1998 Lexus GS 400 - Short Road Trip & Ownership First Impressions

Ride along with us on the first bit of distance driving in my 1998 Lexus GS400! I'm really loving this car.
0:00 Brief Walkaround
2:20 Driving
15:39 Sound System Test
22:38 Fuel Economy Test Results
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#gs400 #lexus #pov

[@RYCSTEW]

I think a girlfriend’s opinion of the passenger seat is actually really valuable information.

[@mbank3832]

Too bad I don't have a girlfriend :(

[@RYCSTEW]

@@mbank3832 probably not as valuable to you, unfortunately lmao

[@mbank3832]

@@RYCSTEW I just wanna feel some bewbs…

[@stroberri6649]

yep imo having a friend/gf around in such pov drive videos is a great idea I didn't get bored and their comments were a nice touch

[@boogitybear2283]

You mean His Turn. Shes not His Wife just His Turn. I’m sure she has more.

[@slyfox909]

Love old Lexus cars. Classic luxury that lasts forever

[@zodiac909]

AMEN

[@dawnpoint]

Twice I got 29mpg from my GS400 cruising at 75mph. Usually got 23-25 highway going 80+. Miss it every day, such a great and (comparatively) simple car.

[@TheVoiceofTheProphetElizer]

What happened to it? Did you have to get rid of it? Did some clown plow into it at an intersection?

[@dawnpoint]

@@TheVoiceofTheProphetElizer Some clown did indeed plow it at an intersection. I had no time to get it fixed so I sold it (it still drove fine). Bought a 2006 GS430 the same night my 400 was hit.

[@TheVoiceofTheProphetElizer]

@@dawnpoint Oh man, I'm so sorry. I hate to hear that - it seems like an all too common tale. It isn't time or wear that destroys the Lexus or Toyota, it is some simpleton behind the wheel of another car.

[@dawnpoint]

@@TheVoiceofTheProphetElizer Ain't that the truth. I always knew it was gonna be somebody else that took my baby from me.

[@1_slow4.89]

​@@dawnpoint just curious did you like your gs400 or your 3gs more? I've got a 99 GS400 and it's by far my favorite car I've owned

[@ditiprel4]

I love older lexus vehicles. They look sleek, are extremely reliable, smooth and comfortable, and hold up amazingly well. I wish cars today were less focused on tech and more focused on build quality.

[@Kev27RS]

Totally agree! They look better than the modern ones!

[@hossbonaventure]

facts

[@wonderboy1998]

Now this is the type of review that I like in a gloomy cold Sunday. Both tophers posted my favorite car brand today.

[@mydsmber05]

A lot of audiophiles consider the Nakamichi stereos in the Lexus products as some of the best ever. They switched over to Mark Levinson after Nakamichi basically went out of business(their vintage home systems trade for huge money). The standard systems are from Panasonic

[@Orangematz]

Yep. Some people even like the Nakamichi systems over the early Mark Levinson systems, which doesn't surprise me. Now, Nakamichi is pretty much only known for their high end soundbars.

[@dylanwinters7847]

It is really hard to pull off a sound system in a car but if anyone could do it, it was Nakamichi. I have one of there old tape decks and it is definitely incredible, with their super high end stuff going for 5k+ they had to be doing something right.

[@deniswauchope3788]

Audio tech here- yes, Nakamichi is legendary, they had magnificent sound back in the late '60s & early '70s, and their tape decks were incredible. I'd love to have that Nakamichi in my present car, I even still have lots of cassette tapes left over from a previous era (some of that music just isn't available anymore on any other platform.)

[@wicked_smaaht]

I can see you kiddos growing in this car. Lexus GS is a fantastic first family car. She’s a keeper. 😊

[@scarboy6693]

I've always imagined the white smoke from Burger Kings is just a facade to make you believe their food is flame broiled or whatever Also: "we're leaving Ohio", "oh thank god". Emily's commentary is always on point

[@Trapeznaci]

430 owner here from 🇬🇧. I'll do in the city about 16-19mpg ( 1uk mpg is 0.8usa mpg ) and on the motorway (highway) about 27/28mpg with 157k mile on the clock.

[@BarbecuedPossum]

I daily drove a GS430 for a couple of years before an ISF and it was such an amazing car. The suspension on british roads was unbelievable, was just not phased by any road surface. Perfectly reliable and just 0 stress motoring.. Now in an Audi S4 avant that has been nothing but trouble wish I hadn't moved away from the Japanese cars for my daily drivers.. Luckily still got a JDM track car :)

[@A2dy]

FIrst car I ever bought was an SC300. Just seeing your interior brings back great memories of driving that car all over austin and even Big Bend. I can smell the leather from the video

[@05Elantra98GSGang]

Love the mini road trip bro i was someone who recommended doing road trip vids glad you did

[@RNMAutomotiveAddiction]

The 2nd gen Lexus GS was an amazing car. I had 2 GS300s for about 8 years and they were great cars with the NA 2JZ motor. The GS 400 was the fastest sedan in the world when it first came out for 1998MY. The GS was ahead of its time with the 5speed trans, steering wheel buttons to control transmission, Optitron gauges, great engines and lots of tech. The build quality is better than the new Lexus that are sold today.

[@ProRaiKage]

Super fun review! Love the look exterior and interior. Also love the pogo segment 😎 congrats on the shiny rowlet

[@scottsong20]

I had a GS 430 and love that car! It was surprisingly fast and fun to drive!

[@scoobtay]

Y’all Tophers are the best - always look forward to these videos on Sunday. You’re why I ended up in a Volvo!

[@briankalagher6687]

I had a 1998 gs400 for 18 years. The exhaust rusted and broke right at the end of the y pipe in front of the center resonator or cat? I drove it around for 2-3 weeks because it sounded so good! Had this wicked bark like a Nascar or something above 3k. I seriously considered straight piping it. I would laugh like a kid every time I ran it up redline for those few weeks. That car was so quiet and rattle free I had to put it back to stock but always missed that sound.

[@riceoobxg]

A couple of my seatbelts also did not wind back fully by themselves without a bit of human help. Common in the 2GS along with rusty exhaust and worn ball joints. Like yours, my parking brake did not function at all. Be sure to clean out your moonroof drain lines regularly as they're narrow and prone to clogging. A secret tip about the steering wheel column. When you push the button in any direction until it cannot go any further, you can then proceed to push the button 8 or 10 times (can't recall) and, in the final push, it will go further just a bit more.

[@leokerz]

Sweet ride Topher! nice call with the raising canes lol.

[@DeltaEcho303]

I had a 2000 GS 400 for 17 years and I was able to get 25 MPG with conservative acceleration and keeping it under 65 mph for right-lane cruising. One thing to look out for are failures of the power door lock actuators. They're relatively cheap to replace if you go non-OEM, but the labor process can be arduous.

[@threeam____]

Love the content on this car. Can’t wait to see some maintenance updates and improvements.

[@stevensumner3146]

Thanks for the great vid. It also shows that older vehicles still have some good road trips to share, and we don’t need to be faced with fighter pilot cockpit electronic wizardry to take a drive, in fact to my eye it’s a calmer space to be.

[@gettcouped]

I know the straight 6 in the GS was nice, but this V8 is so much better! This is really a great buy. Best of luck with it. Emily doing the fist pump during the audio session was gold!

[@Americanboy48]

I FUCKING LOVE LEXUS I CANNOT WAIT TO GET ONE FUCK THOSE OTHER CARS

[@richiehustle]

Nice that you worked out the suspension and that steering part. Far more important than an exhaust

[@luis4727]

Came here from tophers video, loved this!! More road trips please:)

[@goga.games18]

Damn 1998 and still all the car you need

[@mbiker345]

Oh I didn’t know there was raising canes outside of Texas! Also Lexus ages like a fine wine.

[@mdaniel444]

Emily is adorable btw 😊

[@azraf509]

Here all day for gs content

[@moeeziqbal3619]

I just love the meter of these old cars….

[@gotyor]

I have a 2001 i got used in 2004. in in great condition and just done brakes and standard maintenance in 21 years. It been such a great car I kept it as my long distance driving car. I had many other cars for daily drivers such as my Mercedes e350 I have at moment. I see no reason to get rid of it. The only issue i need to fix at moment is the auto door lock on driver side dead, and the head gasket need replacing. But other than than that every is fine on car. I think your going to be very impressed with this as a used car.

[@dzenanj8655]

More of these videos with you and Emily! Great content

[@kj_sh604]

I genuinely appreciate these "road trip reviews". Especially with the passenger opinions from Emily! I think you just found your niche in the Topher Multiverse 😆.

[@UZForLife]

You will definitely want to go to the dealership and buy an "eternity key". Your stock key WILL eventually fail and the eternity key was designed and engineered by a Lexus tech to be exponentially stronger and won't break apart when you twist on it. I get one every time I get a new to me lexus, they are awesome.

[@eprohoda]

Good night,total well !Topherdrives! =)

[@ItsDanLatham]

After a quick calculation, I worked out that the cost for premium fuel here in the UK is nearly double that of the US. That same tank would have cost me £84 ($106). No wonder we have loads of horrible eco boxes roaming about here instead of 2000's v8 barges. Very nice car indeed, just a shame the power output isn't a little higher for the size of the engine. I had a Mk3 '06 GS300 and loved it. Not really suited to the roads here but what a great value proposition on the used market. Enjoy it!

[@Tinovodanovic]

What a lovely car, great sounding too.

[@richiehustle]

Very good video quality

[@harmonicposting]

I'm really impressed by the Nakamichis! Anything sounds better than my dump that is the stock '12 civic speakers but honestly those really compete with the high end stuff of today

[@BrandonLy3993]

That exhaust sounds pretty good already. Much more aggressive than my LS400 (which makes sense). Almost reminds me of my old SC400. I miss that car

[@nl___999]

I was also surprised when I tried the speakers in my GS400. It’s actually so good for its age 😭 I also have the same setup, using a tape-aux adapter haha

[@emmas1082]

Wow! You sound like a professional announcer/narrator👍🏻

[@mergenocide]

+1 for the the Blizzaks, my old Kia sedan went from spinning in place in an inch to tearing through a foot no problem with em

[@yungblossom8084]

Man I love watching these gs 400 vids it’s hard finding one in California that isn’t fucked up enjoy the car man

[@hayden93]

I have experience with using regular low grade gas in a GS, my 2006 GS 300 drives exactly the same as it does with mid grade and still has the same power and this year has direct injection

[@simonmcgraw9426]

3:02 my girlfriend was mad about me buying a GTI but funny enough the first time she entered the car she pushed the heated seat on and never talked about it after 😂( I had a prius because of financial issues before. she used it more than me and loved the fuel economy )

[@Bakers42069]

Ive wanted one of these for so long. Leather wrap the dash, infotainment, etc, but at this point I think I’d have to keep it original

[@CarFresheners]

hey topher, had the same telescoping issue on my 98 LS400. its a relatively simple fix if you have some grease and a couple basic tools on hand. all that happens is the washer behind the tilt gear wears out and allows the gear to shift places. all youll need is to put a small washer behind the gear and reapply grease when putting everything back together hope this helps!

[@SerPurple51]

Such a nice car! Love that sound of the engine too. And honestly you need to think about putting a ring on Emily's finger. She really seems prefect for you 😂

[@ImMIRADOR]

You have two motors for the electric steering wheel adjustments. One for forwards and backwards, one for up and down. I have replaced a couple of up and down on this generation of Lexus before

[@watchdogs295]

The steering column being stuck is because of the motor either being burned out or stuck, same thing happened on my Ls430 but with the telescope. It’s two separate motors for both functions and it’s a common problem. motors are pricy but if it doesn’t make any noise when you move the switch then you need a new one. With your telescope being that noisy it may be going out also since it’s usually silent.

[@mustangmeat5493]

Beautiful ride

[@MusicConnoisseurian]

The heavy steering is great for the highway. Takes minimal muscle to keep it straight and doesn't easily depart its lane compared to newer cars I've driven - highway of course.

[@irinaforevs]

I love Emily, "aw! Should we go to Waffle House instead?" That's literally me 🤣

[@spiff9024]

I've been watching your videos for a while and just now realizing that I live in the same area and go to the same Canes location. Small world

[@heh2k]

The white smoke is only when they crown a new Burger King.

[@FATmenDRIVEtrucks]

I suggest some steering rack bushings. I did solid ones took 15 minutes and a drastic difference in steering

[@Fengtaro]

Hey @TopherDrives, almost there to pulling the trigger on my own, same colour and same year! I'm very worried about rust on these cars though, I think that's what'll kill it before anything mechanical actually goes. how's it been handling the rust under yours?

[@edan7813]

What tape deck to aux adapter did you get? I didn’t even know those adapters existed honestly

[@igeekone]

Now this represents Lexus timeless quality. It's also a perfect example of how cars will last when you take care of them.

[@sethbeske268]

I love the sound of the Engine!

[@tiles3458]

Aye! Welcome to ohio. It's awesome to know im not too far away from the tophers

[@kgisabeast]

Sway bar bushings may need replacing. I’d update the grille and taillights to the 01-05 model version

[@Stinkyapes]

My gs400 doesn’t go up to down sometimes whenever you hear the electric whine from your car while you driving it I notice it will let you adjust from up to down and only lets you do it for a little so I put mine all the way down haven’t touched it since

[@forbernard8113]

The Lexus gs steering wheel is stuck because either the motor went out or the gear slipped off, please keep this car on the road, it is such a underrated car

[@alfa_guy09]

When was this video filmed? Obviously before the 12th, because southeast MI has gotten quite a bit of snow. Its nice to see roads that I recognize in this video

[@ProRaiKage]

Jan 6 this year starting sometime late morning/early afternoon to early/late afternoon. Shiny rowlet was available 2-5pm that day and that’s when he was fueling it back up from the trip 😆

[@adhamghaly7256]

the nakamichi sound system successor was the mark levinson surround system (i think)

[@user-vr8nl9my5j]

LEXUS has created new values.

[@richiehustle]

Pretty cool. Chinese started making pretty dope electric cars mimicking Tesla, and they are like 400-500HP although their exterior looks like a fridge. it literally takes your head aback to the headrest when you accelerate. I never post on YT but i have the videos

[@jtkmarc]

i got the same tape to aux in my ls430 😂 installing a pioneer apple carplay unit soon finally

[@robby3820]

Once I saw that Wiard’s Orchard sign about 3 mins in, I knew this was close to my town😅 lol, cool to see one of my fav car KZbinrs is a local🫡🤟🏽

[@minipandora22]

Beautiful color

[@MusicConnoisseurian]

I've been driving a '02 GS300 for 10+ years and while the ride is good, it gives too much road feedback on southern Texas roads that are extremely rough. Never had a problem on my 1k+ mile trips around the midwest and north and northeast, but now living in South Texas the road feedback gives me a killer neckache, but otherwise love the seat comfort (pretty much all Lexus from late 90s-early2000s - never had a back issue in them, but the 2013-2018 ES I do, same for 2008-2019 Highlanders, RXs, etc... WIsh Toyota/Lexus would bring back the old seat designs - one size fits all.

[@user-hk9pn1iy8g]

Have you taken it on any road trips recently and has the maintaince been very expensive? Like engine and transmission

[@bcrandeis]

Is that test song by Syn Cole copyright free? If so I’m surprised!

[@joesnyder3063]

22:09 just needed to get the pump in the mood Lol!

[@925_brendon3]

You need to try the Lexus GS430 its a little 4.3 3UZ, Just a wee bit quicker. amazing cars to build for track, or mountains :) Since they dont have paddles on it you can go 1-5 on the transmission which is nice

[@Pennychaser1]

I had 2000 gs300. There are two motors that control telescoping wheel. One of the motors is blown. I believebit is best to disable this function via techstream or dealer would do it for about $100. But literally I did it in 3 mins. Miss my gs300 but mom crashed it. Im happy in my GX460 and a Tesla MYP

[@THEW0LFB0Y]

What ever you do please don't do an LS400 video, I want the prices as low as possible 🤣

[@Mizt_Sim]

Wait wtf even with a tape deck aux it sounds like you put audio over the video itself 😳 I didn’t know the stock system was so good

[@xaddypebbles]

please add the car specs in the description!!!

[@deniswauchope3788]

You have no idea how much I envy you, what a magnificent car you have. I'm looking for one now, but they're pretty rare in good condition (and then they're $$$, because "Lexus keeps their value.") Glad to meet your girlfriend too!

[@ClovisGeneral]

The electric steering column in Lexus cars is a common weak spot. Usually you will need a replace the steering column motor. Not fun! Sometimes the gears bind and you can free them up with spray lube. There are some YT vids online on the topic.

[@daved3948]

Yeah, my up and down motion on my steering column has been out for a couple of years on my GS430, I'll get around to fixing it one day 😅

[@iwasmilk7632]

Was thinking of getting a 320e Mercedes or SC or GS400

[@allanthomas332]

You can’t beat that mustang he gone

[@VictorVonnDoom]

"You never see me stress, in the GS..." - Jay Z 😎

[@mikejohnson9118]

GS: Gran Sport. This vehicle was to compete against the "5 series" BMW.

[@AkioWasRight]

Cane's needs to season their chicken.

[@Orangematz]

Yep I've always found it to be under seasoned and kinda bland.

[@triplea6174]

Hence the sauces hehe 😅

[@rilagin1]

That amazing feeling when you get out of Ohio 😀

[@richiehustle]

Are you on non studded tires?

[@Mizt_Sim]

I love this car so much I had to buy a second one, and after that another one popped up! 😭😭 wanted to buy that one too lol

[@danielwutfisho]

3 gs? no way bro

[@Mizt_Sim]

​@@danielwutfisho I can work on everything on them except bottom end stuff so it makes sense to have them/restore them. in my area, there was a silver 100k GS400 (now my second one), a gold 136k GS 400, a brown 150k GS400, and a black 105k GS430. all of those except the silver one that I bought are still up. Each of them are being asked 4500 (one I bought), 4500, 6000, and 7000, respectively. Straight DEALS but of course I don't have a 5 car garage sadly /:

[@deniswauchope3788]

@@Mizt_Sim Man I wish I could find those deals here in N. Texas. I've been looking for a couple of weeks & the only ones that are affordable are a thousand miles away, & even those often have trashed interiors. I'll keep on looking, I really want to get behind the wheel of one of these beauties!

[@Mizt_Sim]

@@deniswauchope3788 I’m surprised you can’t find them. Well, considering a state like Texas probably has a lot of American made cars compared to to Japanese, maybe I’m not surprised. But if you can get your hands on one, it won’t let you down! and if you need to work on it, it’s definitely doable. First time I did a water pump was on my 400. Just fixed up the second one I got and it drives great, nice and strong. I hope you are able to get your hands on one! Keep a look out for rust along the windshield and rust on the underbody (k-member)

[@AliSaleh-yp2fh]

This cars is so good rides and drives just like mercedes e class

[@Mizt_Sim]

Supra LSD fits on these ;)

[@Mizt_Sim]

Weatherproof the underbody if it’s not too much of a hassle!

[@keven6691]

cup holders are stanley tested

[@Paco_Gaepedores]

I hope I finally fixed Pootis's wifi problem jaja ❤ Amazing good old Lexus ❤

[@05Elantra98GSGang]

Crazy I’m about to buy a gs300 this week been waiting for the owner to sell it for the longest time an this week it’s finally happening can’t wait… So happens you buy a gs400 around the same time lol

[@colinsullivan3353]

You’re not lying about the burger kings always being on fire 😭

[@alfaandn]

so 23.5mpg would be 1L for 10km, i got a 2005 1.5L 4 cyl suv and it does 1:10. his car got double cyl than mine and use pretty much the same amount of fuel :(