BMW,
pull down with the kidney grill, okay,
it's gonna be okay to change it up,
nobody's gonna be mad.
I'm Alex, Alex.fi in Instagram,
and today we're gonna be taking it back
to a nostalgic meal your mom makes
every time you come visit.
There is a car platform
just like it that's kept it clean,
kept it classy,
kept it looking like a snack with two C's,
a car that has, without a doubt,
become the one of the only cars
to get when it comes to the VIP car scene,
a car that is the poster boy of Suicideboy tracks
right now for TikTok videos.
Today, ladies and gentlemen,
we're talking about you wanting to own
a Lexus LS 400.
(makes sound)
- Or,
you can man the (makes sound) up,
put yourself on some coilovers,
slam the ground,
and be baller as hell and stunt on some homies.
(upbeat music)
- And if you're just coming into this channel
for the first time,
hello.
Look me in the eyes.
Wash your damn hands, okay?
Don't touch your face,
and don't forget to subscribe
so we can keep making banging videos like this,
and if you're looking for aftermarket wheels,
tires, or suspension for your Lexus LS 400
that you just acquired,
or any other vehicle that you're possibly
looking to build right now
since you're stuck at home and you have a garage bill
that you need to get done
but you're not gonna get done
because you're procrastinating,
check us out over at
fitmentindustries.com,
where we literally have everything,
from work to rotiform,
BC coilovers, airlift, all that sort of good stuff,
and on top of that,
we partnered with Airlift to do a giveaway
this month, you can enter in to win,
pick up one of these, or T-shirt or sweatshirt,
sweatshirt's super dope,
and every five dollars gets you an automatic entry
into win,
and we're gonna be making a donation at the end
of the giveaway,
plus, we pretty much have everything,
literally, I'm not even kidding you,
like Heritage and stuff too, Volk, pretty neat.
The F1 Flagship, AKA Number One,
AKA Circle F, or LS 400,
as it's now known,
certainly known as Lexus' flagship model
for their introduction into the global market
to go into the ring with brands like
Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Jaguar, okay?
Don't say Jaguar.
The car had no timeline for initial creation,
it had no strict budget,
it had no major outline
other than to beat the other cars out there
and that's pretty much what they aimed to do
with the end result being near a billion dollar
design process and five years of development.
The Lexus LS, or Luxury Sedan Series,
was born, had a brand new heartbeat in there,
brand new motor,
had never been seen before,
luxury features
that not many out there had at the time, okay,
and was ultimately the reason that Lexus
was even put on the map.
It had such incredible success in the market
right when it went out the door,
but it did take a couple two, three pennies
for that to actually happen.
There are over 1,400 engineers on the project,
over 2,300 technicians
just on the creation of the Circle F.
220 support people just to be there
in case somebody needed a shoulder to cry on
in case something went bad,
and over 450 vehicle prototypes were made
until they got to the final revision.
They had 900 different engine variants,
2.7 million kilometers in testing.
I am not getting loud,
but (makes sound) man, that's a lot of (makes sound).
- Watch your profanity.
- Toyota gave Lexus a blank check
and Lexus used every single penny
on this car, and it was birth into Haraichi,
which sounds weird when I say it like that,
but it was the only thing I could come up with at the time.
The Lexus LS series began entering the world in 1989.
They took everything they learned
from their study programs,
from Laguna Beach, California,
which they actually just sat and watched people
which is a little bit creepy when you think about it,
and sent it off into the world.
The Lexus LS 400 hit the market with the price tag
of right around 35,000 dollars,
which was insanely undercutting,
the competition of BMW, Mercedes-Benz at the time,
and it just upset about everyone.
BMW was even angry enough
to claim that they were selling the car
below cost, and was actually hemorrhaging the brand.
The world never really experienced
a Japanese luxury car like this
that had a price tag like that,
and it was insane, not only that
but the first generation LS 400
has new technology
like SRS airbags and tilt electronic steering wheels
and power adjustable shoulder seatbelts,
like, let me just wow,
and it had a chromic rear view mirror,
which, I mean, sure.
Not only that,
but the fancy interior and a leather interior
made it just about as good
as the other OG's in the game,
if not, better,
because you didn't have to worry about it blowing up.
You could even get the car with gold badging
and air suspension if you wanted to be the cool,
middle-aged adult that lived in SoCal.
The biggest thing with this car though
is that both literally and figuratively,
was the fact that it was a big boy.
It was wide,
it was large and in charge.
It was a car that could fit five people,
like adults, reliably.
It could be reliable to drive,
and not terrible to work on
because it was still a Toyota.
These were all things
that the other competitors just couldn't deal with,
and Lexus was even faster to improve the car
as feedback came in.
Even when Lexus was faced with voluntary recalls,
Lexus pivoted that whole thing
and used it as an opportunity
to show the world how incredible
their customer service team was at the time,
and it was touted as one of the best experiences
and voluntary recall ever took place in the industry.
Lexus was becoming the goody two-shoes
that transferred into a new public school
that you're judging silently from the back of the class,
it was just they were too good.
Additional generations would come out
for the LS 400
with a constant eye looking behind
the first generation LS 400,
which was something that Japanese car companies
have a real focus towards doing.
When you look at Kazuo Okamoto,
ha, Dakota, try finding that picture,
chief designer for the LS 400
stated that a tradition cannot be founded
if you reject the first generation.
(makes sound)
That was the attitude that Lexus carried on
this flagship car,
and their launch into the world.
Everything they did was to try and capture
and show their perfection
and respect to the craft of building a car,
something that wasn't really publicly talked about
in the U.S. market, it was more about the person,
it was more about that the car was a facet
of a person's personality,
whereas the Lexus and the LS 400
was a car that demanded respect in its own regards
but helped you along the way.
The newer generations would get a bit more boxy,
they get cleaner, optimized it
using feedback from dealerships, repair shops,
and consumers because ultimately,
it still was a brand new car,
and it still had a few quirks and features
that needed to get fixed.
But just like the goody two-shoes in public school,
eventually he did run into a teacher
that didn't like him.
One of my good friends Michael experienced that
with Mrs. Richardson in English Class.
The second generation,
well better in almost every way,
was now fighting for its life with tariffs,
and potentially getting hit on their flagship vehicle
which would've taken the price of that car
from 51,000 almost all the way up to 100,000 dollars.
Needless to say,
because of the impending doom and the constant pressure
of battling the yen to the USD at the time,
the second generation LS 400 didn't have as much success
as the initial generation
because it just didn't have as much money.
The second generation, the transmission would receive
an extra gear, engine would become even further refined,
bumping it up to a hare under 300 horsepower,
and the technology became even more fancy
for the Japanese luxury maker.
The 400 would inevitably be replaced
by the 430, which would carry the LS lineage
up into the 2,000's and continue
to be the company's flagship vehicle
until, well,
I mean, then they came out with the 460s,
which are pretty cool, even bigger.
And now, Lexus has the LS 500,
which is pretty much,
it's pretty much a spaceship.
But we're not here to talk about
just the history of the LS 400, oh no.
If you want that,
just turn your cereal box around
and learn some fun facts while you cut out your Box Top.
I don't even know if they still do that,
but I feel like I'ma have aged myself
and I feel uncomfortable.
No, we're here to talk about
you wanting to own one of these bad boys.
So you want a Lexus LS 400.
Well, all right, sit down your three piece wheels
and grab your favorite chrome cleaner
because we're about to talk what it's like
to actually own one of these massive,
beautiful, 90s, Japanese luxury vehicles is actually like,
and this is a run-on sentence
but I'm just so excited cause these cars are bangers.
The Lexus LS 400 from the point
of just a reliability standpoint,
and not even modifying them,
just reliability,
is just like cheating the system.
The cars are incredibly,
incredibly bulletproof,
with the exception of insuring
you get the power steering pumper place
and keep an eye on the electronics,
because just like every other car in the world
that came out in the 90's,
electronics can get a little bit,
you know, funky.
Another potential pain point could be the EGR,
which is an exhaust gas recirculation thingy,
and the good old starter.
Besides that,
these are cars that are about
as comfortable as you can get
and have a price point that makes them available
for pretty much any type of enthusiast out there.
Now, the LS 400 are known
for being bulletproof,
they're known for being one of the most reliable
vehicles you can get out there,
and that is why sometimes
the prices can be a little bit higher,
but not many people know that, especially older individuals.
The LS 400's feature motor and transmission
that refuses to die.
The body style was revolutionary at the time,
then got hit with the old date stick,
but now has actually hit the perfect look
for modifying especially in 2020,
because it is a boxy big car.
In terms of workmanship and quality,
the LS 400 is like your grandmother's cookies,
they just don't ever disappoint.
Lexus gets a ton of love
and it's almost all for good reason.
They're just simply good cars,
and even as a used car,
they're still a good car.
The community for the LS 400 is awesome as well,
but don't buy these cars and expect them
that you're gonna be like,
you know,
super fast.
People buy LS 400's to turn them
into comfortable daily drivers.
They turn them into VIP cruisers
or they turn them into clean stance cars,
but they aren't a car you'd buy
to brag about speed.
If you do that, you're just going to end up
having a few question mark pings thrown at you
when you try bragging about it into the community,
because that's not what they're meant to do.
Most people that pick up these cars
end up going with air suspension
because they just look good,
or they end up going static with BC coilovers,
stretchier tires like Nankangs and Federals,
and go straight to three piece wheels
if they can afford it.
Now, most people will end up running
one piece at least for a season or two,
but they'll end up finding themselves
picking up at least a blocky five spoke or six spoke
because blocky-style wheels look best on these cars.
You'll see a ton of Lexus LS community people
going into the Weds, WORK, SSR,
and other Japanese wheel brands
because of how well blocky wheels
compliment the blocky body style
and to make it more period correct
to the fact that the car came from Japan
and the wheels are also from Japan.
Parts are common for this platform
through always suppliers,
and junkyards will still have a few early generation
body styles floating around for quick, cheap parts
if you need them.
Granted that it's still a glorified Toyota
so you're still gonna get incredibly reliable platforms
without necessarily having to worry about anything.
You're pretty much are gonna find your way
around the engine, interior,
and even the electronics
really kind of sort of easily because it's still a Toyota.
They're not as scary as the competitor counterparts
like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, or even Porsche.
The LS 400 was built with the perfect mentality,
it was meant to be affordable, well-built,
a strong foundation, and craftsmanship with care.
It was like the perfect definition of what Japan
wanted it to be shown into a car,
that mentality is what is allowed this car
to survive the last 30 years,
and still carries a mentality of people knowing
that this is the car for reliability.
You type it in on Google
and that's the only thing you see people talk about,
it is the car for quality
and it was the car to be a fantastic daily driver
for an automotive enthusiast that just wants something
that won't betray them on the highway
and leave them stranded like their project car
that's sitting in the garage.
Throw it a little bit closer to the ground
with some blocky wheels
and some thin tires,
and there's no foreseeable way
you won't be blasting your favorite song
with the windows down, on a summer day,
through your favorite back roads
because that's just how this car do.
So what do you think about the LS 400?
Let us know in the comment section below,
and of course, let us know what you wanna see us
talk about next,
and if you're looking for aftermarket wheels,
tires, or suspension,
for your LS 400 or otherwise,
be sure to check out fitmentindustries.com
where we literally have it all,
and if you haven't yet,
please don't forget to subscribe,
we hope you guys are staying safe,
that you're having fun,
and of course, if you're looking to be less bored,
you can check out our gallery,
we can see over 30,000 vehicles
that have aftermarket wheels, tires, and suspensions
so that you can drool over it
and figure out how you wanna build your Mazda RX8,
which, by the way, if I get asked one more time
what fits a Mazda RX8, I'm gonna cry
because I say it multiple times.
I'm out, this is from Fitment Industries,
we will see you later, peace!