spooze

iTrader: (2)

is there anything i should be careful about. i found a clean blk on blk ls400 which is rare. but it has 200k miles, 1 owner. is a new motor available for the car. the car is 5000 bucks. is that a good deal? it will be a second car. so i wont drive it all the time. any help would be appreciated.

Asia-H.T.

iTrader: (9)

I have more than 220.000 on the Lexus, not a drop of oil. everything is perfectly dry and hasn't leaked either. perfect performance also. I wouldn't worry about the higher mileage too much, more about how it has been maintained during those 200.000

There are a lot of members who have way over 200k on these engines

Since this is a clean 1 owner car, it's probably from an enthousiast anyway

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

why do you need a new motor for the car? generally speaking, the engines (VVTi motors) for the 98+ are >$2000-2500 by themselves...

TexFinn

My 94 has 223K miles and runs and has no issues whatsoever with the drivetrain. It was dealer maintained until 187K miles, though. Probably helps quite a bit.

avalon42

iTrader: (1)

Yea. Make sure you check the engine/transmission/drivetrain for leaking. Be wary of anyone selling a car with the engine already warmed up for the test drive, or had the engine bay cleaned prior to sale.

blkjap

iTrader: (1)

At my shop we buy many lexus and sell them. Mine has 205,000 and it runs great, but here are a some things you need to check before buying it. Ask when they had the timing belt, water pump lasted changed. Check power steering pump to see if its leaking or not. Fan belt pulley, Rear wheel lower arm bushing, Big thing to check is if they had to change the starter yet and have they change the transmission oil. Right off the top of my head, that's about it. Its always best to find one that has a history of receipts of what and when it was done. Hope this helps And of course DON'T BELIEVE CAR FAX.

seanl

Amen to that. 2 weeks ago I looked at 97 LS400 Coach Edition, 98k miles. Car fax was clean and showed it as a two owner car. Upon quick inspection I found that the hood was misaligned. Digging a bit deeper I see there's a different VIN tag on the hood and yet another different VIN tag on the driver's side front fender. So now we have a clean carfax yet the car clearly has been wrecked with a minimum hood and fender replacement. What I couldn't figure out is why there were salvage yard parts on this car when the owner has had it for the past 8 years. Claimed the accident must have happened prior to ownership (bought car from Lex) but normally replacement parts won't have a VIN tag on them. So these parts came from a salvage yard most likely. And perhaps was fixed 'off the grid' without insurance given the clean carfax.

Needles to say I passed on the car, and it was otherwise clean and drove nice. Moral of the story is that you've really got to look the car over and check the details.

TexFinn

Well... Yes. And no. CarFax is not the end of all. It is merely a snapshot of some of the vehicle's history. It could also be the other way around.

One example: I've been keeping my eye out on this one 98 Corvette Convertible here in town. Everything is great on it. However, when I pulled CarFax on it, it says that back in 2001 it was involved in an accident and that there was damage to the "right front pillar and right rear pillar". What strikes me as kind of weird is that on a convertible there even isn't a rear pillars.

What makes it even more interesting is that the dealer has an AutoCheck report for it and that doesn't list any info regarding any accident.

I have gone over the car as well as I can and for the life of me I can not find any sign of any previous damage, paintwork etc. Nothing. So... Who knows what the real story is.

Very possible. But, IIRC, not all insurance companies report all accidents to the sources CarFax gets their info from. Also, it could have been just a minor thing where the fender and hood got damaged and the PO found cheap, same color replacements for a salvage yard and went ahead and bolted them on. No insurance company needed. Who knows...?

But, like said, nothing beats a thorough inspection of a vehicle you intend buying. And if there is even one thing that strikes odd to you, then pass on it.

veritek

You'll know how meticulous the owner was if he has a stack of verifiable service records and receipts. It helps that it is a 1 owner vehicle too.

skperformance

iTrader: (6)

anything with over 250k look to spend 1500-2000 on bushings and arms for the suspension.

seanl

For sure, but even lower mileage cars *may* need some bushings. My newly acquired 100K mile '97 LS needs strut rod bushings now...but at least that's not the $1500-2000 for the entire front end.

spooze

iTrader: (2)

how will i know when the bushings are bad. right now the shocks are blown. im about to get some megan coils.

how much does it cost to do an timing belt and water pump change if i were to take it into lexus. or could a basic mechanic do it cheaper

Thermactor

iTrader: (1)

I got a set of good shocks that you can have super cheap if you want

slvrboolet

Short answer an assload at least 800-900 prob more. I'de find a reputable shop and have them do it.

Amskeptic

Find a reputable shop with time on its hands and a clean work space. These engines prefer obsessive compulsive mechanics who just have to put every single clip and tie exactly back where they came from and who must wipe down every part they reinstall.

A busy shop with gladhanding "service advisors" and a neon lit coffee bar and a slightly rushed atmosphere? Forgettum.
ColinIMHO