The LS400 is basically a classic now... is it time to buy a parts car..
02-26-18, 10:43 AM
#1
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
The LS400 is basically a classic now... is it time to buy a parts car..
its hard to believe that the early UCF10s are approaching 30 years old. thats really really old for a car when you think about it. when i was a kid back in the 90s a 30 year old car was something huge with chrome bumpers and tail fins. look how different cars went from 1960 to 1990.
today the LS400 is really beginning to look legit old. yes, its a timeless design but the new models are SO radically different now, the LS400 looks classic. driving my well worn 95 UCF20 around the neighborhood the other day, it really got me thinking. they are so old now that people are beginning to loose interest in them. some parts simply cannot be found at all anymore, and when i see them in the junkyard they are going to the crusher mostly complete, unlike ten years ago when they would be stripped to the frame by buzzards before meeting its end. its rare that i see LS400s on the road these days and i do alot of driving. once in awhile ill see an absolutley bombed out UCF20 still hanging on, but the UCF10s are just gone now. i havent seen one on the road in awhile. 10 years ago you could pick up a fully loaded early 10 dirt cheap, which is when most of them died getting slammed, raced, driven into the ground, etc so alot of time has passed.
mine is still running but i need to do alot of work to it now as its not my DD and hasnt been for a long time now, but have these cars finally aged to the point they are not super reliable anymore? like true classic cars that require constant attention to keep on the road? are they now old enough to fall under "barn find" status and "restoration" status? if not they have to be getting close. ive been hunting for a decent 1990 now for awhile, and if one does show up someplace, its usually on a farm out in the boonies and is in pretty rough shape. is it time to buy a parts car to keep another running simply because parts are getting hard to find? sad to see so many die off, but at the same time, cool to see these cars get so incredibly old. they look old, smell old, and even feel old. a badge of honor and distinction, if you will. they made a buttload of the early ucf10s and they used to be one of the most common cars on the road circa 2005, but not anymore and not for alot of years.
where do you see the early UCF10s status these days?
today the LS400 is really beginning to look legit old. yes, its a timeless design but the new models are SO radically different now, the LS400 looks classic. driving my well worn 95 UCF20 around the neighborhood the other day, it really got me thinking. they are so old now that people are beginning to loose interest in them. some parts simply cannot be found at all anymore, and when i see them in the junkyard they are going to the crusher mostly complete, unlike ten years ago when they would be stripped to the frame by buzzards before meeting its end. its rare that i see LS400s on the road these days and i do alot of driving. once in awhile ill see an absolutley bombed out UCF20 still hanging on, but the UCF10s are just gone now. i havent seen one on the road in awhile. 10 years ago you could pick up a fully loaded early 10 dirt cheap, which is when most of them died getting slammed, raced, driven into the ground, etc so alot of time has passed.
mine is still running but i need to do alot of work to it now as its not my DD and hasnt been for a long time now, but have these cars finally aged to the point they are not super reliable anymore? like true classic cars that require constant attention to keep on the road? are they now old enough to fall under "barn find" status and "restoration" status? if not they have to be getting close. ive been hunting for a decent 1990 now for awhile, and if one does show up someplace, its usually on a farm out in the boonies and is in pretty rough shape. is it time to buy a parts car to keep another running simply because parts are getting hard to find? sad to see so many die off, but at the same time, cool to see these cars get so incredibly old. they look old, smell old, and even feel old. a badge of honor and distinction, if you will. they made a buttload of the early ucf10s and they used to be one of the most common cars on the road circa 2005, but not anymore and not for alot of years.
where do you see the early UCF10s status these days?
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sha4000 (02-27-18)
02-26-18, 02:41 PM
#4
they are mainly beaters around socal, not in the best shape but with original lic plate from the 90s (you can tell when it starts with a 2).
I see them all the time at the junk yards so finding parts is easy...for now. eventually they will disappear completely, I predict in 5 years time for UCF10s.
UCF20s are more common especially 98-00 which I see more often. even then the socal lifestyle promotes a new car every 3 years, at least here in orange county that's more prevalent!
I see them all the time at the junk yards so finding parts is easy...for now. eventually they will disappear completely, I predict in 5 years time for UCF10s.
UCF20s are more common especially 98-00 which I see more often. even then the socal lifestyle promotes a new car every 3 years, at least here in orange county that's more prevalent!
02-27-18, 12:38 AM
#5
Racer
Arizona still has quite a few I occasionally saw when I used to live there 8 months ago. I'm now in Michigan and good luck finding any parts for them here they don't exist.
To give you an example of why they're not here...I moved here in May 2017, a few months later, my wheel bearing developed some wear due to the crappy roads abundant in Michigan. I went to look in junkyards around me and was only able to find 1 within 30 miles for my generation 95-00. specifically needed 95-97 for the part, a LF knuckle assembly. When I got there, its one of those yards that they pull it for you, which I'm not fond of because they charge more, but I had no choice. I looked at the part and it appeared as though it was dragged through the bottom of the ocean compared to my car's immaculate knuckle assembly with the dust shield perfectly intact and black powder coat still protecting everything. It was literally rusted to hell and he still wanted 50 for it, but the important part, the bearing, was still good so I got it since it's my DD and my other car was already in storage.
Time really affects these LS400s here in the midwest, I've seen maybe 3 since iIve been here in the past 9 months and they were all in the affluent parts of Michigan, not Detroit area so most likely snowbirds who stored it over winter and lived in AZ during the worst part of the year and came back when it was unbearable in the desert.
I'm happy I did all my suspension, balljoint, EGR pipe, mounts and bearings back in AZ.....because my car after one winter already has some very light salt/corrosion on the bottom and I even tried washing it every two weeks.
You'll only find good examples of LS400s in the dry climates, even CA is too humid for preservation I think. As long as cars are garage kept, AZ is the place to find them. I recently picked up a 1989 Honda Accord SEI Coupe w/ only 42k miles in Tucson, AZ that still looks pristine and it hadn't been driven more than 5k miles in the past 22 years. It was like a time capsule that I was fortunately able to restore and get back into driving shape again in the short 2 week stint I had when visiting.
garage kept cars are imperative if they've got any chance to be found many decades later and this car can attest to that statement. Paint, interior and integrity are perfect.
To give you an example of why they're not here...I moved here in May 2017, a few months later, my wheel bearing developed some wear due to the crappy roads abundant in Michigan. I went to look in junkyards around me and was only able to find 1 within 30 miles for my generation 95-00. specifically needed 95-97 for the part, a LF knuckle assembly. When I got there, its one of those yards that they pull it for you, which I'm not fond of because they charge more, but I had no choice. I looked at the part and it appeared as though it was dragged through the bottom of the ocean compared to my car's immaculate knuckle assembly with the dust shield perfectly intact and black powder coat still protecting everything. It was literally rusted to hell and he still wanted 50 for it, but the important part, the bearing, was still good so I got it since it's my DD and my other car was already in storage.
Time really affects these LS400s here in the midwest, I've seen maybe 3 since iIve been here in the past 9 months and they were all in the affluent parts of Michigan, not Detroit area so most likely snowbirds who stored it over winter and lived in AZ during the worst part of the year and came back when it was unbearable in the desert.
I'm happy I did all my suspension, balljoint, EGR pipe, mounts and bearings back in AZ.....because my car after one winter already has some very light salt/corrosion on the bottom and I even tried washing it every two weeks.
You'll only find good examples of LS400s in the dry climates, even CA is too humid for preservation I think. As long as cars are garage kept, AZ is the place to find them. I recently picked up a 1989 Honda Accord SEI Coupe w/ only 42k miles in Tucson, AZ that still looks pristine and it hadn't been driven more than 5k miles in the past 22 years. It was like a time capsule that I was fortunately able to restore and get back into driving shape again in the short 2 week stint I had when visiting.
garage kept cars are imperative if they've got any chance to be found many decades later and this car can attest to that statement. Paint, interior and integrity are perfect.
02-27-18, 06:06 AM
#6
That's a nice example of an Accord... I had the same car a while back... had 178k miles on it and was really nice. Original owner took great care of it. Was white with 5 speed and sunroof. I helped a friend out and they wrecked it for me.... wish I still had it. Not a lot of power, but fun to drive. Congrats on the Accord find and good luck with the LS maintenance.
02-27-18, 07:41 AM
#7
LS400's are classics now for sure. Classic enough for people to stop and take pictures or try to race me once a week back when I had my '96. However, not too classic because I still see UCF10's and UCF20's on the road every day here in Atlanta. 9 out of 10 still look to be in pretty good shape. I hardly ever see one looking beat up, although Craigslist begs to differ. Most that I see are '98-'00 or '90-'94. Every now and then I will see a '95-'97. Near my office, it is more common to see UCF10's. As far as reliability goes, I see 3 UCF10 daily drivers on a regular basis once I get near my office. They look like the early 90's never left and appear to still be going very strong. Thus far, my '96 LS400 has proven to be more reliable than the '02 LS430 that I traded it in for. Although both are reliable, I still feel that the '96 would out live me if given the chance.
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02-27-18, 07:44 AM
#8
I still see a couple of 10s here in NYC from time to time, the 20s a little more but they are getting rare. I'm not willing to put any more money in my 98 except to keep it on the road as an extra car in case I need to do some work on the 460 or GS. It makes mr kind of sad when I look at it parked day after day but at I'll keep her until she can't run anymore.
02-27-18, 05:36 PM
#9
Pole Position
Yeah Florida is known for clapped-out cars, so I'm not surprised that you don't see many.
AZ on the other hand is known for "snowbirds", expansive retirement & golf course communities (which I'm sure a few of you old farts reading this are at right now
) and very dry weather. No water, no salt. We all know what that means.
I commute less than 10 miles through Phoenix and every single day I see one or two beautifully maintained LS400's, 10's and 20's (..and 30's), that I would absolutely love to take home. They are everywhere out here... I've noticed common traits between the people driving them, and something tells me that they are all still the original owners too... I'll give you a hint: They're all doing 10 under and all have white hair.
What we have to deal with out here is sun damage. One or two summers parked outside on the ol' 25 year paint and interior, roof, hood, leather, forget about it.
Anyways, yes even the youngest, lowest mileage LS400's are just beginning to become a constant effort to keep in tip top shape these days.. At this point in time I still think its worth it for my 99 @174k.
AZ on the other hand is known for "snowbirds", expansive retirement & golf course communities (which I'm sure a few of you old farts reading this are at right now
) and very dry weather. No water, no salt. We all know what that means.I commute less than 10 miles through Phoenix and every single day I see one or two beautifully maintained LS400's, 10's and 20's (..and 30's), that I would absolutely love to take home. They are everywhere out here... I've noticed common traits between the people driving them, and something tells me that they are all still the original owners too... I'll give you a hint: They're all doing 10 under and all have white hair.
What we have to deal with out here is sun damage. One or two summers parked outside on the ol' 25 year paint and interior, roof, hood, leather, forget about it.
Anyways, yes even the youngest, lowest mileage LS400's are just beginning to become a constant effort to keep in tip top shape these days.. At this point in time I still think its worth it for my 99 @174k.
Last edited by EthanS; 02-27-18 at 05:40 PM.
03-01-18, 12:35 AM
#10
Racer
IMO NOW is the time to get a parts car if you have the room.Seems to me early mustangs and vw bugs seemed to disappear overnight at the junk yards.Once they were there in droves.I see a lot of 500-700 dollar parts cars on craigslist in SoCal.
Got the space,get it,I would,NO space for me unfortunately.
Classic? I already had some old guy shuffle past mine,and really give it the eye.And its only 20 years old.CRAZY! Looks like future 'classic' in my experience.Not a super valuable classic,but classic nonetheless. FWIW IMO.
My old car experiences,for clean,original and very good condition......
20 y/o, if its a keeper you should be able to tell by now.Good values out there.Buy the best you can,right now.
30 y/o, parts available but getting much harder to find in junk yards for sure,prices starting to stabilize and increase some for good ones.Price rise is steady.Aficionados LIKE your vehicle,a LOT.
40 y/o,youre looking to find parts,regular people looking at you,you attract attention.Wont ever find one any cheaper going forward from this point,price only going up.
50 y/o,good luck finding parts,break out check book.People all looking and talking to you,and taking pictures.Fun watching value rising,starting to really increase.
60 y/o,life is good,value getting ridiculous.
Got the space,get it,I would,NO space for me unfortunately.
Classic? I already had some old guy shuffle past mine,and really give it the eye.And its only 20 years old.CRAZY! Looks like future 'classic' in my experience.Not a super valuable classic,but classic nonetheless. FWIW IMO.
My old car experiences,for clean,original and very good condition......
20 y/o, if its a keeper you should be able to tell by now.Good values out there.Buy the best you can,right now.
30 y/o, parts available but getting much harder to find in junk yards for sure,prices starting to stabilize and increase some for good ones.Price rise is steady.Aficionados LIKE your vehicle,a LOT.
40 y/o,youre looking to find parts,regular people looking at you,you attract attention.Wont ever find one any cheaper going forward from this point,price only going up.
50 y/o,good luck finding parts,break out check book.People all looking and talking to you,and taking pictures.Fun watching value rising,starting to really increase.
60 y/o,life is good,value getting ridiculous.
Last edited by spuds; 03-01-18 at 12:52 AM.
03-01-18, 07:46 PM
#11
its hard to believe that the early UCF10s are approaching 30 years old.
the UCF10s are just gone now. i havent seen one on the road in awhile.
ive been hunting for a decent 1990 now for awhile, is it time to buy a parts car?
they look old, smell old, and even feel old.
the UCF10s are just gone now. i havent seen one on the road in awhile.
ive been hunting for a decent 1990 now for awhile, is it time to buy a parts car?
they look old, smell old, and even feel old.
"they look old, smell old, and even feel old"
. . . . . . . I beg your pardon:
There is a decent 1990 parts car in Mobile AL just over from Pensacola at the Pick Apart. It is black with grey cloth interior. Someone has already butchered the engine compartment (cutting off battery cables and breaking some of the engine cover plates I will hunt them down and execute them), but it has good seats and door mechanicals and dumb little parts like the wood and interior light switches and lenses. I already snagged the taillights, but there are others front turn signal lenses? Decent. Grill surround chrome, decent. If you just love those directional 14" wheels, they're there.
Colin
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sha4000 (03-01-18)
03-01-18, 07:59 PM
#12
I have a bag full of replacement parts that I never found time to install before I more or less moved on. I'm going to try and get old girl back together when it gets warm. She needs a battery, 1 new tire (1 got trashed due to alignment being out), alignment, finally change the seals on the PS pump and some other things. I can't justify putting more than a grand into the car. I still really like this car.
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spuds (03-01-18)
03-01-18, 08:31 PM
#13
Racer
AM,that beauty you picked up is a mind blower.
03-01-18, 08:49 PM
#14
I have a bag full of replacement parts that I never found time to install before I more or less moved on. I'm going to try and get old girl back together when it gets warm. She needs a battery, 1 new tire (1 got trashed due to alignment being out), alignment, finally change the seals on the PS pump and some other things. I can't justify putting more than a grand into the car. I still really like this car.
"I can't justify putting more than a grand into the car. I still really like this car."
I think you just did.
Over my many years of driving many cars, I have come to learn of automobile spirit. It exists outside of the orbits of the envious or the poseurs, the accountants, the car review magazine men, and the snippy spouses. My lust for the best poseur wheels was destroyed by the fact that the car (a BMW 630SCi) wasn't that good. My heart pined for the simplicity and superiority of the 1976 BMW 2002 I sold to "move up". I had a Mercedes 560 in Los Angeles. I grew to hate it, because it was fraudulent, and the people who made assumptions about who I was were right. I still have a 1970 VW bus that soldiers on in plucky honesty, people wave at me all the time, but more importantly, my heart goes out to this hard-working unassuming gem of German quality from back in the day. Oh yeah, so Lexus. The first-generation LS400 was honest. The newer ones, technical advancement aside, are not. They're not. They suffer the obvious loss of focus from a success that has expanded beyond its core competence not to mention mission. Enjoy blowing $1,000.00 on re-affirming that your heart knows which car in your stable expresses the honest effort.
Colin
03-02-18, 08:00 AM
#15
"I can't justify putting more than a grand into the car. I still really like this car."
I think you just did.
Over my many years of driving many cars, I have come to learn of automobile spirit. It exists outside of the orbits of the envious or the poseurs, the accountants, the car review magazine men, and the snippy spouses. My lust for the best poseur wheels was destroyed by the fact that the car (a BMW 630SCi) wasn't that good. My heart pined for the simplicity and superiority of the 1976 BMW 2002 I sold to "move up". I had a Mercedes 560 in Los Angeles. I grew to hate it, because it was fraudulent, and the people who made assumptions about who I was were right. I still have a 1970 VW bus that soldiers on in plucky honesty, people wave at me all the time, but more importantly, my heart goes out to this hard-working unassuming gem of German quality from back in the day. Oh yeah, so Lexus. The first-generation LS400 was honest. The newer ones, technical advancement aside, are not. They're not. They suffer the obvious loss of focus from a success that has expanded beyond its core competence not to mention mission. Enjoy blowing $1,000.00 on re-affirming that your heart knows which car in your stable expresses the honest effort.
Colin
I think you just did.
Over my many years of driving many cars, I have come to learn of automobile spirit. It exists outside of the orbits of the envious or the poseurs, the accountants, the car review magazine men, and the snippy spouses. My lust for the best poseur wheels was destroyed by the fact that the car (a BMW 630SCi) wasn't that good. My heart pined for the simplicity and superiority of the 1976 BMW 2002 I sold to "move up". I had a Mercedes 560 in Los Angeles. I grew to hate it, because it was fraudulent, and the people who made assumptions about who I was were right. I still have a 1970 VW bus that soldiers on in plucky honesty, people wave at me all the time, but more importantly, my heart goes out to this hard-working unassuming gem of German quality from back in the day. Oh yeah, so Lexus. The first-generation LS400 was honest. The newer ones, technical advancement aside, are not. They're not. They suffer the obvious loss of focus from a success that has expanded beyond its core competence not to mention mission. Enjoy blowing $1,000.00 on re-affirming that your heart knows which car in your stable expresses the honest effort.
Colin