Ls400 Buying Advice Needed

[Tim Lusername]

Hi

Looking to buy my first Lexus

I'm off to have a closer look at a LS400 at a local garage

Here are the details I have from the ad

- 1993 L Lexus LS400 4/0 Auto 4dr, PAS, c/locking, e/windows, e/mirrors,

e/roof, e/leather seats, alloys, CD, met. gold, 118k £3499

It's local to me so had a quick look over the fence last night!

Has a couple of small dings in the door edge by the drivers side handle -

looks like its been opened into something rather than being levered on - but

that's just a guess

Which brings me on to the second point - I noticed that the fit of the

drivers door is fine at the top but lower down it flares out away from the

car body - looks like 10 - 15mm at the bottom rear corner

Couldn't get a good look at the passenger side but it looked as though the

same thing happened there as well

Has this car been shunted do you think or is this normal??

Also paint on alloys is blistering - but I guess that's not a biggie

Any advice on this and the price etc would be great - I notice they don't

mention FSH so will be taking a looooong look at it :-)

TIA

Tim

[MacRS200]

Welcome to LOC :D

From the sounds of the doors I would say that something is well out of line. Get the chassis number and do a HPI check on it.

[simontaylor]

I paid that much for a 1995 MK III model, perfect body and full lexus sh.

It was being moved on by an esat london trader who takes on all the trade-in cars from his local lexus dealers, as he was an ex-lexus salesman and knows all the dealers, so he said.

Ask your local dealer what he does with the trade ins, perhaps they can let you know when a nice one comes in. I even got in touch with the previous owner, as his tel no was on a service receipt, and he only got £2800 as a trade in. If you are not in a rush you could get a good car. As Bristol is a big place I'm guessing there is a reasonable volume of cars about.

[dhs]

Tim

Fit and finish on the LS is legendary, so if panels don't fit be careful. Looked after by a Lexus garage the mechanicals should be bulit proof, so look for full Lexus history. Lots of well looked after cars about so if you are in any doubt...keep looking. Only downside is if you buy a dog it will cost a mint, so don't rush in. When you get a goodun you will love it for years. Good luck with your search.

[Tim Lusername]

Hi

Thanks for the quick responses

Just had a look at the car - no test drive though as it was getting late - had to wait for a mechanically minded friend of mine to get back from work :-(

Re the doors - was an optical illusion last night - they are flush with the body - & that was before I got to the pub! I think it's the way that the shut line gets bigger on the lower plastic side skirts

Cars not bad but a bit over priced I think (it's a dealer I guess)

One small patch of rust on the front passenger door in the middle just below the glass

Rear disks well worn

The windows have been tinted with film & this is bubbling & rippling which looks naff & I guess would be a major pain to remove

Engine coolant looked dirty - is this normal?

Passenger door lock was a real mare to get the key in

One thing surprised me & that's the fact that it seems slightly smaller inside than the Granada Scorpio I have at the moment!

Thanks for the advise Simon - I'll have a go at contacting the dealer

One thing I havn't looked into yet is insurance (I'm 40 with a clean sheet so I'm not expecting a shock) any advice in that area??

Cheers

Tim

[Tim Lusername]

Thanks DHS

Want one now!!!!!

Just have to be patient I suppose :-(

[chips229]

The prices on secondhand LS400s are all over the place if you look through autotrader.Only buy the best as it will be hard to sale on if theres any dents/marks on the bodywork.It really is a buyers market this year as secondhand cars arent selling to well.So dont buy the first one you see,make them a offer as its a really limited market when selling them on.Give them a few days and call them back,if they want to sale it they will drop there price ;)

Old 4 litre cars dont sale well,dont get me wrong there great cars the LS400 how ever old they are,great value for money but the prices are rock bottom at present.

Cheers chips.

Good luck.

[adz]

The windows have been tinted with film & this is bubbling & rippling which looks naff & I guess would be a major pain to remove

£3499 for A gold 93 LS with bubbly tinted windows seems expensive mate.

The film isn't usually too difficult to remove but can leave a sticky residue which you can clean off with IPA. As suggested before, deifinitely get an HPI check on any old car and if I were you i'd look for another one instead of this example (there are plenty of good ones around).

You could always try getting some money back by searching under the seats / in cubby holes as there's probably some drugs hidden in this car somewhere :D :winky:

[Chris Skelton]

Thanks DHS

Want one now!!!!!

Just have to be patient I suppose :-(

←

Definitely go for a Series Three (No separate Spots at front-M/N/P reg) They are better in many ways than the 2. Sad to say that others views on price is true! You CAN get them for under 5K! But don't forget they are STILL a £50K car, when you need to service them!

I'm in Bristol too. If you see M54RKL Grey..jump up and down (and I'll accelerate away!!)

[AFICIO]

Hi

Looking to buy my first Lexus

I'm off to have a closer look at a LS400 at a local garage

Here are the details I have from the ad

- 1993 L Lexus LS400 4/0 Auto 4dr, PAS, c/locking, e/windows, e/mirrors,

e/roof, e/leather seats, alloys, CD, met. gold, 118k £3499

It's local to me so had a quick look over the fence last night!

Has a couple of small dings in the door edge by the drivers side handle -

looks like its been opened into something rather than being levered on - but

that's just a guess

Which brings me on to the second point - I noticed that the fit of the

drivers door is fine at the top but lower down it flares out away from the

car body - looks like 10 - 15mm at the bottom rear corner

Couldn't get a good look at the passenger side but it looked as though the

same thing happened there as well

Has this car been shunted do you think or is this normal??

Also paint on alloys is blistering - but I guess that's not a biggie

Any advice on this and the price etc would be great - I notice they don't

mention FSH so will be taking a looooong look at it :-)

TIA

Tim

←

Tim,

If you are still looking to buy a secondhand Lexus talk to this guy (he is the best in the UK!)

John Hayfield

Tel 01543 481755

email jh@hayfields.co.uk

web www.hayfields.co.uk

I'm sure he will be able to help you.

All the best

Mark Biggs

[flotsam]

I'm insured with Privilege who promise to beat all comers. They specialise in low risk drivers and I've been unable to find anyone that comes close in the last few years.

Since Lexus cars last longer, they're probably under-valued according to the Glass's guide or Parkers. This is good for when you're insuring but not so good if you're buying new and want to get a good second hand price.