Essential Or Non Essential

[marcus brodie]

A question for all yous fellas and especially GREYBEARD who seems to have been put through the mincer cash wise.I suppose at some time or other,all of us have owned a car with weary,tired steering,suspension etc,but just trundle along until it becomes a safety issue or until you cant get it through the MOT.As a fella who likes to keep his family safe and perhaps legal,and not to any great extent restore the cars running gear to factory condition,which category would you say your repairs come under.Its just that if im budgeting in the region of £4000 for the car ,it dosnt leave me much in the way of squids,for any essential work,let alone non essential work,if your experience is anything to go by.Im not blind enough to believe that,say a car 12 years old wont need work doing to it.In the past ive bought cars 2 or 3 year old and kept the service history up,but they still depreciate at the rate of say £1500/year.If i could get a lexus for say 4000, with the fsh etc. even if i did all future work, and class a and b services myself,i would still be sound in the knowledge that i have a well cared for car,and even if the service book comes to a halt,id still be losing less than what i would with a newer car,even if it would be harder to move on when the time comes. :winky:

[dantheman]

have you seen this one?

92(J) LEXUS LS 400 (UK CAR)

Automatic, Metallic Dark Red With Cream Leather, 125000 miles, Central Locking, Electric Windows, Electric Sunroof, Electric Mirrors, ABS, Air Conditioning, Power Steering, Cruise Control, Alarm, Immobiliser, Alloy Wheels, electric seats, heated seats, electric steering column, radio cassette with CD changer, electric aerial, rear head rests, wood dash, etc, etc, Superbly maintained by Lexus main agents with many new parts including recent CAMBELT change and four NEW tyres, MOT to February 2005, sold with a FREE 12 months warranty, Debit / Credit Cards Accepted, ONLY £3995.

Aria Motor Company Tel: 0115 9255252

Might be just your bag! It's on Autotrader.

[marcus brodie]

cheers dantheman,seen it and if its still there after me hols ,may go looking

[maneesh]

Hmmm, I'm always suspicious seeing adverts proclaiming 4 new tyres. Normally, owners replace pairs of tyres, since the front and rear don't wear out at the same time. Could be to hide effects of dodgy suspension causing uneven wear. Think about that before you get impressed with brand new tyres.

Seriously, buying a 12 year old LS400 on a very tight budget is going to be really, really hard work, and perhaps a painful ownership experience. Saying that, you have all of us to support you in your hunger for a V8

Most likely that age of car WILL need a suspension overhaul of some kind, if not done at some point already. Rubber bushes will perish with age anyway, even if not driving hard and fast. A full suspension overhaul can cost nearly the price of the car..Inspect it properly!

The trouble with Lexus is that when the bushes are worn, you don't get the bushes sold separately. You have to buy the whole control arm (wishbone), which in this country are nearly £400 each. Then there are the balljoints, strut bar cushions, anti roll bar bushings, front lower control arms, rear upper control arms, rear axle carrier bushes. The steering racks can cause issues from around 130k.

Sure you can prob get by running an LS400 on the cheap, but do you really want to drive a big car with sloppy handling and less than smooth/silent engine?

In the cold light of day, perhaps you could consider (shock horror) a four year old Mondeo 2.5V6 etc. until you have a bit more cash to spare.

As they say, CAVEAT EMPTOR...

[marcus brodie]

not bloody likely

[mudzs]

i agree with maneesh buying an ls400 on a budget is not a good idea and will cost you bucks if you buy one at 4k unless you get lucky but even then it will cost in the long run ,what about a gs300 they are much cheaper to repair and i would think easier to work on yourself , you still get lexus luxury but with out the big bills .

[maneesh]

Yes, there may be more info/help available if you get a GS300, since they have a detuned Supra engine in them. You may be able to get tips/help from Supra community as well. Particulary in engine/susp dept I think.

Re the mondeo 2.5v6 suggestion, the difference between a 12 year old LS400 and a newish mondeo/vectra/omega isn't as much as you might think.

[marcus brodie]

not much difference in price I agree,but come on a Ford PPPPPPPlllllllleeeeeeeaaaaaaassssssseeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[marcus brodie]

Would the ride ,Silent performance ,Luxury etc.,be greatly different between the gs300 and the ls400

[mudzs]

I would say the ls is quieter and smoother but not as agile as the GS300(not that you would call a gs agile)the ls is faster but not by a lot .rear leg room is bad in the gs but very good in the ls ,and in the mk1 gs the boot is tiny .

[flotsam]

Hmmm, I'm always suspicious seeing adverts proclaiming 4 new tyres. Normally, owners replace pairs of tyres, since the front and rear don't wear out at the same time.

Rotate!

[jamesholden]

That £4k LS400 is at a garage not far from me, its now been reduced to £3495. They sell quite a lot of prestige type stuff like Lexus, BMW, Mercs etc.

I have another suggestion, one that gives almost Lexus refinement and quality but is a lot cheaper in all respects - a Toyota Camry 3.0 V6.

The one my dad had before he got his LS400 was absolutely superb and the last generation is now available very cheap.

[maneesh]

I have another suggestion, one that gives almost Lexus refinement and quality but is a lot cheaper in all respects - a Toyota Camry 3.0 V6.

I'll second that, and add Nissan QX (Maxima) as an alternative too. Don't laugh now!!!

See URL regarding how many awards the 3 litre V6 engine has won. Nissan's V6s are now legendary.

http://www.economist.com.na/2001/100501/story23.htm

I drove a Maxima in the US, and the V6 is incredibly smooth. Nobody likes them over here, so they are dirt cheap. Plus you still get the rarity factor.