dame3780

Yeah I feel pretty lucky man. Keep looking you will find it. Looks like you in Florida. Lots of older folks in FLA haha. There have been two in the last year that I've almost bought to add to my collection. They were gone quick though. I really wanted this 91 Jade/Tan but within a few days it was gone. Act fast if you do see one. I've learned my lesson that way.

My car has the original plates on it and I plan to keep them on. If not, I'd try to get classic ones. Also got to see the original title which was cool. It was purchased in May 90. I made some copies before turning over to DMV. Adds to the history of the car. I've been picking up parts too at salvage yards out of precaution but am running out of room to store them. Lots of good parts going to the crusher. It kills me.

Stereorob

yes, Florida is heavens waiting room, but these cars are so old now that the old people that bought and maintained them new are just about all gone now as well, well at least the 1st gen cars. and yes, old enough now as well where alot of folks have moved on to other cars and dont pay much attention to the Ls400 anymore. i see plenty of almost totally intact examples going to the crusher without much pulled off of them when a few years ago, they would be stripped to the frame it seems like before they met their fate

funny. for the first time in almost two weeks i passed an Ls400 in traffic this morning. was a 98-00, silver and in not great but not awful condition...

gbenzz

Our cars will go down as one of the most reliable sedans in car history, period. They were ahead of its time in the 90s and I still enjoy driving my 2000 with 213k on the dash. The perfect blend of value, comfort and reliability bar none. My next car will be a clean *** 06 LS430 for sure! I already have an 06 SC430 which is truly a joy to drive.

400fanboy

I don't think I've seen a clean LS out in the wild.

They all have body dings, ****ed up rims, bad paint... I mean they are used for their intended purpose forsure, and these parts don't last forever. But it's sad to see them decline.

There's one in my neighborhood, slammed on 20's, with some really bad peeling on the tan-ish paint. I looked inside one time and the interior is really rough too. Great car, but not well cared for at all.

spuds

Mines a ding and scratch magnet.i dont know how any escape that fate.

AandSC

Stroock639

that's been beautifully kept!

idk what it is about the LS in particular, but when one is pristine it's like really good, but when it's in bad shape it's like extra bad

the condition of the wheels also has a really big impact, when they get all dull and scuffed up it can ruin the entire upscaleness lol

Stereorob

funny you mention that. cause yeah. when they are clean they are absolutely beautiful, but when they are clapped, they look absolutely awful. worse than alot of other cars. seen plenty of Ls400s that got beat with the ugly stick for sure. most of them have at this point.
right now is a very very bad age for them. they are too old for most people to care about anymore and lack what most modern drivers want these days, but they arent old enough yet to really be considered as true classics. HOWEVER, once they hit 30 years old i think things will begin to change. the 1990 is already very close and it has been mentioned on multiple sites that it will absolutely be a future classic, not only because its a cool car, but the historical significance of it. the 1990 Ls400 literally changed EVERYTHING about the modern luxury car. it had a huge impact. the later model ones however, even tho they are nicer cars, will not have collectors going after them for a very long time as they were not historically important as the 1990.

i think it also has to do with rarity. one thing that HAS NOT helped these cars in the long run is just how well they were built. they are not super rare cars yet that have vanished into obscurity, but they will be. the early ucf10s are a very very rare site on the roads these days. they made 40k+ 1990s. more than any other year, but time kills everything. 30 years later, how many of those 40k do you think are REALLY still out there? hell just to keep track of them we should make some kind of registry or something. well, the early ones at least.

something else to think about..

the last gen ucf20s. 98-00, they made 1/4th as many of them as the early ucf10. give it another ten years and they will truly be rare cars. especially since they have a few things going against them like the interference engine grenading itself when the belt snaps on owners that dont wanna shell out a grand to get it replaced. you can replace the timing belt on a ucf10 and get right back on the road. not on a 20 tho. the car is toast.

Amskeptic

I am utterly stuck at 1992 UCF10.
Humans are so very prone to "improving" upon a good thing and killing it in the process. The later Lexii leave me stone-cold indifferent. Too busy, too stupid, too chunky, they ruined the inspired first design.

Like Mapquest. Like the 1964 Lincoln Continental. Like Windows Vista. Bloat, bloat, bloat.

My dashboard is sublime, the exterior is perfectly proportioned and sleek, the brakes yaaah not too great ...

Seriously. The latest iteration of the LS has the damn dopiest looking bunch of idiocy I have ever laid eyes on. You are supposed to drive your car. You are supposed to look out the windshield. That new LS has a horrendously bloated sense of self-important Aren't We Vanguard?? I don't think those "designers" have EVER driven one of their cars on CA 299 in a rainstorm where you so do not need to be distracted.




I'll take the grill and the rest of the exterior over the LS460, thank-you! No frou-frou bs.






And lawdy lawdy, the original 1UZFE with its stout connecting rods and non-interference valves is superbly . . . "adequate".
ColinDamnStraight

Stroock639

i know everyone always likes to point out that the original 1UZ has the thicker connecting rods, but does that really matter like AT ALL unless you're trying to do some like 500 hp build? if anything i'd think lighter con rods means less reciprocating mass and therefore increased throttle response.

very nice LS though, i appreciate your dedication to the OG but even like a 1996 or 1999 LS is no good? i think the extra power and efficiency of the vvt-i / 5 speed combo is worth it for the like once a decade timing belt change you'll need to (or at least should lol) do. even though 1998 also introduced electronic throttle control, you still have a mechanical cable backup for 100% foolproof reliability, at least to get you home.

i totally agree with you about the new LS though...

Stereorob

jesus christ thats a clean ucf10. i havent seen one that nice in ages. i think all the LS400s were good. i have the later versions right now but i wish i could find a really nice early one. ive had a few ucf10s, 1990 being my favorite. they have a different feel to them. very special cars.

Amskeptic

Let's review, shall we? the original 1UZFE with its stout connecting rods and non-interference valves is superbly . . . "adequate".
Adequate, as in, good enough.
Note that stout connecting rods distort less over time and under load, so the rod bearings remain round longer. That is a whole different animal than giving a rat's *** if my engine spools up a micro-second faster to teach that fox-bodied Mustang a lesson on my Very Important Trip to WalMart...



Did I say that? Did I say that? No. I said, "the brakes on this damn car suck, and it corners like an overloaded Olds Vistacruiser."

And that is my takeaway, thank-you!
Colin

Amskeptic

My first Lexus LS400 was a 1990, and the music was stunning. This new thing with the Pioneer-no-CD, it is clearly not the same caliber.
Should you accidentally find a Nakamichi CD system all speakers (suspension can be rotted out grody toast, that's OK) (plus right side trunk panel) in some wreck of an old early Lexus, let me know. I will godknowshow make the damn fit and work in this car seamlessly, so help me.
Colin

Stroock639

you did say that, you did say that, with "i'm stuck in 1992"

by 1998 the brakes were (and still are) very good, the akebono pro act pads i have in mine like to have a bit of temperature in them before they really grab, but i have no complaints

and come on when do you hear of a 1UZ getting its rod bearing ruined because the connecting rods were too thin... the matt farah 1996 LS is currently at 997,000 miles so that's good enough for me


thanks for clarifying, with all the different definitions for adequate going around these days, i'm not sure i otherwise would've known what you meant...

Stereorob

my first was also a 1990 with Nak. pearl white/grey. and yeah the system was burn your hair off powerful and sounded amazing. NEVER heard a factory system sound that good. hell even the current ML systems dont sound as good as that 90 with the Nak. i had mine for years, got it back in 01 had it till 08. the system went around 2005 and replaced it with the best aftermarket stuff i could get, but it never sounded as good as that Nak.

ive wanted another nice 90 like i had in those days forever, but idk if ill ever find ole like that, with those options again. they are getting really hard to find now in any condition