Too Old To Gas? Opinions Please

[sir john]

I should have gassed it when i bought it nearly 4 years ago but it was my first Lexus and i thought (wrongly) what if I spend £900 gassiing a 15 year old car and the engine drops out teh month after. I havent been able to use it as i first car for 2 years because of teh cost of running it so have been driving a Rover 75 CDT Tourer (nice car but not a LS but averaging 44mpg).

I rammed the Rover into a Focus last night (not on purpose) and it might be written off.

So heres my dilema; If the Rover is writen off do I;

1. buy another cheap to run deisel and carry on using the LS as a second car.

or

2. spend £900 gassing a 19 year old LS400 with 185000 on the clock and use it as a first car (20k miles a year).

Good points;

recent alternator.

PAS pump leak fixed.

new rear screen last year.

Regulaly serviced.

Recent Dunlop Winter tyres.

Aftermarket F Upper wishbones (could be a disadvantage)

New rear discs, pads and rear Upper Wishbones (just fitted)

Bad points;

Exhaust flanges need welding (£80)

Small amount of rust bubbles abover windscreen about 3" long.

Same on front wing abou 1" long.

Cassette player doent work.

Cruddy alloys (will refinish these anyway next month)

I plan to keep the LS indefinately.

[mikeyv]

I got mine gassed yesterday (99 T), having run it for a few months since purchase to make sure it was a good one.

If it now goes bang in an expensive way, I'll probably buy another mk4, and transfer the gas bits across, though obviously I see that as a worst case scenario, and hopefully won't happen.

[Stevie 79]

I got mine gassed yesterday (99 T), having run it for a few months since purchase to make sure it was a good one.

If it now goes bang in an expensive way, I'll probably buy another mk4, and transfer the gas bits across, though obviously I see that as a worst case scenario, and hopefully won't happen.

I should have gassed it when i bought it nearly 4 years ago but it was my first Lexus and i thought (wrongly) what if I spend £900 gassiing a 15 year old car and the engine drops out teh month after. I havent been able to use it as i first car for 2 years because of teh cost of running it so have been driving a Rover 75 CDT Tourer (nice car but not a LS but averaging 44mpg).

I rammed the Rover into a Focus last night (not on purpose) and it might be written off.

So heres my dilema; If the Rover is writen off do I;

1. buy another cheap to run deisel and carry on using the LS as a second car.

or

2. spend £900 gassing a 19 year old LS400 with 185000 on the clock and use it as a first car (20k miles a year).

Good points;

recent alternator.

PAS pump leak fixed.

new rear screen last year.

Regulaly serviced.

Recent Dunlop Winter tyres.

Aftermarket F Upper wishbones (could be a disadvantage)

New rear discs, pads and rear Upper Wishbones (just fitted)

Bad points;

Exhaust flanges need welding (£80)

Small amount of rust bubbles abover windscreen about 3" long.

Same on front wing abou 1" long.

Cassette player doent work.

Cruddy alloys (will refinish these anyway next month)

I plan to keep the LS indefinately.

I would get it done just had my 96 LS400 done by Leeds LPG runs great if you need a set of wheels I have a set of recently refurbished wheels and tyres for sale they are the 5 spoke type that they fitted to 2000 model LS400s £125

[sir john]

Thanks for your respnses guys.

Can I be cheaky and ask what the cost of conversion was?

Would be interesting to know what mpg yours does on LPG.

[Stevie 79]

Thanks for your respnses guys.

Can I be cheaky and ask what the cost of conversion was?

Would be interesting to know what mpg yours does on LPG.

Mine cost £1150 at Leeds,seem to be getting about 19-20 mpg back and forth to work but its only three miles away so its not really getting warm it changes onto gas after about 1 mile,.best I have had is I went on a run did 548 miles cost me £82 in gas

[mikeyv]

Thanks for your respnses guys.

Can I be cheaky and ask what the cost of conversion was?

Would be interesting to know what mpg yours does on LPG.

£1200 all in, including full tank of gas at Mintlpg, Newport.

I'd check online for yourself though, as prices are far from stable with various seasonal offers available from different converters.

[Bluesman]

I should have gassed it when i bought it nearly 4 years ago but it was my first Lexus and i thought (wrongly) what if I spend £900 gassiing a 15 year old car and the engine drops out teh month after. I havent been able to use it as i first car for 2 years because of teh cost of running it so have been driving a Rover 75 CDT Tourer (nice car but not a LS but averaging 44mpg).

I rammed the Rover into a Focus last night (not on purpose) and it might be written off.

So heres my dilema; If the Rover is writen off do I;

1. buy another cheap to run deisel and carry on using the LS as a second car.

or

2. spend £900 gassing a 19 year old LS400 with 185000 on the clock and use it as a first car (20k miles a year).

Good points;

recent alternator.

PAS pump leak fixed.

new rear screen last year.

Regulaly serviced.

Recent Dunlop Winter tyres.

Aftermarket F Upper wishbones (could be a disadvantage)

New rear discs, pads and rear Upper Wishbones (just fitted)

Bad points;

Exhaust flanges need welding (£80)

Small amount of rust bubbles abover windscreen about 3" long.

Same on front wing abou 1" long.

Cassette player doent work.

Cruddy alloys (will refinish these anyway next month)

I plan to keep the LS indefinately.

Hi, You must have some faith in the car as you say your going to refinish the alloys next month.

Mike

[sir john]

I should have gassed it when i bought it nearly 4 years ago but it was my first Lexus and i thought (wrongly) what if I spend £900 gassiing a 15 year old car and the engine drops out teh month after. I havent been able to use it as i first car for 2 years because of teh cost of running it so have been driving a Rover 75 CDT Tourer (nice car but not a LS but averaging 44mpg).

I rammed the Rover into a Focus last night (not on purpose) and it might be written off.

So heres my dilema; If the Rover is writen off do I;

1. buy another cheap to run deisel and carry on using the LS as a second car.

or

2. spend £900 gassing a 19 year old LS400 with 185000 on the clock and use it as a first car (20k miles a year).

Good points;

recent alternator.

PAS pump leak fixed.

new rear screen last year.

Regulaly serviced.

Recent Dunlop Winter tyres.

Aftermarket F Upper wishbones (could be a disadvantage)

New rear discs, pads and rear Upper Wishbones (just fitted)

Bad points;

Exhaust flanges need welding (£80)

Small amount of rust bubbles abover windscreen about 3" long.

Same on front wing abou 1" long.

Cassette player doent work.

Cruddy alloys (will refinish these anyway next month)

I plan to keep the LS indefinately.

Hi, You must have some faith in the car as you say your going to refinish the alloys next month.

Mike

I do have faith in it. In nearly 4 years it let me down once when the Battery went flat because the alternator was duff.

There is nothing I cannot fix. Im quite confident that I could drive it back to Japan without any problems.

Im just hoping that they will write off the Rover.

[Malc]

I have had total and utter faith in each of my 3 Lexus LS400's and only rarely been let down in 10 years of sumptious and wonderful motoring.

Just been to Wales and back in 2 days covering 740 miles at an average of 30.04mpg.

Amazing but it just loves Motorway driving whatever the congestion and speed.

Normal motoring it's just about 23 ish on a good day !

Malc

[sir john]

I have had total and utter faith in each of my 3 Lexus LS400's and only rarely been let down in 10 years of sumptious and wonderful motoring.

Just been to Wales and back in 2 days covering 740 miles at an average of 30.04mpg.

Amazing but it just loves Motorway driving whatever the congestion and speed.

Normal motoring it's just about 23 ish on a good day !

Malc

They are great cars Malc,

I havnt used mine as a regular drive to 2 years. Wife uses it as a 3,000 miles a year run about but i used to average about 26mpg.

If i can get 22ish on gas ill be happy and ill drive it every day.

[wollo]

Mine was converted at 165000 by someone else. It's now done 186000 and runs like a charm. Measured economy (not indicated) is 19 combined 26 motorway.