1996 Lexus LS400 from North America - Comments

Nothing at all.

I love my LS400. It's an extremely comfortable car, with a very well thought out design, both inside and out.

The interior is very spacious, and all the controls are placed in perfect positions. For example, the stereo's volume control is a very large knob that is placed in the prime position so that the driver does not even have to look down to find it. The seats are very comfortable, covered in buttery smooth leather. The rear seat has generous space, and miles of leg-room.

The Nakamichi car in the car is simply amazing. It reproduces any type of music faithfully and accurately, ranging from classical to rap. The stock 8" subwoofer plays a major role in the greatness of the system. The CD changer is located in a prime place, in a box above the spacious glove compartment.

On the outside, the car is very handsome and elegant. The stock 16" wheels are shod with V-rated tires (rated for up to 149 mph), and are quite sticky, and help the big car to handle surprisingly well. The car exhibits lots of body roll, but grip is very good for a large luxo-sedan. The trunk is huge, easily swallowing 2 very large suitcases.

The engine is a work of art in itself. The engine compartment is very clean, with black plastic covers helping to keep it looking very good. The 4.0 liter V8 engine produces a healthy 260 hp, and 270 lb-ft. of torque. This gets the big car from 0-60 mph in a good 7.1 seconds. The car can hang with other, more performance oriented cars such as a (naturally aspirated) Nissan 300Z, or a BMW 328i sedan.

Come come now. I also own a Lexus LS 400 (95) and overall am extremely happy with it. In fact I bought it used because of its comfort, smoothness and reliability and yes, because of buying used, its value. Personally I like the exterior styling and suspension more in Audi's and BMWs, but feel they are overengineered and just have too many repair problems, therefore the Lexus.

But huge trunk space? Absolutely not. My former car, a first generation Acura Legend Coupe had much more trunk space, however, leg room for rear passengers was almost nonexistent whereas legroom in the Lexus is superb. A true touring car for 4 people. That being said, unless you are a boy racer, I would definitely recommend the LS400 to anyone, An awesome car. Only other thing I would like to see improved would be for it to have an extra inch or so of head room.

I own a 97 LS400 and it is simply AMAZING. Coach Edition leather makes the interior the nicest I have ever sat in. The transmission is FLAWLESS and as far as performance... the car was not designed to do that (get a GS if you want it... very nice). It is by far the quietest, smoothest car I have ever ridden in. I have never had a problem with it (aside from a dead battery which resulted in the local Lexus dealer picking it up on a flatbed, providing a loaner and returning it clean and as good as new). I questioned myself for spending that much money on a used car, but has been the smartest thing I have ever done (this after owning 20 cars and 7 motorcycles over the past 14 years). Sure... I would love another 500 horsepower while keeping its drivability, but it just isn't possible (and I'm not saying the car is slow.. it is just fine)

I will be buying a used ls400 with 130,000 miles on it for 10,000 this week, and after reading these reviews and watching my sister take her lexus to well over 100k, It has seemed like the best choice. luxury without losing performance.

I have just purchased a 1996 LS400 with 186,000 miles on the clock, Full service history from Lexus up to 179,000 miles, The car is faultless all except a few stone chips here and there. I took it to kwik fit to have the oil changed and drove it on the ramp myself, when I got out of the car I did not turn off the engine as I had only done about a mile and the engine was still cold, without realising the mechanic raised the ramp, by the time I walked over to him he was stood under the car saying this is nice not a drop of oil to be seen anywhere on the engine, I then suggested he lowered the ramp to turn off the engine, he looked quite shocked when I showed him the slight exhaust coming out of the pipes, he said your joking its never running I was standing under the sump and couldn't hear it, and after the oil change I now have to look at the rev counter to see if its started. I cannot believe how good this car is, I have owned several merc's and jags and they don't hold a candle to this sheep in wolves clothing. Well done Lexus and keep up the good work. I feel like royalty when driving it. I even purchased a new private plate for it so no one would guess how old it is.

I own 2 Lexus. My wife drives a 99 LS400 and I drive a 98 GS400. I bought the LS400 brand new for myself, but when my wife started driving it she fell in love. I did not expect to buy another car so soon. In June 1999 I had taken the LS400 in for its 1000 mile service when I saw the GS400. I test drove it and the salesman said they had just got it in the day before and mentioned it was nearly impossible to find a used GS400. I had him write up the contract the second we got back to the dealer. I have no regrets buying either of the cars. The LS400 has close to 80000 miles and the GS400 has 60000. Nothing has gone wrong with either. I have at least one offer a month to buy the GS400 but I won't part with it. I think I'm going to drive these cars into the ground because I don't see a point in spending the money when I have something like new.

Hello. I own a 1995 LS400 with 78,000 miles. I looked forever to find one with low miles and a original owner. This Lexus is an unbelievable car, very quite and enjoyable to drive at anytime of the day. I receive comments on the pristine condition of the Lexus all the time. This car is in the garage and I use it only on weekends when I go out for dinner. The quality is unbelievable, Toyota of course!!

The only repairs that needed to be done was the replacement of the battery. I had the usual timing belt and water pump changed just for a piece of mind. The Lexus looks like new,

and hard to replace a car like this one. When the Lexus was new in 1995 the price tag was around 45,000. That is a lot of car in those days! I would buy another Lexus any day.

I have friends that have had MZB and Beemers they are always in the shop for expensive repairs. Thanks Toyota for engineering such a great luxury car. Keep up the good work!!!