YoshiMan

Whats goin' on guys? I joined this Forum almost ten years ago when I was first looking at LS400s in 2004. Well, I was young and stupid at the time and really wasn't able to afford one, so life went on and years and years later, I am financially stable and I finally decided to aquire myself one a few months ago:

I do all my work myself, so I set out looking for one that was relatively cheap that just needed a new lease on life. After looking for a few months, I stumbled across my 1995 in December: I've tinted the windows since after taking these.













She was manufactured in October of 94, making her one of the first 95's to be built. Got about 156k on the clock and was originally from Arizona. There was numerous issues that needed attention, and the previous owner was afraid they were going to cost him a fortune to fix, so i got her for $2700.

So far I have changed the oil over to Mobil-1, done the air filter (it was VERY old and dirty) PVC valve and hoses, thermostat, conditioned the leather, changed the coolant temp sensor, put the newer ECU and cruiser control computers in, replaced numerous light bulbs, change the hood struts, and done various other little things.

Still needs a power steering pump, as the one in it is dying. The motor mounts are shot, the steering wheel telescoping motor is barely functional and needs to be replaced, the front suspension bushings most likely need attention sometime in the future, the leather is a little worn in certain places (but still intact) and the radio display and lights need to be replaced. But other than that, she is in remarkable mechanical condition and drives very well.

I still have about 20,000 left on the timing belt, but I plan on just changing EVERYTHING related to it and giving a full tune up within the next few months. I got this car to replace my 87' Toyota Cressida i had for years, and damn, They improved drastically on EVERYTHING!!! I loved the old car, but I always felt the lure of the LS400s over the years and decided to just go and do it.

As for my other rides: (they deserve a moment in the spotlight too right?)

My 1989 4Runner. My dad bought it brand new in 89, and it's still going strong even though i just hit 278k miles a few days ago.





My 75' Cadillac Coupe Deville. It literally dwarfs all the other ones (even the trucks) has the 8.2 liter V8, and gets 8 miles to the gallon. I find it funny that the Lexus had an engine less than half the size of this one, and it still has about 40 more horsepower... Now Torque.. thats a different story.





And last but not least: my 2003 Escalade ESV. Which has been surprisingly cheap and easy to maintain and fix.


This Forum has been awesome and has been an incredibly useful resource. Thanks in advance for anything you guys may assist me with in the future.

billydpowe

iTrader: (1)

nice lineup and welcome... ps, the T&T should be easy... just search

TaffyK20si

Welcome! It sounds like we have some of the same problems... My tilt and telescopic are very intermittent. Still have yet to address what is really going on with it. Looks like I'll be doing some reading lol

YoshiMan

yeah, from what i've seen the telescoping mechanism is totally fine, i just need to either get a new motor, or just rebuild and put new brushes in the one i currently have. it does go in and out, but it sounds like it "runs out of batteries", slows down and quits working, but it will move another few inches if you try it a few minutes later. all symptoms of a bad motor.

I just discovered today that my front end noise is coming from my upper left control arm, its very loose and makes a bunch of noise when you jiggle it by hand. everything else APPEARS to be rock solid though..

I become more and more amazed everyday at how easy this car is to work on compared to so many that i have dealt with over the years, it truely is the most well engineered vehicle i have ever seen

RA40

iTrader: (6)

Glad you found it.

This was the thread back in '04:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...000-miles.html

TaffyK20si

Again, mine sounds exactly the same. Like running out of batteries, then moves alil more if you wait a sec. I'll be checking back in here to see if you have resolved yours and if I get around to looking at mine I'll post what I've found.

YoshiMan

Ha ha! that was along time ago! I rememeber that particular LS400 i was looking at too.

Apparently when i first joined, (would of been 19 at that point..?) I was one of those people who would post the "I found this sweet car, but its costs this much, is it a good deal?!?" thing.... I held onto that landcruiser until just a few months ago as well.

What I see in that post is an obnoxious younger version of myself who knows NOTHING about cars and yet thinks he does!

Yeah, i've been meaning to yank it out and take a looksie, but i have been going crazy with all the other work on the car so far. i'll keep you guys updated.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

And the award for the longest length of membership before posting an introduction thread goes to....

YoshiMan

Yeah, i had become active again come December, i realized that I never had done a proper introduction. i figured the one i did in 2004 didn't count, since i did about 4 posts and then went inactive.

johndeuce4

You remind me of when I was shopping for a car to replace my '77 Toyota Celica Liftback. I loved the Toyota, but I was afraid it would die soon with 332,000 on the odo. I narrowed everything down to the '95 Lexus ES 300. When about to pull the trigger, happened to see a 97 LS 400 on the same lot. Had a few minutes to waste so went over to sit in it. Salesman said this is the king of them all - the best. That stuck with me and finally realized I should make the effort to get the best at least once in life. So happy I did. Like you, my car needed things right away, but the overall buy was great and the car worth every penny.

LScowboyLS

75' Cadillac Coupe DeVille 500ci

put this cow out to pasture! - I had one of these, and it wasn't that good even when new! - Handling was non-existent! - 10 mpg - Mine had friggin 5 V-belts, five! just imagine the pain in the *** when the innermost one has to be changed, and all of the others have to come off first! - ugh!

sam12345

iTrader: (1)

You get the green award

YoshiMan

Ha ha ha! Yup, pretty much sums it up! The best MPG I have pulled so far has been about 8.5, but i am sure that it will improve with a needed tuneup and carb adjustments. And yeah, the ride feels like its on air, but make a fast turn and then suddenly, it's a waterbed on wheels!

Always wanted an old Landyacht Cadillac, and after searching for a little less than a year I stumbled across mine about 2 years ago. Bought it from the original owner, and it still has all the paperwork and window sticker from the day it was new.

And yeah, I totally agree, V-belts are horrendous! I had an 89' Landcruiser for 11 years, and that car had the most painful to service belts on the face of the earth.

YoshiMan

Here is the two of them side by side, with the noses lined up. It dwarfs the LS400.



It's funny how much the U.S. tastes in luxury cars changed between when the landyachts were phased out in the late 70's, to when the LS400 was designed, starting in 1983.

4hunna

Nice pickup! Not convinced on the color, but it deff has the potential to grow on me. Just curious w/ the current state of the car pre-tuneup, what type of MPG were you seeing? Love the Caddy btw. My LS seems to dwarf anything it parks next to, so its hilarious to see the tables have turned parked next to the Cadillac haha

Also fck Al Gore, am I right guys? lol how much mileage does the Caddy see on a normal basis?