1st Lexus

[nesponge]

Good day to you all.. happy to join the Lexus club.

I'm a first time Lexus owner and probably one of the younger drivers I've met driving a car such as these. (I'm 24 as of may just gone)

I recently purchased a 1992 Toyota Celsior (Japanese import) and I'm absolutely loving it... beautiful car... plenty of power and I got it for a steal. (£600)

It was imported in 2003 and has service history from that point.

It has done 90,000 miles according to the odometer.... it had done 40,000 miles when imported

Interior is cream leather and the car is outfitted with air suspension.

Reasons for buying the car? I wanted 8 cylinders and RWD, but mostly I wanted something comfortable for wafting down the road to see my folks 30 miles away at the weekends.

I previously drove a Volvo 850 for a few years, which although nice, wasn't quite what I was after.

Problems? well the left hand side of the drivers seat does not tilt, the one of the rear windows does not open and the sub on the back shelf appears to have fell to pieces... I also hear a bit of a groan from the front end when going over speed bumps.

MODS: Aftermarket alloys with fatter tyres/ A 3rd party ride height adjuster.

Here's a pic :)

Insurance was cheaper than on my Volvo :o

[sparkystav]

Welcome mate,

car looks great and a bargain

Stav

[nesponge]

thanks bud... I'm sure I will be spending a lot of time on the boards as I work out what this thing is gonna cost me to run... lol

[TommyH]

Welcome to LOC mate, nice motor.

[Ally]

welcome to the club :)

[colbecoz]

Welcome to LOC m8

Col.. :winky:

[Lexus2D]

[aztecbandit1]

Hello and Welcome to the club matey :D

[treborlex]

Hello and Welcome to the loc.

[Manc]

Welcome fella,

I'm 33 and thought I was the youngest......

This site is great for the LS and will save you a fortune. The car is top class and worth keeping/repairing. My engine has done 240k and is still running superb.

Forget about the cost of fuel - its a 4.0l V8 24v, so was never gonna be that economic. It is good on fuel on country lanes and motorways - A full tank gets me from Manchester to Surrey (M25 J6) and back leaving me with just under 1/4 tank - so its not that thirsty. Town centers cost you £5 more than the average car does...so dont keep giving friends a lift without getting £5 off them :winky:

I got an old '93 LS400. Its hardly cost me a thing for 5 years - compared to some other sheds i have owned, the LS is by far the best, it's never broke down, just the usual wear & tear parts have gone.

Parts can be expensive, but putting the costs of repairs over the time i've had it, I'd say I have had a bargain. Prob just £1500 in 5 years. And half of that was for suspension stuff.

That brings me to a bit of bad news for you on the most common of jobs for the LS...

The front control arms will go & that is what the groaning is.

Uppers - cheapest is £600 fitted for the pair (Tony Lees @ ls400.org). There are other ways..but always buy original as the quality & life expectancy is far greater - exhausts being the fine example..10yr or more guarantee from Lexus or 2 years for cheap replacments....hhmmm better stick with the good stuff. Its not a fiesta

Lower arms are just under £100 each + fitting

Rear uppers are £120 each - rear lowers are apparently extortionate, but rarely fail.

I still have the original exhaust i believe, not bad for a 17 year old motor.

The dash can start flashing - approx £100 (find Chris Vince on this site)

Power Steering can leak from either a £2 o-ring under reservoir, or at a join old pipes (new jubilee clip req). Cheap if you can get your own hands dirty.

MOT failure - usually with bloody emissions. this car was built long before all that nonsense came about, so being quite old they can fail. Can range from sensors to cats, dirt built up over the years needs cleaning out of engine (or just find a lenient garage is the best bet)

Some troubles with misfire?? usually something simple according to this site.

You're lucky with new wheels - mine still have originals but do look tatty

If you look at lexls.com, this has photo step by step info on most repairs/maintenance for the LS400. Its the best thing i found and even I can do jobs I would never have thought I could - saves on expensive garage labour cost

Enjoy the motor - I know I do, i cant swap it for another car because unless I get a newer Lexus, I know I will be worse off.

Take the big bills on the chin, do some work yourself & you just can't get better motors for your money.