1998 Lexus GS400

1998 Lexus GS400

I was heading up to visit my parents in Wichita Falls and decided I'd just make my life a little more complicated and fly from Houston to Dallas, go to the Dallas Auto Auction, buy a car, and drive the rest of the trip.  Buying a one way ticket to a place to buy a car really isn't a good idea if for no other reason than you feel like you HAVE to buy a car.  Also, hitting the road in a car you just bought is risky as well.  You never know what kind of problems the previous owner decided they didn't want to deal with anymore.  That said, I've done it many many times so do as I say and not as I do.

I actually bought a Range Rover earlier in the day but wasn't sure if I was going to get it or not so I bought this Lexus a little later.  Dealer auctions aren't like the auctions you see on TV.  At Barret-Jackson, Russo, etc.. you know as soon as a car leaves the block if you own it or not.  At dealer auctions, sometimes a car doesn't meet the reserve but you're still on the hook for it if the seller decides to let it go for the high bid price.  That's not really a problem for giant car dealerships, but as a dude just playing around that can create some issues.  I've come home with more cars than I meant to on more than one occasion.  

After buying both cars I determined the Lexus to be the better bet for road tripping and had the Range Rover shipped home.  As soon as I left the lot I started to wonder if I had made the right choice.  The car a had number of problems but made the two hour trip to Wichita Falls without any real issues.

 
I did quite a bit to this car.  New tires made the biggest difference, but I also added the factory rear spoiler and did a little paint work to touch up some scratches.  I also did all of the major maintenance work including a new serpentine belt.  After I was done fixing it up, I really loved it.  It was a joy to drive and I basically used it as a daily driver for quite some time.

The GS400 is a perfect sports sedan for Houston.  The V8 has lots of torque, and the car is very tight but also rides as smooth as you would expect from a Lexus.  It really does shelter you from the outside world.  It's a car I could drive every day - if I had to own only one car.  I eventually sold this car to a local guy from Pearland just a few miles away.  It was a long time ago but I wouldn't be surprised if it's still on the road today.