Used LS400 Buyer Guide for Layman by Layman

by wandawoods, member of Lexus Owners Club

I think it’s a good idea to start an ‘Used LS400 Buyer Guide for Layman by Layman’ for everyone to contribute their 2 cents and any after-purchase experiences so that all the future to-be LS400 owners can be better equipped while buying an used LS400.

I purchased my 94 LS400 and 96 SC400 off eBay within 7-day span. the sellers were ‘kind’ enough to list all major mechanical/electronic issues they knew of in their listings or pre-purchase communication, so I knew most issues going in, and bough both cars like at least 20% below KBB private party price. as expected, I did inherent some seemingly minor defects but expensive to make good, especially on the 94 LS.

this is to be a ‘run-down list’ for layman like myself before you order any professional pre-purchase check out (anywhere from $30 to $250) which is always a great idea after you have your own basic 0-cost inspection done. in fact, professional inspection may or may not as detailed as this list. they usually just look for ‘big’ things in general not really specific to LS400. small ‘things’ on a LS can still cost you hundreds to thousands to fix!

UPDATE: the 94 LS400 was rear-ended in May/04. it was a total, so I took the insurance pay-off and bought a 97 LS-400 w/96K off eBay. It did send this guide to my friend at vehicle location to check it out before I sent bank wire for it.

Words about Professional Inspection:

Don't automatically assume accuracy of any professional inspection. my 98 ES300, bought locally, did pass Lexus dealer's inspection before purchase with flying colors with only some very minor problems. however, couple of month later, 'blue-smoke' appears due to bad valve stem seal or blown head gasket or worn piston rings or the dreadful engine 'gelling'. the repair cost can be $2K+. all these conditions are more than likely outcomes of very poor maintenance for basic thing such as oil change, engine exposed to high-temp due to low-coolant or expired coolant .... therefore maintenance records are as important as professional inspections which always have big disclaimer to exclude any liability whatsoever!

the basics….

• find KBB private-party price (rated ‘good’, reportedly only about 2~3% of older model year used cars can be actually rated ‘excellent’). even you will buy from dealers, no one really wants to pay KBB retail price which is like ‘list price’ or suggested retail price. when buying, don’t use Edmund or NADA prices which are consistently higher than KBB

• absolutely do a Carfax check for major accidents, salvaged title, mileage consistency, or rental vehicle, # of owners. I found two LS40 that I almost bought but turned out to be salvaged or had major accident recorded, and the private sellers claimed they had no knowledge about. Yeh, right!?

• if buy from eBay, absolutely check seller’s feedbacks. you can even email buyers who left negative feedbacks to get their side of the story in details.

• any seller’s commitments of repairs, allowance or reimbursements must be in writing or email which is black and white, and can be legally binding.

• by all means, avoid cars from ‘COLD’ states where have lot of ‘salty’ roads in wintry weather. major erosion/rusting on everything metal under carriage are quite evident, and converter/exhaust is usually not in good shape.

• ask seller to provide dealer maintenance record according to VIN# and bills of any major repairs if not done by dealers

the obvious before staring car….

• pop the hood and avoid cars have SUPER-CLEAN and ‘oily shining’ compartment. more than likely, they have been pressure washed with water which is not too good for all electronics and their connections under hood. I suspected that was why some of the meters, warning lights on my LS400 were mal-functioning because of shorted or loose wirings and connectors.

• make sure 1UZ-FE V8 engine, widely used in variety of Lexus and Toyota cars, in there matches the model year. keep in mind that VIN# is not on engine itself! any experienced mechanic could swap engine with unknown mileage/condition. that will be disastrous to the could-be buyer, and it isn’t going to show on CarFax report. the easiest way to tell is: ask seller’s permission to remove the top cover surrounding Lexus emblem (it’s held by 4 simple nuts, and they can be removed/installed in 60 seconds), and count number of small VACUUM LINES (straw-size diameter, parallel to emblem). 90~93 have 4 vacuum lines in front of Lexus emblem, and 94 has only 2 lines. 95/96 has no parallel vacuum lines.

• TIMING BELT: timing belt replacement sticker usually is placed in front of radiator and left to the hook socket for engine hood if done by Lexus dealer. 90K is the recommended mileage to replace timing belt / water pump / pulleys. if no label found, then ask! don’t take ‘I don’t know…I’m not sure… it probably has’ as answers, it’s a whopping $1200 job by Lexus dealership, any owner would ‘remember’ that amount! only take dealer maintenance record or repair bill as 'proof', otherwise it's a major item you can ask allowance from seller.

•  OIL LEVEL: get your hands dirty and check oil/fluid levels and condition for engine (clear amber), transmission (Toyota Type T-IV, reddish), power steering (reddish Dexron), coolant (Toyota Long-Life Red, NOT neon green!). any ‘blacken’ fluid can only mean poor maintenance or at least a costly ‘flush/bleed/refill’ to you. most auto-parts store don’t carry Lexus-specific ATF and steering fluid which are sold at dealer only for $7 per quarter.

• pay special attention to any oil leaks at power steering pump which seems to be failure prone for older LS400 purportedly. the leaking fluid can also short-out starter sitting right blow the steering pump on Gen-I (90~94).

• TIRE tread wear: new tires, even non-major brands, can be $100~$120 each for LS400’s ‘V’ rated tires

• TIRE unevenly worn: alignment is required

• AIR SUSPENSION: avoid any LS400 with air suspension (with an airbag on top, no spring visible)! air struts are very failure prone (specially in old models) and super expensive to replace ($800 each at dealer) or to convert ($250 per wheel). if you must have the car with air suspension, check whether the car is ‘sitting’ too low (can’t see the top of tire from well rim) with inward-tilted tires when parked. check any ‘shiiiii’ sound (air is leaking out like mine was!) at all 4 when engine is just cut off. all these mean faulty air suspension and big $$$!

• UNDERCARRIAGE: get your knees dirty and check any oil dripping or fresh oil patches on the ground. rather see a dirty, dusty, but DRY underside and look for any ‘oily’ spots or patch. check heavily rusted or corroded spots, specially on struts, spring, arms, muffler, exhaust pipes….etc if car is from ‘cold’ states like my 98 ES300 was from Boston.

• REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY/CENTRAL LOCK; do try all buttons on the key (make sure ‘remote keyless button’ is on), the remote control module for it is super expensive if you do want working keyless entry!

• MANUAL/KEYS: owner’s manual are for layman like us, but it’s quite informative for basic features, functions, operation as well as the DYI maintenances. 4 keys are standard for LS400 (2x master remote, 1x sub key, 1x valet key). Lexus dealer charges $45~$100 per key depending on type, and $30 min. at some import car locksmith. use master key (the one with wireless button) to try all locks (fronts doors, trunk, glove comp). Owner's manual is not a big deal because you can get one from Lexus for free after you register your Lex at their web site.

• presence of jack /handle/tire bar

starts the car…..

• start engine with hood open and up! 1UZ-FE engine should have a very nice and smooth humming without any slight glitch, and it should be rather quiet after it warms up.

• LS400 shall start in very short crank just by turning the key WITHOUT pressing gas pedal.

•  IMPORTANT* have someone with you to check what comes out from exhaust pipe while starting car with COLD engine:

• no visible smoke: good!

• puff of white smoke: water in converter, coolant leaking into head gasket …etc.  however, some white ‘steam’ in cold whether is considered normal.

• puff of blue smoke (engine oil burning, you can smell it too!): worn piston rings, valve stem seals, blown head gasket... any repairs to deal with these condition is $1500~$3000 range!

• puff of black smoke: obvious sign of MAJOR problems somewhere in the exhaust system

• remember, you may have only one shot to watch out for these when COLD start engine because when engine is hot these symptom may not show at all for subsequent starts.

• engine cold-start RPM shall be around 1500 idle, then drops to about 500 when it warms up to normal operating temp. after engine warms up, coolant temp gauge shouldn’t be higher than mid point; mine was stuck at 'cold' because the 'dial' itself is dead. 

• pay attention to any ‘chew-chew’ noise, it may mean bad drive belt/pulleys/tensioners somewhere; it could even be the water pump about to go which will break the timing belt!

•  the AC auxiliary fans outside radiator (2 for Gen-1 90~94, 1 for Gen-II 95~97) should be active only when AC is turned on, and go off in a short while when AC is off. (mine was constantly on due to a loose temperature sensor)

• in Park, turn steering wheel widely left and right (increased oil pressure to pump) , and have someone with you watch out any leaks coming from power steering pump. dripping fluid from leaking power steering pump can also damage starter situated right below. 

• ABSOLUTELY try every single buttons/switches/knobs specially for 90~94 model years, which purportedly have high failure rate. as high-end luxury car, LS400 is loaded with sophisticated electronic features with all sorts of buttons and switches. any non-responsive ones could mean hundreds dollar each to make good of these dealer-only switches/relays/sensors/motors/rotors (or junk yards if you were lucky!)

• steering column telescoping/high-low button (mine was jammed due to a 'design defect' of a simple fly wheel inside motor)

• seat position/comfort/memory controls knobs

• all power widows/doors buttons

• sunroof control buttons

• traction on-off, high-normal suspension, sport-normal ride, ECT on-off,  O/D on-off

• try all seatbelts and their retraction

• try all buttons on climate control panel, AC is cold or not, air actually flows at all outlets depending on mode selected

• condition of LCD display on climate control panel (it fades often purportedly on 90~94 Gen-I )

• try all buttons on stereo control panel. must turn on radio to make sure power antenna is working (4 out of 8 LS I test drove locally was bad!). must bring a CD to try CD changer (was bad in my ES300) in trunk or compartment above glove box.

• condition of LCD display on stereo control (displaying 'broken' digits, especially on 95~97 Gen-II )

• wind-shield wiper switches and washer jets

• trunk/gas/hood remote buttons

• headlights/hi-beam/fog lights

• have someone standing in back to check brake/reverse lights, all turn signals, flasher

• INSTRUMENT PANEL:

• absolutely no warning lights shall be on! maybe ‘door open’ ‘low fuel’ ‘low washer’…..

• turn the brightness button to the max for instrument panel. all meters and needles shall be ‘eye-popping’ bright, watch out for any fading or ‘burnt’ needles which is well known for older LS400 model years. faded or burnt needle tips are truly obvious in the ‘brightest’ mode. reportedly, there are lots of Gen-I (90~94) model have 'light-out' problem when weather is cold due to couple of low-quality capacitor failing on circuit board behind instrument panel.

the test drive….

• gas paddle and steering should be very light and responsive. drive very slow (like under 5mph) at first and make sharp turns to hear any ‘clunk’ noise from suspension, then brake firmly to stop. repeat a few times. pay attention to any ‘squeaking’ noise while braking at low speed. brake paddle should be ‘high’ and very sensitive. any ‘low’ brake can only means worn pads. ‘shaking’ at high-speed braking indicates rotor problems.

• unless you own Lexus before, DO expect the acceleration, transmission, steering, suspension, braking to be smoothest car you’ve ever driven! after all, LS is legendary for it’s ultra smoothness in all aspects of driving tasks. 

• if possible, try driving over a few bumps to feel how the suspension handles.

• if car rattles at 40~50mph, it means bad alignment. if car shakes at 60+mph, that could mean tire balancing problem. if you can hear rattling click sound, it can mean struts or motor mounts are going bad

• any light 'trembles' or 'rattling' in driving can also mean bad motor and/or tranny mounts

• after few minutes of driving, it’s a good time to pay attention to instrument panel again to spot any active warning lights!

• after test drive, park, keep engine running and check under carriage again to spot any oil leaks. ignore the dripping water from AC, of course.

well, I am no expert on car, nor have the time to be one. corrections and add-on’s are wholly welcome!