done 10K miles ago (as well as the rest of 120K service)
Asking $8,999

Some questions
1) Is the air suspension going to be a pain in the *** to maintain and repair, especially if the car already has 134K miles?
2) Can the factory deck run any aftermarket CD changers when the factory one goes bad?
3) Any things to look for in the interior that I should note?
4) While driving the car, besides the usual stuff of the car staying on track, any sounds I should listen for with the windows down?

thx...

TexLS

If the car is still on its original air suspension you can probably expect failure/leakage of the air shocks within the next 20k miles, and it's not cheap to replace them. A couple of years ago I drove a '93 LS equipped just like this one with 132k miles; its owner had just replaced all four air shocks for $3k! On the other hand, if the shocks have recently been replaced you can probably expect plenty of life out of them. Check to see if the car sags when turned off, and listen for a hissing sound from the shocks. Also make sure the height adjustment feature (switch near the gear selector) works properly.

As for the interior, make sure that all of the power options work properly. Pay particular attention to the heated seats; these tend to be failure-prone (not a big deal, obviously, but you could factor dead heaters into your negotiated price). Make sure that the electroluminecent gauges don't have any dead needles, and of course check for warning lights.

Just an observation: $8,999 seems a little high for a '93 with 134k miles, unless it is in flawless condition with all dealer service records.

Here's an excellent used LS400 buyers guide:
http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums...howtopic=11775

Good luck with the test drive!

ychachad

Moving from an ES to an LS is going to be great, especially in places where it does not snow too much. If you loved your ES, you'll drop dead with an LS. I have two, a gen 1 and a gen 2.

Your $8,999 price is priced ridiculously high, especially for the mileage. Consider this. I paid $8k for the gen 2 LS400 with less miles, mint condition with more options than you. There is a world of difference between the Gen 2 and the Gen 1. Ask anybody. Not that the Gen 1 is bad. However, the Gen 2 is significantly improved in every aspect, and gives you the big car feeling, that the Gen 1 does not.

Now consider this. I have a 1992 Gen 1 that was NOT exactly in the best maintained condition, but there was NO damage, miles were high (170k), A/C broken (still is, who cares) it just needed a lot of fine tuning which cost me $500. But I paid $3400 for it 2 years ago!!!! Now the car is perfect, and I have added 40k trouble free miles!!! I got my $$$ back a long time ago.

Your 93 is similar to my 92, except for your wheels being larger, and your car being heavier. I had no air suspension (useless to me as it raises car height), no CD (I need one), no phone (useless anyway to everybody). The 93 is slower than the 92 for that reason in acceleration. Otherwise, essentially they are identical.

Think before you buy. The 93 is a great buy for maybe $5-6k, not $9K. for $9k insist on a gen 2. Regardless of what you pick, dump the ES. FWD SUX!!! Does everybody agree?

Suneet

Don't let ychahad scare you... the first gen LS is a great car.... I love my '94 to death However, his statements are true.. there were many improvements made to the second gen.. The interior has the most significant changes.

The advantage to buying a first gen is that there is much more aftermarket support. Aftermarket parts for 2nd gen are much harder to come by on this side of the seas.. If you're interested in that type of stuff, check out this list of mods available for the 1st gen:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...t=tokico+ls400

$8,999 is extremely high! Especially with that many miles!

With regards to the air suspension.. I echo TexLS' concerns.. if the car is on stock air suspension, you will most likely have to replace it soon.

Good luck!

ychachad

I was not trying to scare anyone. The gen 1 is an awesome car even by today's standards, with a timeless design. All I wanted to say is for $9k you can get a gen 2. If you insist on getting a gen 1 for classic styling, then by all means get one. Just don't pay $9k for one with that many miles.

azari

Gen 1 looks better than gen 2. Frankly, i think they sort of messed up gen 2; gen1 is timeless and classic, and even today it still looks great. My friend mistook (guessed) mine for a '98. But yes, the price is high for 134000 miles. If you were talking about 80000 miles, then it'd be a good deal.

Suneet

Sorry, I didn't mean that the way it sounded.. it was just a figure of speech.. Looks like you are fortunate enough to own a 1st gen and a 2nd gen.. you're more qualified for this one than I am... haha You can't go wrong with either of them.

Luthor

I have a 92 with the air-susp. 203,400 miles and I have not had any trouble with my air-sup. It does inflate itself occasionally. I paid $9k from a dealership two years ago. Then it had 147,000. They need to come down on the price.