ilovemydb1

Its gonna be my first lexus, can anyone tell me the goods and bads?

joewitafro

The v8 motors are known for some sludge problems and should be taken care of, regular maintenance and such... But other than that our cars (mine being the gs300 inline six version) have some garbage automatic transmissions in my opinion which don't take much abuse, and usually have to be replaced or rebuilt if you plan on owning the car for a while.

My stock suspension was blown and completely garbage, along with the front leather seats and the rear trunk seal (which is a big issue). The trunks on our cars typically leak so bad that the side compartments fill up with water and prevent draining leaving the amplifier in a nice 2-3 inches of muck.

Other than that they are pretty solid cars, I prefer the GS300 version and if I need any more get up and go I will swap a 2jzgte into it and far exceed what the stock v8 gs400 is capable of, Modifications on the gs400 v8 aren't sought after typically or pursued, and its really not worth it unless you are OKAY with a stock motor with a filter and exhaust upgrade at most.

1QWKGS4

iTrader: (3)

What you said about V8's & Sludge in the same sentence isn't true.. Many GS400 owners have far exceed GS300 in mileage on this forum. All around the GS400 has a better motor than GS300, Yes if modded towards the Aristo/Supra way or doing a full 2JZ swap the car "Can" put out more power but for daily use and light mods, the GS400 is the best overall car..

I've own my GS400 for 15 years. Not one bit of a problem, never heard of sludge even from people with over 300K miles. Don't Pass around Mis-Information if you don't know the facts.. ( I know many Lexus Master Techs that can atest, That the GS400 is one of the best Lexus cars ever made.) These Car are in noway "Garbage" like you said. (Maybe your own car hasn't been taken cared for is why you view it this way) But I have meet many GS400 owners and its Def not what you described.. Make sure you own one, before giving Mis-Informed Advice of a car you don't have any experience with.

houndawgbp

I'm guessing first gen models didn't get the V8 option so I'm going on that.

Toyota made one of the most reliable V8 ever in the 2UZ. I've not done research on the 1UZ but my buddies on the Cressida forum running them in MX73 have had no issues. I'm with joe on the junk transmission. I seen a first gen with a 2jz-gte swap blow seals when my friend, who also has a MkIV TT 6 speed supra, took it down a few 1/4 mile runs at Bristol Dragway. Then again he ran the boost up and launched hard.

I love my first gen but I'm doing body work first before go fast and really looking into a R-154 swap.

joewitafro

I never said the v8 was garbage, your just being a bit sensitive reading your post. the a340 transmissions in my opinion are garbage, and sludge is only an issue if the motor is lacking in maintenance like I said.. not if you change the oil and prevent any overheating. I've seen these same sludge problems in the 2jz motor too, not saying its garbage but maintaining these motors are essential. I have 250,000 miles on mine and with regular maintenance I still redline the car daily. So rather than misuse my words to make me look bad, please reread my post and realize I'm being honest and pointing out its a great 'stock' motor.

Nixspeed

The early years of 1u are very string and very sought after for performance, just not in America as much. There is a lot of upgrades for them as well as the later vvti versions. Overall it is a better motor than a 2j just not as cheap and easy to get the numbers out of. In my experience they are very reliable as well. In all motors you'll need to use better oil and frequent changes to prolong engine life. I've had solenoid issues with almost every Toyota auto after extended miles. This is an easy fix and relatively inexpensive. This post is in the wrong area since they didn't make any 1st gen GS400 in America. I heard they made some elsewhere but not sure. You'd get better info in the 2gs or 1ls section.