Razor61

Yes, the lower front bar/arm with the camber setting bolt for which, according to Lexus, the bush isn’t available as a separate part anymore for a 1996 LS400 maybe they are for a 1998 onwards LS400 though. When I said ‘strut bar’ I was using the description on the parts diagram on Amayama.

Hi, I suspect I need new strut bar bushes/cushions for a Jan 1996 LS400. I've already ordered 2 x new OEM anti-roll bar bushes from Lexus, £20 each, as I noticed the anti-roll bar had moved approx. 2" laterally and could see where it was/should be. I moved the anti-roll bar back through the bushes very easily using a prybar. I'm not sure if this is normal but I seriously doubt it...………...so new bushes will be fitted. Which leads me to the strut bar bushes/cushions which may have/had an effect on the above. I've looked on Amayama and the bushes/cushions are no longer available, part number 48674-50052, for a 1996 LS400 01/96, but there is a bush listed that 'may fit' according to Amayama but no guarantees, which is part number: 48674-40051. Has anyone on here ordered these bushes/cushions for their applicable LS400 and had them fitted or tried to fit them? If anyone has, can you let me know please? If they don't fit then the alternatives are 2 x new arms @ £222 each (can't remember if that is including VAT or not) from Lexus or poly bushes from somewhere like Armstrong. I've read that installing poly bushes ruins the ride. Which I can understand if all bushes are replaced with poly bushes but would replacing just the strut bar bushes/cushions with poly bushes have that much effect on the ride? I don't know the answer until if/when I fit them but just wondered what other people think. I've also read that re-bushing all the front with poly is a definite no no and kills the ride but doing the rear doesn't make much, if any difference, to the ride. Any information/advice on this would be appreciated and if anyone knows where I can obtain the correct OEM strut bar bushes/cushions it would be great.

So, I had a look at the car mentioned previously (There is another light purple 1998 MKIV for sale on eBay) which is now for sale at £750. I didn’t buy it for a few reasons but if anyone is interested in the car and wants information about it I’m happy to to pass it on if you pm me. I will be looking at yet another LS400 in the morning, a 1995 model, maybe this will be the one...............

No problem and cheers. It did sound like I was willing to pay more, I knew what I meant but it didn’t translate into the post😀

I’d be happy with something similar to that and some work to do.

Just to clarify the bit above. It should have read as below because it sounded like I was willing to offer £50 more than the asking price for the light purple car..............ha ha. I don’t think I would do but you never know! “There is another light purple 1998 MKIV for sale on eBay (link below), it's done more miles but description says it's excellent and drives like new for £1,050 so was I that far out or unrealistic with offering £1,100 for the car I viewed yesterday. I haven't seen the car of course but it's very close to where I live so may have a look.”

Good advice thanks, I'll probably go and have a look, curiosity will get the better of me but I won't write another essay on what I find...………….

Thanks for all your comments, it's very interesting to know other peoples opinions and get their advice for which I'm grateful. To put the record straight concerning my interest in purchasing a Lexus LS400. Am I hell bent on buying an LS400? No I'm not. Would I like one? Yes I would. If I end up purchasing one I would be using it daily to commute 25 miles to work and back, 50 miles per day. This being the case, I may not be able to live with it as a daily driver. I think I would but I won't know for sure until I do it. So I want to spend around 2k to find out. If the car I looked at yesterday didn't need a cam belt etc, I may have done a deal near the asking price because cosmetically it is in excellent condition. Take off the cost of the bits for the cam belt work, around £500?, that makes it £1500 and absolutely needs to be done asap if I'm running it daily to work and back. Another factor is I'm not that wild about the colour at all to be honest and ideally would prefer Silver or Gold maybe, these colours seem to be more desirable and I prefer them. The brakes need attention plus maybe suspension work. I could easily spend another £500 for this work, just my opinion of course. So that brought me to the figure of £1,000. If I could not live the car as a daily driver then it would stand me at 2k so wouldn't break the bank as a second car and if I decided to sell it then I could stand waiting for a while until it sold. There is another light purple 1998 MKIV for sale on eBay (link below), it's done more miles but description says it's excellent and drives like new for £1,050 so am I that far out or unrealistic with offering £1,100? I haven't seen the car of course but it's very close to where I live so may have a look. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/lexus-ls400/254346126030

Maybe I was being cheeky but a car is only worth what someone is prepared to pay. £1100 is what I’m prepared to pay so that’s it as far as I’m concerned. I’ve owned 2 x M3’s, a 2002tii, 728i, 528i and latest a M140i from new which got knicked, damaged and recovered so sent it back to the PCP company plus a Saab 9000 and a 900 Turbo and an IS200. So it’s fair to say I am predominately a BMW guy. But, I’ve always admired the LS400 for the quality/engineering and would like one but at a price that makes sense for me otherwise I’ll go back to a BMW M3 or a 335i M Sport. Relatively expensive fast sporty drivers car v cheap big comfortable well engineered car that will last forever, I know they are opposites. So the ‘big comfortable well engineered car that will last forever’ has to be cheap for me, that’s the way I look at it. The car I looked at today maybe worth £1500 - £2000 to someone but not to me.

He is a nice guy and the car is pretty pretty good to be honest. Offer went in at £1,000 and rejected, £1,100 rejected so that’s it for me. I think you have to do the math and work it all out without emotion to arrive at a figure that works for you. Which is what I’ve done I think. I’ll wait and see if I get one at a price that works for me or back to BMW and another M3😉

I didn’t realise that the cost for the cam belt was that price, the price I put was an educated guess for replacing cam belt, water pump, thermostat and all pulleys/drive belts etc. Everything that is worth doing at the time. So, after have a good look at the car and talking to the seller below are my findings, for what it’s worth as I’m not a mechanic but have good experience. Engine oil is good and a good yellow colour. Transmission fluid is red, I’ve seen a better ‘red’ on another car but it’s by no means brown at all. Forgot to check the coolant colour though but I suspect it’s fine. I couldn’t see any signs of the power steering pump leaking from looking down on the right hand side of the front. Couldn’t see any signs of leaks on the drive. Car was cold, started no problem and was super smooth. Everything electrical looked to be working, windows, steering column, sat nav, audio, lights etc. Didn’t check the aerial or the dash illumination with the lights on, just forgot really. Boot opened fine with the key, spare wheel present along with toolkit and torch. 2 x keys with one the 3 button master key. User manual and all other books present, Lexus stamped service history up to 64,000 miles, cam belt replaced in 2004 64,000 miles with sticker to that effect on the engine. No warning lights on the dash that I could see. Y section on the exhaust has been done/fixed, I could easily see that. The pipes that sit between the radiator and front of the car and run horizontal were corroded, not looked up what these are. Some small circular rust areas on front suspension top mounts, engine bay pretty clean but could do with a good clean especially in the corners at the bottom of the windscreen, looks like crud from leaves etc after being sat in a garden for 6 years. Had a look under the car as best I could and looked fine but as it’s been stood in a garden for 6 years I suspect there will be corrosion somewhere, brake pipes etc would be a concern until up on a ramp and checked. Brakes looked ok, lipping on front discs but none on the rear discs. Rear brakes looked like they have been worked on but I suspect they haven’t been bled correctly, spongy pedal until pumped and then they are harder. Not sure if they just need to be bled or it’s a master cylinder issue. Bodywork: Car was still wet after the rain but it looked spot on with no rust anywhere apart from a couple of small chips on the edge of passenger front and rear doors and a small chip on the boot edge. Some rust on the drivers door, inside outer edge at the bottom where the bottom rubber seal is attached but just inside and not outside. Wouldn’t take much to sort at all. Drain holes in the doors looked fine with water draining out after the rain and testing the windows. There is a blackish colour inside the drain holes but I think this is the Waxoyl. The owner told me it had been Waxolyed and to be honest it shows because of the condition externally and round the doors etc, underneath might be different though. Original wheels are pretty bad (no surprise though) but the wheels on the car are pretty good. Carpets and interior were in excellent condition and all electric adjustments work. Not sure about the heated seats but I suspect they will work because everything else does. One thing that puzzled me is that there looked to be a colour difference between panels, boot lid to rear quarter. Rear quarter to doors. Bonnet to wings and wings to doors. But it seemed to change depending on the angle but didn’t ever look ‘right’, if that makes sense. Maybe it’s the particular colour as some of the cars I’ve seen for sale in this colour look similar. Test drive: Car isn’t taxed or insured so couldn’t do a decent test drive. However, I did do a small test drive round the corner to a supermarket and drive it round there. Seemed very smooth and changed gear fine. Most roads in the UK are not exactly smooth so I did drive over some bumps and small potholes, no clunks or knocks that I could detect. As mentioned above, the brakes need attention to be up to standard in my opinion. That’s all I can remember from this morning. Overall I think the car is in excellent condition and could very easily be made ‘mint’. But, there maybe more small blemishes when examined in the dry. I don’t think there will be much though at all. It runs very smooth given the lack of a proper test drive. A proper test drive may throw up some mechanical running gear issues but without taxing the car you wouldn’t be able to find out. This car was for sale on eBay approx 6 months ago and I remember it, ‘been stood in the garden for 6 years, put new battery on and it started first time’ was part the description. The current seller bought the car but I can’t remember how much it was up for or what it sold for. Where does that leave me? Well, I’m not wild about the colour but it’s pretty good and would look stunning when detailed etc. Bodywork is excellent so no issues there. Interior is excellent and everything works. It needs work on the brakes. Timing belt, water pump along with the pulleys etc need doing. Suspension may or may not need attention, suspect it does. Gearbox seems fine, it may not be but I suspect it is fine. Possible corrosion underneath after being stood for 6 years in a garden (where in the garden though....who knows) but may be fine if the underside has been Waxoyled, which I presume it would have been. I’ll have a think about it some more and maybe put in a really cheeky offer. I think given the ‘essay’ above, if I could get it for £1,000 it would be be worth buying and sorting out all the issues that need attention. What do you guys think? Is £1,000 a bit too cheeky😉 if anyone has any questions about the car I’ll answer them, if I can remember😀

Thanks for the information guys, especially on a Sunday morning. I’ve just arrived and it’s raining......looks like it will clear though. I’ve looked at the MOT history and doesn’t look bad to me after being garaged for a few years but I’ll have look at the car at least. Condition is more important to me as I can do most mechanical stuff myself. Cam belt is a bit of a worry just for the cost of having it done which I guess will be around £500 ish if I do it myself or around £1,000 if I get someone to do it. Anyway will have a look and take it from there.

Hi, my on/off quest to find a good LS400 at a reasonable price continues this morning and will be looking at the one in the link below. Not much time I know but I would appreciate any thoughts and information anyone may have. Apparently, the car was garaged for 6 years that’s why there is a gap in the MOT history. I’ll have a good look and report back the outcome in this post later. I’m always looking at LS400’s for sale, the Mrs definitely does not want me to buy one as they are a very big car and refuses to even consider driving it. So, I keep wavering between ‘I should be sensible and buy something else’ and ‘stuff it, I want one so going to buy one and deal with the consequences after’. At the moment I’m in the ‘stuff it........’ mode hence looking at this LS today😀 https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F202767659245

It's not for sale on the usual sites, Autotrader, Ebay etc. so I don't have any links to share sorry. I came across it by accident, if I decide not to go for it (which is probably the case as the Mrs really really really does not like the gold colour) I'll advise the seller to join this forum and post it for sale. I do know that the seller is waiting for better weather spring/summer before putting on Autotrader, eBay or somewhere else.

Hi, I went to look at a 1996 LS400 yesterday in Gold (I like Gold but the Mrs doesn't) with only 63,000 on the clock and though someone may be interested in what the car was like. I am/was looking for a MKIV but as this car was close to where I live and only 63,000 miles it was worth a look. Checked the usual stuff and I couldn't really find anything wrong apart from the brake discs are lipped on the front and will probably need replacing soon. The oil and transmission fluid looked like it had just been changed. Coolant the right colour and looked fine, couldn't seen any leaks from the power steering pump above the starter. Timing belt replaced at 36,000 quite a few years ago though, iirc. Car started first crack and engine sounded as smooth as silk. No untoward noises. Everything electrical worked as far as I could tell, steering wheel moved in both directions but didn't check the aerial for some reason...…...........I couldn't really tell if the heated seats worked as they should but judging from the way the car has been looked after they probably do work. LCD panels and dash were fine, no water in the boot. No knocking or concerning noises on the test drive, gear changes were very smooth. It wasn't practical to test the braking totally because of where the car is located but replacing discs/pads/callipers etc if needed isn't a issue and it wouldn't bother me at all. Bodywork is spot on, couldn't find any rust or damage (one light scratch on the off side but will buff out). A good wash and detail would make it sparkle like new I think. Car has done less than a 1,000 miles in the last 9 years, always garaged and really only taken out for the odd journey (mainly for it's annual service and MOT) Price...……………………£4,250, I'm a bit torn now whether to go for it or wait for a MKIV which ticks all the boxes for me (VVTi and satnav etc) I have also seen a 1998 MKIV in light metallic green (love the colour) 108,000, looks spot on and well looked after but it's 210 mile away priced at £3.675, would you think offering £3,000 or a bit more for this gold one is really cheeky?

Got the pics of the wing damage and it's right on the top of the drivers wing. Not really bad damage but it's not something I want to get involved repairing. I'll continue looking and have found a 1996 in gold which has only done 61,000 miles and it's close to where I live so will have a look at the weekend.

Well, I have some more information after speaking to the seller. Cambelt etc needs doing as it's not been done I'm told (I'd do this myself) but there is damage to one of the wings where a slate fell from a roof and hit the wing. I can't remember which wing (front or rear) or how bad but I've asked for some pictures. The colour is Pearl White which I really like and it's not common as far as I can tell. Yes it looks grubby inside but that doesn't put me off. I'll see if I get some pictures and take it from there.

Thanks for the advice, the car is 200 miles from where I live so hopefully it will be worth the journey. For the mileage it looks a pretty good price but I'll find out more at the weekend all being well.

Hi, seen this LS400 for sale on Gumtree. Looks decent to me and in white (which I quite like). Would be interested in what you guys think or maybe someone knows about the car? Thanks in advance https://www.gumtree.com/p/lexus/lexus-ls400-white-automatic-petrol-1995-saloon-car/1329175624

theflyingscotsman - credit were credit is due, I don’t think anyone can argue how good the car looks/is. I’m a bit surprised how many comments/debate this has produced though, but obviously you’re not😉 For the last 10 years or so I’ve had BMW M3’s so I know a fair bit about them. I did create a reply earlier saying that a 1998 BMW E36 M3 in the same condition and mileage etc would be a hell of a lot more than 9k to buy but I didn’t post it, didn’t feel it was appropriate and you can’t always compare different makes/models. Posted it now though😀 For me, at the moment, I don’t want to spend 9k on such a good LS400 and use it daily (80 mile daily commute to work) and it would literally be a ‘work’ car. I may change my mind during the search for one and I will get in touch if that’s the case thanks.

Many thanks for all the comments and opinions, I originally started looking at the LS430, my interest all stems from having an IS200 as a company car 2003 - 2007. The mrs loved driving it and I really liked it, I went from that to a car allowance and buying my own car (BMW E36 M3). When I first went to the Lexus garage in 2003 I looked at a brand new LS430 and was amazed at the quality, spec and all the toys. I now quite fancy the idea of a LS400 mk4, I do a lot of mechanical work myself so that side doesn’t bother me at all although doing a cam belt change may be beyond my skill but I don’t think so. Thanks again to everyone for all the comments and advice, I’ll keep looking for right one but not for 9k. There is another LS400 for sale 10 miles away from me, link below, it’s not a mk4 but I’ll pop down and have a look. https://www.stellarmotorcompany.co.uk/used-cars/lexus-ls-400-4-0-4dr-bolton-201807188558587

That was my feeling but it does look an excellent example and that commands a premium I suppose. It looks ‘as new’ as you could reasonably expect given the mileage etc. Maybe looking at it from the perspective of the original purchase price/condition/mileage, 9k isn’t it’s too bad but as you say the market dictates what a car is worth.

Just after some opinions on the LS400 for sale in the link below. Do you think it’s worth 9k? I’m looking for a decent mk4 but 9k...........don’t get me wrong, it’s a stunning car and looks like it belongs in a car collection, not used daily as I would use it. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F223312080918