kyk007

Hello all CL forum members. This is officially my first post on here, having just purchased an LS400 last week. It's a 1998 model and while I reside in Seattle, I flew down to Houston to purchase this particular car off its owner. I had business in Dallas and so combined a little business and pleasure on my trip.

For any of you contemplating buying an LS400, I hope my notes here can give you some insight as to the car, and more specifically, how it drives for long distances. For starters, I am a new Lexus owner and had researched which car to buy for some 2 months before taking the leap. I have owned numerous Japanese cars in the past, with a few VW's & Saabs thrown in, but this time around, reliability was at the top of my list for things I needed in a car.

Honestly, the LS400 did not start out at the top of my list, as typically I've owned smaller economy cars, compact, subcompact if you will. Mileage wasn't my first priority, but I must confess, my assumption at first was that the LS400 got poor fuel economy. How wrong I was.

Secondly, this was my first foray into 'luxury' vehicles and once again, my limited understanding of the LS400 tainted my view of it admittedly. While some of you may wince at flying 2,000+ miles to pick up a car, others of you may relate to my 'adventure' in a very personal way. After corresponding with the owner for several weeks, I felt comfortable taking the leap and buying the car.

I used to live just outside Dallas, so spending one week there before driving the LS400 back proved to be a good thing. I got my business taken care of in Dallas and mentally prepared myself for the long drive back. Everything I had read about the car lead me to believe it would be a lazy boy on wheels, and rather than tire me out, it would transport me to my destination relaxed, and not all tired and frenzied. The car proved to be all that and more.

First off, I plotted the route I would drive back between Dallas and Seattle. It would take me through Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, Boise on the 2,000 mi. cross country trek. Along the way, I kept records of my average speed, fill ups, and fuel economy as well. All in all, I came away very pleasantly surprised with the comfort of the car, but more so, the fuel economy at real highway speeds. Let me share my findings.

At an average speed of 70 mph, the car got an astounding 29.5 mpg hwy. At an average speed of 75 mph, the mileage went down a little to 27.8. Increasing the speed to 80 mph, it still got around 25 mpg. I can't say I had expected this heavy car to return such stellar figures, but at each fill up, my calculations came back each time, and each time it put a big smile on my face.

To put it succinctly, this car devours long stretches of highway with ease. I felt nary a shake or rattle cruising along at 80 mph, and frankly, the car wasn't even breathing hard. To say it felt stable is an understatement.

I made it back to Seattle in 3 days, and while I wasn't exactly fresh and ready to drive another 2,000 miles, my back was NOT worse for the wear. The car impressed me and I found myself (believe it or not) wanting to drive it more, albeit it after a few days of rest.

This road trip, if I wasn't already one, made me a full out believer in the LS400. I'm an enthusiast and converted LS400 fan in a big way now, and don't regret buying the car one bit. If any of you are contemplating buying one, don't hesitate to go out and test drive one as soon as you can.

I can't give any bigger recommendation than my 2,000 mi. shake down. The car passed with flying colors and I have to say it's the best road trip car I've ever driven. The faster I went in the car, the more stable and in control it felt.

I look forward to becoming part of this community and sharing more insight with many of you in the months to come. Take care!

monkey92

iTrader: (3)

congrats on your purchase. and thanks for sharing your story and the gas figures, i myself purchased a 94 ls400 last month and just driving it around in the city and in the highway, the car is indeed a very nice cruiser compared to my gs300. and for the price i paid for it, it just doesnt get any better.

kyk007

I couldn't agree more with your assessment. I feel like I am guilty of highway robbery, except in this case, it is simply a great value for what you paid for the car. Like you, I got a great deal on the car and quality just doesn't come any better than the LS400.

Stroock639

glad to see another converted LS 400 fan! this car absolutely revels in the high speed environment... the valentine one is almost a must! even doing 100 for almost a minute one time (literally felt like nothing, totally stable) i noticed i was still getting around 21 mpg, which is quite remarkable i think, for the heavy old V8 sedan. that low 0.28 drag coefficient helps a lot no doubt. one thing about the LS on the highway is that it can weave a little if it's really windy, but its not alarming or anything. i'll also admit that its easy to be fooled by the "modest" styling of the car, but underneath its an s-class killer!

Legender

Congrats and thanks for sharing. Nice write up and you're just finding out what hundreds of us on this site have found also. The used ls400 is a tremendous steal.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

congrats and welcome to the club with a very informative first post.

UNCNOR

iTrader: (1)

Really enjoyed reading your post.Very well written.

kyk007

Stroock - funny you should mention the LS400's penchant for high speed. I pretty much baby my cars in how I drive them, but I had actually given some thought to buying a Valentine One for my long trip. Leaving Salt Lake City on I-84, I kind of wished I had got the Valentine, as there was a stretch of quite a few miles where the speed limit was 80.

At any rate, I did not know the Cd on the car was 0.28 - yet another one of many small surprises I am finding out about the car. I like the 'modest' styling of the car, as you put it. My car is mostly stock except for LS430 wheels and the front grille being silver.

kyk007

Legender - you took the words out of my mouth. The car is an absolute steal, and of all the cars I cross shopped, each time I came away with the indelible impression that I was getting a great bang for the buck in the LS400.

Sha4000 & UNCOR - thank you for your complimentary words. I typically am not one to post on forums, being content to sit back and read others' posts, but I am officially bitten by the LS400 bug. I'm glad you all enjoyed the first of what should be many more informative and enjoyable posts.

rishi

KYK007,

Congrats on the car! I'm very please that this car went to a member of CL.. I did alot of work to this car, and when i came to the hard conclusion of selling it, I knew that it would be difficult to find someone who would appreciate the car outside this forum... .. and yeah for road trips, this car runs with the best of them. Loved reading the details of your trip..

Was a pleasurable transaction, and as always if you need anything or have a questions, please let me know.. and welcome to community. the LS400 forums are strong, and really has a huge wealth of knowledge lurking through these threads... that search bar is amazing! I went from having two Lexus cars, to now regretfully none I may come back to the LS at later date though.... I always had a soft spot for these cars.. interestingly enough it really started for me because the LS400 was featured in Street Figher 2.. ha

Thanks again!

Daspyda

iTrader: (1)

I purchased mine from a CL member and flew to Dallas/Ft. Worth to buy it and drive back to FL.

One of the best cars I've ever owned...

kyk007

Very cool Daspyda - how many miles was the drive back to FL for you? If your trip was anything like mine, I'm sure you enjoyed each and every mile behind the wheel of the LS.

randal

A few years back, I flew from Indiana to Arizona to buy a 92 LS400. Me and my son drove it back the 2000 mile route, seeing sites along the way. Quite an amazing car. It is now my sons and he loves it.

Funny you should mention the Valentine One. I have one I purchased new sitting in the closet. I did not know they still made them.

sam12345

iTrader: (1)

I bought both of mine in Portland Oregon and drove them back to Texas I personally prefer my gs400 but the ls400 is definitely better built.

Kingsoup

Very cool! fantastic mileage you got there, quite the interesting car isn't it?