Buying a Lexus LS400 or even SC for the 1UZ engine and tranny is the best way to get these parts for your project. It will most likely save you money as opposed to buying a pulled engine from a yard or private party. There are so many parts that you need and the odds are that whoever worked on a pulled engine and transmission broke some parts and left some vital components still bolted to the engine compartment. If you want a good/working wiring harness and ignitors that were with the engine in the first place then you will need to buy the whole car and do it yourself. I highly recommend this! You won't get a chance to hear the engine run before you buy it if you just buy it from someone who has just yanked it out. I got screwed by a seller that told me that the engine was perfect when he took it out. Yeah right! It was trash and upon disassembly, melted down. That's why I have two engines. :P
The ls400's aren't worth much nowadays. If it has miles on it then it might have some problems. If the valves need adjusting that's a SUPER expensive job. Typically the 1UZ will make valve noise over the left rear of the engine before anywhere else. If you open the hook and look at the engine that will be on your right near the back. A timing belt is also very expensive to have replaced so that's probably something the owner has never had done. If they can't prove it don't believe them. These fixes are so expensive it will drive them to sell it and buy another one. Same with the transmission. If the tranny has any problems it will cost big bucks for a shop to rebuild it.
They desperately want to sell those cars because they must be fed premium fuel. I have personally seen them with electrical problems like the power seats not working, the radios break, windows not working so be careful to try everything out. All these problems above are owner neglect so if the owner keeps it in a garage, vacuums it out and you can see they changed the oil in it then you pretty much know off the bat that it's going to be a good car. THey are some of the best and most reliable cars ever made. But you'll see that when you start looking for parts that they are all premium built parts and they are expensive. If you have any shop work on it they will always charge more so that's why people want to get rid of them if they have problems.
My friend works at the best transmission shop and I missed a call from him one day. The next day he said that a guy passing through driving an TV was towing a LS400 and got a quote for fixing the transmission. The tranny was bad and to fix it would cost so much that he would rather sell it for $300 on the spot than tow it home!! But of course my friend didn't try hard enough to get a hold of me so I totally missed out. I would be driving around in an LS400 right now. The owner of the shop would have easily bought the car and saved it until I could go to the bank for the cash. Bummer!
Keep in mind that just the parts for timing belt kit, water pump and pulleys will cost nearly $1,000. So if you buy a noisy engine it's going to cost you a lot to tune it up. The condition of the wiring harness is also very important. I've seen them for sale in HORRIBLE condition. Sometimes they get passed on to people that just neglect them so bad it's sad. If you have intentions of using the automatic pay attention to the owners driving style and age. That will tell you right there how much life is left in the transmission. The engines can take a beating no doubt but the transmissions can't. If it's been hotrodded but an everyday commutor then you know the trans will be on its last leg.
I used to be very good friends with a used car dealer and I have seen him buy nice cars for nearly nothing just because he would tell them it needed all sorts of work and it's not worth buying. This is TRUE. If it needs brakes and a timing belt then the cost of the repairs is more than the worth of the car. Just offer them $700 tops if it's a beater. You can easily go and ask for a quote for anything thats broken. The dealer will surely give you some ammunition to prove how much the repairs cost. If the car is in cherry shape inside and out then it's worth about $4-5,000. This is a car with NO problems and under $150,000 miles. These are prices that I've seen them advertised and sell for being that it's between a 1990 and 1993 model LS or SC. SC's might be worth a little more just because they appeal to people who still drive them. I know a neighbor that drives a cherry condition grey SC and it's totally nice. His wife wants a new car just because it's a tad outdated as far as her social circleis concearned.
I saw a couple LS400s for sale for $1400 locally that were just beaters. I mean dents and torn up interior. I'm sure they didn't ever sell them. I mean if you can't take care of a car then you surely can't afford the premium fuel. Don't be in a hurry, Don't offer too much. You can always give an offer and just leave your number with the person. These cars are a dime a dozen and you can find them all over the place for sale for reasonable prices. People hate putting fuel in them! If someone advertises a car they really want to sell it. They most likely would rather just sell it for cheap and have it gone so they don't have to deal with callers or looking at it anymore. If you just want the engine and stuff I wouldn't buy a car for more than $1200. You don't want to buy something more expensive and try to part out the car to make up the money you spent on it. That's a huge headache.
Happy hunting! B)
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