Here’s Why You Should Buy a 30 Year-Old Lexus Instead of a New Car
Tired of paying $40K for new cars that use a lot of cheap plastic parts? The Car Wizard explains why this 1995 Lexus LS400 is a better choice.
There is nothing wrong with buying a brand-new car. Except that they are expensive and often sell for over MSRP. They are tough to find. And thanks to the chip shortage many are being sold without key features. Well, maybe there are a few things wrong with buying a brand-new car. And all of the above aside there is yet another issue. Cars today are filled with cheap plastic parts that work great when new, but often fail once the car has done 50,000 miles or so. So, what is a consumer to do? Well, one option could be to buy something like this 1995 Lexus LS400. It might not have all the latest technology, but it was built like a tank and will last just a long.
A video was recently posted on the Car Wizard YouTube channel. The car wizard is master mechanic Dave Long. And in this video Long implores us to stop spending $45,000 on plastic garbage. In fact, he goes on to say that a nearly 30-year-old 1995 Lexus LS400 might be a better buy compared to anything new. Does he have a point? Let’s take a closer look.
Plastic Everywhere!
Long starts his video by putting himself in a hypothetical situation. He is in the market for a new 2022 model year car. And he is disgusted by what he finds. High $30K to low $40K for basic transportation. And these vehicles are loaded with plastic. “Plastic intakes, plastic timing chain components, plastic sensors, plastic valve covers they are not meant to last.” Explains Long. His concern is that these new cars will be great for about 50,000 to 100,000 miles. And then things are going to start to fail all over the place. He and his wife recently rented a 2022 Chevy Malibu while on vacation. And while it was nice enough, the heated seats didn’t work due to the chip shortage. On top of that he got the impression that in another 50,000 miles the car would be nothing but a headache due to the cheap components.
1995 Lexus LS400
Styling-wise this is not a car that is going to turn a lot of heads. But considering it was built when Bill Clinton was still in office it still looks good. It was designed to remind you of the S-Class Mercedes of the time, and it did a nice job of that. It looks classy and upscale to this day. And the car in the video is no garage queen. It has over 302,000 miles on the odometer. And while there are some spots that show it age, and there are a few rust bubbles here and there. Overall, it has held up extremely well.
Under the Hood
Pop the hood and you immediately see the quality. First, the hood struts after 27 years and 302K miles still hold the hood. Minor point but this is precisely what Long is talking about. I have a 2018 German car with just 13K miles and I already had to replace the engine lid struts. And while there is some plastic under the hood of the LS400 none of the functional parts of the engine are. And everything is accessible and fairly easy to work on. With proper maintenance, these engines will last a long, long time.
Interior
The inside of this car still looks great. All the lights on the dash light up as expected. There are no cracks in the dashboard. The controls are simple and unlike a lot of modern cars you don’t have to get three levels deep in an infotainment menu to adjust the radio or temperature. The headliner is still tight, and the leather seats are holding up well. Considering this car has enough miles to have been driven to the moon and then done a few laps around it everything is holding up well.
Underneath
Some plastic trim is missing, there is evidence of an oil leak, and there is some rust around the exhaust. Other than that, nothing really looks out of shape. A new steering rack was recently installed. The catalytic converter looks fine. Everything looks reasonable given the age and mileage on the car. Long said that he has seen cars with half the mileage that look much worse.
Reliability in 2022
Long wraps up the video by stating that if you are looking for a reliable car in 2022 that you should look at models from the 90’s. Those are the cars you should spend your money on. Long feels that they will outlast even the newest models. He feels that the term reliable newer car is an oxymoron. What do you all think? Did automotive reliability peak in the 90’s? Let us know your thoughts in the Club Lexus forums.
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