The automotive landscape looked very different in 1989, on the eve of Lexus’s debut. At that time, Japanese cars were primarily seen as reliable but cheap, and nobody expected an Asian luxury car to rival Europe’s best.
Honda had already debuted the upscale Acura brand, but front-wheel-drive, six-cylinder vehicles—no matter how nicely they drove—did not fall into the same segment as rear-wheel-drive, V-8-powered saloons from BMW, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz.
Toyota was not shy about taking on the old guard. Its newly formed premium marque came out of the gate with the LS400. It was a big RWD sedan powered by an advanced 4.0-liter V-8, much like the one recently sold on eBay in Orlando, Fla.
Ultra-Smooth
Lexus spent years studying the luxury car market in America, analyzing what kind of “thunk” customers wanted to hear when they shut a door, and the wood grain they preferred on the dashboard. Lexus knew they had one shot at changing public perception.
As a result, Lexus over-engineered everything. The V-8 was robust, with 250 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, and delivered that power more smoothly than anything else on the market. Famously, a Lexus TV commercial showed a delicately balanced pyramid of wine glasses stacked on the hood of an LS400. Even as the car, placed on rollers, accelerated to 145 miles per hour, the glass tower remained unperturbed.
That translated to a cabin with vault-like silence, just one superior aspect of the Lexus LS400’s ultra-comfortable ride and impeccable road manners. The suspension was tuned to erase bumps and potholes. Engineers molded tiny dimples into the underbody to help the car slice through the air like a golf ball.
The Lexus LS400 Lasts a Lifetime
To ensure quality, Toyota built the LS400 using newly implemented manufacturing standards stricter than any used on its previous vehicles. The company cranked up its legendary reliability to the nth degree. Three decades later, you still see LS400s in great shape on the road in higher numbers than Bimmers or Jags of similar vintage.
The example for sale on eBay is a 1993 model. With 72,243 miles on the odometer, it’s barely broken in. This one displays a standout two-tone motif from the era: white over silver. The garaged car has no scratches. The undercarriage is rust-free. A regular timing belt replacement in 2020 suggests this V-8 will be humming along for many years to come. The new struts and tires will keep the ride as smooth as it was when it left the factory.
You can find more affordable Lexus LS400s, likely with more miles and a few dents. Less pristine examples could serve as delightful trouble-free transportation for a few thousand dollars less. On the other hand, a lucky new owner spent around $10,000 on this 1993 Lexus LS400 and might never need to buy another car.
