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Celsior (japanese Lexus Ls400)


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Hi all,

My brother-in-law in Japan drives a 1992 Toyota Celsior which appears to be the Japanese market equivalent of the UK LS400. My question is does anyone on this forum have a Japanese import Celsior or know how it compares to the UK LS400 ? I have been in my brother-in-laws car and it is the best car I have ever been in. Given the low price of used cars in Japan and popularity of importing to the the UK I am seriously considering bringing one over to the UK. Has anyone got any pointers, tips or knowledge of the Japanese market Celsior ? Has anyone got details of a good reliable supplier of the Celsior in Japan ? How long will a Celsior last without problems and what sort of mileage can these cars do without mechanical problems. After reading this forum it seems these cars will keep going for 20 years or more if looked after properly. I currently drive a Toyota Estima Emina (Previa) which I personally imported from Japan and so far I have had absolutely no problems with it so I am now a big fan of Toyota.

Thanks for your help.

Mark.

North-West UK. :D

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Hi,

I bought a celsior from a dealer in the UK.

It is 11 years old and drives like a new car. It is the same as a Lexus LS400 (virtually) so the same applies about the amazing economy and faultless performance. I am WELL impressed.

The biggest differences are the speedo in KMs and the speed limietr set to 180kmph and the cruise control does not function above 100kph.

Apart from this I have found the car to perform exactly as I want. Comfort, power (when I need it) amazing economy considering the weight of the car and the size of the engine. 20MPG plus is EASILY achieved, more on a motorway.

Lexus dealers sometimes refuse to work on them (they claim that it is an insurance problem???) but there are plenty of alternative options and lots of spares available.

But I would check the dealers over here before going to the expense, time and hassle of importing one.

I paid £4,250 for my '91 and that is a LOT of car fror the money, especially from a dealer.

Good luck

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Birchall,

Thanks for the reply. Where did you buy yours and does it have leather seats ? My brother in law's doesn't have leather seats and I saw quite a few without leather seats in japan. Are the Celsior parts the same as the Lexus LS400 ? Have you found a cheaper car insurance ?

Mark.

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Hi,

Sorry for the delay in replying.

I bought it from J & R Motors at Ashford (middlesex) they have a lot of Japanese imports.

Yes mine does have leather electric memory seats with electric inflatable lumbar support.

I definitely agree with the Paulrwales you should try to find one here, much less hassle.

Cheers

Steve B

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  • 1 month later...

  • 3 months later...

I bought my LS400 from JR motors of Ashford a couple of years ago. Wish I hadnt as its a Dog!-Not that I knew it at the time! Lexus Dealership gave it the once over and said it would need about £4500 (at Lexus rates) of work to bring it up to scratch.It had a suspect MOT on it which the DOT couldnt do anything about. JR's had to renew PS pump, put correct wheel in boot for spare,change wheel bearings on back etc etc. (Yes! I do still have original report ). Still I had bought it and was stuck with it (and was also stiffed by not getting the road tax when I bought it, stating they "never do") . Little did I know that PS pump would fail just after 1 Yr, that I would have to change ECU, all brake parts , suspension parts and many other sundry things that have come to light-- and now the ABS ECU has packed up. "T." at JR said that they had only had the car a couple of weeks but I later discovered that they had registered the car over 3 months prior. Now, I am wiser I would definately grill any car dealership to the Nth Degree and never believe a word they say until they prove it beyond doubt. Let my gullibility be a warning to you! Now I am worried if my car is an odd import!! Now I am Paranoid!!!

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good post MJA! Hope you fix your probs soon!

As for celsiors the whole difference over the LS400 UK spec is that you may find a few more goodies come with the car. Most do.

Not all come with leather either due to the climate in japan the seats become hot and sticky.

however... some people are lucky when they buy imports.. i am certainly not worried about imports as the strict regulations in japan keep the cars in tip top condition... Also car do not rust in japan... they do not even underseal them.. so if you are buying an import then make sure it has been undersealed while entering the country.

Always look for a low mileage import.. hard to find with the Celsior but if you do then you will have plenty of trouble free motoring.

Be carefull of dealerships with their bullsh*t on warranties.. alot of em are not worth the paper they are written on.

Check to see if the odometer has been converted properly to MPH.. this should also de-restrict the car.

If the car has been in the country a few years make sure the person who has had it has serviced the car regularly.

Other than that you could try a UK car.. you will find these will all have full history... and if the history is there then the car should be tip top.

Plenty of LS's floating around... dealer find them hard to shift as they are a big motors.. but this is where you find a real nice motor for such little money.. and if you understand Lexus vehicles then you know you are purchasing pure quality.

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Get a barge pole and then see if there are insurance companies happy to deal with an 'import'.

loads of insurance companies deal with imports... its becoming a norm with some insurance companies!

no diifference in policy prices either.

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Perhaps I'm talking rubbish.

I assumed it would be difficult or at least costly as they always ask when I get a quote.

When I first got my car half wouldn't even insure because of the price, some would but only with a tracker.

What about maintenance? Are the specs going to be a problem when servicing or getting parts?

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servicing is no different to a UK model unless it has a fancy toy on it.

Toyota are very good I find.. I can order any part from any rare toyota and they will ship it.

some parts take a week.. but you can VOR parts now which are ultra fast delivery.. but you lose gold discount. But as they are similar to the UK model most parts are stocked here or belgium.

As for insurance there are a slected amount that do imports.. but it does not mean it will be expensive... I have a huge list of insurance companies that take on imported vehicles at brilliant rates.

the only requirement is a minimum of a thatcham 2 immobiliser.

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There are always some robbing bar Sterwards out there that will fleece you giving half a chance. But then there are the good guys. Can't let one bad experience put you off for life. Afterall, if you slipped and fell in the bath, it wouldn't stop you ever washing again, now would it?

:blink:

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What logic! :lol:

We've had the Prelude for about 6 years and have just sold it. The first year insurance was cheap enough and easy to get hold of. After that it was as though insurance companies cottoned on to the fact they could get away with charging more for imports. I always shop around for insurance (too tight to just pay the renewal without double checking!!!) and every year it was a pain in the bum to find someone to insure imports.

You can get good insurers obviously, but it can be a pain in the bum to find them. It's taken our mate who's bought the car from us a good few weeks to get a reasonable quote. Bear in mind that we're talking about a 'K' reg plate - it was costing Simon and I about £650ish a year. He's got full no claims etc.

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650... blimey.... i pay £680 for my Soarer TT

Driving round claires area would be like doing hand signals and when you pull your arm back in the car your wrist watch is gone :P :P

claire.. i paid 450 for my windom!

your being ripped off!

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Yeah, that was the joy of living too near to Heathrow.

We moved a while back to somewhere more civilised but I don't know if that makes much of a difference on the insurance as we've sold the car before renewing.

Steve, if that's all you're paying on the Soarer what a bargain. Pleeeeaaaaassssse don't tell Simon as he's after one and I keep saying it'll be too expensive.

He's already spending my pay rise (in his dreams) and keeps buying AutoTrader drooling over any Soarers and GS300 Sports. Can't think why the Aeredeck isn't doing it for him :lol:

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claire... I think your worried that simon will have a better car than you LOL

and when i see him next i am gonna take him out for a spin! The TT's power will convert him for sure!

and this topic is :offtopic: :P

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slightly :offtopic:

I'm sure if you are Simon can come along for a play... leave Claire at home with her hangover :winky:

Si's working (the joys of shift work and hardly any weekends off :angry: ), just me, my hangover and a bouncy 18month old.

I think I've got family stuff that afternoon, will find out for sure later and if I can make it along I will. Can't have Simon being given a passenger run in the Soarer before me :lol:

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