Stereorob

the last Ls400 rolled off the line in the year 2000. 18 years ago. the first was in 1989, nearly 30 years ago.

these are very old cars now, that maybe timeless, but with cars and especially radical change in the new lexus styling, even the last of the 400s are finally looking dated to the common man.
however, us Ls400 drivers are not common men. we dont care about backup cameras, bluetooth audio, blind spot monitors, telematics, or any of the other crap cars these days have, because we love these old tanks.
these cars themselfs are vanishing quickly off the road. even the 3rd gens are becoming a rare sight these days. early ucf20s when you see them, have their battle scars, and the rare occurance a ucf10 is seen, its completely clapped out and barley hanging on for dear life.

they have already gained classic status depending on where you live, and cant be trusted like they were in the past, simply due to age. the 1st gens are so long gone now that i dont even see them in junkyards anymore, and when i do, they sadly go to the crusher still full of useable parts, mostly because they have been forgotten or just too old to bother with anymore, considering you can pick up a clean LS430 now for a few grand. most of the threads i see here these days are project cars that are being brought back to life, some are daily driven still which is cool.

we all have our reasons, but why do you keep your Ls400 around and running? the classic jdm styling? the ride? the power? the room? all we can afford? the history and nostalgia? because they are still the greatest ****ing cars ever made? with fewer and fewer nice ones left, rapidly declining parts inventory, and something else always failing on them, here we still are, keeping these old japan battleships on the road. either as a clapped out hooptie, restored, or original unicorn, here we are.

some of us have had multiples of them. what is so magical about these cars that keep us coming back to them?

spuds

RELIABILITY.Add that to poll. Thats what brought me to Lexus,after that epiphany its style and comfort and drivability. Yes,its one of the best cars ever made,period.

I fell into this car,and lo and behold I agree,its a classic. And its this board here that makes me love the Lexus brand as I will go forward someday perhaps,God willing.

Bummer on the car parts sources there,I get several a week at our local junk yards in SoCal,I wonder if we were the largest sales market in Calif?

Edit- Also when we go down the mtn and wife is driving I get to do the downshifts and she doesn’t complain about that.I noticed 'wife lets you downshift' wasnt on the poll?

RA40

iTrader: (6)

Combination of factors. The main being I like older cars and the simplified technology. This one drives well that I want to have that Toyota experience of how long this will go under my care schedule.

spuds

Wife says...Fantastic car,reliable and cheap.

EthanS

Its the looks that drew me in. 98-00 was around the time that I started gaining interest in cars in general, and the LS just has that nostalgia factor. Then finding the beauty of 1uz and Toyota reliability. And there's the awesomeness of japanese vip styling. I personally don't go that extreme with the modifications but I'm always down to look at the rides of those who choose to.

I've bought and sold two other vehicles since picking up my 99 LS... its still here. Will be tough for me to let go of it when the day comes.

And finally, they aren't THAT far gone yet. They are everywhere in AZ, CA, and NV. Some of them have a little sun damage, but still a bunch of really clean ones.
I guess if I were in the market right now it would make sense to go LS430, sure. But I've had my 400 for 5 years with no problems, and it overall looks cooler and that's all that matters right? So no reason to switch.

Scraape

98-00 LS400's & GS400's always caught my eye.

I probably first got turned on to them from seeing stanced out show cars that were very impressive.

The facelift of the 98-00 always stood out to me.

The reliablity just goes without saying

Legender

When they first came out in the early 90s I fell in love the styling, the design, the comfort and pure luxury. Then when you can get the car for less than $5k that's still in excellent shape. It's a no brainer. I admit, I was leary purchasing a car with 100k miles on it. But this not your father's buick, chevy, ford..________(insert car of choice here).
Car fits me and I too, want to see how far I can take this toyota....I know, based on the experience of others, that I'm just getting started with my 98.

spuds

heck,mine had almost 250,000 when purchased,talk about leery!
LOL,wife had a freeway trip yesterday.She says now I know why you like the ECT button.Its POWERFUL! And when that motor winds out it sounds SO GOOD! Yep,performance is a big selling point on these crazy insane bargains of a car.

VolumeToo

For me: Reliability and engine/driveline smoothness.

Not sure you could call these cars simple or particularly workable, but then I'm comparing to '80s RWD Fords, not the contemporary stuff.

creilly

I totally see how rare these things are getting in some parts of the US- I've seen maybe 3 or 4 other first gens around town, and they're all pretty beat up. I got mine because I wanted something interesting, practical, and reliable. That didn't leave me with a long list of cars. In nearing a year and a half of ownership I've only had to replace a coolant temp sensor and recharge the A/C, so I'm absolutely happy with the reliability aspect. Granted mine is probably the shining example of an outlier being super low mileage and so well cared for before me. It's not the most attention grabbing car around but when I go to meets I usually encounter at least one person that remembers or wants one for some reason. And I also really enjoy getting to experience a car that was so important to its era and segment.

PaulM73

I love my 98 and will never get rid of it. I bought it way back in 2000 and will drive it until the wheels fall off. I have over 220,000 miles on it and to this day it still runs and drives somewhat perfectly. Over the years as it's gotten older, it's become my secondary car and spends more time in the driveway than it does on the road, but that doesn't change the way that I feel about it. I've recently started to fix and replace little things that have become worn and old over the years, but all being said it's in pretty good condition. It could really use a new suspension as the shocks that are on it now are the same ones that it rolled off the assembly line with some 20 years ago and the nav computer died long ago but Ive never really felt like fixing it. She starts the first time, every time and has as many if not more features than my much newer car. I would not hesitate to hop in and take her across country; thats how much I trust this car.
She has her flaws, but shes mine and shes a beauty.

OMAHA

I bought mine over 5 years ago at 199k. I was leery at spending $1400 for a car that old..... didn't even know it had one of the best V8 engines Toyota ever made!😆 Its been my daily driver ever since and its at 263k now..... this website is the reason i still have the car..... any issues have been easily repaired! Replaced timing belt, water pump, thermostat, shocks, brakes and rotors etc..... thanks club Lexus!

VolumeToo

Timing belt, water pump = easily repaired?! eek1:

Rokas

I've owned maybe 10 cars including an AWD E30 and a Turbo Saab 900. My acquaintance crashed his LS400 mildly and I just happened to have $300 that he wanted for it. I was gonna flip it (it ran). Well, by the time I got home, I knew I was restoring it and keeping it forever.

Mine has been running like **** for three months now and yet I'm spending hundreds of $ on trying to figure out the problem because when it does run right, it's all frickin worth it!!

The room too. You can stretch your legs out in the damn passenger and back seat.

4litre

iTrader: (1)

Reliable, smooth and quiet ride and easier to work on.