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Oh man, looking good!
Can't comment on its value, but if it were in my hands I know it would be worth more to me than what any sane person would pay for it..
If you're planning on selling, make sure its to the right individual and I bet you can make a nice little chunk of change! This type of thing will be worth different amounts to different people.
EDIT: It's worth about 1500 bucks, let me come and take it off your hands
Thanks for the compliment. It has been a 2-person car without a lot of driving. At this point, I would appreciate it if someone could just give me a ballpark idea of what the car is worth.
I'm no expert but if it's as mechanically functional and sorted as it is cosmetically nice, I think a very conservative estimate would be around $6k. I saw very few UCF1Xs of this quality during my search for one a few months ago, and the ones I did were priced around there. I probably would have been willing to pay more than that for the right example though, those prices just seem so low for such good examples of an excellent car.
Do you know all of the options the car was equipped with? So far, I can see it has leather and the moonroof. In addition to this, is the car equipped with Traction Control, heated seats, the Nakamichi stereo system, interior carpets, air suspension, etc? Does it still have the original toolkit and first aid kit in the trunk? How often were the fluids and filters changed? All of these add some value to the car.
I would estimate its value between $4k-$5.5k, given recent appraisals that I have seen in my area for cars in very similar condition. Values may differ slightly based on your region.
looks like a nice car but getting $6k for it will be a rarity. sadly these cars are old and are more prone to failure despite low miles (rubber seals still deteriorate with time), and the market isn't that hot. I say the upper echelon would be in the $4k range where reality would be in the mid to low $3k.
in the end it's worth whatever a guy is willing to pay for it. my prices are what I've seen in southern cali as of late and there are not that many 1st LS400 aficionados around here!
Thank you for your reply. I, too, am in Southern California, so your take on the market here is important.
Several years ago, I had a lot of oil leaks under my car. I took it to the Lexus dealership and spent a couple thousand dollars having them repair the leaks. It took several visits to get the job done; one leak repair seemed to trigger another, but I haven't had any leaks since. (As you can probably infer, I'm not a car person.)
In answer to someone else's question, I don't really know all the features that the car has. I did look in the trunk and I do have the original first aid kit and the tool kit. They are both in pristine condition.
If I do eventually sell the car, I don't want to be a fool; the Kelly Blue Book on the car is a few hundred dollars.
2 years ago I would have paid a bunch for it. I'm going to give up on cars they need too much space that I don't have, and they need licenses etc. I like the color, I can bet it has little options that is how the good ones are. Is that the one that was on ebay some years ago? The hood struts were upside down and likely bent some metal because of it.
It is good to hear the leaks have been sorted. Kelley Blue Book and Edmund's estimates for this car are too low in my opinion; it is definitely not worth only a few hundred.
To determine what your car is equipped with, you can look for a few key features that are visible.
If your car has Traction Control, look for a "TRAC -OFF-" button on the center wood, above the opening wood ash tray. If you have heated seats, you will see "L" and "R" buttons on the right side of the same wood trim piece. These will light up when pressed. The Nakamichi audio system is denoted by a label on the radio. See the below photo from a 1993 LS for reference:
Alternatively, Traction Control is equipped on LS models that have a TRAC label on the throttle engine cover. Non-trac models have a blank cover instead. See the below image for reference:
Lastly, air suspension cars have two additional switches on the center console, next to the gear selector. These two switches are for shock dampening and ride height. Cars without the air suspension only have the ECT switch that denotes Normal and Power transmission modes. See the below image for reference:
If the air suspension still works properly, this is excellent. However, it is not uncommon to have an air suspension car converted to conventional springs and shocks.
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Getting back on topic: With all of the money you've put into the car, you may be better off enjoying it if you can't find the right buyer. Of course, this may not be a possibility. Hope this helps.
A couple years ago I traded my pristine 1991 LS400 for a 07 LS460 and they gave me $2,000 for it after offering me $!,000. Mine did have 198k miles though. Also rear wheel drive cars in Colorado are not big sellers. I just took the 2k because I was lazy. I don't think anyone will give you over 3k for yours but good luck.
Thank you to everyone for the information you have shared.
I've looked at the interior of the car to see if I have some of the special features that have been mentioned but I think I have a "plain vanilla" LS400.
Someone asked if this was a car that was advertised on E-bay. The answer is no. The car is a one-family car that has never been offered for sale. It was my husband's car and now I drive it. I'm currently looking for the purchase paperwork on the car. I'm sure it is somewhere in a file.
When I had the car serviced last week, it gathered quite a crowd at the Lexus dealership. The service manager had some nice things to say about the car--the quality of that model and the condition of my car. That experience made me wonder what the car was worth. I'm not sure that I want to sell it, but, if I do, I don't want to give it away. My reason for considering a sale is the fact that the car is bigger than I enjoy driving and I'm tempted by the safety technology in newer cars.
On the other hand, the car is quite beautiful and it runs well.
I still remember the day we bought the car. It was quite a splurge for us (we were school teachers--a university prof and a high school history teacher). We signed the paperwork, took the keys and got into the car. My husband sat in the driver's seat for a few minutes (I think he was savoring the moment) and I finally nudged him to turn on the ignition. He looked at me incrediously and told me the car was already running. It was that quiet!
Again, thank you for your help. I've enjoyed "talking" about the car.
Its truly a shame all the nice LS's pretty much are optionless. Moon roof, and leather seats were an option but since they are so prevalent I don't count them.
If that car had all options I'd still likely be interested though I would not like the idea of keeping it outside, even under a good cover mice can still get under the hood and have their nests etc.
Thank you for sharing your story, Hatsheput. It is rare to hear experiences from the original owners.
Even though some features like traction control are commonplace today, owning a lower optioned LS is not an issue in my book - there is less that can go wrong. My car is even more base, only having the Lexus carpets and mudguards options equipped.
I can understand how you feel about the car's size and safety features; advances have definitely been made in the past 30 years, but as you said, definitely don't give it away. Good luck with whatever decision you make, and enjoy your LS if you decide to keep it longer.
08-09-17, 02:40 PM
