standingpi

jaaa

How much high mileage? I bought my neighbors junkyard bound 1996 ls400 three years ago and it took me about three years ago and it took me two years and about $5k+ to get it right(had 217k miles at purchase). Shocks, waterpump, timing belt, transmission mount, alternator, leaking transmission, egr pipe, starter, fan bracket, radiator, both steering motors, antenna motor and heater resister pack are just a few of the things I have replaced that were bad. I did all the labor myself, so you could probably add another $7k to the $5k in parts I've spent on this car. Not trying to scare you, just add a touch or reality. When these cars get over 20 years old and 200k in mileage they need a lot of maintenance. Once I got everything changed out, it has been a great car! If you don't do your own maintenance, I would not buy one.

standingpi

Legender

Your choice... new car payment or the occasional maintenance. To get a better idea, you need the maintenance history for the car up to now. What has been done, what has never been touched, what's been a problem.
In general these cars do well when they are properly cared for, but each one is different and there are no guarantees. If you're mechanical and can do some things yourself, then that's even better.
Never go by the owners statements... if you're serious then get the car checked out pre purchase... better to waste $100 now than to save it and pay thousands later for what you did not see coming.
I purchased my 98 with 200K on it and spent about $2500 catching up the maintenance and fixing known problems, but I knew that going in.
Almost any used car will require some funds to get it up to standard unless the previous owner was just exceptional about maintenance.

In the near term you need to look at fluid replacements, brake wear, cooling, belts, tires, PCV valve and the like... all the standard wear items, plus in the future the timing belt, water pump, seals idlers and possibly hoses.

lextout

jaaa

It was serial and incremental problems. All I can say is that I got deep into it before I started questioning my sanity. In my defense, I'm retired and have enjoyed the learning experience I've gained from doing all these repairs. If you look at the list of things that went bad on my car, almost every one of them were common failures to a ls400 of my mileage.

Losiracer2

Expect to do strut rod bushings, motor mounts, lower balljoints, sway bar endlinks and bar to frame mounts and typically a radiator by this age/mileage. Also if no record of a timing belt, then you'll most likely be doing that in addition to the camshaft and crankshaft seals if those are original as well.

Its a car that's over 20 years old, so all the rubber components have to be addressed or will need to be very soon.

TrapMaster

If you're planning on putting a kid in the back seat you should know that the gas tank is mounted vertically right behind the seat. I haven't done any research to see if this has been a fire/explosion hazard in a hard side impact but in the interest of full disclosure you should know that. Other than that the car seems like a tank that will probably do pretty well in an accident.

Check for rust in the wheel wells, under the trunk carpet, and anywhere structural. Also check to make sure all electronic features work (especially the telescopic steering wheel, and cluster). Definitely look into maintenance history or have it looked at by someone you trust to determine what you'll need to put into it to ensure its reliable. I just bought my 96 with 266k and plan on doing timing belt, water pump, thermostat, valve cover gaskets, and oil pan gasket asap. I'll be doing power steering and brake work after that.

lexslexus

Bought my '96 with 175,000 grandma driven miles when it was 21 years old. Never had a major issue, only minor wear and tear (light bulbs, tires, and, sticky dashboard needles in the summer). If you're really concerned about safety, you might want to go with a '97. Looks exactly the same but it has side rear airbags for the backseat and the '96 does not.

4litre

iTrader: (1)

They're great cars. Take your time and fix what is needed and she will last you years.