Going to sell my '97 LS 400 and get something newer.
Looked through some of the usual online pricing guides...
KBB says $ 4895 $ 5695 $ 5895 $ 6220

I'd say it's in between good-very good but it'll need tires before long---due to age mostly, not wear.

I'm the 2nd owner, clean history, etc.
The ONLY issue it has is the occasional no start on the first keyturn but it always turns over the 2nd or 4rd try.
And I know all about the starter location...

Any ideas on a realistic value?
I appreciate the input.

 

Miles on car and some pics of the obvious wear areas would help in determining value. All the other maintenance up to date?

 

I'll try and get some pics up.
It's got 161K on it.
Regular oil changes(always full synth)
PO did the timing belt---have to check and see--probably around 100K.

It's the Pear White/tan int. Some wear on D/S seat of course, not too bad.

 

Interesting. My '97 has 177,000 miles on it and is almost due for the timing belt/water pump/etc. I KBB'd it the other day at $6,200 if I sold it myself. Same colors as yours, too. I put mine at "very good" in the conditions. Mine doesn't have air suspension or the Nak system, either.

 

Nothing too special...looks like every other white LS.
I really like the Pearl White; it cleans up nice.



Drivers seat wear



Center console wear



Crack in dash...



I keep one of those cell phone anti-slip pads over the crack



Not sure why the dash cracked there, it has spent most of its life garaged!

 

not sure why the dash cracked either. possible it was punctured at one time and it grew with age.

looks like you have clean car here. your selling price can range depending on the buyer. list it for $6k and see what you get.

as for the no start at first crank, simply hold the key a bit longer during startup .

 

Why replace it? I have a black one with 250 and it's in gorgeous shape and drives like a dream. People borrow it and are astonished by the driving quality. You can't get anything in today's market that comes close to the level of pure quality, reliability and comfort that will not kill you on maintenance, even with 300k on them if taken care of. BTW, I know people who have sold and always regretted selling these LS400's!!

 

Nope you can get a 98 for that, 5 to 6k at best

3843 according to edmunds for private party

http://www.edmunds.com/lexus/ls-400/...e-results.html

 

Hmmm.... maybe I'll offer it in the low $5K range...

That Edmunds valuation hurts!

I'm thinking of going the RX direction.

 

at 177k miles and needing maintenance you'll be looking at low 4000 range if your lucky, just being honest.. i just bought a 99 for 5100 with 120k miles and all work done. I have a 95 ls400 with 77k miles and i'd only ask 4000 for it tops, and i'd think i'd be lucky getting that. check out ebay completed listings for a realistic value of what the usa is willing to pay for a car, also check out the other thread about some guy who just bought a dealer maintained ls400 for 3500 with like 150k... just being real man, if you can find a dumbass, more power to you ha. The simple matter is, even though these cars are tanks, a lot of people in the common market only can see the year the car is and the amount of miles. Most people who love the car like us are becoming few and far in between. I've seen 98-00's sell very cheap recently, and the 90-97's sell for the 1500-4000 range. (private party and even sometimes dealers).

 

almost 2 years ago i sold mine 2000 Ls that had 150k miles had timing belt done by a dealer at 100k and was in very good condition interior was almost new (better than my 2002 gs with 120k miles)
i put the price at $6000 firm and took me a 3 months to sell it

 

Seeing the carpet also... I would venture offering it at $4,200 with a realistic quick sale at 3,800. The arm rest and seat are fairly worn.

Better disclose that to the buyer, some can be pretty prickly if they find out the car will need a new starter.

The rest of the fluids in good condition? I can imagine some months from now the buyer shows up here mentioning all the needed maintenance they have to do. Tranny slipping and the fluid is all dark.

 

If you can swing it, these are always great options for young folks getting their licenses and learning to drive in them. Seeing they are safe, reliable and inexpensive, if something does happen it is less of a punch in the nose!

 

I'll try to search some old threads later...but few quick questions...I'm torn between fixing it and driving it longer; fxing it up to sell; or sell as is.

1. A quick search sounded like it could be my starter on the way out?

2.Car has 161K on it today....po did timing belt at 80K in 2001. I believe the '97 LS is an interference motor so while the miles aren't too bad on the belt the age might be...thoughts?

Sounds like the intake has to come off to access the starter.
I'm no mechanic but I can find my way around a motor and I can unbolt/bolt stuff just fine.
(Replaced the motor/heads in my Land Rover Discovery II last year)

But...I just don't work on the Lexus because it usually just works and my Land Rovers require constant attention!



Would it make sense to have a shop replace my STARTER and do the TIMING BELT at the same time?
This is just not a job I can tackle right now.

 

If you can work o one of those you can certainly do an LS400 time permitting but if time is the issue, drop it off to a reputable Japaneese auto shop and drive the puppy another 161k!