Ls 400 1998

[ajones1722]

I've just looked on the Lexus.co.uk website for the 163k LS400 at Lexus Nottingham and it looks stunning - so stunning that it looks dodgy. If this is a case of deliberately misrepresenting one of their cars to make it look better than it is, then Lexus Nottingham should be ashamed of themselves. You might expect this from Arthur Daley Boneshakers & Sons, but not Lexus! Poor show.

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Take it from me, the car pictured on the website is not the car they are selling. I have pointed this out to them a number of times and they still persist in misrepresentation!

It wouldn't be so bad if they said 'library photos' . C'mon Lexus Nottingham stop letting us down!!!!

[Chris Skelton]

Well, to be pedantic....the original 'magic carpet ride' was, of course, the wonderful Citroen DS series, and, even today, this 30-40 year old car will amaze you with its smoothness

But. to return to the point.

I also wanted to get a reliable and long lived car, which is why I got my low mileage Series 3. It's proved perfect in all aspects. (Apart from negotiating narrow city streets with whizz-around hatches assaulting your 'space'!). MPG is good for such a size (anyway, it's a 4 litre luxury car!! What did you expect?) It is so nice to drive, great to be a passenger in-my lissome partner tells me!- and...well, just very satisfying to own.

Ironically, I may now be selling it as I should be off to Spain to live, needing an LHD.

Perhaps I'll get another Citroen DS......?

Chris Skelton.

With that kind of age and mileage, any luxury car will have worn suspension, even the LS400. Try and get the car inspected if you can. The car will not be driving/handling "like new" at that mileage assuming the original bushes and control arms. My advice would be to budget for a suspension overhaul at some point if you plan to keep it for another 100k miles. The engine and gearbox are pretty much bulletproof assuming the previous owners cared for the car and changed the fluids (not just oil and filter), and kept the car in good condition. What kind of service history does the car have? Just a book with stamps or the actual invoices so you can see the work that has been done? Yes, LS400s are reliable, but they are still liable to abuse, so make sure previous owners haven't skimped on maintenance.

IMHO, the LS400 has a good ride, though not magic carpet. The Jag XJ and S class have been described as magic carpet ride when compared with the LS400 in the past. The early LS400s tended to get a bit jittery on B roads, but that's all changed with the later models.

Hope this helps.

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