1998 Lexus LS400 from North America - Comments

The front tires need to be changed out. No issues at all.

A close friend was the orig. owner,& He was taken advantage of by the local Lexus dealership. For example: @60,000 miles he dropped the car off for a routine minor service.(Oil etc) The car was operating perfectly as always. Yet they installed: A new Rack & Pinion steering system, new power steering pump, Timing belt, All pulleys & gears connected to the timing belt & A new water pump. His minor service cost $5,000!! I swear this is the truth & have all records of the work since the car was new. My friend is in his 70's & they always told him the car might break down on the highway. So he always said "whatever it needs, just do it" -- trusting in blind faith. He just purchased a new 2008 edition, & the Lexus dealer offered him exactly $5,000 for this gorgeous 1998 car in trade. I happily paid my friend considerably more than what the dealer offered him.

Other "needed" services were also rather suspect & costly at the same dealerhip. Needless to say, I will take the car elsewhere for maintenance.

This car is stunning & pristine in every respect! It has been garaged & meticulously maintained (see above) since new. My 1998 LS 400 Currently has 66,000 miles on it & There is no sign of any wear on the car at all. The premium build quality & high caliber materials are very apparent. Even after 10 years it honestly looks new. In particular, paint & interior materials are top quality indeed.

The car has a fine navigation system & the audio system is amazing! (Except that it has an utterly annoying & inconvenient CD changer setup).

Driving performance is outstanding & the smoothness of the drive train is wonderful-Creamy smooth & silky. I've previously owned an Infiniti Q45, which really does not compare to this car in so many respects.

I love the car & am fortunate that it has come into my care. I'll continue to give it proper treatment for a long while. (Rest assured that when my buddy tires of his 2008 edition, I will be at the standby to snap it up!)

I think the dealer that the former owner of your car went to should be in jail. There are LS400s out there with 350000 miles that have never had a rack and pinion problem.

Wow, sounds like You found yourself a NICE, low mileage & well maintained (perhaps overly maintained) 98 400LS! Congrats., the car should last for a very long time. You're right about the overall quality of the car being so superb. And yes as well about the fussy CD changer setup you mentioned. Its odd, everything is where it ought to be, and is easy to operate, so the clumsy fumbling with the Cd's is out of place in a 400LS.

Anyhow, just wanted to say that I hope you enjoy your car for a long time!

Hello again, I initially posted this thread back on May 1st 2008. I'd just recently acquired my friend's 1998 LS400 with very low miles (66,000) & full service history. WOW!

Now the car is turning 70,000 miles. I drove it to Northern California in July & got a steady 27 mpg, & cruised effortlessly all the way. The car only needed an alignment & new tires for the trip. Everything continues to operate perfectly.

I polished the car with the ZAINO line of products & the finish looks absolutely as NEW (pearlescent white). I am 51 years old, have had many-many cars all my life, including Jaguar, MBZ, Infiniti, & Cadillacs. This Lexus LS simply does everything at least as well as the others, & with such little fuss... I could not be happier.

I was able to buy a 3 year bumper to bumper service contract that covers virtually everything except tires & brake pads & wiper blades. This will be a trouble free experience all in all. If you can find a truly nice example of this car, go for it! Happy motoring to all!

I own a 1995 LS400 and couldn't be happier. The car is whisper silent, powerful, secure and super dependable. I plan on owning it for at least another 5 years - only to eventually replace it with one as nice as yours! Great review!

I have a 1998 Lexus LS400 with 93000 miles as of this date 03/02/2009...It received a 90K miles scheduled maintenance at the lexus dealership completed by the prior owners. Is there anything I must be wary of in the next 30K miles like starter failure? Alternator failure? I really want to do my own maintenance on this vehicle but I wondered if it required any special tools which I do not have. Anyone out there that with 98 ls 400 give me some basic tips in maintenance and parts you have already replaced so that I can prepare myself. I like preventing breakdowns.

High Cost of Repairs with these cars...

Was the timing belt done? I checked on mine and the records since new stated that it had not.. so I'll be doing mine soon.. starters are not a big issue unless the battery goes... mine fried the starter.. one brake caliper is stuck.. probably due to overload of salt use on the roads.. other than that nothing really major goes on these cars..

My father has a high mile 91 and the only trouble area on his are alternators... I checked with my dealer when I was considering getting my 98 and they said the alternators are not an issue on the 98. You may have to do replacements on the usual stuff.. brake pads, etc but there should be nothing really major.. again just fluke the battery fried my starter..

Hope this helps!

Greetings again. I posted the original comment regarding my 1998 LS400 just about one year ago, on May 1st 2008. So here is my one year Update on my 1998 LS400:

The car continues to be nearly trouble free, driven in daily Los Angeles stop 'n go traffic. I'm nearing 75,000 miles as of today, and the car retains the wonderful finish from the Zaino polish applied last September. FYI - I honestly recommend the Zaino detailing products. Simply incomparable finish! Although some real labor is required to apply several layers of protection. It's well worth the efforts- to those of you who like to detail your vehicles.

Anyway, I have had the car in for repair twice in the past year.

1st - a pair of tie rod bushings were worn, generating a slight vibration. These were replaced under extended warranty at no cost to me. (cost would have been approx $475)

2nd - The check engine light come on, and it turned out to be an oxygen sensor needing replacement. This was also covered by my warranty (approx. $350).

Other than these 2 minor services, only wheel balancing, rotation, and oil changes have been needed. I wonder if the bumper to bumper 3 year extended service warranty will even pay for itself

@ $2,100. Since I have 2 more years of protection, who knows?

Everything else is absolutely perfect in operation and appearance. No complaints, and have received many compliments from folks who appreciate the car.

Anyhow, I hope these updates are of value (or interest) to those of you who might be considering one of these fine cars... No, it is NOT an exciting drivers car, rather it is really an exceptional daily driver, that does its job with dignity and ageless grace. What's not to like?

I look forward to acquiring an LS430 as my next vehicle. I'd really appreciate the Ultra Luxury package of options, since I love gadgets so much. But that will wait until I run this LS400 for a good while longer. All the best, & happy motoring to all!

I am about to purchase a 1998 LS400 that was a repo... my first used car purchase since I was in high school. After reading all of the reviews I think I am doing the right thing. They tell me there are issues with the power steering - maybe the pump or worse the rack... but at $2,500 I think it's a deal. To the person who got the extended warranty... who was that through?