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From What Car To Ls ?


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1968/F Bedford HA Van

1986/D Vauxhall Astra 1.3 Antibes (New)

1988/F VW Scirocco 1.6 GT (company car)

1989/F VW Golf 1.8 Clipper Convertible (company car)

1990/G VW Scirocco 1.8 GTII (company car)

1991/H VW Scirocco 1.8 GTII (company car)

1991/J VW Golf Ryder 1.3 (company car)

1992/J VW Scirocco 1.8 Scala Injection (company car)

1983/A Austin Maestro 1.3 (bought off a mate for £50 as the clutch was slipping - cleaned it, put it in the local paper and sold it the next weekend for £500)

1993/K VW Scirocco 1.8 GTII (company car)

1991/H Vauxhall Astra 1.7 D Estate (company car)

1993/L Ford Mondeo 1.6LX (company car)

1995/N Ford Mondeo 1.8LX (company car)

1994/M BMW 318is Coupe (company car)

1998/R BMW 318is Coupe - with M Sport pack (company car)

2001/51 Ford Mondeo 2.5V6 Zetec S (company car)

2002/02 Ford Mondeo 2.5V6 Zetec S (company car)

2002/52 Ford Mondeo 3.0V6 ST220 (company car)

2003/53 Ford Mondeo 3.0V6 ST220 (company car)

1988/F Range Rover 3.5 EFI Vogue (bought as a second car for offroading)

1994/M Range Rover 4.0 SE (bought as a second weekend car - ended up being the only mode of transport a few times)

2004/54 Ford Mondeo 2.2TDCI ST (company car)

2005/05 BMW 535D M Sport (company car)

1999/S Lexus LS400

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Talbot samba - enough said

Citroen Visa GTI - a 205 gti in an uglier but lighter box :winky:

metro van - not much to look at but the group n spec hil climing engine from a turbo model made it worth while.

Citroen BX TZD - orible but a great mile gobler

Ford Ka - fun once the turbo and nitrous was fitted.

Smart car - just needed to have owned one

toyota celica GT4 - fastest thing I've owned

MK1 LS400 - smoothest thing i've owned & my first LPG car.

Moved to USA

PT cruiser GT - fun but 240hp is not enough to make it a rice burner beater.

Ford F150 - yee ha, a rednek truck in suburbia, roomy but 15mpg is not ideal even with 58p/litre petrol.

I've not posted for ages and this thread made me realise how much I miss my LS. :crybaby:

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  • 5 weeks later...
1984 seat ibiza 1.5 GLXi no power steering crap gearbox (take off passengers knees for 1st gear) got rid before i even passed my test.

1992 Hyundai pony x2 1.5 GSi best car for hand brake turning i've ever owned....blah blah blah blah blah.....

1997 Volvo 850 2.5 SE Sensible family car...now wifes

1996 Volvo 850 2.5 GLT TDi More sensible as it's a diesel

1995 Lexus LS 400 mk2 sensible family car......that'll do 155mph & doughnuts.......

and now onto a Mk6 Escort 1.8 Si runaround... Picked it up yesterday not a patch on lexus refinement, performance, safety or spec bu much better on fuel....

this escort broke a tonne of times either suspension or electrical i sold it on eBay for £180 i'll never own another one, heater was good though.

Since then i've bought a 2000 W Seat arosa 1.0 MPi (fun on motorway 4,500rpm at 70mph) for work

then the powersteering pump broke after 5 weeks and 5 thousand miles so sold it on eBay for £200 then bought a

2000 X Seat Cordoba Vario cool/s. TDi which was nice and did 55mpg, now given this car to wife and swapped the volvo she had for a Vectra which i'm going to tidy up and stick onthe bay.

The lexus is off to get an LPG conversion next monday :) so won't need a second car for work.

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Wolseley 1500 > Ford Cortina MK II 2000E > Ford Granada 2.8GL > Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6 GL > Vauxhall Cavalier 1.8 CDi > Peugeot 405 GRi > Peugeot 405 Mi16 > Saab 9000 CSE 2.3 FBT > Ford Explorer 4.0 > Saab GM900SE Turbo Convertible > Saab 9000CSE V6 (still have) > Lexus LS 400.

Also bought our show car 1972 Saab 96V4 with eleven thousand miles on the clock three years ago (still have)

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  • 1 month later...

Renault 5 - always leaned about 5 degrees to the right!

MG Metro - fantastic little motor. Gotta love the red seatbelts!

Isuzu Piazza Turbo - probably my fave car I have ever driven. PERFECT driving position, superb handling, all the gadgets, very rare. VERY fast A to B and you always feel 100% in control. A total gem.

Nissan Skyline GTR - yes, I know, I know.

Lexus LS430 - Probably the biggest change you can make from a Skyline!? What a car. Effortless to drive. However long the journey I get out and feel like I haven't even driven. Astonishing.

Unfortunately I was lent an LS460 for a weekend whilst mine was being serviced - which means that my next car HAS to be one of those. Curse that Lexus marketing!! :lol:

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Vauxhall Vectra 2.5 V6 SRI first car. Very heavy clutch put me off manuals.

Vauxhall Carlton GSI auto 3.0 12v

Daimler 4.0 Straight six a real dog!

Vauxhall Senator 3.0 24v very quick and comfortable

Ford Granada Scorpio 2.0 auto so slow!!!!!

Jaguar Sovereign 4.0 best car I have owned pure luxury, somebody went in the back off it written off.

Lexus LS400 MK2 Nice car more power and toys than my jag but not as exiting.

Next car in April BMW 740I

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Mine as best as I can remember:

1983 Ford Cortina (Brown with beige vinyl roof...hmmm)

1985 Fiat 126

1985 Renault 14

1986 Renault 11 Turbo (Yes of course I crashed it!)

1988 Ford Escort Estate (A truly shocking vehicle!)

1989 Ford Cortina Mk5 (Steadily disintegrated from the day I bought it.)

1990 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6

1991 Vauxhall Astra

1992 Fiat Panda (750cc multicoloured seats 85MPH flat out)

1995 Renault 25 2.0 GTS

1996 Ford Sierra Estate (No comment)

1996 Renault 25 2.9 (Electrical problems galore!)

1998 Mitsubishi Sigma 3.0 v6 (Obscure but ultra reliable and comfortable cruiser)

1999 Mitsubishi Sigma 3.0 v6 (Facelift version of above)

2002 Toyota Supra mk4 tt (Spent thousands on modifications, joy to have something that fast)

2004 Lexus LS400 (Back to some calm and tranquility, 192k and still going strong when traded in)

2007 Lexus LS430 (The best yet by a distance)

When I think about some of those early ones it doesn't fill my heart with joy!!

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Ive only had 3 cars previous to my LS430 since 1995!! I keep my cars for a long time!

1995: 1990 VW Scirocco GT II - 1.8. Great car but regret that I didnt get the scala as it was effectively a GTI

1999: 1994 BMW 318i coupe - another great car but was abit harsh drive as it was lowered

2003: 1998 Audi A6 1.8 Turbo SE - first automatic / triptonic. Never gave me any trouble apart from when the turbo went. In fact it wasnt the turbo - it was the oil pipe from the engine that feeds the turbo corroded so there was no oil getting to the turbo. A £20 pipe cost me £700!

2008: 2001 LS430 - the best by far!

As you can see, i have moved up in category from each car: sports, sports coupe, executive saloon, and then to the best!

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Ive only had 3 cars previous to my LS430 since 1995!! I keep my cars for a long time!

1995: 1990 VW Scirocco GT II - 1.8. Great car but regret that I didnt get the scala as it was effectively a GTI

1999: 1994 BMW 318i coupe - another great car but was abit harsh drive as it was lowered

2003: 1998 Audi A6 1.8 Turbo SE - first automatic / triptonic. Never gave me any trouble apart from when the turbo went. In fact it wasnt the turbo - it was the oil pipe from the engine that feeds the turbo corroded so there was no oil getting to the turbo. A £20 pipe cost me £700!

2008: 2001 LS430 - the best by far!

As you can see, i have moved up in category from each car: sports, sports coupe, executive saloon, and then to the best!

Here goes (model dates are approx in some cases and it is skewed by the fact I worked with Ford for some years and had to have their cars, albeit quite fun ones. Not sure what age says other than I now rather like comfortable cars that don't break down and are reasonably fast!)):

AGED 16 : 1970 Triumph Vitesse Convertible (still got it)

1982 Renault 18 TS

1992 Fiesta XR2i

1993 Fiesta Turbo

1993 Escort Cabriolet 130PS

1992 Sierra Saphire Cosworth

1995 Escort Cosworth

1976 Scimitar SE6

2001 Ford KA

1992 Land Rover Defender 90

1982 Scimitar GTC (LPG)

1995 Land Rover Defender 120

1965 Jensen CV 8 6.3 Mk2

1967 Lotus Elan +2

2000 BMW M5

1994 Range Rover Vogue (LPG)

2002 Honda Jazz (still got)

1996 Audi 80 Cabriolet 2.6 (still got)

AGED 43 : 1993 Lexus LS400 (still got)

Cheers

Nick

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Greif:

1964 Mk1 Cortina 1500

1969 Mk2 Cortina 1600

1974(?) Mk3 Cortina 1300 (2 engines) 1600 (2 engines)

1979 Mk4 Cortina 2.3

(yes I liked my Cortinas!)

1970`s Mini (hated it, drove it into a church wall)

Rover SD1 V8 (never known a car to fall to pieces just by standing on the drive, great engine though)

Another 2.3 Cortina that I bought for 40 quid when the gearbox fell to bits on the Rover, had HUGE fun it that!!)

Volvo 240 estate (needed it for the huge dog we had at the time)

Granada 2.3 (Wonderful ideas those fibre cam gears, 2 of them disintegrated on me before I gave up on it).

Mk1 Rover 800 2L (some joyrider in a stolen cavelier drove into the back of us at 80mph)

Mk1 Rover 800 2.7 (Manual box, Ex police, went like a rocket)

Mk2 Rover 800 2L (had a race with a snail, Lost)

Mk2 Rover 800 turbo (wife hated it, I grew horns when i drove it due to the boost being turned up as far as it would go without the engine exploding)

LS400 (Died an Honerable death at the hands of a nasty lorry)

LS430 (sitting on my drive now).

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1929 Riley 9 Monaco (fabric body £75)

1953 Austin A30

1947 MG TC (heap: scrapped)

1956 Austin A35

1954 Rover 75

1959 Standard 10

1947 Rover 16 (immaculate)

1960 Mini 1000 estate (no dimples in roof so body flexed)

1974Austin Allegro 1500 (company car)

1977 Austin Allegro 1300 (company car CC)

1978 Mini Clubman estate CC

1973 Triumph 2.5PI (went like stink a money pit)

1982 Ford Granada 2.3 CC

1985 Volvo 740 CC

1982 Jaguar XJ6 3.4 (slow)

1986 Rover Montego CC (awful)

1987 Mercedes 260E CC- nice car but handling suspect on high speed bends.

1992 Rover Montego Estate cheap

1992 Ford Sierra 1.8 estate CC

Then a series of Rover 800s as company cars: petrol x2 ,diesel x1. All awful unreliable wallowing junk

1967 Lotus Elan Series 3 Coupe tuned to 130bhp.. hooligan stuff

1992 BMW 320i

1997 BMW316I CC

1998 BMW 318i CC

1999 Audi A4 TDI. Economical but noisy

2001 Ford Fiesta 1.6 ghia: gokart like handling

2003 Toyota Yaris 1.4 Diesel T Spirit.. 60mpg . Fun to drive Still have.

The above ignores a series of cars owned and driven by my wife:-)

Waiting for Lexus LS400 prices to collapse a little further in 2009.

(I may have missed a few cars..)

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1995 Lexus LS 400 DHP

1998 Mercedes SL 500

1995 Range Rover Classic 5.0 V8

1993 Range Rover 3.9 V8

1993 Honda Legend

1993 Mercedes 320E

1987 Mercedes 300E

1976 Fiat 127 Special

7x Fiat 132 2000

Still got them all!!

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I've just bought my first Lexus, a '96 LS400: 130000 miles and £1750.

I've still got a '93 Peugeot 205 1.8 diesel (great little car) and a 2000 Nissan Primera 1.6 (yes, I know).

The interesting comparison will be with one of my previous motors, a Series 3 Jag V12, but I guess that's another thread.

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Turning this around I would be interested to know what previous LS400 owners have changed to next. Obvious choices perhaps aLS430 or a 05-GS-what are the pros and cons.I would like to stay with Lexus because the old LS has been brilliant.Happy Christmas to all LOC members.

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i started this post so may aswell tell you what av got now................ jag xj8 4.0 mint condition 71k full history

ls400 better on a very long STRAIGHT run but otherwise...especially on looks the xj8 wins by a huge margain

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  • 1 month later...

I'm now in my second month of Lexus ownership; I bought it as a pure luxury and have spent more time polishing it than driving it so far! When I do get behind the wheel I'm a happy chap, though. It's got 131000 miles, and there are a few little niggles: heated seats don't work and there is obviously an ill-fitting seal somewhere because the boot gets damp after washing or rain; this, in turn, causes a lot of condensation on the rear window. They aren't big problems, though, and it's a magnificent cruiser. I'm really looking forward to our trip to the south of France in August.

To the point of the thread...... 3 children have meant me having a series of sensible estates and a Toyota Previa (from which, I notice, they've taken the Cruise Control switch to use on the LS). The car I'd compare the Lexus with, however, is the Series 3 Jaguar; I had three of them, including the V12, and I've loved big saloons ever since.

Firstly, the Cat has the LS comprehensively beaten on aesthetic grounds, inside and out. The Series 3, especially with the pepper pot alloys, was one of the most beautiful cars ever produced. Jaguar have tried and failed to match it ever since. The interior was gorgeous, too; like sitting in a St James' gentleman's club. The interior of the LS, whilst noticeably bigger, is spartan by comparison. The exterior is imposing, certainly, but nobody could describe it as pretty.

Things are fairly even as regards comfort; the LS is quieter, and the fitted stereo is better, but I prefer the seats in the Jag; they seem to offer better support.

The LS comes out on top regarding performance. it is considerably quicker than the straight six Jag, and - despite producing less bhp - a bit faster than the V12. And although none of these cars are frugal, the Lexus is giving me better consumption than the smaller-engined Jag (the 4.2), and much better mpg than the 5.3 V12. Even with the later HE (Higher Efficiency) engine, that is a very, very juicy car.

A weakness of the Lexus is its handling; fine on a straight run, but over-light on a twisty road. The Series 3 Jag was no rally car, but there was a lot more "feel" to the steering and response.

I'm hoping the Lexus will really shine in the reliability stakes. I had problems with both the 4.2 Jags I owned, including a £3000 engine re-build on the second. The V12 was a much better proposition; other than the air-conditioning packing up, it gave me no problems in 5 years of ownership. Its build quality couldn't match the Japanese car's, though. I've been really impressed with how beautifully the LS is put together.

In conclusion I would say that I'm hugely enjoying ownership of the LS, and intend to keep and nurture it for many years to come. If, however, you secretly crave heads turning whenever you pull up at the lights, (and have a limitless bank account to pay for the petrol), go and get a late Series 3 V12 in black, with cream seats and pepper pots. You'll spend hours just sitting behind the wheel with a soppy grin on your face.

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and there are a few little niggles: heated seats don't work and there is obviously an ill-fitting seal somewhere because the boot gets damp after washing or rain; this, in turn, causes a lot of condensation on the rear window.

Hi

Heated seats are a well known issue, usually best to replace the pads with generic ones.

Wet boot is another well known problem. could be sunroof drain pipe, this passes down behind the o/s side boot liner, people blow them through with an airline when blocked and this can blow the pipes off, if not it's usually the boot seal, search for threads on here people have had success with different methods...

Good Luck, oh and about the Jag..... wouldn't touch one with a barge pole, In my opinion total and utter waste of time and space, three mates love them and all they do is spend spend spend just to keep them going, if it's not breaking its falling off and if it doesn’t fall off it rusts.... I've never seen one with all things working and personally for me they are just too small inside.... anyway horses for courses....

Pete

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