Acura Legend owner now. Looking to step into v-8 powered Lexus LS. Wanting older model 1992 or prior to get my feet wet. Any suggestions as to year, what to watch for, etc?? Also, where to look for owner sale of Lexus (not a dealer) other than ebay...Many thanks Chuck Magers
Chaupil@mchsi.com

[QUOTE]Originally posted by chaupil
Acura Legend owner now. Looking to step into v-8 powered Lexus LS. Wanting older model 1992 or prior to get my feet wet. Any suggestions as to year, what to watch for, etc?? Also, where to look for owner sale of Lexus (not a dealer) other than ebay...Many thanks Chuck Magers
Chaupil@mchsi.com [/QUOTE

Go out there to a private dealer or get from the private owner.
Run the VIN number to get the history of the car (how many people had owned it)

Here's what I did before I get mine:
Got the car jacked up and look underneath it. I looked for anything that was replaced, especially the transmission (rebuild).
You should be able to see the difference. Look at all the bolts and nuts. Mine was all dusty and there was no oil leak/oil splash at all. Also look at each "swing arm" that holds the wheels. You could also check the brake lines at the same time. There shouldn't be any oil or anything that shows something is leaking. ALSO check all the bushings while you are at it.

I then test driven the car in the freeway and tried to feel how the tranny switches the gear. (use the overdrive button - 1990 to 1994 LS400 has this). You could judge the car if it was being driven roughly by the previous owner.

Drive for about 30 Miles per hour and hit the brakes, see if the car stops in a straight line.

The car that has lots of mileage (mostly driven in the freeway)sometimes has a better transmission that the one with a low mileage but it was being driven unproperly by the previous owner.

Good Luck and welcome to the Club Lexus.

This is a great time to buy a used car, there are some fantastic deals out there. If you find a Lexus that looks good except for some minor problems, you can run a forum search for those problems to see how much it would cost to repair them.

Good Luck!

GA400

Any ideas where to shop online for a Lexus? Bulletin boards etc...

I like Autotrader (www.autotrader.com). Ebay is fun, but I wouldn't buy it if I couldn't check it out in person. There are too many things that can be concealed unless you drive it yourself and have a mechanic that you trust check it out.

GA400