Forum Member Seeks YOUR Advice for LS400 Purchase
Which of these two first-gen models would you choose?
We’ve all been there before. The itch to buy a car has finally aligned with the dollar signs in our bank account, which means our late-night scrolling through classified ads finally has some purpose behind it. But when you don’t have a ton of cash to spend, you aren’t exactly looking at newer, trouble-free models. And when you’re perusing first-gen Lexus LS400 ads, you’re going to find cars with various issues. Despite their legendary reliability, these vehicles are, after all, 20-plus years old.
So, when you’re trying to choose which Lexus LS400 is right for you, the wise choice is to seek out advice from the experts in our very own Club Lexus forums. Which is exactly what forum member Westopill has done in this recent post. He’s found himself a couple of affordable candidates, but both have their own unique problems.
“Hi all. Looking into buying an LS model and found a few on craigslist. I’m wondering what you guys think they are worth.
For the first one, its a 1998 LS. The main issues with it are that the A/C has a leak somewhere, and it has Minnesota rust. Otherwise, it runs great. The owner is willing to negotiate on price given the rust and what not. He also said he has the timing belt and a tune up done at 202000 miles.
The second one is a 1994 LS. I haven’t seen this one in person yet, but telling by the pics it looks pretty immaculate. On the ad it says the heater core may need replacing, which would not be cheap, or an easy DIY.
Based on the ads, what do you guys think they are worth? I used to own an ES300 and sold it not long ago, and I already miss it. So, to compromise I want to get an LS model for preferably under 2500. Any recommendations?“
The white ’98 LS clearly has some rust issues, which is somewhat common in the snowy midwest. That leads Python to give some simple, yet succinct advice – “rust bucket…steer clear.” Plus, a little chat with the owner reveals the car’s interesting maintenance history.
“Yeah, I kind of figured the 1998 was a no go. The guy said his mechanic put some brake fluid in the power steering because it was acting up. Very interesting. I’ll probably keep looking unless i can get the 1994 for a cheaper price, maybe 1800 or so? It’s very hard to find cars without rust around the Minnesota area. Looks like I might be driving out of state to find a good one.”
The ’94 looks super clean in the pics, but as we all know, replacing a heater core isn’t a cheap or easy job. Plus, the simple fact that the problem exists is a red flag for more than one person.
“My 97 w/282k still has its AC working perfectly fine and it was an AZ car all its life, so it’s been through hell, literally, and still works,” says Losiracer2. “For the AC on a Minnesota car to not be working means one of the fender benders affected it somehow. I would stay away from the first car, not to mention rusty as hell…it would cost too much to fix.”
“I would search for clean rust free examples like mine in the southwest, fly out one way and drive it back. I just drove from AZ to MI for a job relocation, 2000 miles and I only had to fill up 5 times, averaged 26mpg, total cost for premium fuel was $250.”
“A/C system is usually pretty solid on 95-00 cars, so to hear that the car has problems is a concern,” adds Timmy0Tool. “Also make sure there is proof that the timing belt was indeed replaced as that is usually a good bargaining chip.”
“The 94 is the better option between the two but I would keep looking myself. there are better used ones (I hope bc I am unsure of the Minnesota market, as it looks like winters out there are brutal to cars).”
All in all, that’s the kind of solid advice you’re unlikely to get from your local shadetree mechanic. If you’ve got any tips for westopill on his journey to purchase a bargain basement LS400, you should chime in here. Let’s help him avoid the pitfalls that we’ve all experienced on our own car buying journeys!
