PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

i thought u said that the car has 98k mi on it

jsut make sure u get the carfax for the car.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Well, the seller is claiming the car has 98k miles on it right now. According to carfax, this is the cars history:

01/23/1994 NICB Vehicle manufactured and shipped to original
dealer
06/22/1994 62 Delaware
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Wilmington, DE
Title #00031666 Title or registration issued
First owner reported


07/04/2001 54,827 Delaware
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Wilmington, DE
Title #00031666 Title or registration issued
Registered as lease vehicle
11/15/2002 Delaware
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Wilmington, DE
Title #00031666 Title or registration issued
Registered as lease vehicle


07/15/2003 75,703 Service Facility Vehicle serviced
10/23/2003 Connecticut
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Greenwich, CT
Title #027809412 Title issued or updated


06/01/2006 Dealer Inventory Vehicle offered for sale





So, as you can see between 1994 and 2001 it only racked up 54k miles, which sounds low. I know there are shady shops that roll back mileage, and I hope this isn't the case with this car.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

it seems as though you are the3rd or 4th owner. how can teh guy state that hes had the car since '94 if it was a leased car???

NewLSlover

THAT'S where he said it was "owned by the same owner"........I don't know, something about this car seems odd....that whole "too good to be true" thing comes to mind. But, hopefully we're all just pessimists and there's nothing wrong with it.

Common issues:

Check for leaks in PS pump
check the rack & pinion
Listen for ticking in the engine (sign of needing a valve adjustment)
Climate control LCD burn out (nothing major)
Instrument cluster freezing (again, nothing MAJOR)

Those are the majority of what I've seen/heard......

Never the less, good luck with your transaction, let us know how it goes..

Alan D

So in 2001 it was a lease vehicle, who would lease a 7 year old car, crazy. I wouldn't worry about the history too much, if the car is mechanically sound then you should be fine. It's a 12 year old car, you can't expect it to be perfect.

steveski

Sweet ride - cherry condition - let the mods begin

Och

iTrader: (3)

Ok, so I picked it up, took her home, she drove for over 1,200 miles without any drama. Drives great, no funny noises, smooth, quiet, very good condition. There a label on the engine stating that timing belt maintenance was performed at 80,xxx miles, it has a set of almost new tires, the suspension is nice and firm, no clunking noises, steering is great, steering wheel stay straight, doesn't pull to any side. The car is very quet, the only noise coming in is wind noise, which is understandable, these old boxy designs aren't very aerodynamic. The leather is great, not a single crack! I think the front seats were probably re-upholstered recently, because they are even in better condition that the back seat.

But I do however have a couple of concerns.

1) The car is majorly lack acceleration whatsoever - it feels like 0-60 is over 10 seconds. Is it suposed to be this way? The engine doesnt make any bad noises, doesnt smoke, doesnt burn oil, sounds very smooth and RPMs go upto the redline without any pinging, but the acceleration just plain sucks. If feels slower than my old 95 Civic with 1.5 engine, and is no match for my GS430. Once its upto highway speeds, its very adequate, for instance 60-90 is very smooth and decent, but take off just sucks. Also, I averaged over 20mpg, driving 80+ mph all the way.

2) Theres no cd player!!! Only AM/FM/Casette. I can't believe Lexus ever came without CD. I'm gonna look into adding an external cd changer or i-Pod.

3) Both front seats are a little loose. I had the same problem in my old 94 GS300. Is there an easy fix?

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

1-the first gen was a SLOW car. that being said it isnt really a slow car. now that thats outta the way; try resetting the ECU (unplug battery for 5-10 mins), oil change, plug change, and other basic maint. stuff. ( the ecu reset should help a lot).

2-for the 1st gen cars i believe it was an option, and it was mounted in the trunk as a 6 disk changer.

3-this may help?
http://www.cureline.net/lex/howtos/info_seats.htm

Och

iTrader: (3)

According to what I read it's suposed to run 0-60 in 7.5 seconds. Fine, I'm not a pro racer, I dont drop it into get at high RPMs, but I figured my 0-60 at around 10 seconds, which is kinda slow.

That being said, I looked in the engine bay briefly, I couldn't located the distributor (does it have a distributor or electronic ignition?). Also, I didn't find where the plugs and wires go, are they underneath the engine?

Yep, figures. Oh well, I'll just install an i-Pod. Besides, the CD changer don't really last long, in my old GS the changer started skipping and getting stuck after 10 years.

[/QUOTE]

Will look into that, thanks.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

1-http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/ignition/sparkplugs.html

use this, love this.
http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/