Faults:

Lower balljoints @ 82K (warranty)

A/C compressor @ 92K (warranty)

Water pump @108K.

Steering rack @162K.

General Comments:

I have owned over 30 different cars since high-school – from Hondas to Explorers to Cadillacs to Corvettes – and my 1990 Lexus LS400 is by far the best. In fact, it may be one of the finest “machines” I’ve ever owned, be it automotive or other. It’s certainly not perfect…it’s needed some repairs – like replacement of the steering rack and ball joints - that I thought should have lasted a bit longer than they did. But considering that it has now provided 216K miles of service in very hard Houston stop-and-go driving (and three fender-benders), overall its reliability still rates much better than any domestic, and is comparable to that of any Japanese or German import. To really understand why Lexus owners such as myself love this car so much, I think you have to look beyond merely the not exceptional reliability statistics and high maintenance costs (especially if you have maintenance done by the dealer!). The car simply exudes quality: from the uncanny smoothness of the engine to the trim on the trunk hinges to the way the ashtrays glide open. And if the cost of maintaining this quality is a bit higher than “average”, so is the reward!

I bought this car used (with 10K miles) from a Lexus dealer; it now has 216K miles. I also have a 1999 LS400, which I also purchased used (with 24K miles – now has 95K miles) from the same dealer.

Faults:

A/C compressor went out about 150K.

A/C controller/clock display not readable except when the car is extremely hot inside.

Seats are kind of uncomfortable for someone short (5'4") like me.

General Comments:

Fabulous car! My husband is a mechanic and we own our own shop. He says this is how all cars should be built. With 160K on it, it is still going strong, doesn't use a drop of oil, has power, performance and all the gadgets you could want.

My mom got this car as a demo with 5000 on it in 1991 and we got it from her last year with 150K on it. My husband and I have no intention of getting rid of this car until something really goes wrong with it, which as it stands seems like it's going to be a very long time from now.

Faults:

The idle speed control unit was bad when I bought the car (since I'm a used car dealer it was a snap to fix). And as usual the led for the ac control is dark, but the air is ice cold. The seats have been all recovered, and with a new paint job this car looks like new.

General Comments:

The lexus v-8 cars are a treat to own at any age. these cars will easily go 300,000 + miles with no major problems. However they are expensive to repair when a problem does occur.

Faults:

AC was running poorly when first acquired, had it fixed, and now 18 months later no cold air. Passenger seat head rest power function is not working. And a notoriously none functioning item: the clock/temp display.

General Comments:

Yet to regret, bought the LS400 in 2002 for $5800 and was not sure what to expect, I did know about Toyota reliability and Lexus good looks. Primarily my wife's car and our long distance travel car, it has been a joy to own. High performance, superb handling, comfortable, nice styling, just wonderful. The wife says she feels save in this car. Some of the weak points are... leather seats are wearing fast and not of the best quality, the interior air fan is a little weak and ours needs to be replaced, having some difficulty with the AC, no cold air right now, 18 months after a complete AC service, I would like to fix some misc. appearance items, but that would be all. The drive train is running smooth. Overall very happy.