Thinking about buying a 1991 Lexus LS400

[Matt Holcomb]

Drove a '91 LS400 the other day, loved it, have heard only good things about LS400s, but I thought I'd post this topic to see if there's anything I should know about these cars that might give me pause.

[Halm]

Picked one up in late '91, brand new from the dealer for under $30k. Drove it hard for 4 years, 100k+ miles. I remember it in several ways. Not too many problems. Our daughter was in college 335 miles away. It was a wonderful highway cruiser for the frequent visits to see her. 25 MPG, big on the inside, reasonable comfortable seats. But it was totally without automotive soul.

For the right price and the right conditions, I would buy another one.

HTH

[KFC911]

My parents still have one from that vintage (I think it's a '92), and it's solid as a tank with no issues.

[onewhippedpuppy]

It's a Toyota, enough said.

[Scott R]

Good cars, was working from Lexus a a wrench at that time, got laid off due to lack of work. Can't keep 10 techs to do oil changes. They only have one little issue sometimes, the LCD climate display can fail, however the climate control still works. It's about a 1k for the unit.

[wilke3169]

My wife drives a 92. It has been a great car. It now shows about 190,000 on the clock. A few odd issues, the water pump runs off of the timing belt. Replacement was a bear. The power steering sensor discharges fluid into the intake when it fails. Thought the engine had blown up. It has two coils. One failed and the car ran like a yugo but still ran.

Has no soul? It is big and heavy and built for cruising so not peppy.

[hardflex]

We had a 91 that I loved till someone T boned it . We bought it with 118k, put another 100k on it. New timing belt and idler pulley at 180k for about $350 (did it myself). Then a blown air shock in the rear cost about $520 new. It got 25 MPG on trips, though it did ask for premium gas. It was white so the paint was flawless even after 10 years.

Did a Texas to So. Cal driving vacation in it. Burned a bunch of Cd's of my favorite music, Set the Cruise control for 78, and it was the most enjoyable drive I've ever done. Comfortable seats, great sound system.

Soul less? For me it was a beautiful Soul Mate,

[Steve Carlton]

How much is it and how many miles does it have on it? Sooner or later you reach a point where repair and maintenance (and if you can DIY) becomes significant compared to the value of the car. I could see shocks getting tired and have heard the 60K service is quite expensive, if you have it done. Does it have the Nak stereo?

[The Gaijin]

Steve is right. I have a "street car" for the city. An old toyota I cant kill, but the regular repairs is about the same as a loan on a newer one...

[Mule]

Reliability & soul? Turbo Infiniti Q45 doing a run from 0-100 mph. Check out the complete project at TURBO-INFINITI.COM .

[hardflex]

I drove a non-turbo Q45 for a while. Fastest Sedan I've ever seen from 80-100MPH. But nowhere near the build quality of the Lexus IMHO

[Mule]

Originally Posted by hardflex

I drove a non-turbo Q45 for a while. Fastest Sedan I've ever seen from 80-100MPH. But nowhere near the build quality of the Lexus IMHO

Huh? Mine had no squeaks, no rattles, virtually no repairs, great fit & finish, excellent paint. What am I missing?

[hardflex]

IMHO = In my humble OPINION> I dunno, the one I drove was a 91 or 92 I think. Trying to remember, Leather seats were torn, speakers were said to catch fire, just a general feeling that it wasn't done quite as well. Your opinion may vary.

[DARISC]

I had a 90something SC400 for a while. Sunroof didn't give me enough headroom (I'm 5' 13 1/2" tall), but great car otherwise.

The hot ticket, if you can find one, is same era LS300, preferably w/o sunroof - has I6 engine, much less nose heavy and lighter overall than the LS400 (V8) and is a highly sought after "driver's car" - MUCH more so than the LS400. Identical cars other than engines.

[Mule]

Originally Posted by hardflex

IMHO = In my humble OPINION> I dunno, the one I drove was a 91 or 92 I think. Trying to remember, Leather seats were torn, speakers were said to catch fire, just a general feeling that it wasn't done quite as well. Your opinion may vary.

I think Lexus bought up all the untearable leather. Speaker fires? I heard Lexus had a seat design flaw that would pinch your weenee.

[hardflex]

I think you think I made the speaker fire thing up.... no I didn't. There was a recall

1991 INFINITI Q45 Recall ID from NHTSA: 98V284000
Auto Recall Date: 19981105
Vehicle Component: EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.
Estimated Vehicles Affected: 28970
1991 INFINITI Q45 Defect Summary:
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH BOSE REAR SPEAKERS THAT HAVE AN INTEGRAL AMPLIFIER. A CONDUCTIVE BRIDGE CAN FORM BETWEEN TWO LINES OF THE CIRCUIT BOARD PATTERN WHEN THERE IS ACCUMULATED ELECTROLYTE LEAKED FROMA CAPACITOR AND HIGH HUMIDITY CONDITIONS. THIS CAN CLOSE A TRANSISTOR ON THE CIRCUIT BOARD WHICH CAUSES OVERHEATING.
Defect Consequence:
THIS CONDITION COULD RESULT IN SMOKE OR FLAME AND POSSIBLY THE SPEAKER CATCHING FIRE.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CIRCUIT BOARD WITH A NEW BOARD THAT HAS BEEN COATED.
Notes: NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.,

Other than that, it's a good car though.

[Carrman]

They sure can be reliable. My dad's Lexus is closing in on 300,000 miles! It did need a new trans at 200,000+ miles, but other than that, it has been just routine maintenance, really remarkable how little it has needed and how new it still looks, inside and out.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by DARISC

I had a 90something SC400 for a while...

I had a '93 SC400 (my ex g/f still has it)...fantastic car. The SC certainly wasn't as heavy as my parent's '92 LS400 which is piggish and feels like it. I can see how the I6 (same motor my Supra Turbo had way back when) would be a nice alternative with less weight and better mileage to boot.

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by KC911

I had a '93 SC400 (my ex g/f still has it)...fantastic car. The SC certainly wasn't as heavy as my parent's '92 LS400 which is piggish and feels like it. I can see how the I6 (same motor my Supra Turbo had way back when) would be a nice alternative with less weight and better mileage to boot.

My typo - meant to say SC400, not LS400.

I really wanted an SC300 but couldn't find one.

[Mule]

Drove each before I bought a Q45. Personally, I liked the V8 much better. All the torque made it much more enjoyable.