tabijan

Are there any model years to avoid between 90 and 94? I presume that later cars are more desirable, but someone might have insight on problems with specific years. For that matter are there problems with specific optional equipment such as traction control?

The only trend I've noticed is that power steering pumps and/or racks seem to cause problems at 150K miles. Is this common or am I seeing a unique situation posted in multiple forums?

If anyone is familiar with an 86-91 MB S-class sedan and a 90-94 LS and has info/insight to share, I'm all ears.

Thanks,
Sixto

SQ-LS

Welcome to ClubLexus!
I think I can help you on your search for a new/used car (I presume this is why your asking because it seems like your in the market for one).
My mom has a 90 MB Sel and I have a 93 LS400.

90 MB SEL:
-great solid car, feels and drives very solid
-stereo has a tendency to fade in and out though (parents won't let me touch it because they want a new car)
-engine is great, no problems except for the usual checkups and replacements
-the dash lights have went out though
-car is a tad sluggish on acceleration and has a delay on hard acceleration
-interior is great

93 LS400:
-great solid car (trust me I know!)
-stereo has also been known to wear out and not play CDs or cassettes any more
-the dash lights also gives out but tend to be more expensive to replace then the MB
-engine is great and strong
-acceleration is less harsh then the MB and much more smooth and less delay.
-the interior is great also but the leather tends to crack if not taken care of
-the 90 year is the only year I reccomend avoiding, but the 93-94 years is the best to get for the first gen LS400

My, opinion I would choose the Lexus because of the feel I get from the engine is much more stronger and smoother then the MB. The Lexus sound system does sound better then the MB and is easier to understand. The MB does beat the Lexus on the leather quality and for safety reasons feel more solid then the Lexus, but I know for certain the Lexus is very solid. The hose thing for the power steering is normal for all cars. The rubber hose will soon crack and give on any cars with that type of mileage.

Good luck on your search and really you can't go wrong with either car.

Rulex

I had an experience with both cars.

I currently own a '92 LS and had it for about 2 years now. I would agree to stay away from a '90 model mostly becuase that was the first year of this series and every new car line seems to have all the problems in the first year. Almost all used LS400 are a safe buy, b/c it is hard to kill these cars unless your are really putting this car to work, like it is a mustang. This is when your might start to "EAT" oil. I agree that the leather tends to crack over the years, but that is b/c they make it a little too soft for luxury. Mercedes doesnt seem to share this problem, well thats b/c at least in the earlier years they made the seats out vinyl/leather. You shouldnt find any problems with the lexus, except for occasional maintenance (ball joints, etc.), although these items can be fairly expensive and in most cases they are only dealer items. Living in NY with all the cracked streets, I faced this problem. Otherwise, this is a solid car. Whenever I go to a mechanic for maintenance I occasionally ask him about the typical problems with Mercedes and Lexus. THe number one concern with the Benz, as I had with my '85 380 SL, is the oil leaking or burn. Most benz owners, especially with 80's models tend to spend money on the valve jobs, which run about $1,500 on average, some less, in order to stop oil consumption. Otherwise everyone seems to let the leaky engines be and just keep sight of the oil levels and add when needed.
From what my mechanic tells me, LS400 does not share this problem with oil leak or burn, as far as I know.
(I hope not ). Although LS have been known to drive to 300K miles, Mercedes has a greater number of its models go to that point and beyond, especially the S-class of the 80's and early 90's. I sold mine with about 270K and that car took me 70 miles of driving every day.
In regard to the power, the lexus seems a little more sporty and at the same time smooth when it comes to take off and handling. Even when you listen to both engines at a take off, it seems as though a Benz is struggling to push, while a Lexus is nice and quet.
If you are choosing between the two, I would go with an LS, and thats not because I own one, but b/c I had both and now mostly likely stick with Lexus models.
I dont know if u are into after-market parts, but I can tell u that they are cheaper for a Benz, at least the exterior, a friend of mine did alot of work on his 88 e-class. This is why I only have the rims and a few minor things on mine.
Pricewise, I ve been noticing the early LS models going down rapidly, that sucks for all of us (the owners) but it should be good for you. THe Mercedes of these years seem to keep a value little longer, but both LS and early S-class share are coming down in price, mostly b/c they are the 1st generation and now already have grandkids of 2001.
I hope I was somewhat helpful with this general overview, if u have any questions in specific about both cars, let me know, b/c I cant think of any of the top of my head.

Stephen

I know a guy with a 91 LS400 with 500,000 (not a typo) miles on it, no problems but scheduled maintenance. The exterior is perfect, the drivers seat and steering wheel leather are a little worn but other than that, it looks good.

Dont sweat it

mjdart

They have a good article on the LS 400 and actually they advise buying the 1990-1994 models even with high milage. They feel these cars are better than the 95-96 models. Good reading check it out. Heres a link

http://www.familycar.com/RoadTests/L...exus1stGen.htm

eddy20

I have had my 1990 LS400 for 8 years, has just over 195,000, NO PROBLEMS, best car I have ever owned. Just purchased a 2003 RX300 last night hope it's as good as the LS400. I have always heard stay away from first year cars, but Lexus had to compete with MB and BMW and did their homework and got it right first out.

Da Hapa

My parents bought their first Lexus when the brand debuted in 1990. They put more than 100K on that LS400 before buying a new LS in 1994. They then put more than 100K miles on that one before buying a 1997 Coach Edition. After my Dad's stroke, their driving pace slowed down so they didn't replace that 1997 until last month. With... you guessed it, a 2006 LS430.

I bought the 1997 from them as a third car. Not really a beater since its in such great shape but a car to take to work on rainy days, or take the Angels games, or leave at the airport. It now has 128K miles on the odo. and me and three buddies just took it over a long weekend to Tuscon and Phoenix for Spring Training games. 3 days... just under 1,200 miles... I avg'd 24mpg (driving 7mph over the limit with the cc on when possible)... and it was smooth, comfortable, and plenty roomy.

I can't say enough about how good the Lexus flagships are. Despite the fact that I expect to put less than 5,000 miles a year on the 97 now I absolutely expect 250K miles out of her before I retire her.

And to add flavor, my folks also bought an RX300 AWD in 2000 which I purchased from them in 2003 and just sold to a co-worker last month when we bought my wife a new LX470. The RX had 85K miles on it and other than a creak in the dash that just started... it was as good as new. I purchased an IS300 in 2002 for my wife that my sister now drives (50K miles and going strong) and as I mentioned we now own a 2006 LX470 (a whopping 650 miles on it thus far). I just can't say enough about the quality of Lexus products.

And if I found a nice 1990, I would not shy away from that. Toyota/Lexus put an absolute boat load of research and testing into the original LS and unlike most first year cars, I wouldn't hesitate to buy a 1990 LS. I think the Family car article above notes this but I've read several auto mag's that state that the original 1990 LS400 is arguably the best engineered, highest quality for the dollar car ever offered for sale in the US.

damon

At 5000 miles a year on the 97 CE it is more likely to retire you than vice versa before you get to 250,000 miles. That is 24+ years!

Love the link to the article above all though it does not look like they did a real thorough interview. Would like to hear more about what they do not like in the 95-96 models.

Speaking for myself, when I do get in a 95+ I hate the damn gated shifter. What a pain in the ***!!

Brian S

Once had a fellow say, "Must be hard to shift that." You get used to it. I love it. I think it provides a better feel for what gear I am in, and I feel there's a certain amount of class to how the shifter area looks and is designed. Plus, I feel like I'm big ballin' whenever I rest my hand on the top of that shifter while I'm driving.

Brian

RollinInLS

Well my parents have a Gen 2 LS we got brand new, and now has like 160k. No problems excpet the usual replacements. Had to change the breaks once I guess, but me and my dad drive it crazy. I just got a 01 v6 accord for my first car, But im already looking for a gen 1 LS. Theyre beasts.

Also on MBs, we had a 94 S class or SEL, Cant remember, but it had to many problems and the repair bill was outrageous.

LS400TX

I own 1992 LS400 for 14 years, car driving better then lots of new cars. Power steering and A/C compresor was only what I changed. Power steering pump after 12 year and A/C compresor will be changed recently (bearings failed). I had almost all german cars along with my Lex, but now only Lex survived.
Still good car to get, even you need to change some common staff.

regards
Kev

Da Hapa

We'll see.. I'm only 33 and while I change cars way too frequently to say this with a straight face... the 97 would be a great hand me down car for any future kids. Safe, reliable, and powerful but not so powerful as to be dangerous.

And personally, I like the gated shifter in the 97 and in our LX. I find it easier to "find" the right gear w/o taking my eyes off the road when I want to hold a gear (going up or down big hills).

Broker404

Da Hapa, how is the maintaince on your NSX?

In addition to my 99 LS400, I think it'd be nice to have something like a used NSX or C5 corvette.
Along with my sporbike I think that'd be a perfect garage.

As far as the gated shifter goes, I hated it at first, but once I got used to it, I like it better...it feels more precise, just feels odd if you're not used to it.

Da Hapa

Honestly... not bad at all. Mine's a 1998 with about 48K on the odo. I'm a maintenance freak so I've already had the timing belt, water pump, and hoses done just because of the age of the car. Turns out the timing belt looked perfect so I probably spent about $2,500 just making myself feel better but since I drive the snot out of her when I do drive it... it was worth it to me.

Other than the increased cost of synthetic oil (again an elective choice), routine maintenance is really no more expensive than any other Acura. The biggest issues are labor hours (Acura is still more expensive than Honda but not as expensive as Lexus) and some parts aren't stocked like parts on a garden variety RSX or TL.

The biggest issue I think most potential NSX owners will face is finding a good mechanic who really knows these cars. The fact is that most Acura dealerships might only service one or two of these cars a year. Even in high density areas like S. CA there are dealerships that don't have properly trained NSX mechanics. Honda/Acura just never sold too many of these things (only 245 sold in the US in 1998 for example) so finding a good, honest mechanic can be a challenge.

The one area that the NSX will cost you money (if you drive it a lot) is tires. Rears are good for between 5,000 - 10,000 and fronts are good for 10,000 - 15,000. Your milage will depend heavily upon: (a) your driving style, (b) your alignment (you can play with the alignment and not totallly screw up your handling to eke out a few thousand more miles out of rear tires) and (c) the tires you're running (some guys who don't drive hard have no qualms about using less sticky rubber to lose a bit of handling but gain a lot of milage).

My unsolicited opinion is to drive both the 'Vette and the NSX. They're completely different cars that don't feel, drive, or handle the same at all. I don't think that one is necessarily a better car than another (although you'lll note how I voted) but I can definitely see how some people would not like the NSX and others would not like the C5.

I've been lucky enough to own a lot of cars already... and I've driven a whole lot more. IMHO, the NSX is the best all around car for what I like in a car of anything I've driven. Yes... there are more exciting cars, faster cars, more visceral cars, more practical cars, and more comfortable cars... but the NSX is very good at everything and I love the way it looks and drives.

I'll jump off my soap box now as I'm hijacking this poor chap's thread. But feel free to PM me if you want me to continue my rant or have any questions.

Christian.

damon

Da Hapa,

Would not have guessed that you would be so young. Certainly hope that you do see the day when you pass it down.

I must shift more than most LS owners. Recently got my 94 back from the body shop after a small mishap required a new front bumper. I missed it terribly.