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Ls400 Should I Buy One?


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Hi Folks

I am looking for a large automatic car, and have seen a 2000 Lexus LS400, Midas Gold, 57,000miles, Full History and appears immaculate and original. The price negotiable (Asking £3995), Im thinking poss £3500?

Is this a fair price? And is there anything in particular I shold look out for when viewing it (any particular known inherent problems)?

I will be doing about 600 miles a week, 240 of those will be steady motorway driving, would the LS be average around 25mpg?

Any advice highly appreciated.

Alan

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Before you buy it, here is a dire warning:

You will love it to bits, find that in the long term it is no more expensive to run than a many a new and smaller car, and will more likely than not find you won't want to run anything else.

I bought mine just to run for a twelvemonth, so I could get the feel of owning a luxury car out of my system before I rejoined the tin box brigade. That was over six years ago...

Look, I love it so much that I am currently in the process of widening my garage at vast cost in time and dosh (anyone want a dirt cheap r/c roller door, 4.8m wide?). This is so it will fit in again without a squeeze now that Her Ladyship has a large estate car.

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Hi Folks

I am looking for a large automatic car, and have seen a 2000 Lexus LS400, Midas Gold, 57,000miles, Full History and appears immaculate and original. The price negotiable (Asking £3995), Im thinking poss £3500?

Is this a fair price? And is there anything in particular I shold look out for when viewing it (any particular known inherent problems)?

I will be doing about 600 miles a week, 240 of those will be steady motorway driving, would the LS be average around 25mpg?

Any advice highly appreciated.

Alan

Buy it and adore it. Its that simple. There are a few known faults but rather less than any other marque/model. Engines are good for upwards of 300k and then some. My MKIII recently did 120 miles towing a trailer with an escort estate on it and returned over 25 mpg. Solo on a long run 32 is typical BUT if you enter boy-racer mode it will be mid-teens. If you want comfort, luxury and power this is the car for you.

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I agree with jellybean. I recently bought my first LS400 and can't imagine what I could replace it with apart from another one. It's an amazing car, and so relaxing to drive that after 3-4 hours on the road I don't feel tired.

One of the problems when buying one is that cars over 10 years old don't have a fixed market value as such, like 2-3 year old ones do, so to some extent an LS400 is only worth what someone will pay for it. Having said that, the one you're interested in sounds like the best you're likely to find - it's from the last year of manufacture and has a very low mileage. On that basis, and assuming that you're prepared to maintain it properly, you should be able to run it for 10 years. It probably cost around £50,000 new, so you'd be getting a lot of car that someone else has lost most of the value of, and over the next few years you won't lose much more in depreciation. When you take that into account, it shouldn't cost much to run - that's what I'm hoping about mine, anyway. I only use it for long journeys (I have a smart car for running around town), when I just set the cruise control to 70 mph and get around 30 mpg.

With the advice of other members on here, I drew up a checklist of things to look for when I was Lexus hunting, and I'm happy to send this to you if it's of use. Good luck with your search.

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Hi Folks

I am looking for a large automatic car, and have seen a 2000 Lexus LS400, Midas Gold, 57,000miles, Full History and appears immaculate and original. The price negotiable (Asking £3995), Im thinking poss £3500?

Is this a fair price? And is there anything in particular I shold look out for when viewing it (any particular known inherent problems)?

I will be doing about 600 miles a week, 240 of those will be steady motorway driving, would the LS be average around 25mpg?

Any advice highly appreciated.

Alan

Hiya, can't understand why it's taken you so long to find the very best car in the world to own and drive !!! :winky: :hehe:

Seriously, I've been driving the LS400 for 8 years now ( this my 2nd. is a 1994 and now at 34k miles ). Just about faultless motoring, safety and comfort and yours at 57k miles not even run in.

Spares can be expensive but if you're lucky you'll never need to replace anything ......... I don't jest ... .. well, maybe brakes and tyres, Battery and an oil change, but not much else for a very, very long time.

The cambelt might go to 100k too, but it might need changing at 10 year intervals tho' and that can be espensive but there will be a non- Lexus guy who could do it not tooooooo expensively for you I'm sure.

Just sit back, relax and thoroughly enjoy Rolls Royce motoring at a fraction of the cost.

Pay what you feel is right for the car, there's little depreciation left to worry about at this level and price !

Happy motoring.

Malc

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Hi Folks

Thanks for the replies.....you are very enthusiastic about your LS400's! Which is great.

I started out looking at a selection of cars, but kept coming back to Lexus.

Jaguar S-Type

Jaguar XJ

Vovlo S80

Mercedes S320

Hyundai XG30

I basically asked on their owners forums, and the cars are either troublesome (big style in the case if Volvo), or ultra complicated like the Merc. The Hyundai only sold 175 cars in the UK, so getting anyone who knows anything about them or even parts could be dodgy. And the Jag.....well I'm only 40 lol.

This car appears superb, the cream interior is like a 3 year old car, and outside I can't even find a scratch (and it's not been painted). Full Lexus history is there, just need to check if the timing belts been done, and every gadget appears to be working.

The guy selling it is away on holiday so havevto wait until next weekend :-(

Good things come to those who wait!

Cheers

Alan

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Alan, I don't have any experience of the other cars you mention, but I can't believe they'd cost less to run than an LS400. Yes, parts are expensive but you shouldn't need many if you have the car maintained properly. The only thing an LS400 doesn't have is style - it's a bit of a plain-looking lump - but when I'm wafting along in such comfort that doesn't bother me. It might be a good idea to find a local independent Toyota/Lexus specialist for routine work, as he's likely to charge much less per hour than a Lexus dealership. I understand that many parts can be bought on e-bay, and other members on here will be able to advise you about that.

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Alan, I'm going to add my little bit too.

I ALWAYS change cars about every 2-3 months. I bought a 1998 MKIV with 211,000 miles in March this year. I still have the car, and despite looking on the Autotrader website, can't think of anything that will beat it. I have had about 4 7 series BMW's and, despite having twice the mileage, the LS blows them away. The car drives like it has 30k on the clock.

On a recent trip from Reading to Gatwick and back, I averaged 35.2mpg (according to the OBC, which was reset before leaving).

My dad owned a '93 LS a few years ago and he told me, "once you've driven one, you'll never want to drive anything else". I thought, come on dad, I drive a 7 series, it's equally as good.....how wrong I was.

In summary, the LS is a brilliant car....and that's my unbiased opinion :)

Thanks

Mike

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Hi Alan, £3500 seems a fair price considering the mileage & the condition. It is due a cambelt, Around £500 to get that done. I had mine converted to lpg & with the mileage you will be doing it would be a no brainer as far as I'm concerned.

I normally change my cars often (not this time) I honestly havent got a clue what I would replace it with.

It is the most over engineered car available on the market, If reliability & build quality is what you are after the ls400 is the car for you.

The only person who seems to dislike them is Jeremy Clarkson. Apart from Mr benz & BMW of course.

Best of luck Mark

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Cheers Guys

This sounds the ideal car, I just got to have patience until next Saturday. I'm basically looking build quality, luxury and to step out of the car after 400 miles not feeling too much effect of the drive. Obviously reliability and quality too. I am a bit ott looking after my cars so an LS should last well for me.

I met a guy today driving a very early LS must have been early / mid '90's in White and the reason I stopped to ask was the car was like new, and the paintwork sparkled (unusual for White). Only then did I find out he'd got 233,000 miles on it, it was honestly stunned.

So the cam belt.....is it 80,000 miles or 8 years whichever comes first? And is it just the belt or is there a whole lot of other kit to go on?

Cheers

Alan

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Wood was there when I bought it, however, yours (soon to be) has the wooden gear knob and steering wheel that mine doesn't. I also have wood on the door where the seatbelt height adjuster is.

Not sure of the spec, but mine does have auto hedlights, but not rain sensitive wipers.

Thanks

Mike

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Is there anywhere on the forum I can find a detailled spec list for the 2000 LS400....e.g. does it have auto headlights or rain sensitive wipers?

Cheers

Alan

http://www.lexls.com/info/lsgenerations.html Try this in google. Got some good stuff on it.

As to the original question....YES YES YES.

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Hi Alan, just a thought looking at your pictures- make sure you have the master and valet keys for the car as you need the master for boot and glovebox. Not sure for the mk4 as I have a mk3 but you need the two ( it may week come with 3). Someone with a mk4 will be able to advise and confirm exactly what you should get.

Steve.

P.s. Car looks superb !!!

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Ultra disappointed!

Beautiful car in all respects new tyres. Interior, wheels driving superb.......but, both rear 1/4 panels painted, and n/s door. Filler on snide edge of rear door, bubble on o/s wheel arch, rust on rear door rain channels. And under bot seal at both front corners near window.

Feel a bit sad as no more cars for sale here!

:-(

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Ultra disappointed!

Beautiful car in all respects new tyres. Interior, wheels driving superb.......but, both rear 1/4 panels painted, and n/s door. Filler on snide edge of rear door, bubble on o/s wheel arch, rust on rear door rain channels. And under bot seal at both front corners near window.

Feel a bit sad as no more cars for sale here!

:-(

Shame, would £1500 buy it and spend £500 to get it much better and keep the car. Coz if it's otherwise superb !!!! it wil last you another 5 years minimum :whistling::blink::sick:

Malc

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No Malc

£3500 and it needs timing belt, only 1 key, wet mouldy boot, scratch (big) on a door, and the full Lexus history isn't even by a Lexus garage :-(

Oh well, pass on by .............. there's always another one waiting for you !

I spent the best part of 6 months finding my " new " '94 car.

Malc

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We're all disappointed for you! But far too many issues there for £3500. And it just goes to show that while low mileage is tempting, it's not everything. I hope another one comes along soon.

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Another being viewed tomorrow by friends who live outside Manchester.

Funny with this gold car I looked at. Front half and interior was superb and original but back half was surprisingly rust and poorly painted.

The one being viewed tomorrow though is silver with black leather, and is supposed to be stunning, it sounds picky but I'm not keen on the all black interior.

Have to wait and see :-)

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