Stereorob

i saw a thread like this in the LS460 page and figured id start one here since we are sort of a different demographic and most of us, really love our cars

heres mine.
ive been an LS driver since 01. all of mine have been pretty old and tired and I got some great war stories.
my infatuatiuon with the LS began at 15 years old. my boss at the time had just bought a shiny brand spanking new 1999 Ls400 with 25 miles on it. he took me for a ride and I fell in love with that car immediately which is crazy for me cause I always wanted classic cars, and coming from a lexus trash talking hardcore BMW/Mercedes family I assumed Lexus was just overpriced cheap junk Toyotas and boy was I ever wrong
when I told my family how awesome the ride the lexus had, no joke, my dad wouldn't talk to me for a few days..

then I turned 16, in 2000 and I wanted an Ls400 in the worst kind of way lol! my folks actually offered to get me a new 328i, but told them I wanted a lexus instead, and they told me that I was on my own. bummer! but this wasn't a choice, I HAD to have an Ls400 and not getting one simply was not an option. as the lexus covenant goes, "if you think you cant, you wont, but if you think you can, you will!" "we can and we will!" so that's exactly what I did. I flat out busted my *** for the next year mowing yards, working **** jobs that nobody wanted to do, and I kept a little picture of an Ls400 in my wallet so every time I wanted to spend money on something else I would be reminded of it. well after a year, yes a year, in the summer of 2001, I managed to scrape up $5,000 but felt pretty hopeless because it was a $68,000 car. then I realized the Ls400 had been in production since 1990 and they actually did exist in my price range so the hunt began for one I could actually might maybe possibly obtain. this came at a good time cause the Ls430 was out by then and the early 400s were not exactly desirable. I managed to find a super early production 1990 with a build date of 8/89 and a 3 digit production number, seriously one of the first in the country. it had about half a million miles on it, was two different colors, ran like crap, shredded interior and was all around beat to death, BUT... it was fully loaded with everything possible, Nak stereo, air suspension, trac and heated seats, phone in the console, k40 radar, the works, and it was in my price range. I bought it and ran. I GOT MY LS400!! ill never forget the look of disappointment on my parents face when I pulled into the driveway with it, they were so angry and embarresed by it they wouldn't even let me park it infront of our house, and to be honest, it was pretty fugly but my god I loved that car, I ended up spending the cash I had left and got it fixed up. that old 90 Ls400 took me all through the last half of my teen years, and I loved it so much I started buying other ones that were really beat up and started playing with them. meanwhile, I started stress testing them to see just how much they could really put up with from a 17 year old punk that was absolutely fearless with a very heavy foot. I soon realized the car could actually do 160 MPH and at the time, it was still a pretty fast car against circa late 90s early 2000s sedans. I started racing them, joined an illegal racing club, and pretty much tried every car I saw and a lot of times id win. I ate corvettes, BMWs, Benzes, and all Hondas acuras infinitys and nissans that thought they had more guts. my kill list grew pretty damn fast to a point that I kept a white out pen and everything that was impressive that I beat id write the make/model speed achieved and date it happened on the center arm rest. I ran from the cops 3 times and got away twice then never did it again, but man oh man it was just amazing what that 1UZ could actually do

when I was 18 my parents split but I was still living at home and kind of goofing off. my mom never really agreed with the snobbery of the neighborhood so acting in defiance she pretty much let me go crazy with my car addiction. soon there was 3 raggedy Ls400s parked in my driveway in various states of disrepair, car parts all over the yard, oil soaked driveway, it was great most days id be out there in the burning Orlando sun under the hood of a 1st gen Ls400 hunched over, covered in grease, smashing my knuckles and swearing like a drunk sailor. man that was the life. anyway as time marched on I kind of got bored with the Ls400 thing and started playing with old Mercedes and BMWs for awhile but lost intrest, I did have some really cool germen cars though, like a 1988 BWM v12 750il, I had a 6.9 SEL benz that was absolutely decrepit but it ran, sort of and it was pretty fast, I had a 1972 Benz 450SLC with a factory 5 speed, which is a very rare option on a pretty rare car that was extremely fun to drive (wish I had kept that one) but I always kept a reliable LS400 around for my daily and trip car cause they never let me down.

then in 2003, I messed up. still driving my faithful 90 Ls400 modded and slammed at that point and looking absolutely awful as a street warrior after a battle, spun out and hit a utility pole at 50MPH, head on. the airbag didn't deploy and caught a nice bloody nose from that. the entire front end of the car was destroyed with frame damage, but somehow, someway, I managed to drive it 4 miles home, with absolutely no coolant, almost no oil, overheating with chunks literally falling off the car as I drove it home. good lord these cars are tough! I didn't kill the engine, and bought a parts car that was wrecked in the rear with a certificate of destruction but still ran okay, and swapped everything over from the front end to my 90, but before that, I figured id take the 91 out in the woods and have some fun with it. I raced it down dirt paths, jumped it a few times, took it threw mud and rolled it over so it had a last hurrah and exiting death. the car landed sideways and let me tell you what a pain in the rear end it was to get it back on 4 wheels. it took 8 people to rock it back to normal sitting position. managed to drive that one home too AFTER rolling it then I dragged the carcass back and took everything off the front of the car and swapped it all to the 90. rebuilding the 90 presented a challenge cause of the frame damage. so what did I do? grabbed a 100 foot steel chain, tied one end to the base of the oak tree in my front yard, and one end to the front of the lexus. i pulled the car so it was touching the tree, threw it in reverse and stood on the gas about 4 times bending it back almost straight, and put the front end back together. i continued to drive that car another 5 years, as my every single day driver, with never having a professional service done to it.

since that time, ive had 4 more Ls400s, all have been a joy to drive, they've got me through every phase of my life, theve been with me through tough times, but not once, EVER have they left me stranded. my passion for these cars has done great things for me, its even landed me a great job at a lexus dealership as the master technology specialist.. i never thought all those years ago, as a teenager, busting my knuckles on beat up $500 Ls400s, would ever end me up here. funny how that works.

however, the Ls400s are getting very very old now, and i will be replacing my beautiful diamond pearl white 95 Ls400, with a 2007-2008 Ls460, but ill always have an Ls400 in my driveway, forever, till i die

so THAT is my LS story, why they are special and why they always will be, to me atleast.

so how bout you? whats your Ls400 story and why is is special?

dicer

Nice story Rob.

Stroock639

my LS story begins in the late 90s. grandparents were out somewhere on a cold night, and my grandpa fell on some black ice and broke his hip (classic elderly injury). the hip never really fully healed, and i'm pretty sure he's still got a metal screw in there. long story short my grandparents got a good amount of settlement money, and that's what funded the new 1999 LS 400. consumer reports said it was the best so that's why he wanted it. that's pretty much how he determines most of the things he was gonna buy lol...

as a kid i was in that car many times, and in my naivety never really thought much of it. my grandparents just teetered around in it and drove like old people so my only really impression of it was that it was very comphy and quiet. they owned it for like 12 years, with my grandpa often proudly saying how he's "never had an issue" especially coming from their 1991 lincoln continental lol, that thing was always giving them problems. my grandma died in 2009, and my grandpa was really getting too old to keep safely driving. the choice was either sell the car (and not really get a whole lot for it) or give it to me, so of course i'm like "nahhhhhh don't sell it lemme have itttt!!!!" the deal became something like, if i went to yom kippur service with the family, i'd be able to go to his house and take the car home afterword.

i'd say i had my first real "LS moment" on the way home from my grandpa's house. there's a sweeping downhill curve on one section of the road, and up until then was mostly just backroads and stop signs. (road is a 30 mph zone but could easily be more, yet is still a 30) i remember going into the turn at like 30 ish, and just coasting down the hill. i reach the bottom of the hill, and i look down and see the needle above 60 mph, and i'm like WHOA! i actually had no idea. you always hear about people with there "oh sorry officer i didn't realize" but in this car you REALLY don't realize. i was amazed, i'd never been in something that just so effortlessly shrugs off speed. it's also like spookily quiet inside, like being in a bank vault.

then we get back to my neighborhood and i realize that i haven't been thorough and tested the powahhh, and once i did i was REALLY hooked on the car. i too tried to race people when i could lol... and pretty much always won. my main rule is be very gentle until the oil is nice and warm, but after reading about how damn durable these cars are i figured it couldn't hurt to open it up every once and awhile, but only after all the fluids are properly warmed up. the more i drove the car and the more i read about it, the more i became convinced that it's truly like the best car ever. i think the 98-00 LS is the pinnacle and bridge between when cars transitioned from a pure driving experience to having excessive electronics that just get in the way. the LS is definitely a complex electronic-laiden car, but the driving experience is very direct and simple, and the computers really only help in ways you don't really notice. like how the ECU will briefly shut the throttle plate a bit between shifts to increase smoothness. as the driver all you feel is a smooth, uninterrupted flow of power, all the while a bunch of electronic wizardry is going on, just doing its job.

i can't see myself ever wanting to get rid of this car. for a start, because it's older the cabin is more airy, and the sides don't come up as high so you can get your elbow comfortably on the door (something i was always too small to do as a child lol). 5 gears is also a great amount, and the throttle response is still probably the best i've experienced in a car. i mean the thing just JUMPS off the line, first time drivers always underestimate it and make it do that. then exclaim "damn, this thing's got oomph." not to mention the reliability has been incredible, way better than a german car for instance. i'm gonna keep driving it for as long as i please, and one day when i have enough money i'd like to do a full restoration, and hopefully one day pass it down to my kid.

and a pic cuz why not

Stereorob

yeah man that's a good story! plus its a family car that has been in your family since day one. and i agree with you about that transitional period of the oldschool/newschool cars, low slung greenhouse, long and low, that era of Ls400 (ucf20.2) had everything dialed in perfectly. i still don't have my 99 yet but hopefully soon.

speaking of power, my 95 off the line is quick but the 98+ has VVTi plus that extra gear, making a huge huge difference, you can smoke most modern cars out of the hole and down the road. cant really catch up to an Ls400 at full speed in much anymore cause no LS since has had a higher top speed then 135, vs the 160 in the 400. whats really amazing about them too is highway power. even cruising at 85 mph, when you touch the gas it still has more oomph that's noticeable! most modern (everyday normal) cars kind of loose there moxie on the highway at around 85 mph, also, unlike modern cars, theres no thought time when you punch it. the newer ones when you put the pedal all the way to the floor kind of have to "think" for a second about hauling *** cause of computer lag, and so trac/vsc can react. however, in a Ls400, from a standing stop with trac off, its instant power to the rear wheels, rubber is flying and youre down the road

Rdrcr

Several years ago I sold my pristine '96 LS400. Totally regretted it.

I'll be keeping my '94 and will be adding another LS to the stable when room and funds are available.

Mike

Stroock639

yea it absolutely dominates on the highway, that's where the long gearing comes into play. from like 0 - 5 it's AWESOME... then it'll sorta bog a bit until like 25, but after that it pullllssssss... still gets to 60 in like 6 seconds flat though, not bad for the old barge. compared to like an Infiniti G37, that thing zips, but the LS has grunt. the G37 is faster but only at the very top of the revs. the LS just has mad torque all the time, it makes it feel faster, even though the Infiniti actually is faster.

brybo86

This thread makes me wish I had become a street racer....

Also stroocks pics make me want to sell my 1995 and get a 2000...

clipster

Ny dad was the type who bought a new car every 3 years just because he wanted to. When he decided he wanted Toyota's flagship car, he bought a 85 Cressida (which was stolen in front of a courthouse!), followed by an 87 Cressida. I liked those cars so much that when I reched the age and means to afford a 'luxury' car, I bought a 90 Cressida.

When the head gasket developed a leak I decided to sell the Cressida. That was a decision I regretted for some time to come, for it was the first car that I missed after selling. I only had a truck at the time since I needed a utility vehicle, but hated how it rode and handled. After a while it became too much, and I decided I once again wanted a luxury car.

I wasn't even sure what to look for until I was standing in my friends driveway and I saw a 1st gen LS pull into the driveway next door. Then it hit me - 'of course, another flagship Toyota' and the search began.

One Firday night I happened to come across an ad for a 98 with 70k miles that was listed for the same price as other 96-97 models listed ($17K in 2004). I called the seller and set up a meeting for the next morning. Although at first I wasn't too crazy about it being black on black, I immediately fell in love with the way it felt, drove and handled, and knew it would be the perfect successor to the Cressida I'd loved before.

Everything was great until January 2010 with 160K on the odometer when I discovered that I needed a new front end and that the parts alone would cost $2K. At that point I realized I needed to decide whether I would put that much money into the car or look for something else. I quickly learned that there wasn't anything else out there that I liked or could afford compared to the LS, and it was at that moment that I decided that I would keep the car 'forever' and just spend whatever it needed to keep it running like it should. Seeing that 900k LS that came through here recently only reinforced that decision.

12 years later and now with 200k, here she is:




P.S. Don't use any aftermarket parts on the suspension. I mistakenly tried to save some money by using Karlyn UCA's when doing the front end, and less than 40k later they're starting to make noise again.

Shaud843

About two years ago, it was almost time for me to get my drivers license (in my state its 15). I knew I wanted something big and would last me a long time. A Lexus was far from my mind, I wanted a Silverado or a 96 Impala SS.. One day I needed a ride from school and my friends mom took me home in her 2009 LS460L and I immediately fell in love with the comfort and smoothness. From then on I had to have a Lexus. Coincidentally one of my neighbors was selling his 92 SC400 with only 115,000 on it. I tried convincing my parents to get it for me but being i was only 15 insurance would be sky high for a Lexus. Few weeks later a 95 LS400 was up for sale and both parents test drove it, and needless to say they also fell in love with how smooth it drives. Only bad thing about it was that the leather was all torn and I decided I would keep looking for a better LS. Took another 5 months searching Craigslist for one, but I came across a 96 LS in excellent condition with 184,000 but the seats looked like they'd never been sat in. Parents were still reluctant to buy it because of insurance costs so when I saved enough money to buy it I jumped at the chance. Now I'm only 17 and EVERY time I get out of it there's always some old guy either asking to buy it or saying I'm too young for such a car. Ill never get rid of it
Still rides like a dream and has beaten all my other friends cars (Camaro's, 5.0 Mustangs, etc, etc)
Follow my Instagram page for pics of my LS @_Lexls400

CELSI0R

Nice story! All of the posts on this thread have been great so far.

I've seen your posts on instagram; for someone who is 17, you have been handling the car very well!

I also saw the incident where you were run off the road. Glad you were okay. I hope the scratch and the mechanical issues have been sorted.

P.S. Don't give in to racers on the highway. Racing a long 2-ton vehicle can lead to a huge accident. I always keep this old thread bookmarked, as a reminder of what choices can lead up to.

anesthesia

Strook639, beautiful wheels, are those ls430 18's direct fit on the 98-2000 ls400?

Shaud843

As for the scratch, I'll get a touch up very soon. From the incident I ended up with an exhaust leak which isn't an expensive repair so it'll be fixed very soon.
But as far as the racing goes, I try my hardest not to give in, but being in high school its hard not to show my car off to friends

brybo86

So if someone borrows your car and they obviously are choosing to break the law and drive 150mph and crash are they liable? It's not like they borrowed it and accidentally hit a guardrail/curb/tree, back into a telephone pole, etc.

I have always been very easy going and let whoever drive my car under the you break it you buy it rule. But really totaling the LS that was bad....

I thought I would post here instead of resurrecting the old thread form 2003... AHAH

CELSI0R

Ok, excellent. I'm glad that those will be taken care of.

I understand where you're coming from with friends; I've been in the same boat. Driving is a serious thing, just make sure you always handle it responsibly.

Although, I'm referring to random racers on the highway. Some could care less about what happens to you and your car; they may be just in it for the thrill.

Yeah.. I felt really bad for that guy, but even more so because of the story of how he purchased the car. I don't think his "friend" ended up paying up for that incident.

The rule you have is good, but maybe you should have them sign a legal document, which you can file.

I let a friend drive my car once around the block, while I was in it. Though he treated it respectfully, I'm the only driver after reading that thread, other than my dad.

Stroock639

thanks man, yeah they literally just swap right on, no changes needed whatsoever