was going to be used as a beater....now what?
11-19-13, 10:18 PM
#1
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was going to be used as a beater....now what?
I bought my ls 400 for the sole purpose of getting me through these next 3-4 months and then if it meant it needed to be scrapped, then that would be fine. As it turns out and has for many of you, these things aren't really "beaters". My car is a 95, I bought off original owner, it is not pretty (shows it's 18 years but not too badly), 139k.
Am I wrong for thinking, roll the dice on the timing belt. It was replaced 5 years ago, but only 25-35k miles ago? I really don't want to do that right now.
Why is it that these things have still lasted? It seems at the price point, plenty would be trashed by now? While I generally see Toyota Camry and such go for well over 100k miles, I rarely see them go 20 years of great service. i would have to say the mechanics are probably similar. Would you attribute this to the general owner of a LS in the 90s was more prone to keeping it nice and doing more upkeep than the traditional Camry owner? Or is there something different (take away any luxury items)?
Am I wrong for thinking, roll the dice on the timing belt. It was replaced 5 years ago, but only 25-35k miles ago? I really don't want to do that right now.
Why is it that these things have still lasted? It seems at the price point, plenty would be trashed by now? While I generally see Toyota Camry and such go for well over 100k miles, I rarely see them go 20 years of great service. i would have to say the mechanics are probably similar. Would you attribute this to the general owner of a LS in the 90s was more prone to keeping it nice and doing more upkeep than the traditional Camry owner? Or is there something different (take away any luxury items)?
11-19-13, 10:38 PM
#2
The car is well engineered with quality parts. That is why these have such good longevity when properly cared for. This car has the potential to exceed the domestic made Camrys. 139K is nothing and you can read the thread on most miles.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...er-thread.html
Timing belt service is 90K intervals so you are good to go till about 180K. Read the FAQ for any maintenance areas and with those implemented, you could have just bought a car that will take you to 300K+.
A relative just sold his ES300 at 240K miles. To bad he didn't buy another Lex though.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...er-thread.html
Timing belt service is 90K intervals so you are good to go till about 180K. Read the FAQ for any maintenance areas and with those implemented, you could have just bought a car that will take you to 300K+.
A relative just sold his ES300 at 240K miles. To bad he didn't buy another Lex though.
11-20-13, 03:33 AM
#3
Realistically, this car will run for a very long time with an occasional electrical hiccup. If you're really into longevity, look into replacing your ECU capacitors. Should stop any potential electrical bug right in its track, as well as keeping you and your car, smooth sailing.
Last edited by Sc0pe; 11-20-13 at 03:41 AM.
11-20-13, 11:00 AM
#5
you're timing belt is just fine up to around 180k mark. the reason they are at that price point is not due to the poor quality but most likely to the undesirable nature of a v8 car. most are gearing towards high MPG, non premium fuel, something the LS struggles around town. on the highway, the car is actually not that bad!
remember, these cars were $50k price range back when new, so typically the owners didn't "beat" them around. at that time, that kind of money was hard to come by for the typical driver. remember this car is lexus's flagship model, a car they were using to get their name on the map back in the day. i think they did a good job, don't you?
remember, these cars were $50k price range back when new, so typically the owners didn't "beat" them around. at that time, that kind of money was hard to come by for the typical driver. remember this car is lexus's flagship model, a car they were using to get their name on the map back in the day. i think they did a good job, don't you?
Happy to have the range of drivers-owners represented here. Most on this section will hit in the 20's these days.
11-20-13, 12:06 PM
#7
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11-20-13, 10:24 PM
#10
Lexus's in general usually have a nice maintenance history for the first few years, just due to the sheer cost of them when they were new and the types of people who buy them.
My 95 was pampered at the dealer until about 2003, then it finally made it's way into the hands of a less caring individual and the maintenance logs abruptly stopped.
By the time I got my hands on it last December, it was rather neglected and in need of some serious work, to which it cleaned up quite well! I just realized that i have owned the car for less than a year, but it feels like its been in the family for much longer.
My 95 was pampered at the dealer until about 2003, then it finally made it's way into the hands of a less caring individual and the maintenance logs abruptly stopped.
By the time I got my hands on it last December, it was rather neglected and in need of some serious work, to which it cleaned up quite well! I just realized that i have owned the car for less than a year, but it feels like its been in the family for much longer.
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