I am preparing to drive down to Saint Louis and buy THIS 98 LS.

98,400 original miles
Perfect interior
No blemishes I can tell in paint
Every option including Xenon and Nav minus heated seats and self level suspension
Chrome factory wheels
Timing belt and water pump done at 92k with paperwork from Lexus dealer

Dealer wanted 8995 initially, price is down to 7700 and he will go no further.

While almost 8k for a 16 year old car seems nuts and is approaching 430 range, finding a sub 100k LS is getting more rare by the day.

So what would you pay for this car? I need some level heads to talk me down because I love this ride.

 

I paid $7k for a 99 with more miles on it. You will always pay more at a dealer.
Personal choice. If you're ok with condition and mechanics and can be happy with the color and drive...then I say go for it.
The price might feel a little on the high side...but if you're happy...we're happy....
And you're right. Finding these low model cream puffs is getting harder and harder every year....
Go for it...

 

Agreed with go for it. And remember, the longer you keep it the less the original price matters...

 

Passable price. Those wheels are from the 95-96. Dealer should attempt to make the car period correct for that price. As far as LS430, read through that forum. I'm not liking some of the recent electrical issues compared to our 200K+ mile 400's. Each gen has their own issues, be aware what you may have to deal with.

 

Also looks like a the seat bottoms have been recovered. To be honest my 234k mile ls's interior looks better IMO. I would keep looking.

 

Good info on the wheels, thanks! Maybe that little gem will get me a $100 off

 

The seats lok to be in great condition to me.

 

iu odnt think its a bad price. Just want to say...that side shot is mint, the ls400 has perfect proportions and lines.

 

Yeah, the seats have been recovered, or more likely just repaired. You can tell by how taut the panels are at the stitching. They should have done the driver headrest while they were at it, as it's fairly worn. The nav is essentially worthless, as the last data update for it was a decade ago. At least it's got the wood steering wheel and shifter, which is not always the case with the '98s.

Have you looked up the dealer service history on the Lexus website? I wouldn't even consider buying a Lexus without doing that first.

 

Maybe i have an untrained eye, but I am not sure how one could tell that the seats have been recovered (at 90k miles no less) and what flaws make the cars interior look anything less than excellent.

Beauty in the eye of the beholder I guess

 

I pulled the service report from the Lexus drivers site, it is a Florida car with all service done at Lexus Tampa and Orlando. The wheels were changed by the dealer at time of purchase by Lexus of Tampa at 2 miles in 1998. Records also show the leather was conditioned by dealer 3 different times, same dealer so I really do not think they are recovers (perhaps they did not condition the headrest).

Also have record of alignments, new tires, navigation upgrade (still worthless i know) and timing belt service, all dealer done.

The only thing that gives me any pause is this line from October last year:

Dealer Reported 10/23/2013 Lexus of Orlando 92,791 - COLOR SOLUTION - WET SAND, TOUCH UP AND HEADLIGHTS

Other than that, it appears clean as hell.

 

To be honest, the repaired seats are kind of a good sign. Sure, they aren't as good as immaculate seats in original condition, but it shows the previous owner cared about the car and fixed things when they needed fixing. Same thing with the touch up paint. It means they valued the car and kept it looking good. Getting a well-cared for car is the most important aspect when buying used.

Oh yeah, one other question - was it a single owner car? If so, then I think you've got a keeper.

 

autocheck says two owner, first owner from 98 until 2013.

 

Looks nice, I saw this car online when I was looking. I bought an immaculate 98 with 128k for 6,000 a couple of weeks ago. None of these cars are PERFECT, its truly in the eye of the buyer. I think that price is too high honestly. Having been a 430 owner and now a 400 owner, I would take 8k if I had it and go after a 430. Also that NAV system is so outdated, that would be a major issue for me as a buyer and would make me want to pay less. Just my opinion!

 

and this
"Dealer Reported 10/23/2013 Lexus of Orlando 92,791 - COLOR SOLUTION - WET SAND, TOUCH UP AND HEADLIGHTS"

is normal... taking the yellowing and oxidation of the plastic lens on the headlights and making them like new... have to do it on the LS430's also... see my example here:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...excellent.html