chris55wat

Hey guys this is my first post and the reason why I joined club lexus, I have a 2000 ls 400 that has 190,000 very hard miles on it. everything works great and could prolly go another 50k miles but Its starting to show its old age. I want to get the car completely rebuilt, including engine and transmission (if possible I want to get better parts put in the engine to improve performance), rebuild everything that needs rebuilding, new paint maybe some body work etc, new interior with new speakers and tablet setup. I basically want to make this car brand new again, lower it, new rims, make it bad *** and sound great. I want the car to have another 300k everyday miles left in it. I have $40k to spend on it, Does anybody with experience know about how much it would cost to completely strip down and rebuild an ls400? Thanks!!!

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Terrible idea. I mean seriously. 40k wasted. No offense, but I would take that money and put it towards your future! Invest in a Roth IRA or 401K or something. It's fun to mess around with cars and whatnot but it is such a waste of money. If you have to, take 10 grand and mess around but save the rest man. Cars, in general, are one of the worst investments out there. Blowing money with no return. I don't know how old you are or what your situation is but think about your future and wealth building. Just my humble opinion.

SpencerT

^^^ +1

why not buy a brand new car instead of making an old car new?

Jeremiah87

I agree with both of these suggestions. I can see where you are coming from though. I once loved my CRX so much I wanted to dump about 10K into it to get it where I wanted. The car is worth less than 1K lol but the breakdown would have been:

1. 5K for paintjob
2. 1K for wheels
3. 1K for suspension
4. 1K for exhaust
5. and whatever comes next until I hit my $10K budget.

If you really love your LS400 then its as worth as much as you wanna spend on it. We only live once and you cant put a price on happiness so its up to you.

Personally I would go for a new car and just focus on the future after that.

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

if you truly like the LS and truly have $40k to spend, buy a better lower mileage model and go from there. no sense in making your current car newer unless it has very high sentimental value, like it saved your life or you want to pass it along to your kids.

ItsMiles

iTrader: (1)

Also agree with everyone... If you have that kind of money to dump onto a '00 LS why not invest into something that'll make you money in the long run... It at least put money down for a house, or put money down on a new LS lol... You want VIP... Doesn't get VIP-er than that

SuicidnS13

iTrader: (2)

Yea agreed to most of the replies. All hobbies are usually a waste of money unless your hobby is making money. When building custom cars do not even think about the blue book value anymore or you will just end up hating it, never finishing it or simply half assing the build. Any show car, booth car, featured car etc that you have ever drooled on had parts/and work on it way more than the value of the car. My main shop is building a new Cadillac ATS for SEMA and man, at least 30-40k in parts and labor has already been put into that 30k chevy LOL. Heck my LS is already way past the blue book point and its barely half way done. It will be done by the end of this year and ready for the 2014 show season how ever.

Building custom cars is an expensive hobby and a way of life, that in my opinion many should not really undertake. When done right it costs tens of thousands of dollars. I've seen lots of guys lose homes, families etc all for the love of the scene. If you can afford it do it, if not... maybe invest your time and money into something that will better support the hobbies you really want to do. Especially if the LS is your only car, then def do not mod it or waste money into making it new. Just invest in a newer car and go from there.

Sc0pe

iTrader: (1)

My advice to you would be to pick up a lower mileage LS400 or, better yet, an LS430, in black/silver/white and start from there.

Here are some estimates I've made based on my car (1999 LS400):
Air Suspension: $2500-8000 (Do you want to throw UAS bags on your stock shocks or run the über rare Bold World kit?)
Wheels and Tires: $1500-8000 (Do you want used wheels or Luxury Abstract?)
Body Work: $100-8000 (Do you want to pull your fenders or run the Junction Produce Premium kit?)
Exhaust: $100-2000 (Welding new pipe or buying a Junction Produce exhaust?)
Paint: $500-10000 (Personally, I don't know whether you're into minor touch ups or tri-color chameleon paint.)
Lighting: $5-3000 (Do you want to replace an interior bulb with an LED or ?
ICE (In Car Electronics): $500-5000 (Do you want a new head unit or god-tier sound quality?)
Interior: $250-3000 (Do you want small pillows or the full Garson treatment?)

You should follow this order, to a degree, when modding your car (lowest overall cost and gives you time to get everything perfect before you hit the car with paint).

Dranom

iTrader: (7)

Just get a used 460 and treat yourself to a newer car

pinnell27

Wow.......let me say again Wow! The guy didn't ask for long term investment planning nor did he come here to get treated like someone's misguided son. He asked for advice on a car project. He could have a trust fund worth untold millions and is doing this for a side project. Who knows this could be his granddads car and it represents huge sentimental value to him or someone else. Nobody knows and he didn't ask for "life advice" There are plenty other places to go for that. My point is, back off the parental approach and stick to the question he asked. Now, since its well established this would be a terrible investment, let's give the guy what he asked for. Between all the mechanical, cosmetic and VIP experts here, the database is full of knowledgeable people who can make some valuable input.
Chris55wat,
it might be helpful for you to provide a little more detail on things like paint and suspension and how far you want to go with all that. I for one support you gathering the info and then balancing that against your plan and then making your own determination as to what is right for you. Sorry you had to take a butt chewin from everyone to get on with your basic question.
Hunter

SuicidnS13

iTrader: (2)

There is your answer to the costs of a vip build. And he did not even touch into the performance section really. My Supercharger setup and management at low boost is retailing around 5-7k. That way she can keep up with the more current luxury sedans that all seem to be v8 twin turbo these days LOL.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Often the best advice is what one can't see themselves. This is a forum and everyone is entitled to their opinion. There are many smart and stupid things one can do with ones finances. Whatever the OP chooses I just hope it's not an emotional decision but one that he will be thankful for in the future. I wish I had someone to tell me this when I was younger and stupidly wasting money.

RA40

iTrader: (6)

Welcome to Club Lexus.

You mention showing age, what specific symptoms? Some of these may not be big $ to fix so having a known base is good to work with. OTOH, it the car needs extensive work to be in good driving condition, there are alternatives to consider.

$15K is pretty easy to spend and if you want a show level car, that $40K can be easily used. Of course many mods can be done with in reason so depends on how much DIY/skilled you are. Finding a good shop is key.

Any pics of the LS400's that inspire you that way we can advise.

This thread in the VIP section of Club Lexus:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/vip...vip-style.html

Various videos of LS's:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...d-related.html

Sc0pe

iTrader: (1)

I completely forgot the forum even had a VIP section... thank you for posting it