Well, thought I would ask some people who might actually know, or care what I'm talking about. As I'm sure many of you know, low mileage examples of clean LS400's are harder to find, not impossible, but not like buying a late model vehicle. That being said awhile back I bought up an elderly owned 1996 model, 65k on the odometer at the time. I cleaned it up with a thorough detail,, and had the timing belt and w/p replaced, basic maintenance refresh was all it needed.

I like the car quite a bit, but it doesn't quite fit my extra-curricular activities. I do a lot of bird hunting with dogs, fishing etc. Wife drives an RX350, so I do have alternatives when she lets me drive it, lol.

So I'm in the position of unloading it, or keeping it. I did list locally to get my feelers out there, and got what I feel are awfully low ball offers ($3000, lol), considering what I see other comparable LS400's listed for I think I could do better. My opinion now is I'm better off keeping it for the next 10 years instead of selling it for lawn tractor money.

Thoughts???

 

its a 20 year old car..

dosent matter how nice or low miles it is. you'd be lucky to get $2,000 for it here in my area. might be different up there.
nice Ls400s are getting extremely hard to find, because they are usually going for the same price as tired wore out ones. they have fully depreciated and anyone can get one cheap.
why? because its 20 years old and that will scare a lot of people off just because of its age.id hang on to it for awhile. provided its been maintained that 20 year old car is a 5 year old car, and will give you many years of ironclad reliable transportation.

 

It remains a good car but if the 4 doors and cushy ride are not the characteristics you prefer then having a car that fits your uses is the better route. $3K is fair and 20 years old is 20 years old. I don't feel you'll have a hard time finding a buyer for a nice sample if the price is agreeable.

 

In Michigan, $3k for an LS 400 sounds like the range for an average to slightly above average example. I have a friend who lives up there, and he occasionally looks through listings.

From what I've seen, in an area that experiences cold winters where cars are subject to a lot of salt, a good example of an older car is definitely worth more. In other places like Southern California and Florida, where it's nice and warm, StereoRob is right about the price. Posting pictures of the underbody may help in a sale.

If you sell it, I feel that the car's value is within the range of $4,500 - $7,000, if it's in very excellent condition, which it sounds like it is. This range also assumes the car came installed with a few options and has very little to no rust, interior wear, or body damage whatsoever. Maintenance records are also a big plus in the sale of older cars.

However, even though the car may not fully fit your needs for offroad driving and the outdoors, the LS 400 is a one-of-a-kind car that you and your family will enjoy driving. Like you said, maybe hold off for a few years, maintain the car, oil the leather seats, and watch how the prices fluctuate; you don't have to sell the car now.

 

You can't go by the Nada prices, I don't know what world that place is in. Yeah you see some high listed prices but that doesn't mean what they sold for.
And in my opinion it is very stupid to spend top dollar on an old car no matter if its pristine condition or not and with super low miles, and then drive or do modifications to it.
The more miles the lower the value and the greater the chance something bad could happen to it. And unless you can claim it as a collector car and get the appropriate insurance on it, if its totaled you lose a bunch. Old High price low miles cars are not for daily driving.