[quote=svelte][quote=bearishgurl]My mechanic of 21 years states that the Lexus Luxury Sedan for years ’89-’92 (older than my car) is the finest built car on the road and if maintained properly, it’s all-alum engine will last 500K miles (and they have many customers who have 300K+ mi on them) …In addition, these vehicles have 10-12 coats of paint and if garaged for their life, look new after 20 years. Some model years have better-quality interior leather than others, though.
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Any car’s paint will look good after 20 years if it is garaged for life, whether it has 10-12 coats or not.
My son just picked up an 89 Lexus LS400 for $4K. Clear coat has worn through on the roof, rear bumper and mirrors, the dash is split in three places, and the leather drivers seat is in tatters. Other than that, it appears to be in good shape and runs real smooth.
It has 150K miles on it so I’m hoping you are right about how long these cars last. We’ve had several Dodges last 250K in our family so I’m hoping for at least that. I was surprised at how cheap used LS400s are as I was expecting him to pay more.
Our experiment with a Toyota product is now starting. :-)[/quote]
Svelte, I have experience with friends’ ’90 and ’91 luxury sedans and the seat leather in the front is thick and hard and got “crunchy” if it was not regularly garaged. Sheepskin covers in cream, gray or black at $40 each are a good option or even having the seats refurbished in TJ. Your son was VERY fortunate to find one with ONLY 150K miles on it. Actually $4K seems kind of high for an ’89 but perhaps it was due to the low mileage on the car. Typical things that go out on these cars that does not affect their running are the backlights on the dash needles ($60-120 ea to fix), the climate control LED readout (CC still works though – you just don’t know what the temp is) and the hood hydraulics. The large hood is heavy so it’s difficult to prop it up with something. The hydaulics can be purchased at online wrecking yards. Also, the brakes on this year tend to be a little undersized (don’t believe this was corrected until model year ’94).
I think you will be SHOCKED what a good, strong and smooth road car it is and how well it climbs! Hopefully you also got some service records and the timing belt/water pump has already been replaced once. If not, your son should do it ASAP. A good tune up is about $425 if it needs it (but probably won’t). Also check the thermostat, coolant, etc. if you have not already done so before purchasing. Good tires tend to be expensive but worth every penny.
You might just find yourself bumming this car from your son when you want to take a road trip :=]
