Newbie Seeks Advice On Ls400

[jeastham]

Evening one and all.........

New to the Lexus scene, but have been hankering after an LS400 for a while.

Looking at either a series 2 or series 3, and would appreciate any buying advice

along the lines of what to check for.

So far, I know that the exhaust systems are expensive and the LCD screen is prone

to failure, and that is about it.

Some questions off the top of my head.......

Is it possible to fit an after-market radio unit into the series 2/3 ? (I've looked at

pictures of the dash, and I can't see the stereo being removable)

How common/rare are models with the DHP ?

Keen to hear from any LS400 owners who have converted to LPG...especially if it was a

DIY install.

Also keen to hear from anyone who has an aftermarket exhaust fitted. After all, it is a

V8, and that burble needs to be amplified ;-)

Be curious to know if lowering springs are available, too.

I've been a Rover 800 enthusiast for a few years, and have owned a couple of late

mk1 827 Vitesse's. A much maligned car in my opinion.....an excellent Honda V6 that

is almost bullet proof providing the cambelt/water pump is replaced when it should be.

But to me, the LS400 is an obvious progression.....an extra 2 cylinders and a level up

in terms of refinement.

I welcome any advice and suggestions, apart from "buy a series IV"....

.....I can't afford one, and to be honest, I prefer the look of the earlier models.

TIA

Justin

[eXOBeX]

I'm on my second GS now. To be honest you probably wouldn't want to replace the radio that's there, they really are that good.

Double-din faceplates for the 1995-2000 LS can be found at http://www.installer.com/kits/

Eibach do lowering springs for the LS. Shop around for 'em.

By the way, welcome to the club, Beard.

(two diskssss.....) :winky:

[Scorpion]

Andy AKA Turner is your man for info on most of the above.

Welcome

[jeastham]

By the way, welcome to the club, Beard.

(two diskssss.....) :winky:

←

Miss Pritch.......as I live and breathe.

A GS, eh ?

Certainly a cut above that Japanese station wagon you almost killed us in

on our way up to Worcester that time.

It's a small world........

[eXOBeX]

By the way, welcome to the club, Beard.

(two diskssss.....) :winky:

←

Miss Pritch.......as I live and breathe.

A GS, eh ?

Certainly a cut above that Japanese station wagon you almost killed us in

on our way up to Worcester that time.

It's a small world........

←

Oh aye, my old '82 Corolla estate. You wouldn't be referring to the little "cutting up" incident, would you? :P

[simontaylor]

Hi jeastham,

I'm a Rover 800 man today (or is that Over 800?), only an 820, but Sli auto. I do 450 miles a week commuting.

Much underrated for their value at the moment, I have 153k miles and was £700 just 18 months ago, I think I paid too much. A trouble free 25k has been enjoyed in that time, but the climate control is dead. I've been at Melt-down point a couple of days.

This is my opportunity to cruise up a few pegs too, 4 more pots and ample luxury and style so I'm after a MkIII (95-on) with Lexus history looking at 120 k miler for about £3-4k and should be good for 5 years at least. Or should I just get another Rover800 for £500 ?

Me too, why pay an extra 3k for sat nav (would not use it more than a few times a year) another 8% in bhp and a few more updates, MkIII is well good enough.

happy hunting.

[jeastham]

In addition to my original question.......is anyone familiar with the "options" for the

series 2 and 3 models ?

Thanks

[lsnut]

Rover 800????

Sorry to disagree but the one I had some years ago was absolute junk. It was just over one year old when I bought it with about 6K on the clock. In a yaer I had 2 auto gearboxes, an exhuast and 3 - YES 3 -- alternators!!!!!

Don't tell me I was unlucky..........It was a total dog.

Anyway, our current 2000 LS400 MkIV is a brilliant car. Not a thing has broken, stopped working or given us any cause for concern in over 25,000 miles. The Sat Nav is a godsend when you need it. Oh! and the mods to the greasy bits do mean that it is even more reliable and smoother than the earlier ones. Gets better MPG to.

P.S. Don't let my wife hear you criticise the car, she'll rip your head off. She will now have no other car, except the new LS430 we tried a few months ago.

Enjoy.....

[davepruce]

Sorry lsnut, my car before my LS400 was a Rover 827 F reg with 120k. I had just been made redundant, my new LR Disco had been taken back by the finance co, and I got the 827 for £350.

In the 8 months that I had it, NOTHING broke, NOTHING needed replacing, went like a rocket.

HOWEVER, the LS beats it to a cocked hat, best car I've EVER had!

[simontaylor]

Ohhhhh, so it seems that high milage Over 800s are fine, once some poor person has had all the warrantry repairs etc sorted out.

Ahhhhhh, I just can't wait to get my Ls400, Looking at 2 more this week.

Roll on the weekend.

[lsnut]

Ohhhhh, so it seems that high milage Over 800s are fine, once some poor person has had all the warrantry repairs etc sorted out.

Ahhhhhh, I just can't wait to get my Ls400, Looking at 2 more this week.

Roll on the weekend.

←

Anything Rover should be buried at birth. YUK!!!

Anyway, get that LS quick and you will never want to own anything else.

LS400 - - - - only thing I can think of that I would be better to cover a lot of miles in wouod be an LS430.

Buy the best you can afford and you will NEVER look back.

[jeastham]

Anything Rover should be buried at birth.  YUK!!!

<Sigh>........another group with elitist attitudes !

I can't abide dillied-up puny 4-pots......with every conceivable body-mod attached,

but I don't go round openly condemning them.

Have you actually owned a Rover ? And I'm not talking 2, 4 or 6 series.

Fact : deerly departed Tony Pond took a near-standard 827 Vitesse around the

Isle of Man at over 100mph average. FIRST production car to do so ! Don't believe me ?

Duck along to Duke Video, and search for TT challenge.

Rover SD1.........well before its time.....and forced the BTCC to change the rules

because they were cleaning up ! Now a cult car, and fuel-injected V8 models are fetching money.

And before you tell me that they rot like beggary.......you tell me what 70's car didn't;

apart from a Scimitar !

Both the SD1 V8 and the 827 models had highly regarded engines.....a V8 that

lived for over 40 years, and the Honda V6.

The P6, and the P5 (perhaps the LS400 of its day)......all well received at the time

as was the SD1 and 800 series.

In short........don't condemn something you know little or nothing about.

When I join the ranks of Lexus ownership, I won't develop a superiority complex,

looking down my nose at lesser motorists in their inferior vehciles.

I'm disappointed to learn that some here do.

[jeastham]

Sorry to disagree but the one I had some years ago was absolute junk.  It was just over one year old when I bought it with about 6K on the clock.

In a year I had 2 auto gearboxes, an exhuast and 3 - YES 3 -- alternators!!!!!

←

Okay......so you owned an 800; but I bet it wasn't a V6 model !

I'll lay money on it being an 820 of some description, probably with the M series

under the bonnet.

>>P.S. Don't let my wife hear you criticise the car, she'll rip your head off.

>>She will now have no other car, except the new LS430 we tried a few months ago.

Wouldn't dream of criticising your car.

Would you show me the same courtesy ??

[eXOBeX]

Not much elitism here, Justin, just a bit of a dig at Rover, that's all. Generally everybody's nice and friendly, regardless of whether they picked their car up for two grand or sixty grand.

Now, d'you want a hand getting all your toys back in the pram, mate? :D

[jeastham]

Not much elitism here, Justin, just a bit of a dig at Rover, that's all.  Generally everybody's nice and friendly, regardless of whether they picked their car up for two grand or sixty grand.

Now, d'you want a hand getting all your toys back in the pram, mate? :D

←

A dig at Rover.......precisely.

Unjustified in my opinion.....and whilst inferior to an LS400 (as bourne out by the

price-tags when new)......not sneer-worthy in any way whatsoever.

Somebody has one bad experiece of a particular car, and the whole marque is

condemned. In most cases, it's down to the DPO (dumb previous owner) not

doing what should be done.

In the case of the 820......they did have their faults.....not least, leaking oil from

between the head and block. But then that was a good thing, because it saved

the subframe from corrosion.

The V6 models were a much better prospect, and aside from the early ones being

more prone to rot......were a good motor. Anything from a G-plate on was pretty

rot resistant.

I've given myself until October to source an LS400, by which time the MOT, tax

and insurance all expire on the current daily hack (Mondeo diesel). If I've not

aquired an LS400 by then, I'll be putting the 827 Vitesse back on the road,

complete with replacement box, and LPG. Why did the box need replacing ?

Because the DPO let the tranny oil run low, and knackerd the diif output bearings.

I knew about the box before I bought the car, and for £150 was worth the punt.

As it happened, I had a replacement auto-box, and after giving up a weekend,

got the boxes swapped.

I've always admired the LS400, and do consider it a step up from the 800. But if I can't

have 8 cylinders, then the 6 in the 827 will be no bad thing.

As for collecting my toys........I can manage just fine, thankyou :P

Justin

[davepruce]

Agree entirely with all you've just said justin, however, in our (LOC) defense, we as a group are not usually quite so rough on either a marque or a poss newbie.

Maybe it caught someone on a bad day, and Rover have just gone bust!!

Even if you dont source an LS, I'm sure you'll have some good times in the Vitesse, I know I did in my 827, and I had a run against an 827 a few weeks back, it was not so shabby, I had to reach 3 figures to beat him, (private roads only o'course!)

[jeastham]

Even if you dont source an LS, I'm sure you'll have some good times in the Vitesse, I know I did in my 827, and I had a run against an 827 a few weeks back, it was not so shabby, I had to reach 3 figures to beat him, (private roads only o'course!)

←

Comes as no surprise, mk4 aside, little to choose between the LS400 and a non-cat 827 manual to 60. About 0.3 of a second, if memory serves.

I'm hoping I can secure a series 2 or 3 LS400 in the next few months, but I won't be

too put out if I'm resigned to the Vitesse. I might even go for a 3.2 Legend (another

motor with the Honda V6) if one came my way for a decent price. Not fussed on the

appearance of the later Legends, so that rules out the 3.5 V6.

We'll see.

Justin

Rover SD1 EFi V8 5 speed.

Rover 827 Vitesse auto (on gas)

Jag XJS V12 HE

Opel Monza GSE

....and the Mondeo oil burner.

[eXOBeX]

Do you want me to still keep an eye out for gassed-up LS400s on AutoTrader, Beard? (I assume you haven't shaved it - probably wouldn't recognise you without the beard and long hair!)

[lsnut]

Not much elitism here, Justin, just a bit of a dig at Rover, that's all.  Generally everybody's nice and friendly, regardless of whether they picked their car up for two grand or sixty grand.

Now, d'you want a hand getting all your toys back in the pram, mate? :D

←

A dig at Rover.......precisely.

Unjustified in my opinion.....and whilst inferior to an LS400 (as bourne out by the

price-tags when new)......not sneer-worthy in any way whatsoever.

Somebody has one bad experiece of a particular car, and the whole marque is

condemned. In most cases, it's down to the DPO (dumb previous owner) not

doing what should be done.

In the case of the 820......they did have their faults.....not least, leaking oil from

between the head and block. But then that was a good thing, because it saved

the subframe from corrosion.

The V6 models were a much better prospect, and aside from the early ones being

more prone to rot......were a good motor. Anything from a G-plate on was pretty

rot resistant.

I've given myself until October to source an LS400, by which time the MOT, tax

and insurance all expire on the current daily hack (Mondeo diesel). If I've not

aquired an LS400 by then, I'll be putting the 827 Vitesse back on the road,

complete with replacement box, and LPG. Why did the box need replacing ?

Because the DPO let the tranny oil run low, and knackerd the diif output bearings.

I knew about the box before I bought the car, and for £150 was worth the punt.

As it happened, I had a replacement auto-box, and after giving up a weekend,

got the boxes swapped.

I've always admired the LS400, and do consider it a step up from the 800. But if I can't

have 8 cylinders, then the 6 in the 827 will be no bad thing.

As for collecting my toys........I can manage just fine, thankyou :P

Justin

←

Sorrry to upset you regarding Rovers. My first car was a P6 2000TC 1967. I bought this second hand for £600.00 in 1976. I liked this car a lot and wish I still had it. This was after learning to drive in a series 2 Landrover which only had 3 gears most of the time, sometimes it had none.

After a succession of various other makes including Citreons, Mercedes, VWs, and Mazdas I bought an SD1. This was a 2600SE I think. This overheated at any opertunity and was never sorted by my local dealer. The car was an ex dem bought from that dealer.

Next came a Mercedes 450SE, a Jag XJ, Another Mercedes, this time a 280E which I still own. Then the dreaded Rover 820. Here we go again. Loads of trouble. A good friend had a 623 at the same time, Honda engine worked well, Interior fell to bits quite quickly. I also had a Rover 213 (laughs) for a while. Ummm, I cant remember why I bought this but I do remember that it didn't use much petrol.

Since then My wife and I have had a few Toyots that have been perfectly reliable if a little dull. This is why we now own a LS400. Its damn good and will still be damn good in 10 years time.

When I post on this site I am expressing my opions gained from my own experience. I can't speak for anyone else but my time spent owning Rovers has been . . . . . lets just say mixed in case someone gets upset agan. In case you are wondering I will never even look at another Jag

Anyway, as I said before enjoy your future Lexus or any other car you might own. I love driving and cars but I do have realistic opions about them.

[JellyBean]

"I can't abide dillied-up puny 4-pots......with every conceivable body-mod attached,

but I don't go round openly condemning them."

But I think you just have!

PS Had a Monza for several years - great car. Not certain my LS rides any better.

[chips229]

"PS Had a Monza for several years - great car.  Not certain my LS rides any better.

←

Was you a member of any Opel/Vauxhall clubs,im still a member of the Autobahnstormers :)

[JellyBean]

Was a member of the Monza Owners Club, but now we are straying away from Lexus Business!

[jeastham]

Got me LS400........a series 3 on gas (although the gas doesn't work, reckon it's

the main fuse, or the ECU)

Near mint condition........£1500

Yep.....you read right.

250k on the clock though.......but it's been looked after.

Justin

[jeastham]

Additional.........

Where the feck are the spark plugs ?

Also......is there a quick and easy way to immobilse the engine ?

Car isn't insured at the mo.

Justin

[simontaylor]

Well done Justin,

The plugs are burried in there somewhere, deep, I've not seen them either.

how about removing the Battery, or an ignition connection if you can see any, take a wheel off if it's off the road/garaged and leave the steering lock on, or remove some more fuses, just be carefull as some of the electronics might need resetting after.

also, check with your currect insurer, assuming you will be using the same company for the lex, some will cover you for 2 cars for 2 weeks when you are between cars, so long as you dont change cars too often.

Enjoy.