Top Gear Ls400

[rabnoolas]

:winky: Gents, if you didn't see Top Gear series 11 episode 1 (yes the loonies are back) on Sunday, you can still catch it on BBC Iplayer. The last 20 minutes are given over to a series of challenges to buy a second hand car to turn into a Police vehicle. James May opted for a M reg LS400 in Champaigne Beige. I would recommend watching the mayhem at the end of the programme (which I found very funny) but 3 things worried me;

James bought a car for £900 which at first sight looked in better condition than mine!!!

Is an LS400 so much slower than a BMW 7 series?

Is an LS400 a car bought by masons?

Rab

[Rsarin]

i don't think an Ls400 is that much slower than a 7 series of equivalent age,however i do believe James May is pants as a driver and actually i think most people would be pants in direct competition with the likes of Ben Collins or whoever they've got as the stig these days.

heres the vid

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fTyfUZ1C8e8

check out the look on Clarksons face when his Italian heap met with the likes of near enough 2 tonnes of German metal-his car came apart and his wheel fell off.

thoroughly entertaining stuff!!

[DJ Wozza]

I've set the DVD recorder for Friday when it gets repeated :D

[microcat36]

The BMW was a 1994 L reg, the only 7 series that was quicker than the LS400 was the 750i, the 740i had identical performance to the LS400.

[Matrixabc]

I must admit I was surprised that the LS400 did so badly on the lap times.. Obviously not the car but the driver.... :duh:

The Swindon police use a black GS430...

If you want to catch up on top gear episodes , try iplayer http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/page/item/b00...ml?src=ip_potpw, I have got the video out of my PC into my TV, works great, no need for a recorder ever again... :)

[cleverdick]

Well I haven't seen the programme so I can't comment. But rest assured I am not a Mason and yet I have an LS400...! :winky:

However, I understand that a previous owner of my car was a local councillor, so perhaps he could have been! On cleaning out the car when I first got it I did find a large iron key - to the lodge maybe?

[Manc]

Ha - i did see Top Gear - and yes james may was embarrassing in a ls400. I was at first impressed by his choice at a bargain car, i've often thought about contacting top gear to tell them the ls400 is a bargain at around £1000. I saw Jeremy laugh it off as a boring masons car, but im sure he always picks crappy but fast bags of nails as his choice car???? And im no mason.......

So i watched it and my hope quickly turned to shame when james may couldnt catch an old bmw on a wide track.......hhmm

i'm sure he looked down at the 'power' switch too

oh well, top gear might show the ls400 in a bad light......but we know different eh lads?

[kenmac]

This was the very episode that made me look for my first LS400 as I could not believe you could get one of these cars for the money James paid and did warn my wife if I could find one I'm having it,and yes by 10pm last Sunday I had found one,went up to Loughborough on Monday evening to see it and picked it up yesterday it's not perfect but has got a FSH and all I can say is I wish I had got into one of these years ago :D.

[Manc]

This was the very episode that made me look for my first LS400 as I could not believe you could get one of these cars for the money James paid and did warn my wife if I could find one I'm having it,and yes by 10pm last Sunday I had found one,went up to Loughborough on Monday evening to see it and picked it up yesterday it's not perfect but has got a FSH and all I can say is I wish I had got into one of these years ago :D.

God luck Ken

I've got a '93 K reg and its had most of the faults u read about on here but these guys are great help and save you a small fortune.

I have to add the engine is still in top nick and its 16yrs old - just gotta clean the throttle body for the problem i got when accelerating - so its sensors thats the prob, not my engine - it'll do a million miles i was told

As i said, good luck and see you around

[kenmac]

This was the very episode that made me look for my first LS400 as I could not believe you could get one of these cars for the money James paid and did warn my wife if I could find one I'm having it,and yes by 10pm last Sunday I had found one,went up to Loughborough on Monday evening to see it and picked it up yesterday it's not perfect but has got a FSH and all I can say is I wish I had got into one of these years ago :D.

God luck Ken

I've got a '93 K reg and its had most of the faults u read about on here but these guys are great help and save you a small fortune.

I have to add the engine is still in top nick and its 16yrs old - just gotta clean the throttle body for the problem i got when accelerating - so its sensors thats the prob, not my engine - it'll do a million miles i was told

As i said, good luck and see you around

Cheers Manc I hope to get to a few meets this year,so maybe we will bump in to each other.

[rabnoolas]

This was the very episode that made me look for my first LS400 as I could not believe you could get one of these cars for the money James paid and did warn my wife if I could find one I'm having it,and yes by 10pm last Sunday I had found one,went up to Loughborough on Monday evening to see it and picked it up yesterday it's not perfect but has got a FSH and all I can say is I wish I had got into one of these years ago :D.

Hi Kenmac,

Great to hear you have bought an LS400. I can now forgive any minor concerns Top Gear gave me..... Something good came out of it.

As Manc says the forums and club here are brilliant. Everyone will help you and there is piles of stuff especially on the american sites should you want to do some of your own servicing. I hope that you will enjoy the smoothness of the drive and all the electric goodies, especially the sound system, with its "Sizewell B" output amplifier.

They really can run forever. I've heard of 1 car in the US clocking up 600,000 miles, but if you keep the fluids in good order 1,000,000 is a fair target. I have done an 1800 mile fuel check, and am averaging 29.5 mpg overall, but the tracking was out so I hope to break 30 from now on.

Happy driving.

Rab

[kenmac]

This was the very episode that made me look for my first LS400 as I could not believe you could get one of these cars for the money James paid and did warn my wife if I could find one I'm having it,and yes by 10pm last Sunday I had found one,went up to Loughborough on Monday evening to see it and picked it up yesterday it's not perfect but has got a FSH and all I can say is I wish I had got into one of these years ago :D.

Hi Kenmac,

Great to hear you have bought an LS400. I can now forgive any minor concerns Top Gear gave me..... Something good came out of it.

As Manc says the forums and club here are brilliant. Everyone will help you and there is piles of stuff especially on the american sites should you want to do some of your own servicing. I hope that you will enjoy the smoothness of the drive and all the electric goodies, especially the sound system, with its "Sizewell B" output amplifier.

They really can run forever. I've heard of 1 car in the US clocking up 600,000 miles, but if you keep the fluids in good order 1,000,000 is a fair target. I have done an 1800 mile fuel check, and am averaging 29.5 mpg overall, but the tracking was out so I hope to break 30 from now on.

Happy driving.

Rab

Cheers Rab,I will definitely enjoy it,I've already booked it in for some paint work with my mate and I'm now looking for a better drivers seat.

[Manc]

This was the very episode that made me look for my first LS400 as I could not believe you could get one of these cars for the money James paid and did warn my wife if I could find one I'm having it,and yes by 10pm last Sunday I had found one,went up to Loughborough on Monday evening to see it and picked it up yesterday it's not perfect but has got a FSH and all I can say is I wish I had got into one of these years ago :D.

Hi Kenmac,

Great to hear you have bought an LS400. I can now forgive any minor concerns Top Gear gave me..... Something good came out of it.

As Manc says the forums and club here are brilliant. Everyone will help you and there is piles of stuff especially on the american sites should you want to do some of your own servicing. I hope that you will enjoy the smoothness of the drive and all the electric goodies, especially the sound system, with its "Sizewell B" output amplifier.

They really can run forever. I've heard of 1 car in the US clocking up 600,000 miles, but if you keep the fluids in good order 1,000,000 is a fair target. I have done an 1800 mile fuel check, and am averaging 29.5 mpg overall, but the tracking was out so I hope to break 30 from now on.

Happy driving.

Rab

Cheers Rab,I will definitely enjoy it,I've already booked it in for some paint work with my mate and I'm now looking for a better drivers seat.

Good job you getting it sprayed, what colour?- i was gonna add don't jet wash the front bumper...........paint comes off. Don't get me wrong the original paint on the body is tip top still for its age. There is no rust coming through u can see, just a tint spot inside the door and the usual stone chips on the bonnet

[kenmac]

This was the very episode that made me look for my first LS400 as I could not believe you could get one of these cars for the money James paid and did warn my wife if I could find one I'm having it,and yes by 10pm last Sunday I had found one,went up to Loughborough on Monday evening to see it and picked it up yesterday it's not perfect but has got a FSH and all I can say is I wish I had got into one of these years ago :D.

Hi Kenmac,

Great to hear you have bought an LS400. I can now forgive any minor concerns Top Gear gave me..... Something good came out of it.

As Manc says the forums and club here are brilliant. Everyone will help you and there is piles of stuff especially on the american sites should you want to do some of your own servicing. I hope that you will enjoy the smoothness of the drive and all the electric goodies, especially the sound system, with its "Sizewell B" output amplifier.

They really can run forever. I've heard of 1 car in the US clocking up 600,000 miles, but if you keep the fluids in good order 1,000,000 is a fair target. I have done an 1800 mile fuel check, and am averaging 29.5 mpg overall, but the tracking was out so I hope to break 30 from now on.

Happy driving.

Rab

Cheers Rab,I will definitely enjoy it,I've already booked it in for some paint work with my mate and I'm now looking for a better drivers seat.

Good job you getting it sprayed, what colour?- i was gonna add don't jet wash the front bumper...........paint comes off. Don't get me wrong the original paint on the body is tip top still for its age. There is no rust coming through u can see, just a tint spot inside the door and the usual stone chips on the bonnet

I'm just keeping to the original colour of Pearl white(051) and the silver(UCA29) the lacquer on the NS isn't great and just a few stone chips here and there and as you say the bumpers need doing but no rust any where.