Pagong

Hello all, Im new to this site, but have been reading it for the past months. Well, I am about to purchase a 1994 LS 400 but not really sure what signs or things to look for when buying a used Lexus. The car has about 113,xxx miles on it and the leather is showing its age with crack lines and what not. Took the car for a test drive and it felt solid all around, engine purrs nicely and barely notice it inside, the transmission shifts so smoothly that I didnt even feel the 1 -2 shift of the motor, and this thing has some ***** in it for a stock car.

Anyways, should I be worried about how high the mileage is on this car? Or is Lexus/Toyota pretty strong even past 100k? What other signs should I look for? I am not planning on going all out on this car, just maybe your regular spring/shock combo and wheel/tire combo...but, need to know if there are anything else i should look at so I can bargain with the dealer with the price...

Thanks guys, I know this is a long post but I really need some input from the experts

Vince
AKA. Pagong (Turtle)

LexLS

Welcome to the forums Vince,

If you're buying from the dealer I think you can have a bit more confidence in the car than if you buy from a private party, although you'll pay more. The miles sound about normal for a '94, and don't worry about that these cars will go for a long time, I think there's even a mileage poll somewhere on this forum, just do a search for it.

Here are some things you should ask about:
-when was the timing belt & water pump last replaced? if at all
-have the front upper control arms been replaced? parts alone are about $800.....
-does the A/C work? mine doesn't, I'm not looking forward to that repair
-does the keyless entry work, and how many keys come with it?
-when were the fluids last changed?
-if you're replaceing the suspension then you don't need to worry about that, but you could use it to bargain if it's bad
-ask for the maintainance records and review them, I think you can also get a printout of everything that has been done to it at the dealer.

That's all I can think of right now Anyone else have additions to the list 'o questions?

Earl!

pscmj

Hello Vince and welcome to Club Lexus. As you have already found out, there is a lot of good information on this site. I had a ’94 LS Anniversary edition with ~85K miles on it … was a very good car. However, I found out the hard way shortly after I bought the car that these cars can be very (very, very, very) expensive to repair and maintain, especially if you don’t have the proper tools, equipment, manuals, technical knowledge, mechanic friends, etc. Also, parts are very expensive, even if you are a do-it-yourselfer. I found irontoad.com to be a very good source of parts versus my local dealer. Anyway, I have provided links to some threads that will be helpful in your negotiations and overall decision to buy the car. Please be sure and read each one fully and carefully as they all raise some very good issues on the first gen LS. Good luck with your decision. Bottom line, they are great cars and they will last a long time (113K miles is nothing), BUT they can be expensive.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...threadid=77237

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...threadid=77016

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...threadid=77785

Hackman

To elaborate on one thing that Earl! said:

Get the VIN off of the car and take it to your nearest Lexus dealer. They will print off the entire repair history of the car at Lexus repair facilities for you at no charge. At least, they didn't charge me when for the history when I was looking at buying my '91 LS.

FWIW, I decided to buy my LS when I saw one advertised for under $7k. I figured it must have a lot of miles and it did, 200k. I thought I'd test drive it and see how a LS does with that many miles on it. It drove like a dream! I decided right then that one with 100k should be worth looking at. Recently, someone posted how they saw a LS with 500k miles on it!

Good luck!

Pagong

thanks for the replies guys, it made my choice easier. I myself is a DIYselfer and a friend of mine is an ASE certified so regular maintenace shouldnt be a problem and as for parts he can get them at jobber price ...

Ill let you guys know which one i pick up...theres a few here in my area thats in my price range..the highest is $15k...and lowest is $7k! I really love the way the car drove and made me feel safe inside. I think its the next logical step when you have a family.

I love this site, so much info and so much help.

LOTC

Well if you fix it, then it is taken care of. The only problem with the engine is the power steering pump that tends to go out because of the heat. Dont worry about mileage I have seen a LS with 360,000 miles and another with more than 500,000 miles on it.

Pagong

So the motors are pretty stout, so basically just check for regular wear items... Ive been reading your posts as well and I must say that your car is a knock out!!
im still new to this "VIP tuning" thing so Im gonna do some homework on suspension upgrades for this car.

Pagong

Thanks for the warm welcome guys! I took down some notes about the "known" problems for the 1st gen. and will have the car checked at my friends shop. It seems like it only looked bad on paper because most went to the dealership to do a simple oil change , tune up, brake rotor and new pads...that couldve saved them ALOT of money. But, I do thank you for those three links you provided which help me make the bargaining table go to my favor! It seems like there are other options to some of the problems except for that upper control arm bushing replacement , but I will look into all that before I purchase this particular car.
Once again thank you all for the warm and friendly welcome and I hope soon (FRIDAY) that I will be one of the elite.

Vince
aka Pagong

Lexus4me

Hi, what is front upper control arms? where to look at?

I am currently looking at a 1990 LS400 with 168,000 miles. Plan to use the info on this thread.

Pagong

click on those 3 links provided! I learned alot reading through them. You should too!

LexLS

What I know is that the front upper control arms actually hold the front wheels in place. My mechanic, who is an independant one, told me that this was a safety issue and I should definitely have them replaced. My local Lexus dealer also told me I needed to have them replaced, its just that they charged waaaaayyyy too much. I have heard that this is a common part that needs replaceing in the first gen LS400s.

Hackman

So, how does one know when the upper control arm needs to be replaced? I've got a '91 LS with 120k on it and thought I'd better find out, JIC.

Pagong

Hey guys, just came back from the dealer to check on the car. They didnt print it out for me, for reasons I dont know, but I did learn that the P/S pump did leak and was just "refreshened" but not replaced, and when that happened the fluid contaminated the alternator and that too was "refreshened".. So they were not replaced and needs to be replaced soon.
The tune up was just recently done at 100k and the service guy told me that I probably dont need to do the 120k service..but if I do get the car I will do that service myself. As for the instrument clustet, it was recorded that something was blinking, but never replaced...so I have to put that on my bargaining table. The caps, rotors, plugs and wires were all changed at 88k and the alignment done at 90k.

I dont know why they didnt print it out for me but, can somebody here help me out? I will give you the VIN number and can you get a print out for me from your dealer? If so I would be your bestest friend forever...

Thanks
Vince
AKA Pagong