phrenzy

Hi all. Well, I guess I could call it good luck, but my aging '95 Lincoln Mark VIII LSC was recently rear ended by a limo and thus totaled. My settlement was for $7000. Far more than the car would have got on the open market (considering it had 200k miles on it)

Anyway, I am pretty close to going Lexus. My ex-wife kept the 94 ES-300 of our two cars, and every time I drive in it I love it. It is like "butter" as they say.

I, like the big mean looks of the LS400 though and would prefer a larger interior.

Anyway, I am looking to get in to one but wanted to know what you, the owners of these cars might recommend as a starting point or things to look out for when evaluating these cars.

I know on my Lincoln the 'air suspension' was a source of costly repairs - is that the case on the LS?

Also, is there a particular year to avoid? Do all model years have dual air bags?

Chances are I am going to have to go with a '94 or older for my price range.

I have spotted a couple of nice (looking) cars in my area do these look worth investigating?

Black '93 - around 140k miles - for $4500


http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...or=&cardist=10

Private party '91 for $7000

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...&ac_afflt=none

Anyway, I hope to join you all soon with a new LS!

Thanks!

gs400998

Try to get one with 90,000 mile service done (timing belt, water pump) and maintenance records. Lexus service charges over $1,500 for 90,000 service with water pump and timing belt.

EXE.UCF10

iTrader: (3)

I'm sure you'll find the Search function at the top to be very useful in answering most (if not all) of your questions as this topic has been discussed in the past.

Here are a couple threads that I've found to get you started...hope this helps :
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ght=difference
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ght=difference

nthach

i got my car off the Bay Area listings of CraigsList.

phrenzy

Would it be realistic to find a '93 for $5000 or less? Or am I pretty much stuck in '90 territory at that price?

EXE.UCF10

iTrader: (3)

If it has around 200K miles and is in fair condition, then yes...that might be considered realistic. My suggestion is that you look for at least a '91 and above ('93-'94 would be best for the 1st gens).

phrenzy

Great thanks.

Would you say a 200+k '93 would be preferable to , say a 120k 90 (or something along those lines) -

Just trying to get a sense of the elements that comprise the value of these cars.

It certainly seems that the mileage on these cars is not nearly the factor they are on other cars (like American cars)

But like I said - Higher miles 93? - or lower miles 90-92 ? If I were able to choose for $5k

thanks!

SharpLS-96

If I were you I would definitely look at and investigate that 93. If the maintenance/service history check out and carfax comes back with no questionable things then consider purchasing it because it's a decent price.

massshelti

Check out www.kbb.com.

You can key in model, year, options and mileage, and get an idea of wholesale, retail and private sale pricing.

www.Edmunds.com does the same thing for used cars as well.