Pure Comedy Shopping For Ls400

[Shaft]

Seen three is two week:

1, 211k felt and drove spot on. flickering speedo needle and misty air con readout. otherwise excellent for the money. 94 on L £1595 ono (£1350 me thinks...)

2, 149k up at £2595 but when I get to the garage its "abandoned" round the back. no mot or tax not been moved in "a while" green ***** growing on the window seals... £1700 to take it away running, no thanks. 95 on P/P

3, THE BEST YET (for comedy)

93k reg at £1995. 130k Confirmed mileage. Drivers seat fell so unsprunge the previous owners must have been big daddy! ( any one remember Shirley Crabtree?)

He tells me the car is straight, he checked EVERYTHING OUT as he bought it for himself, never gets chance to drive it though as he's a trader... business been around 27 years,...

Starts it with jump leads and it sounds nice!

all elctrics seem fine.

under bonnet I see coolant dripping at alarming rate. (yes I tasted it to check it was coolant and not off the AC compressor or anything...)

He says, "oh, that's the overflow, don't worry."

I say, "Nope, its leaking from the bodged fibreglass repair to the corner nearest the engine, look here.." and point it out to him, on the car that he claims to have driven to London in twice and to have checked over himself as he wanted to keep it....

He offered to get it repaired so I could drive it next wednesday and buy it if I like it, no obligation ( of course)

I find it brassy to say the least that he would tell me having taken over a business established for 27 years he was unable to detect a bodged repair on a coolant res that was ****** out blue juice... Did not inspire confidence...

Am I being too picky for the money. At this rate I want to either go £1300 on the 211k example or buy the 520iSE I saw yesterday with the airbag light problem fixed... at £3300... I had a bad dream about the car but I am still interested in it. 78k halo lights upgrade, full leather... T&T...

Help me keep it Lexus..

[Gord]

Seen three is two week:

1, 211k felt and drove spot on. flickering speedo needle and misty air con readout. otherwise excellent for the money. 94 on L £1595 ono (£1350 me thinks...)

2, 149k up at £2595 but when I get to the garage its "abandoned" round the back. no mot or tax not been moved in "a while" green ***** growing on the window seals... £1700 to take it away running, no thanks. 95 on P/P

3, THE BEST YET (for comedy)

93k reg at £1995. 130k Confirmed mileage. Drivers seat fell so unsprunge the previous owners must have been big daddy! ( any one remember Shirley Crabtree?)

He tells me the car is straight, he checked EVERYTHING OUT as he bought it for himself, never gets chance to drive it though as he's a trader... business been around 27 years,...

Starts it with jump leads and it sounds nice!

all elctrics seem fine.

under bonnet I see coolant dripping at alarming rate. (yes I tasted it to check it was coolant and not off the AC compressor or anything...)

He says, "oh, that's the overflow, don't worry."

I say, "Nope, its leaking from the bodged fibreglass repair to the corner nearest the engine, look here.." and point it out to him, on the car that he claims to have driven to London in twice and to have checked over himself as he wanted to keep it....

He offered to get it repaired so I could drive it next wednesday and buy it if I like it, no obligation ( of course)

I find it brassy to say the least that he would tell me having taken over a business established for 27 years he was unable to detect a bodged repair on a coolant res that was ****** out blue juice... Did not inspire confidence...

Am I being too picky for the money. At this rate I want to either go £1300 on the 211k example or buy the 520iSE I saw yesterday with the airbag light problem fixed... at £3300... I had a bad dream about the car but I am still interested in it. 78k halo lights upgrade, full leather... T&T...

Help me keep it Lexus..

Where are you north ? was talking to mate today that has one for sale.

[Steve]

all trader will give out BS... its when you can outsmart them and make em feel silly.

I wouldnt even look at the one with 211k on.. thats too many miles for my liking

[chips229]

Hi,

Pays to have a good look around them ;)

Myself if the 211k one is up together and its got along MOT...ID OFFER him £1000 as it is

He can only go up on that price and might even take it if hes been trying to sale the car for a while.

Remember Big Old Thirsty car with starship mileage ;) Have faith and make him a offer and dont be worried about the miles the engines are bullit proof...If you want abit of peace of mind get them to MOT it again..

Good luck with your LS search,if you fancy a BMW id go for a larger engined one or you will have a 2 Litre 6 pot engine with the same sort of mpg as a 3 litre ;) but with out the power+torque.

chips.

Let us know how you get on..

[whitie]

Saw I nice one up for sale near me (Looking for a hice cheap something or other) but it was rotten through and through... Almost makes you feel sorry for it

[Shaft]

couple of people have said the 520i is underpowered. I drove it and thought it was alright but how much was I kidding myself because I wanted to buyit, I don't know...

Think a Cheap LS would be the Nuts though!

[maneesh]

Go for the 211k one like Chips says. Oh, the driver's seat will be twisted on virtually every Mk1 LS400. One side reclines, and the other side doesn't, hard to fix too.

[Shaft]

checked the seat Maneesh. heard about that one too, in other thread.

with the best will in the world, unless you whole family drive your LS400 you should only need to set the seat once and then drive the car for the rest of your natural born days. why the need for all the motors...?

Thats it. I want this LS400 to be the car to take me to the end of my long octogenarian at least life. I think it would be a great testemony to TOyota. I know a guy in the US who has had one for 16 years. Only put 2 sets of brakes and an air conditioning unit on it outside of normal servicing.... Reckons its the best car he owns. I should clarify that, he has 44 cars. most recent purchase, a bentley converetible. So he does rate it very highly. If you can maintain one I can't see why you'd have anything else. Thats it. I'm having one!

Period.

[simontaylor]

I spent 4-6 months looking for mine and found a good one.

I really wanted a 95 car with the bigger brakes etc.

If I did not have an LS400, I would rush out to see this one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...me=STRK:MEWA:IT

only problem is the remote is not working. On mine you need to be next to the car for it to work anyway, so no big deal.

AND, it is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO cheap....... at the moment.

[andy haw]

I spent 4-6 months looking for mine and found a good one.

I really wanted a 95 car with the bigger brakes etc.

If I did not have an LS400, I would rush out to see this one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...me=STRK:MEWA:IT

only problem is the remote is not working. On mine you need to be next to the car for it to work anyway, so no big deal.

AND, it is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO cheap....... at the moment.

Looks nice but its due for cambelt change etc.

[Shaft]

my sentiments exactly. Only problem with eBay is, it might look cheap now but there are three days to go! might double in price. you know what happens when bidding fever sets in...

[Chris Skelton]

checked the seat Maneesh. heard about that one too, in other thread.

with the best will in the world, unless you whole family drive your LS400 you should only need to set the seat once and then drive the car for the rest of your natural born days. why the need for all the motors...?

Thats it. I want this LS400 to be the car to take me to the end of my long octogenarian at least life. I think it would be a great testemony to TOyota. I know a guy in the US who has had one for 16 years. Only put 2 sets of brakes and an air conditioning unit on it outside of normal servicing.... Reckons its the best car he owns. I should clarify that, he has 44 cars. most recent purchase, a bentley converetible. So he does rate it very highly. If you can maintain one I can't see why you'd have anything else. Thats it. I'm having one!

Period.

Well, I'm (famously, sez Maneesh!) about to sell my Ser 3 LS 400, which, like you say, I originally bought to keep for 10 years. Has only done 65,000 miles, with usual Lex S.H., garage kept, not winter used.

But...it's not £3K! nearer £6K. But you get what you pay for of course. Properly cared for, maintained, loved, stored, car, cam belt done, bushes, etc.

When I've got time I'll properly advertise it, (need better photos is all)but any interested folk on here, get in touch via roycerolls@madasafish.com

Agree totally about finding a good one, not a hyped up one. I spent a year looking.

But, once you've had one, nothing else compares!

[Shaft]

how juicy was yours Chris?Average miles per tank ? Not that it bothers me. I am expecting 20mpg overall with a little more on long trips and a little less on short stop starts.

[simontaylor]

I too have a Mk III 1995 with 125k on the clock.

I get 25.5 overall, but work is a 100 mile M25 commute. As low as 20 around town but as good as 30 on a long trip. Between 380 and 480 miles to a tank. Might try and get the magic 500 to the tank, when I have more time, because you need time & patience to drive all day at 60. I don't look at it as 15p a mile, just look at it as an extra 5p a mile to travel in the best car available and I always arrive refreshed even after 2 and a half hours on the London orbital car park.

[Shaft]

Simon, You sell it so well! I'm buying, dude! I'm buying!!!

I can't fault one iota of your logic.

[simontaylor]

In that case, get that silver one off eBay and I'll do your cambelt for you at £395 plus parts,

or £295 plus parts if you let me have the tow bar off it?

but I guess from your avitar, you would prefer a dark colour for the sunny north.

Oh yes, and I am researching an LPG conversion for the LS400.

[Shaft]

Simon, Thanks for the offer but locally the Cambelt service is £185+vat...

[JellyBean]

Simon, Thanks for the offer but locally the Cambelt service is £185+vat...

Ouch.

[Chris Skelton]

I too have a Mk III 1995 with 125k on the clock.

I get 25.5 overall, but work is a 100 mile M25 commute. As low as 20 around town but as good as 30 on a long trip. Between 380 and 480 miles to a tank. Might try and get the magic 500 to the tank, when I have more time, because you need time & patience to drive all day at 60. I don't look at it as 15p a mile, just look at it as an extra 5p a mile to travel in the best car available and I always arrive refreshed even after 2 and a half hours on the London orbital car park.

I agree with Simon. THe experience of being in the car is worth the extra. I get slightly better mpg than his, but not greatly.

Taking the Cam belt thing....that's only ONE aspect. Don't forget it's a heavy/large car, and the laws of physics still apply. Things DO wear. Bushes, suspension arms (just both done on mine) etc all need attention, and age (aka mileage)inevitably brings cost.

(See the string on tappet wear current!)

Plus some on sale are not treated as -say - us enthusiasts would treat our cars. Some people have NO idea about cars at all, and drive that way!!

Dark colours for opp North? (I'm from Liverpool; the midlands to a Geordie...where I once lived too!) I like RED cars (and now have one_) but my Ser 3 is lovely in Graphite grey. Suits the car, unlike Champagne?

But, as a (Man) United fan for 50 years, I guess RED would be an obvious choice!?

Good luck.

[andy haw]

In that case, get that silver one off ebay and I'll do your cambelt for you at £395 plus parts,

or £295 plus parts if you let me have the tow bar off it?

but I guess from your avitar, you would prefer a dark colour for the sunny north.

Oh yes, and I am researching an LPG conversion for the LS400.

That is a lot do you work for a Lexus stealer.

[Shaft]

found one!

£4995 (more a quality purchase than a bargain basement buy)

78k 96n reg ( so I can put my Lreg cherrished plate on it right away!)

Green over silver (yeah, but who's counting...)

Tan leather (mint)

Razor edged wings ( as someone put it, and I like the way they put it...)

And a serious car for a couple of years at least. I say a couple of years cos I would want ultimately to have the post 98 cars with the say nav. But if the next two years are kind then I would consider either keeping it as Its so sensible and buying more assets not liabilities, OR keeping it for my dad and buying an LS430 for £10k or less. ..

Happy days!

[maneesh]

Congrats! Pics please!

[Shaft]

Hey, I didn't say I'd bought it....

But I have

cambelt done at 65k at lexus... peace of mind.

hope to pick it up Saturday when they have polished the scuffs out of the rear bumper where its been brushed into a wheelie bin I suspect. what an old man colour... Tan leather rules though!

previous owners: Lexus Dealership owner, chinese businessman, Now me!

really not sure about the colour in that picture... looks better in the flesh. But, I'm not stupid. It is Green. I can live with that for an LS400.

[maneesh]

I like the looks of it, particularly the two tone exterior. Ahhh, I'm jealous of you and that silky V8!!

[Shaft]

You'll have one again in no time, dude. I don't know how I managed to stray from the fold before. I must have needed my head read...

As the winners in life say:

Success is a poor teacher. We learn much more from our mistakes.

Won't have to ask me twice.

Shaft ( grinning from ear to ear!)