1990 Ls 400

[nobby1234]

hi im thinking of buying a 1990 ls 400 ive been looking for a while .its low milage and looks in good order any advice as not sure what to look out for mery xmas

[ambermarine]

hi im thinking of buying a 1990 ls 400 ive been looking for a while .its low milage and looks in good order any advice as not sure what to look out for mery xmas

Hi welcome to the forum

The main thing to look for is rust ;check the cills especially at the rear around the start of the forward part of the wheel arch the area above the back axle around the subframe mountings ,wheel arches especially the rear and the area around the rear door openings were the plastic insert fits .

Electronics; check for blacked out lcds on air con display and radio.

Check for any needles and backlighting malfunction on the main instrument cluster.

Mechanically; check for worn bushes front and rear suspension.

Gearbox; should change up and down without issues of any type if not steer clear.

Engine; should start and tick over normally ,if not steer clear .There will be minor issues with a 1990 Mark 1 and over time and plenty of visits to this forum they will be solved but anything major that could lead to a mot failure ,it probably is not worth the effort.

[cleverdick]

hi im thinking of buying a 1990 ls 400 ive been looking for a while .its low milage and looks in good order any advice as not sure what to look out for mery xmas

Should be a pretty safe bet if it really is in good order and they're not asking too much... I had a 1990 until about 18 months ago - it never let me down once and I'm sure it would still be running today - sadly I had to scrap it (saving all the good parts of course) because I was faced with some fairly hefty bills for suspension work that would have cost way more than the car was worth, given its poor paintwork and underbody corrosion.

You can soon tell how meticulously it's been looked after. Are all the tyres good, matching and a proprietary brand? Does it have the right wheels on it? (Sorry guys with aftermarket wheels - no offence!) The 1990 wheels are directional - are they fitted the correct way? Does it have the remnants of aftermarket alarms, hands free kits or audio systems? Most of this applies to any car, of course...

Service history?

On the LS, do check that the steering pump isn't leaking, and if poss drive it over a rough or concrete road to check for noisy/rattling suspension bushes. (Creaking on a 3-point turn is likely to be dry sway bar bushes and is an easy fix.)

Take it for an MoT if you're serious.