Thinking of taking over a single owner 1994 LS400 with 45,000 KM on the odometer (forty five thousand). The car is basically immaculate. Just want to get some opinions on whether this will be a wise choice? The car will be driven maybe twice a week or so and not more than 5 KM at a time. Anyone have any idea what to look out for when getting one of these? Also are parts available and reasonably priced here? How much does a service at lexus cost in Bangkok and how many times would I need to do it per year?

 

Thanks in advance guys

It's basically a Toyota isn't it?

3 minutes ago, giddyup said:

It's basically a Toyota isn't it?

Hopefully we'd be able to service it at a toyota dealership too.

Check what ancillaries have been replaced( if any ) Starter motor, Battery, Plug leads, Cooling hoses, etc. It is very low mileage for the year but the heat here ages components quickly especially plastic and rubber.  Good chance that suspension rubbers, tie-rod ends and drive shaft boots are all in poor shape unless it has been garaged in a cooler environment or regularly serviced.

Plenty of independent garages able to perform simple servicing on older Lexus models.

26 minutes ago, Pdaz said:

Check what ancillaries have been replaced( if any ) Starter motor, Battery, Plug leads, Cooling hoses, etc. It is very low mileage for the year but the heat here ages components quickly especially plastic and rubber.  Good chance that suspension rubbers, tie-rod ends and drive shaft boots are all in poor shape unless it has been garaged in a cooler environment or regularly serviced.

Plenty of independent garages able to perform simple servicing on older Lexus models.

Thanks for the reply. I'll check out all of those things you mentioned when I see the car. Would a once a year service done by the previous owner be a good sign of how the car's condition is? I don't think I would have access to the actual service history and see all the parts that have been changed but I could be wrong.

 

What drew me to the car is the very low mileage and how clean everything looked including the engine bay (I have only seen it in photos). However low mileage could also mean the car was basically in storage for many years.

 

Edit: here is the car in question : https://www.one2car.com/for-sale/lexus-ls400-กร-งเทพและปร-มณฑล-กาญจนาภ-เษก/3487052

Solid car through & through....Should have the same drivetrain as the SC400 if it is original.....

Toyota spent something like $400,000,000. during the development of that new engine platform....

It could run on forever & be fine, but, my question would be part availability here.....Even in the US where they were well accepted age would suggest that parts could be a problem as there's  NO commonality with Toyota....

Everybody I knew that owned one loved their cars....Seem to remember one that had a power window concern.....

I believe 1994 would have been year 3 of that platform....

 

This is from the US.....

 

They're prouder of them here...

9 hours ago, giddyup said:

It's basically a Toyota isn't it?

That old chestnut again.

 

Drive one first, and see if you still think the same.

They are great cars. Just don't believe the mileage. Usually second hand car dealers do everything for a car to look like new. Repaint the whole car, change seats etc. Toyota usually will service Lexus cars but not sure about such old cars. Probably yes but check with them first. Also you can ask someone to take a look at the Lexus and see if any other major repairs are required, I.e engine etc

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The quietest V8 engine car i  ever owned, superb , exept for its realy bland look.Thanks for the memory i realy had forgotten it.Go for it, you could have a fantastic ride with a bit of luck. Steering Wheel moved when you got in n out i recal, lots of other gizmo gear i never used but the Ex used it mainly.Time Flys.

Just checked It was 32k GBP back then on the road,bit more now though, twin turbo Supra is what I traded it in for little loss, those days won't come back


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6 hours ago, Robert24 said:

They are great cars. Just don't believe the mileage. Usually second hand car dealers do everything for a car to look like new. Repaint the whole car, change seats etc. Toyota usually will service Lexus cars but not sure about such old cars. Probably yes but check with them first. Also you can ask someone to take a look at the Lexus and see if any other major repairs are required, I.e engine etc

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Is this really a thing a lot of used car sellers do here? Swap out the gauge cluster etc? The shop does look to be genuine, I will check out some of his other cars on sale and see whether they are all low mileage cars.

If the car has been well cared for and low mileage, there should be some service receipts / service schedule stamps.  Check those to see of the Car, km and dates correspond with the odometer reading.  

 

If the records are missing or do not match, the odometer reading may be fiddled.  

24 minutes ago, Jitar said:

If the car has been well cared for and low mileage, there should be some service receipts / service schedule stamps.  Check those to see of the Car, km and dates correspond with the odometer reading.  

 

If the records are missing or do not match, the odometer reading may be fiddled.  

100% agree with this statement. Usually if the mileage is genuine then the dealer will have zero issues supplying the evidence to support it.

 

If they start making excuses then it is very likely the mileage is not genuine. They will swap all the parts that show wear and tear and paint here and there. 

 

I was looking for a low mileage Lexus IS200/altezza and found a few that showed low mileage on the odo but showed all the signs of being tampered with. 

41 minutes ago, madhav said:

100% agree with this statement. Usually if the mileage is genuine then the dealer will have zero issues supplying the evidence to support it.

 

If they start making excuses then it is very likely the mileage is not genuine. They will swap all the parts that show wear and tear and paint here and there. 

 

I was looking for a low mileage Lexus IS200/altezza and found a few that showed low mileage on the odo but showed all the signs of being tampered with. 

I'm starting to think that this might actually be too good to be true. but either way, I will go see the car this weekend and I will for sure ask for the service history.

 

Does anyone know how to say service history / service booklet in Thai?

If it's like the US a dealer can pull up some info off the vin....

Recalls, warranty work, etc.....

If they can it would show dates versus odometer....

The green book might also give a mileage trail - as well as owners....

16 hours ago, doctorproc156 said:

Is this really a thing a lot of used car sellers do here? Swap out the gauge cluster etc? The shop does look to be genuine, I will check out some of his other cars on sale and see whether they are all low mileage cars.

Yes, it does happen, but 'a lot' or similar is overdone. Problem is there is no register, so you have to check yourself based on service history etc.

45,000Kms, 17 years old ... unlikely. It is easy with the right box to get the car to tell you its history, if you have the expertise. So adjusting the history is also easy.

Looks good ... so it should

Price ... difficult to ...UK have Cap and Glasses guide plus every paper shop has a car price guide book. Thailand has 'The Red Book' google it, never impressed me too much though. 

 

If you buy it someone will be impressed when they see you driving those 5Kms twice a week. Short runs are not exactly the best for a car though.  

 

I have just found out that Bing Translation is not that bad ... sometimes 

16 hours ago, doctorproc156 said:

I'm starting to think that this might actually be too good to be true. but either way, I will go see the car this weekend and I will for sure ask for the service history.

 

Does anyone know how to say service history / service booklet in Thai?

Recently purchased a Mk6 golf GTI. Shortlisted a few then went to take a look in person. 

 

First one price was good, mileage was good, asked to see the service records, he showed me an a book with no stamps. So I showed him it and he looked irritated and started complaining etc and sharing his distaste how foreigners ask for so much information and most of the time don't even buy the car. Basically said if you like it you should buy it, otherwise don't waste my time. We explained (in Thai) that we like it but would like to know the service history. Said his brother will contact the owner and he will contact the workshop etc etc... waited and nothing happened. He was very rude, so I didn't want his business and he didn't sppear to care anyhow.

 

The next dealer was such a contrast, he was going out of his way to actually help. Service records were intact and corresponded correctly in terms of date and mileage. So I bought that car.

 

However what I did learn is that many Thai's simply don't service their cars, they just keep driving them until something goes wrong. So this is likely why they won't have service records. 

Let's see ... 5 km twice a week. And you are willing to pay 279K to do this ?  As well as pay for maintenance, car washes, Yada Yada Yada ... Sounds like you do not need a car.

45,000Kms, 17 years old ... unlikely. It is easy with the right box to get the car to tell you its history, if you have the expertise. So adjusting the history is also easy.
Looks good ... so it should
Price ... difficult to ...UK have Cap and Glasses guide plus every paper shop has a car price guide book. Thailand has 'The Red Book' google it, never impressed me too much though. 
 
If you buy it someone will be impressed when they see you driving those 5Kms twice a week. Short runs are not exactly the best for a car though.  
 
I have just found out that Bing Translation is not that bad ... sometimes 

It's 23 years old if it's 1994 model.

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Superb build quality, legendary reliability and a wholly credible alternative to the big German barges in its day.

 

But no spare parts in Thailand and parts are very expensive.  I know this for sure as a friend here had this model LS400 when they were fairly new and I hand carried some parts for him from the UK.

 

It has done less than 800 km per year which suggests either the mileage is fiddled or, perhaps, reflects how hard it is to keep this relatively complex vehicle up and running without parts and local support. 

Superb build quality, legendary reliability and a wholly credible alternative to the big German barges in its day.
 
But no spare parts in Thailand and parts are very expensive.  I know this for sure as a friend here had this model LS400 when they were fairly new and I hand carried some parts for him from the UK.
 
It has done less than 800 km per year which suggests either the mileage is fiddled or, perhaps, reflects how hard it is to keep this relatively complex vehicle up and running without parts and local support. 

Agree mileage is unrealistic. If it's 45k km and 23 years it would be 2000km per year.

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Yes.  You are right on the mileage.

 

Back to school for me.

 

Still very low for a luxo-barge cruiser designed to munch up km.

Depends on the situation.... We have 3 cars here in Thailand.....

Two of those cars go less than 1,000k a year - maybe once a week for a local errand, about 20k just to keep them active - sometimes more, but not often....

That type of use would have the mileage @ roughly 2,000 per year.....It might have been used for trips or when needed as a larger car....The condition of the interior leather may indicate light or heavy use.....

On 5/30/2017 at 1:49 PM, doctorproc156 said:

Is this really a thing a lot of used car sellers do here? Swap out the gauge cluster etc? The shop does look to be genuine, I will check out some of his other cars on sale and see whether they are all low mileage cars.

Check for general wear in the car...the seats, pedals, etc. It could be genuine but who knows. As others said, check rubber components as the degrade over time. Hopefully they will allow a test drive. Also, look for flood damage (from 2011). Check the boot area and spare wheel well.

12 minutes ago, DavisH said:

Check for general wear in the car...the seats, pedals, etc. It could be genuine but who knows. As others said, check rubber components as the degrade over time. Hopefully they will allow a test drive. Also, look for flood damage (from 2011). Check the boot area and spare wheel well.

Pulling the/a door panel(s) is best for a flood check....Probably not viable in this case....

Thanks for all the replies guys,

 

I've decided to not go for the LS 400 and instead I've decided to go for a 2005 LS 430 with 86,600 KM on the odometer.

 

This car has a full service history with Lexus and I've seen it and everything checks out.

 

The car also has much more features and is overall just a much more modern car. It drove great too when I tested it.

 

I am going to pay about 700,000 which I think is a perfectly fair price for the car I'm getting.

Good choice & good luck....!

Drivers seat tells all..........