1992 Lexus LS 400 from North America

Summary:

Outstanding

Faults:

In six years, apart from routine service, all I have had to do is change the serpentine belt and buy an new battery.

General Comments:

This is the best car I have owned.

Beautifully engineered, great looks, high end luxury, silent, super performance, comfortable leather seating, fantastic Nakamichi sound system.

Others have complained of high dealer costs, but you don't have to go there. Use a good neighbourhood garage. Many parts are interchangeable with stock Toyota ones. In any case, you save a lot of maintenance expense because of superb reliability.

At 180K car uses no oil.

Mechanic tells me ball joints are now worn, but I'll probably continue to drive it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th September, 2010

1992 Lexus LS 400 4.0 gas V8 from North America

Summary:

Dependable, comfortable, reliable, simply amazing

Faults:

Normal maintenance except upper control arms, and driver's side ignition coil.

General Comments:

This is the BEST used vehicle I have ever owned. I put 100k on this vehicle after purchase with only routine maintenance. Except for the upper control arms, caused by the crappy NJ road conditions, this vehicle has been a dream. Great comfort, responsive acceleration and European handling make this car a please to own and drive. I hope it can last another 150K.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th August, 2010

1992 Lexus LS 400 1UZ-FE 4.0L V8 from North America

Summary:

Amazing product. Quality is amazing

Faults:

Power steering leak that took out my alternator, common problem on these cars.

Cost to fix PS pump: $0.

Cost of a new alternator: $170.

General Comments:

Car is phenomenal, has to be one of the quietest and most comfortable cars in the world. Quality, fit, and finish is simply superior. Doesn't even look as old as it is, people think it's a 97 or 2000.

Has 227,000 miles and still runs like new, better than cars with half as many miles. Everything still works, transmission shifts incredibly smoothly, no smoke, doesn't use up oil. Mechanically flawless.

Most reliable cars in the world. I would trust this car to go to 500,000 miles and beyond!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th January, 2010

1992 Lexus LS 400 V8 from North America

Summary:

Worst car I have ever owned

Faults:

Warped drive shaft at 45000 miles. Repaired under warranty.

Front brake calipers warped at 50000 miles. Cost to repair $1200.

Speedometer needle lighting dimmed to the point I could not read how fast the car was traveling. Cost to repair over $1000.

Cassette stopped functioning at 70000 miles.

General Comments:

Vehicle was not worth what I paid for it.

Cost to repair and for service was way too high.

Car was a lemon.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 18th November, 2009

17th Dec 2009, 22:55

Hmmmmm something isn't adding up here... Let's see - you bought a car 14 years ago, it had 43,000 miles of use at the time. It was 4 years old at the time. You have hated the car, yet you've kept it for 14 years, having driven it approx 47,000 miles? Help me understand WHY you would hang onto such a horrid machine for so long?

If indeed you did purchase a lemon, as you stated, I wonder if you had done a proper vehicle inspection and researched the service history adequately? Red flags would usually emerge long before 43,000 miles and 4 years of use. By your timeline, the car seems to have virtually disintegrated shortly AFTER you purchased it. So I gotta wonder about your maintenance and driving patterns. It is indeed rare to encounter so many significant defects in these cars. If ANY car is abused, & driven without proper oil, allowed to overheat, fluids unchecked & maintenance is ignored in the spirit of economy...well, they simply fall apart; It's just a machine after all.

Sorry you've had to keep your lemon for 14 years. Why not get rid of it?

21st Jan 2010, 23:11

Buy a Jag then, you'll be changing new engine, transmission, etc, etc...

28th Sep 2011, 19:10

Wait, wait, hold on here! This review states that at 45,000 there was a quality control problem, fixed free. Then it says he paid $1,200 for a brake job? Please... then his speedo needle burnt out, and did not effect drivability of the car at all, yet paid $1,000 to have it fixed. Then the cassette player stopped working...

If that is all that has gone wrong with the car... I think I just found my next automobile.

In reply to 28th Sep 2011, 19:10

6th Feb 2014, 21:48

LOL, hopefully he's closer to me, and I will buy it!

In reply to 6th Feb 2014, 21:48

22nd Apr 2016, 23:39

The speedo needle cost $1000+ to fix, you couldn't experience how fast you were driving...???

C'mon. C'mon, man, or lady. If you don't know how fast you are driving, without that, don't drive.

In reply to 22nd Apr 2016, 23:39

24th Apr 2016, 14:41

If you read closer, the dash light was out on the speedometer. So you can't read it at night. The speedometer was operational. I can imagine a dash pull could run that much. I would replace every bulb in the cluster while it's removed. I am a guy, and I would be reluctant doing that repair on that specific vehicle.