Rundskop

I've been debating whether or not to introduce myself before or after picking up the LS.

So here I am without the car, but very very close to picking it up. I'm hoping tomorrow or the day after. I'm really excited and couldn't wait! I hope I'm not jinxing myself, but oh well.

Having been the owner of 8 or so 80's import tuner cars, I'm glad to say I'm "maturing" into a proper cruiser. The LS400, especially 98-00, have always caught my eye and I'm looking forward to having it parked in the garage.

I'll post pics (or bad news) as soon as I find out.

The car is:

1998 Black on Black
2 Owner Vehicle
105k original miles
$8,500
Adjustable Suspension, wood grain interior.

There are no service records, but I did run an AutoCheck and everything checks out. I still need to have a mechanic look at it. I'd also like to call a local Lexus dealer and see if they can provide me with any of the service history by omitting the previous owners personal information. The car has spent it's whole life in sunny South Bay, CA.

Being a lease vehicle and trade in, I'm assuming the records or up to date, but can't be sure.

Looking forward to being part of the community, with this LS or alternate.
Cheers!

Gene01

Welcome to Club Lexus! You will find lots of information here.
Take a look at the stickies - they will keep you off the streets for many hours of great reading.

1. You can log on to Lexus.com and order (for free) an owner's manual if you don't get one with the car.
Also, you can download a PDF copy if you like.

2. On the same site, you can register your VIN, and get the service history of everything that was done at a Lexus dealer. The service descriptions are rather brief (one-liners), but will give you a good idea of what was done, the date, and the mileage.

Good luck with your LS400.

LScowboyLS

at that price, it had better look like it just rolled off the showroom floor!

any Lexus dealer can print out the service history

that kind of price would be right for a car that has always been garage kept, looks new inside and out, and has complete service records! (and of course NO accidents)

and "sunny California" is only an advantage if the car has been kept out of that sun its entire life, nothing ages paint, clear coat, and interiors like the sun!

Rundskop

Thanks for the welcome and tips.

It definitely is not "showroom" quality. Has a couple door dings and some small nicks on the bumper. Leather seats are a little faded. Two of the interior door handle wood trim pieces are missing the clear cover. Other than that, it's in good shape.

Edit: registering VIN worked.

Cheers, and thanks again!
Z

Rundskop

Doesn't show the timing belt, or water pump being done.

There is one service listed as "See Story" at 87k miles. And another one:

95k miles : REMOVED BODY ECU, REPAIRED OPEN CIRCUIT BY SOLDERING CIRCUIT BOARD AND CONFIRMED.

Can anyone relate to this ECU repair?

LScowboyLS

yes! - I can relate to ECU repair!

by the way, the 2 owner car you have described in the condition, mileage, service history etc. and other things you have enlightened us on, makes this about a $6000 car tops (and I am being kind) - don't fall in love with a car that is at least $2500 overpriced, it's not the only 98-00 LS400 that will come up for sale in California this month

Everything about this is scary, why wasn't timing belt/water pump done on time?

LS400's do not have open circuits in the body ECU unless someone really smoked the electrical system with some aftermarket crap.

WTF is "See Story"???

Rundskop

Well put.

I'll be keeping my eyes open as usual.

Edit:

There is a weird Motorola audio device that has wiring coming down from behind the radio. That's the only thing that isn't OEM I noticed.

I'll have to wait to speak with someone in service, but now I'm not sure where to go. It's not getting any better.

cobalt91

Find another LS.

Legender

agree... look elsewhere... don't want to buy someone's problems. You want to start clean and fresh and as stock as you can...especially for that price. Get your heart out of the equation and buy logically and look at the numbers. You could live to regret this later... just take your time and wait for the deal to come to you...

sanstoette

Good luck on your search! I'll agree with everyone else...keep your eyes open as that seems a bit high. I just picked up my second LS400, a 99' w/ 236,xxx that needs a drivers bank OCV for $2k, and deals are out there especially if your mechanically minded.

Rundskop

Right on everyone!

Definitely was getting anxious. I'm not picking it up, but found a few others to look at.

The hunt continues!

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

you jinxed it! yeah keep looking. the more you look at different cars, the more you'll see and determine the good from the bad. where did you find this car?

Gene01

You may want to "unregister" the VIN since you are not going to buy the car.
I can't confirm it, but there is a rumor that Lexus.com does not like some (unknown max) number of VINs registered to one individual.

Rundskop

I did jinx myself! Haha. It was for sale in SF, CA area. You can find it on CL I think.

I removed the VIN from my user name as soon as I decided not to go through with the purchase.

Rundskop

Edit: Spoke to someone at Lexus with good info on car I'm looking at.