This Looks Good But What Is It Worth?

[jpjsavage]

Yep, lesson learnt! I will find out around 5pm today whether it has sold or not (but I can't imagine it won't given the effort being made by the other buyer).

On the positive side, I'm on holiday for most of August so should be able to going and view anything else that comes up quickly.

[cruisermark]

jonathan if you are willing to spend that sort of money i know of a seller who has one for sale - its gold with cream leather and has done 50-60K and IIRC he is the only owner - last time i rang him he wanted 4K - if interested reply to this thread.

[Malc]

I was in Faversham the other week and a guy just strolled up to me to look at lexii. he had seen an older one around the corner and chatted to the owner who extolled the virtues saying " what would he replace it with " if he sold it ! Nowt.

This guy asked me if i would sell mine to him and after much pressure said simply NO, and again, " what would I replace it with ".

I told him to look at LOC here and see what might be for sale ......... is he reading this I wonder !!

I just wouldn't know what to replace mine with voluntarily ....... no amount of money ( hahahaha ) would entice me to sell.

Why would I ?

Malc

[jpjsavage]

jonathan if you are willing to spend that sort of money i know of a seller who has one for sale - its gold with cream leather and has done 50-60K and IIRC he is the only owner - last time i rang him he wanted 4K - if interested reply to this thread.

Always happy to consider options although gold is not my favourite colour. Thanks.

[Titch LS]

Wow, cars like this don't come up very often. You sure have to move fast to get one when they do!. If sold, I wonder if it went for the asking price. Good examples seem to be at a premium now. My mk4 is in nice nick (not showroom though), with 130k on the clock. I wouldn't sell it to anyone though, not even for four grand. Never had a car like it. Like someone said 'what are you going to replace it with?' According to my local dealer the LS400 is the best model Lexus ever made. (Apologies 430/460 owners).

[Mybikes a cx500]

I suspect the LS400 Mk4 is the best of the best, mine was 400 odd miles away, LPG, fancy suspension, colour I wanted, bought hours after it appeared on eBay, it was just what I was looking for, so hit buy it now and wasn't disappointed (not that I'm recommending this way of buying a car....)

[jpjsavage]

Just heard it was sold for the asking price and not a penny less!

[royoftherovers]

And I never used to like sprouts.........but I do now!

Regards

John

[Ruud]

That looked like an amazing example.

Sorry it's gone :(

I love the colour - seems the same as mine. Moonstone Pearl

[Scribe]

After yesterday's posts I was wondering how much I would be willing to spend on another 400 rather than a 430. Would I spend £4000 on a nearly mint, low mileage 400 or on a decent but average mileage 430 a couple of years younger? I'm still not sure.

[jpjsavage]

I've considered the same options, but am definitely thinking a nice LS400 is the way to go. For a start, I don't want the kids choosing the music in the car from the rear seats!

[Scribe]

I imagine the 430's nicer to be in. But I'd only buy one with a cast-iron service history (especially re suspension and transmission) because otherwise I'd be living in fear of bills. And a decent one with that kind of history still costs a lot more than a good 400.

[goldtop]

Sadly, I quickly discovered that although it's a lovely place to be, a 10 year old LS430 is a very different purchase to a 15-20 year old LS400. So many extra things to not-quite-work-right.

I wonder if the LS will become like the Mercedes S class?

What I mean by that is that successive generations W126 -> W140 -> W220 were each better than the previous model when bought as a new car. But the downside of the ever-increasing complexity is that the newer they were the more they are liabilities as a used-car buy.

[Scribe]

Yes, more to go wrong, especially if it's not as well made as it used to be. But then a new car is sold on its showroom appeal, and its list of goodies, not on how tough it'll be after fifteen years' use.

[jpjsavage]

Yes, more to go wrong, especially if it's not as well made as it used to be. But then a new car is sold on its showroom appeal, and its list of goodies, not on how tough it'll be after fifteen years' use.

Very true.

[Titch LS]

The present obsession with Audis, Mercs and BMTroubleyou's that you see everywhere, is storing up problems for prospective buyers of these cars 10 years down the line. I wouldn't touch a 10 year old German car with a barge-pole. 'Badge snobbery' is ok when the car is shiny and new but pity the poor unsuspecting second-hand buyer in a few years time. Dare I say, (hopefully, to a much lesser degree), this might also apply in the future to the more sophisticated Lexus models now being produced. That's the reason why we want to hang on to our 400's for as long as possible.

[Scribe]

This seems to go for Minis as well as 'proper' BMWs - they cost a fortune to maintain when old.

I'm interested to see what the really old cars on the road are. Most of them are Corsa Bs, Micras and Toyotas. They must have been made well.

[Malc]

My g/fs 1994 Mazda 323f is good too, but a fairly low mileage at 131k

Seen a good few older Mazdas about,

Malc

[cruisermark]

the mazda's are nippy little cars with very light steering - used to have one in the family a few years back

[Malc]

love driving it, nippy 1600 engine, very light car, light manual box too ...... light on steering i guess coz it's got skinny tyres and doesn't stick much to the ground maybe

Malc

[Titch LS]

A 10 year old Civic, Corolla or Micra will give less trouble than any BMTroubleyou or Merc of the same age. Nowadays it's all down to 'Badge Snobbery' as to which car you buy. So-called 'premium brands' are not any guarantee of better reliability. Far from it.

[Scribe]

I'm all for badge snobbery - it leaves the old Lexuses for us!

[Scribe]

Just heard that a friend's 2014 Audi A3 has been off the road for five weeks while the dealer waits for parts... What parts would be necessary after five months (maximum), I wonder?

[cruisermark]

my brothers 10K merc went in for a C service costing £355 it transpires the only thing that was changed was the engine oil!

[Gbneil]

Valuing used cars is a minefield and as we all know, a god deal is where both party's are reasonably happy, ie a compromise. But brand snobbery plays a huge part. Before buying my ls400 I went to a local auction who was having a collectors sale. Listed was a one owner 1996 mercedes s280 with 50k miles. It was poverty spec, wheel trims, no radio fitted at the request of it's only owner and was, to all intents and purposes a new mercedes...not a sought after 500 or 600, a beautifully kept, unmarked 280. The car was advertised as estimated 3-4k which I thought strong even with the condition and I took 3k to auction thinking 'only I will pay this kind of money for a Jewish racing gold poverty spec Merc'....wrong...it made....6k! Really, I know the auction owner and it sold!!

I would put the ls400 I bought at about 80% the condition of the old Merc! and having driven both! twice the car to drive. Same age, same colour, virtually same miles...i bought the ls for a fraction of the mercs price....does that mean the Merc was 'worth' several times the money....I don't think so. I am unfortunately having to advertise my ls and it is for sale for less than 2k....but here is the kicker...I don't think I could buy a significantly better car regardless of budget....certainly a newer 10k car would be nice, shiny, newer...but better?...offer the blend of attributes, serenity, un flustered competence the big lexus does...no thanks, il save my money in future....now, don't tell anyone about this, and for gods sake keep this forum secret....we don't want the prices going up now do,we?....I might want another next summer!!

Joking aside, and I rarely do this with my 'summer treat' car...if I don't get what I want for the lexus I will mothball it and have another Ls next summer...the same one....these cars GET UNDER YOUR SKIN