1991 Lexus LS

LS400 Sedan

8 Cylinder 4.0 Liter

Automatic

JT8UF11E0M0073955

Gasoline

Herein Lies the Legend of "Lulabelle the Lexus" of Palmdale, CA! She was born in 1991 to my neighbors across the street - I moved in to the neighborhood in 1998, so I watched the husband drive her to work every day for about 9 years or so... One morning I was about to leave the driveway, and he was out in the front of his home with a tow truck and Lulabelle. I leaned out the window like a good Samaritan and asked him if he needed a lift into town - he told me he was donating the car to charity. He had bought a new Lexus, and since his wife could no longer drive, she wanted him to get rid of her. I joked that as long as he was in a charitable mood, I could use a car like that. He said if I wanted to take it around the block a few times and give him $500, it was all mine... Boy, was the "charity" tow truck driver mad! He took him aside and said he would beat whatever I had offered him! The man just smiled and said, No, that my business had done a lot of good things for his company in the past, and that if I wanted it, there was no amount that would change his mind! At that time, she had about 341,000 miles on her. He let me know that he had put new Michelins on her, and replaced the Nakamichi stereo in the last year or so. The only real problem was with one of the air shocks - it was sagging, and they were real expensive to fix! He said he was relieved that he would still see Lulabelle every day! I found a conversion kit in Washington state for about $2,000 to convert all the shocks to gas instead of air! That way, the cost to replace the shocks would be about $89 instead of over $1,000 each! Over the next three years, I replaced the battery, the alternator, a power steering hose, the plugs and wires, the right front knuckle-spindel, and the idle control motor. I also had to replace the front left chrome rim after some kids threw a big chunk of concrete out in the street and gave me a flat. That is all I have done to her besides changing the oil religiously every 3,000 miles. Did I mention that the motor is ORIGINAL? - at 381,000+ miles!!! There are no knocks or pings in it whatsoever - I bet it will run to 500,000! The funny thing is this: I am in the same position now as my neighbor was 3 years ago...I just bought a 1997 Lexus LS400 with only 207,000 miles on it! You can see from the photos that it is in pretty good shape for an almost 20 year old vehicle - the dark green (almost looks black) paint is in good shape, except for an area around the right rear bumper. There are some nicks, chips and scratches typical for a car that age. The interior is in good shape - I can't think of anything that does not work, other than the air conditioning does not blow cold. Also, there is a tiny crack in the windshield. With 1 teenage driver and another one about to drive in my household, I figured that I would just keep Lulabelle as a third car. Two things happened this week to change all that: 1) My family surprised me with a BMW 740i for my 50th Birthday...and 2) Lulabelle was diagnosed with a bad starter! The mechanic said it takes about $475 in labor to change the starter. It kills me to sell her as a parts car, because she runs like a bat out of hell! That motor is unbelievable! A new starter is only about $150 and there are used ones on ebay for as low as $60. Maybe there is a mechanic out there somewhere who would like to donate his or her labor to help save Lulabelle from being parted out. I just took the insurance off her today...It takes about 5 or 6 times now turning the key for her to start, and she runs ok...for now. I drove her yesterday for the last time. We are all praying that Lulabelle gets a shot at 500K!!! IMPORTANT UPDATE!!: I HAVE BEEN ASKED IF I ACTUALLY BOUGHT THE SHOCK CONVERSION KIT, OR JUST LOCATED IT - YES, I BOUGHT IT FOR ABOUT $2,000 AND HAD IT INSTALLED FOR ABOUT $500 - MAYBE IT CAN BE USED ON ANOTHER LEXUS - ASK YOUR MECHANIC! - THAT MAY SOLVE THE "SAGGING AIR SHOCK PROBLEM" YOU MAY BE EXPERIENCING NOW OR IN THE FUTURE! ALSO, I HAVE ALREADY BEEN OFFERED $800-1000 TO END THIS AUCTION EARLY - I REALLY WANTED TO SEE SOME ACTION/BIDDING ON THIS, SO I AM LOWERING THE START PRICE TO $800 - THE POLISHED RIMS AND TIRES ALONE SHOULD BE WORTH THAT MUCH - GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!! Auction starts at $1,000 and will run for 7 days! Buyer is buying the car in its "present as is condition". I took lots of pictures - you be the final judge on price! Local pick-up or Buyer can arrange for shipping. (Normally I would not hesitate to take her anywhere in the state or USA, but not with the starter problem). Please use Paypal within 24 hours of end of auction. USA Only - NO International Bidders please! Over 1600 transactions with 100% feedback! Bid with confidence - Good Luck to All!