A Lexus To Avoid!

[saltyhair81]

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/863794.htm

I saw this Lexus for sale and thought it was worth ago emailing him for some more details.

The car was meant to have had a cambelt changed, FLSH, mint condition with the tyres half worn etc.

I got there today and the car was filthy which did not put things off to a good start. The owner still had his private number plate on as he 'couldn't be bothered' to change them over even though the V5 had the original plates on. The car is HPI clear but god knows how.

The front wheel arch liners were both hanging out, and the front splitter was missing the sport badge and badly scraped even though the owner said he had it resprayed. The car had general marks all over and a big chunk out the wing. Being a pro detailer I took my paint depth gauge which revealed the car had a layer of around 150-200 microns all over apart from the drivers wing which had 350! All 4 tyres were illegal, around 1mm and below the tyre bar. The Oil filter was a pattern one and not Lexus and the belts looked badly worn. The oil was dirty and the car was fairly smokey when started.

The owner asked if I wanted a test drive but I asked to see the history first. He had only a few receipts, which were very patchy, and the last one was in 2005. The car at the 63,000 mile service had requested NOT to have the cambelt changed. The last 2 services were done at LEX garages and not Lexus.

I didn't even bother test driving the car as it was a shed, he completely lied to me on the phone and through email, as well as wasting 25 quids worth of fuel and 140 miles of driving as well as mine and my girlfriends time.

Please avoid this car unless he drops the price to around 2 grand, as that's all it is worth!!

Hope this helps anyone that was interested.

[Saraj]

its suprising the difference from pic and the car in real life

[FiZiX]

From the pics I can see why you made the trip over there to see it.... shame it wasn't brilliant in real life.

I take it all the interesting stuff he didn't want you to see was on the opposite side to the 2 photos.

[saltyhair81]

From the pics I can see why you made the trip over there to see it.... shame it wasn't brilliant in real life.

I take it all the interesting stuff he didn't want you to see was on the opposite side to the 2 photos.

Basically the pictures there were taken around 6 months ago when he bought the car. He must have then driven it into the ground and is trying to sell it without spending any money on it. I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole and it's such a shame he has abused it because I bet once in it's life it was a cracking example :tsktsk:

[DJ Wozza]

What a shame, it looked good in the photos :tsktsk:

Why did the V5 have the original reg on it ? When did he take the plate off ?

Deffo smells a bit suspect to me. Well done for letting everyone know.

[janey]

Why did the V5 have the original reg on it ? When did he take the plate off ?

Because he'd changed it back with the DVLA to a 'normal' plate from the 'personalised' but he couldn't be bothered to swap over the actual plates so although the V5 showed the 'normal' reg the car is still wearing the personal plate

Loving his quote "must be seen .......superb"

Maybe an idea to contact p/h admin to tell them the ad is misleading to save others from wasting their time

[DJ Wozza]

I thought that too, but the reason I ask is whenever I have been at the DVLA place in Croydon,

I have seen them watch people swap the number plates over, from the looks of it elsewhere

maybe they don't watch...

[janey]

Off topic slightly - so apologies

I thought that too, but the reason I ask is whenever I have been at the DVLA place in Croydon,

I have seen them watch people swap the number plates over, from the looks of it elsewhere

maybe they don't watch...

Croydon ? No DVLA centre there - unless you mean Wimbledon, been there many times to sort reg's (ahh the joys of waiting your turn) and you get told to swap them over when you get home if they have done all the doc there & then...... or if you're doing it by post when you get the new V5 through.

[DJ Wozza]

slightly

I haven't been there lately (last few years) but Cross Road (off Cherry Orchard Road) had one about 50 yards

up on the left (next to a block of flats called Cumberland Court). They had a car park behind concrete bollards

with a barrier & people used to go there for cherished registration transfers/imports etc.

It may well be closed now, like I said not been that way for a while. I used to go there regularly in previous employment.

[Lance]

The Ad has been withdrawn by Pistonheads.

Always worth HPI-ing a potential purchase. One Lexus I went to look at, and was gonna buy turned out to have been stolen recovered.

Another had a "Full Lexus Service History" had the book full of stamps etc and looked very impressive. But a call to Lexus GB told me that the service history was false. Had been an ex fleet car and hadn't seen Lexus in years.

[saltyhair81]

The car is actually HPI clear but I have no idea how. Normally HPI's show if a plate has been changed too, this one didn't which was very sus. He said it had full Lexus Service History, actually it was a LEX garage. I think he was hoping for someone who had no idea to come along and buy it. I can't believe he asked if I wanted to drive the car. 12 points if I got pulled over - nice!

Glad it's been taken off PH anyway. Keep your eyes open for it popping up again.