Sup Veeky Forums, I went and looked at this '98 LS400. Thing is in near perfect shape and drives great...

There's a VIN thread on now, check the catalog

Well I know it's 2 tons but I appreciate the 290hp and rwd. It's big upgrade from my Avalon. RIP

RWD IS ALWAYS BETTER !!!!

Yes user I suppose you're right

it looks more like a lateral upgrade

Yeah they're both boring old silver toyotas but v8/v6 and rwd/fwd plus all of the extra amenities is worth it to me. The Avalon just got totaled by a Mexican so I really have no choice.

Do it for the ball sack air con user.

OP can use the LS to tow his touge car to the touge.

do it if u can get it for 5000 or less. I too live in florida and saw that one on craigslist after i bought my LS. almost wish i waited to get that one but i like the white paint more personally.

I got a white 2000 at 137k miles for 4500 definitely worth every penny. Mine didnt come with heated seats or the nakamichi tho. Also the leather in yours looks better especially considering its two years older.

The only problem ive had so far is my alternator going bad but i dont really know why it went out or if its an LS specific issue. just fyi swapping the alternator out on a 98+ vvti LS is a way bigger task than on the old ones cost me $350 in labor vs $200 on a pre 98. I wouldve done it myself but i dont have a garage and in the 98+ its necessary to remove the PS pump to get the alternator off making it a huge bitch.

Idk what else is more difficult/expensive because of the vvti update but there's probably more.

here again.

I think its worth noting that I almost regret going for a 98+ considering i'm a broke af dishwasher. so if ur also tight on money you may want to consider a cheaper earlier model and save the extra cash for repairs and gas etc.

I say this not only because of the pricier alternator repair but also because the car is pretty bad with gas consumption if u live in the city. I live in orlando and i never get on the highway resulting in me getting 14 mpg tank average. All the online info says 17 mpg in the city but my experience has been 14 dunno why. Hwy mileage is bretty gud tho I usually get 22-23 on long trips.

Also important to note is the car takes premium gas so definitely factor that into your budget. Because im so fucking broke I always drive like a grandpa and never rev above 2.5k just to save on gas. So basically the extra horsepower is wasted on me. So I probably would've been just as happy with an earlier model since I never use all that extra power. Keep in mind the car is definitely a comfy cruiser and not a car for hoonin so really think about whether or not you really need the extra power.

i dont get why the ls/gs are so expensive with so many miles
these things and subarus sell for outrageous prices
i get that they are "unbreakable" but its still a car with 100k+ miles, other shit can go bad

u can easily get an LS for half the price or less of the one op posted if u get one pre 98/vvti

for example:
miami.craigslist.org/pbc/cto/5656789942.html

sarasota.craigslist.org/ctd/5685791364.html

In the 1UZ, the PS pump is right above the alternator and starts leaking after it reaches a certain age. It leaks onto the alternator and fries it.

I have a 2000 LS400.

The car can last forever if you take care of it. Make sure the car doesn't have navigation or air suspension, the navigation system is total shit compared to a 150 dollar Android phone and the air suspension will cost a fuck ton of money to fix if it breaks and parts are hard to find now. If there are seat heaters forget about fixing it when they fail, they're impossible to fix and replacements are insanely expensive.

The car can get 18 MPG in the city, 25 MPG in the highway. The power and torque is nice but if you care about your wallet you want to drive carefully to avoid trashing your gas mileage.

Also, make sure the mirrors are all functional with auto-dimming. If any of them fail you're looking at either 20 dollars for non-dimming replacements, 60-80 for a used auto-dim salvage part, or 250 dollars for a new OEM auto-dim part.

Check the steering wheel's wood finish for cracks. If it's cracked and the leather is damaged budget 500 dollars to refurbish the wheel. If the headlights are showing UV aging budget another 500 to 800 dollars to replace the housings, it is a huge pain in the ass to fix this too because you will have to transplant the ballast, bulb, and auto-level mechanisms to the new headlight projector + housing.

Make sure there's no rust, these cars are not prone to it but if you get actual winters with salt sprayed on the road it is probably going to be a lot of money to remove all the rust from the bottom of the car.

If the car is at 150k miles ask the owners if the headlights have ever been replaced. If not, budget 80 dollars to replace the HID headlights. Philips D2R HIDs are equal to or better than the OEM headlights and will fit without issue. If there are somehow halogens still on a 1998 LS400 you should walk away because the owners are probably retarded.