Thoughts on a Third-Gen Lexus LS as a Good Car for a New College Grad?

"SVTyler" (svtyler) 04/18/2018 at 17:55 • Filed to: None

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!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ?

Should mention that I’m not the one buying it, my mom’s getting it for my little brother because apparently crashing the previous car my parents gave him for free multiple times and eventually totaling it warrants getting an even nicer car for some reason he needs a reliable car and with him graduating in a month, we don’t have time to play Craiglist Roulette and check out cheaper options so against my advice they’ve decided to go CPO or dealership-offered cars.

I’ve also sent them the typical Accords/Civics/Avalons/Camrys but this is the one he specifically wanted to look at first, my only concern about it would be the sheer amount of electronics that could go/are currently going wrong on a sixteen-year-old car. Worth checking out?

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > SVTyler 04/18/2018 at 17:56

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a friend of mine had one in highschool. it was decent

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > SVTyler 04/18/2018 at 17:57

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That’s a base model. Absolutely perfect. Only problem will be light bulbs and gas. This is the equivalent of me having my LS400 as my first car(which is was). They are a bit fast but soo wonderful.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > SVTyler 04/18/2018 at 17:58

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Horsepower 290 @ 5600 rpm Torque (lb-ft)320 @ 3400 rpm V8 RWD. I mean it’s no MustangAmaroLlenger but still, if he’s prone to crashing...

SVTyler > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero 04/18/2018 at 18:00

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I’ve heard good things about them which is why I even suggested one in the first place (also spent time on the Lexus forums and a bunch of dudes on there have gone 200k+ miles with only scheduled maintenance and oil/brake/filter changes), there’s just something about an old, high-tech luxury car that makes me nervous.

dogisbadob > SVTyler 04/18/2018 at 18:07

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It will be fine. Toyota makes the best cars. That is what Lexus is known for, especially the LS, the classic Toyota quality with some luxury and prestige. There is nothing to worry about :o)

Yeah, I know that most cars in this class are pieces of shit in terms of reliability, but Lexus/Toyota blows them all away!

SVTyler > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 04/18/2018 at 18:07

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That’s pretty much what I said (I originally suggested a 90's GM J-body as punishment) but I’m not the one buying or driving it so apparently my opinion doesn’t matter ¯\_()_/¯ Just trying to get the kid something he might actually take care of this time.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > SVTyler 04/18/2018 at 18:08

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May I suggest the Lexus HS?

SVTyler > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 04/18/2018 at 18:08

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Oh that’s even better then, from my understanding the higher trim levels are the ones with the (potentially problematic) air suspension and sound system. Is there a way to tell which trim level a car is just by looking at it?

And yeah I originally looked for 90's LS’s during the original car search, apparently they’re fantastic cars. Almost makes me want one myself...

SVTyler > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 04/18/2018 at 18:10

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I didn’t even know that existed, neat. I imagine they’re pretty rare so finding one for under $10k and <100k miles might be a bit difficult, but I’ll keep an eye out.

Tapas > SVTyler 04/18/2018 at 18:16

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He crashed so many times, he totaled a car? He deserves no car.

But a base Lexus ES with a 4 cyl engine should do.

Proposing a clearly bad car might be a problem since your parents seem to want to reward him with another car. So sell everyone on how it’s better and “high revving” and what not.

SVTyler > dogisbadob 04/18/2018 at 18:17

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That’s why I was looking for an LS, all the fancy stuff of a German luxury car with none of the maintenance nightmares. His other car was a 1997 Cutlass which, while nice enough for a high school/college kid, doesn’t hold a candle to something like this.

SVTyler > Tapas 04/18/2018 at 18:27

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Tell me about it, kid’s slid off the road twice, crashed into some lady another time, and curbed it so bad he bent the front-right control arm, strut, and tie rod and somehow he’s convinced my mom the problem was his previous car wasn’t nice enough and he’ll actually take care of whatever it is we get him this time. I tell you man being from a rich, enabling family is great, absolutely no responsibilities for your actions. I’m just over it at this point, there’s no arguing with my mom when it comes to her kids so I’m just trying to find the nicest car I can in the off chance my brother actually does end up giving a shit and takes care of it.

I originally said 4-cylinder Civics or Accords or something because that’s like the stereotypical high school/college kid/recent grad cars but this popped up in my search results and I thought it might work. That was after my original penalty box suggestion of 90's GM crapcans were vetoed lol.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > SVTyler 04/18/2018 at 18:30

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Slow and miserable, disguised as luxury. Perfect for a bad driver.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > SVTyler 04/18/2018 at 18:35

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The sound systems are indestructible but yes I know certain Oppo who just sunk 3500 into his air suspension on a 430. I love my LS400. Drive it more than the ISF.

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > SVTyler 04/18/2018 at 18:44

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that sounds like my brother, who just got a newer CRV that cost more than twice what his old car that he totaled cost and $1500 (before repairs and maintenance) more than what my car cost (which I paid for, not my parents). We’ll just say it’s a sore spot. He’s been in 6 accidents, 4 at fault and yet they give him a $7000 car. I said buy him a shit box since that’s what he can afford but apparently not.

SVTyler > dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford 04/18/2018 at 18:55

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That’s pretty much what happened to me (every cent spent on my Focus was my own), are you a middle child too? I wanted to buy him either a 90's GM shitbox or non-running whatever off CL and force him to learn to fix it himself so he’d have some kind of vested interest in the car but apparently no dice. Funny thing is he has enough money to get a decent used car, just not one nice enough for him so that’s why my mom’s paying for it. I stopped trying to make sense of my family’s logic years ago.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > SVTyler 04/18/2018 at 19:02

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Sounds to me like he deserves something like a Smart car.

SVTyler > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 04/18/2018 at 19:26

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Ouch :( That’s more than his first car cost. I’ve heard only really good things about the LS line in general so it’s definitely high on my list. Problem is the budget ($10k) and mileage (<100k) makes it hard to find one that isn’t sketch.

SVTyler > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 04/18/2018 at 19:27

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If I could I’d import some soul-crushingly bad communist car like a Yugo or Trabant to make him really suffer. That or make him walk, which honestly might be a more humanitarian option...

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > SVTyler 04/18/2018 at 19:37

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Oh 10k you should be able to find a great one. What market are you in?

SVTyler > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 04/18/2018 at 19:45

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Indianapolis area, there’s a few of them out there but trying to find ones with full service and maintenance histories with less than 100k miles kind of narrows down the search options. Here’s the list if you’re curious:

https://www.autotempest.com/results?make=lexus&model=ls&model_kw=&radius=75&zip=46077&keywords=&minyear=&maxyear=&domesticonly=1&minprice=&maxprice=10000&minmiles=&maxmiles=&transmission=any&bodystyle=any&saleby=any

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > SVTyler 04/18/2018 at 19:47

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If you can make the trek to Tennessee, this market absolutely loaded with them. It’s insanity.

Tapas > SVTyler 04/18/2018 at 20:03

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Damn...push the nicest sounding crapcan you can think of.

Let me know if you need to unload a nice car he’s scratched. I need a cheap car lol

Under_Score > SVTyler 04/18/2018 at 20:28

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What car did he used to have?

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > SVTyler 04/18/2018 at 20:30

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I’m the younger of 2, to be fair he doesn’t have the money for a decent car but I feel like they should only be doubling what he puts in, instead of giving him a $7k for no cost.

SVTyler > Under_Score 04/18/2018 at 20:38

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1997 Cutlass, bought with with 111k miles and full service records. It was actually pretty nice all things considered, little rusty and dinged up (which a weekend of Bondo and sanding would’ve taken care of) but mechanically solid and extremely comfortable and spacious, honestly should’ve lasted him about 10 years if he took care of it but he didn’t, so here we are.

SVTyler > Tapas 04/18/2018 at 20:46

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As much as I’d like to give him a penalty box, the way I’m approaching this is that I’m trying to find a car that the kid will take care of for more than a week. I could give fuck all about how much he likes the car, it’s more about making sure my mom’s money doesn’t go to waste again.

Funny you should mention that because I have a lightly-used 1997 Cutlass with slight suspension damage custom alignment and a bent and cracked front bumper extra cooling vents that’s still sitting in our garage. I don’t even think my mom’s going to try and sell it, she’ll just donate it to Goodwill or whoever takes old crapcans. Realistically though, apart from the suspension it’s a solid car which is the frustrating thing, like it won’t win any concourse events but it would’ve lasted a lot longer than it did had it been taken care of.

Teh Penguin of Doom > SVTyler 04/18/2018 at 20:47

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Can never go wrong with Lexus LS. But in terms of reliability you’re much better off with a late Gen2, 1998-2000, preferably 2000. People do tend to hold on to them though. Other than the timing belt, make sure the starter works; it’s at the bottom of the engine bay and a four-digit repair when it fails.

SVTyler > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 04/18/2018 at 20:48

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Would that I could, my mom works 16-hour days and I’m in school about two hours away until mid-May :( The whole reason she wants to look at dealership cars is to avoid the hassle of Craiglist and just find something we know isn’t a hooptie. Of course that’s absolutely no guarantee the car is any good so idk at this point, I’m just trying to help the family out here.

SVTyler > Teh Penguin of Doom 04/18/2018 at 20:59

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Actually in looking for his first car I found a ton of 90's LS400's but yeah, pretty much all of them had like 200k miles on them. And thanks for the heads-up, I’ve been trawling the Lexus forums for a few days trying to learn the ins and outs of these cars and seems like the starter, timing belt, and air suspension are the big-money repairs you have to worry about.

Captain of the Enterprise > SVTyler 04/18/2018 at 21:02

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Isn’t understeer generally considered safer for bad or uninterested drivers than oversteer. It looks nice and is probably safe in a crash but they already have him one free car maybe he should be paying for it himself. That might make him care more.

Teh Penguin of Doom > SVTyler 04/18/2018 at 21:10

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I would not recommend one older than 1998. 1998-2000 is the sweet spot. I’ve seen 1990 LS400s that are pristine and like new and can easily go a million miles, but that’s not the average LS400 that’s on Craigslist.

Air suspension is not such a big deal. People are too scared of it. Preferable to avoid it, but don’t let it be a deal killer. In fact you might score a bargain by getting one with a bad air suspension that you can then repair or convert. (I advise repairing, not converting. Don’t mess with what the Toyota engineers designed.)

SVTyler > Captain of the Enterprise 04/18/2018 at 21:13

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In theory but considering all three crashes have been more due to him because a complete dumbass than understeer alone I don’t think the driven wheels matter as much as finding something he won’t want to beat to shit again. And you have no idea. My suggestion was to buy a non-running ‘mechanic’s special’ off Craigslist and a Haynes manual over the summer and make the kid fix the car up himself but that was apparently too much time and effort.

SVTyler > dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford 04/18/2018 at 21:28

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Yeah no kidding, if he wants a car so bad make him pay for at least some of it, I don’t get how people give their kids these things worth literally thousands of dollars that can be destroyed in an instant or end up costing even more money and not give them any vested interest in them. In high school you could tell whose parents paid for their car and who didn’t just by the condition; we had kids with brand-new Mercedes and BMW’s with cracked bumpers and scraped-up rims while the kids with 90's Civics kept them immaculate.

Under_Score > SVTyler 04/18/2018 at 21:31

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That’s actually kind of rare. Neato; thank you.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > SVTyler 04/19/2018 at 00:33

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Or... a bicycle!

And then you could taunt him by playing this:

Tapas > SVTyler 04/19/2018 at 12:44

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I am not mechanically inclined but would not mind a cheap/free car at all, as long as it can be fixed for a reasonable amount.

I live in Canada-land though.

SVTyler > Tapas 04/19/2018 at 21:06

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I’ll ask my mom but depending on what’s wrong with it + shipping costs, you honestly might be better off searching for a local beater. I know for sure a strut’s gone (and presumably a tie rod and control arm if there was that much force involved) but I haven’t been able to come home and look at it myself to know what the extent of the damage is. Last I heard she was just going to throw it up on Craigslist and see who bites so not having to deal with that would be ideal.