Long Live Matt Farah's 1,000,000 Mile LS400

Meet Matt Farah and his Lexus LS400

Matt Farah hosts The Smoking Tire on YouTube. On this show, Matt provides car reviews as well as fun, entertaining stories that fall under the greater automotive umbrella. The channel is pretty popular, as is his Twitter an Instagram accounts. Four years ago, while doing some research online, Matt came across a 1996 Lexus LS 400 with 897,000 miles on it. He had an instant light bulb moment: Purchase this car and get it past the million-mile mark, while documenting the journey along the way.

Photo courtesy of MSN.

How far back does a Lexus LS 400 actually go?

The LS was originally designed as a full-size luxury sedan and tagged as the flagship vehicle for Lexus, the luxury vehicle division for parent company Toyota. The LS400, specifically, was the first model launched, making its debut in January 1989. The second generation did not debut till November 1994. Obviously, Farah's LS came out in year three of the second gen.

Photo courtesy of MSN.

Join the conversation about Matt Farah's 1,000,000 mile Lexus LS400 right here in ClubLexus.com.

Matt Farah’s plan for reaching the million-mile mark

So, being a popular online host does not afford one much time to drive around all day; let alone, document the journey and provide updates along the way. So, to help get the car to the million-mile mark, Matt enlisted the help of 50 journalists and friends. So many, in fact, that he had to purchase commercial insurance – which is how he was able to get so many people into the driver's seat of this car. 

Photo courtesy of MSN.

Join the conversation about Matt Farah's 1,000,000 mile Lexus LS400 right here in ClubLexus.com.

What sort of condition was Matt’s LS 400 in?

Believe it or not, this 900K LS 400 was actually in pretty good condition when he picked it up. And this wasn’t just Matt reporting on the condition of his own car. Some of his co-conspirators like this guy gave the car their own inspections. What they found is that aside from a complete lack of suspension bushings plus a number of leaks all throughout (the car required a new quart of oil every 1,000 miles), the car was in good shape. This is especially impressive considering that this particular car’s engine was never opened up or worked on. The only thing ever rebuilt was the car’s gearbox. Even its trim was original from the factory.

Photo courtesy of MSN.

Join the conversation about Matt Farah's 1,000,000 mile Lexus LS400 right here in ClubLexus.com.

So, did Matt and his LS 400 reach the million-mile-mark?

Of course, they did! On Feb 21, 2019, while cruising along Florida's Gulf Coast, two years and twenty days after beginning his journey, Farah himself reported on his video podcast that the had finally reached the million-mile-mark, which begs the obvious question: What happens on the odometer after it passes 999,999 miles? In short, absolutely nothing. The number simply stays put to serve the car and its owner as a dashboard badge of approval for having made it this far! It took two years and two months Bravo, Matt!

Photo courtesy of MSN.

Join the conversation about Matt Farah's 1,000,000 mile Lexus LS400 right here in ClubLexus.com.

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