Just A Update For Those Who Know Me

[petayV8]

Just wanted to give everyone a update for those who know me. I got a letter from the U.S embassy in London last Friday for an appointment on the 31st. This is the final step to getting my visa to live and work in the U.S and as long as i get the final nod i will have my visa on that date. Very excited but also nervous as well as i got a heads up they are quite brutal at this interview much like US customs if anyones ever experienced that you'll know what i mean! cant see any problems arising though as ive got nothing to hide.

Taking the Lex for a final trip to the Yorkshire coast on the 28th of feb for a weeks holiday with my family, sad times for me, im gonna miss the car greatly and the great owners club along side of course (oh and my family lol) but hoping to make the next meet depending when it is, as im aiming to jet off April time. but might arrive in my mums ZR :shutit: (i hate driving it, its built so shoddy)

I have looked at another Lexus in the U.S but ill be honest ive always had a love for American cars, used to be very much involved in the AACUK and even run my own U.S car group on FB, so im leaning towards a yank, which are in fact a very similar type of car to a Lexus which is why i like Lexus so much. had my eye on this for a while

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/4278389098.html they can keep the fury steering wheel cover tho :yack:

Anyway ill give a update on the 31st incase they tell me to clear off lol

[The-Acre]

I hope it works out for you, exciting times!

I also have a thing about American cars, which is really what got me on to the LS in the first place. In fact I didn't know they were built by Toyota, and I assumed they were American. I used to own a 69 Chevvy which was great, if not a tad thirsty.

[LexIS200Sport]

All the best for the interview Pete! Will be keen for a pre-departure meet for sure :)

[noby76]

all the best Pete...I too was thinking of relocating to US as I have some family living up there but situations have now changed and plan is now on hold.. I too love American muscle cars cars they are known not to handle as good as Japanese or German cars but in a straight line can be brutal lol.. always have a soft spot for Chevvy Corvettes 's and Ford F1 150's those trucks makes a Range Rover look like a baby in terms of size and most pack some serious punch aswell...I heard Buicks are quite comfortable aswell but can't beat a Lexus in terms of comfort and build quality tho lol.. mate just get a GS430 when you get there lol.. cheap gas, cheap insurance, no road tax to pay aswell...

[ROYT]

Fancy that I was in the American car club many moons ago [a lot of moons]!

Iv'e had an early Camaro, a Ford LTD, and first was an old Dodge Royal, built like a tank.

To jack it up you just hooked the jack under the front bumper. [try that now!]

Dashboard was just like a juke box!

Happy cheap petrol days!!

Best of luck to you...

[ChrisIS200SportTTE]

All the best mate. That's good news :)

Good luck with the interview!

[IHgs300]

Replied to your pm Pete.

[petayV8]

thanks everyone!

Not actually surprised there are ex yank owners on here ;) like i said Lexus is the closest thing that isnt american especially on these shores and i too used to think they were american years ago.

Some nice pasts American cars guys very impressed! :p

Noby - Yes if you have close family over there you can use them as a sponsor for a visa application like you said. And i like the earlier Vetts, not big on the newer racier looking ones. Do you know much about the original ZR1? its a marval. It did 0-60 in 4.4 seconds and this was in 1991! it was so ahead of its time and also has prototype dynamic suspension on 25 of them.

too are into the trucks, i want a Dodge Ram Cummins so badly. a real mans truck (but not for compensating reasons! lol) and so much modding potential. but as for the cars im very much into the big comfy boats and love the older styling and innovations from the 70s and 80s cars. The Muscle cars also, my top on the list a 79 Trans Am, uno the bandit car. but always wanted the 4.9 Turbo engine in the 81 with the little LED boost indication in the hood lol gotta love it. Gonna have to get something fairly newish to start with as owning a Classic is a bit of a commitment. GS430 is very tempting

Yeah america so vast it really is all about the straight line performance over there saying that im not far from the famous Sonoma raceway if i did ever get something that went around corners lol

Thanks again. Indeed exciting times

[Stuart Aspey]

Good luck. Stay in touch and DON'T PAY $10,000 for an IS! Why are they holding their value better over there? Is it just the cheaper fuel? people are prepared to pay more for the car? They are great value here in UK.

MMMMM Muscle cars. . . . .

[Lexmanic]

Good luck

Many moons ago I got offered a job in the States working for very old New England money & turned it down. Regretted just a Tad ever since

[petayV8]

Good luck. Stay in touch and DON'T PAY $10,000 for an IS! Why are they holding their value better over there? Is it just the cheaper fuel? people are prepared to pay more for the car? They are great value here in UK.

MMMMM Muscle cars. . . . .

as much as i think a old lexus is worth what they ask its hard to justify it when i can drive the same car for a fraction of the cost lol. At the end of the day Lexus are great high end vehicles built to last americans will pay the price because reliability and build quality is important to them when british ppl have other prioritys. MPG has taken over here, ppl are obsessed with it. Why do you see a rich business man driving a bran new 60k merc with CDI on the back when i can afford to do 22mpg in my juicy petrol. Im 26 and dont earn a great deal. The government have also successfully got ppl in ecoboxes with the astronomical tax bands pretty much telling us what they think we should be driving by even letting you pay NO tax. How does that work? British ppl arent very car oriented. Americans see a car for what it is and respect lexus for what a great car it is. No hard feelings its just different cultures and way of thinking. Im the latter. My wife always said i was born with an american way of thinking its not a suprise to alot of my friends im moving there lol

[petayV8]

Good luck

Many moons ago I got offered a job in the States working for very old New England money & turned it down. Regretted just a Tad ever since

im going to miss alot about England. There are pros and cons to both. Im all up for a change though.

[Stuart Aspey]

An opportunity to work in the states! I can think of very few people who would say no. Enjoy it and get down to SEMA if you can. We want photo's from our man on the ground. Lol.

[petayV8]

Was at the embassy Friday and my visa has been granted. Im flying May 19th

[IHgs300]

Great news Pete, All systems go then.. :)

[petayV8]

Well i just sold my much loved IS200 to a great guy. hes even going to pick it up at my convenience so im not car-less for the last few weeks. kinda sad to have sold it but have slowly accepted the idea. I was asking £1600 and was hoping to take offers around £1500 and we negotiated at £1400, which im ok with. Its going to someone i know will look after it and will even pick it up at my convenience to i cant complain. I initially had trouble selling it tbh, but i blame that on it been automatic. Ill definitely refer the new owner to the loc.

Anyway guys i fly in 2 weeks time, so its getting close. Im looking at buying a Lexus ES300 as we havent got as much cash as we originally planned so until we get a steady income im gonna have to buy a cheapish car to start with. An IS300 sells in excess of $8000! same with a GS. but i can pick up a ES for around $4000

Do we know much about the ES? i know its not the 2JZ and more of a dressed up Toyota

[petayV8]

Well the ways things are going are like this. Me and my wife have agreed on this and she is going to be getting a car of her choice on finance first. Shes is looking at a Mini Cooper S automatic. and if you dont know anything about the auto box in the MINI dont dis! they are amazing and fun as anything

I however am excited to get a old American classic for cheap with a big V8. doesnt take much to satisfy me! ide much rather drive a old something than a new box on wheels. i will keep you updated.

So no Lexus is in the picture atm sorry to say, but depending how reliable the oldie is might need a practical runaround. shame Lexus cost so much over here. A IS300 would be ideal. looking at Dodge Ram or Jeep Grand or similar though.

Getting a collection of motor pictures together, some Lexus/Toyota related some just awesome muscle cars etc. will start a new thread when i got a good few together. at Stuarts request btw!

[TigerFish]

Ditto, I would be bagging an old V8 muscle car too B)

Sent from my Iphone using Lexus OC

[steve2006]

Mmmm, think sofas think DFS......think Steve McQueen,think Bullit,think Mustang :)

[petayV8]

Well just got my licence last week, a bit of long process. The DMV is so unorganised! makes you realise how good the DVLA is tbh. anyway my wife bought a Nissan when we arrived which is alright, kinda meh. Its got a CVT with a 2.0 4 pot 140bhp. Its a nice ride etc but no fun lol.

Atm im driving a GMC Seirra 5.3 V8 with 483k miles! its a family members truck he doesnt use. It handles like a boat but its pretty cool. Pictures were after i gave it a quick detail.

Im looking around for a good example of a Buick Riviera 8th Gen 2 door coupe right now. Will get pics up when i find one. It was either that or a Lexus SC400 but ive opted for the Riv. They have a 3.8 Supercharged V6 easily capable of 300bhp with a few cheap mods such as better pullys, air intake, engine maping etc. They are easy to work on and parts are cheap. The 1UZ in the SC not so, correct me if im wrong.

Some other pics below of a IS300 they looked pretty good and a mk1 Supra. Seen quite a few of these old Supras actually. Never seen one before in the UK.

When ever i see a IS300 it makes me miss my IS200. and they look so tiny out here lol.

The Dodge Charger SRT8 is my Father in laws. Its awesome. Hes also got a 2007 Porsche 911, AMG E55

[LexIS200Sport]

Hi mate, good to see that you're settling in well! :D

Glad that you're enjoying the American car scene too, and the weather looks lovely there!

That Charger looks ace! B)

[petayV8]

Thanks man. So, i just noticed you combined your IS200 and 745 and got a 450h. good call. bet you miss the IS still tho lol

[LexIS200Sport]

bet you miss the IS still tho lol

I do!!

It's funny isn't it... the GS monsters the IS in many ways, yet it doesn't quite "connect" with me in the way the IS did - something I took for granted in the IS I guess.

Anyway, the repair and maintenance bill for both the 745i and IS200 were on the rise. The GS, as you alluded, fitted rather nicely in between those two cars, and so I part-ex'd them both.

Still doesn't quite compare to moving from an IS200 to a GMC Seirra though! :P

483k miles is mad! Did it have an engine/transmission rebuild at all?

[petayV8]

bet you miss the IS still tho lol

I do!!

It's funny isn't it... the GS monsters the IS in many ways, yet it doesn't quite "connect" with me in the way the IS did - something I took for granted in the IS I guess.

Anyway, the repair and maintenance bill for both the 745i and IS200 were on the rise. The GS, as you alluded, fitted rather nicely in between those two cars, and so I part-ex'd them both.

Still doesn't quite compare to moving from an IS200 to a GMC Seirra though! :P

483k miles is mad! Did it have an engine/transmission rebuild at all?

The GMC has its original engine 5.3 Vortec V8 and is on its 2nd tranny. The engine hardly revs tho it hardly even goes over 2000rpm it has so much torque. I was ctuising at 70mph at 1500rpm lol. It runs good still! Its smooth, quiete and idles perfectly. The brakes are bad dangerously bad tho!

I know what you mean about the IS. Theres just something about those cars other than there reliability and build qualityetc

Suprised you complain about maintenance on the iS tho? I found it cheap abd many after markets available unlike the 7er probably

[LexIS200Sport]

Suprised you complain about maintenance on the iS tho? I found it cheap abd many after markets available unlike the 7er probably

A few things needed doing on the IS unfortunately; things like cam belt change, track rod ends, rollbar links, rear shocks, and full set of tyres needed replacing soon, plus I managed to get a good price for part-ex as it stood.

Not complaining, just timing and circumstances made it sensible to change cars at that point. Plus the whole hybrid thing in the GS intrigued me :)