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Hi all here are pics of new car .It has been worth all the travelling and the hours looking on line , talking to dealers etc .You can't expect what you want to come to you , i know i'm a fussy bugger when it comes to my car or bikes but i think i got this one just about right. Take care Keth

All of this makes me think I'll not bother looking for a 460, as it sounds so nice I would have to forgo a new roof on the house. Damp carpets versus LS460 I know which one I would have, but going to live with my 400 for a bit longer, and keep the missus from divorcing me.

Here's a memorable spot, Kylesku - a favourite stopping point on the NC500.

I work shifts. Bonus - you commute to/from work when the roads are mostly empty. Drawback - you're usually knackered... A while ago after a night shift at the tail-end of summer, I'd finished work on a Sunday morning at 06:00 and wasn't feeling as sleepy as normal. As the glorious ISF V8 barked into life and settled to a lumpy idle in the previously silent car-park, I decided I'd take a very long, 100mile route of backroads on my way home. What followed was one of the best 2hrs I've ever had on the roads. As the sun crept slowly up, the lesser used A- and B- roads of Hampshire bellowed with the wonderful V8 sound. Apexes were clipped, most corners were straight-lined and the sheer pace of the F shrunk all but the longest straights. 3rd and 4th were the cogs-du-jour and the throttle blips and pops from the H&S exhaust the icing on the cake. After an hour, I hadn't seen a single other car. Then, as I started to vaguely thread my way back home I noticed I was following an old AC Cobra, 2 up, along the A272; a popular biker route round here (with good reason) presumably on the way to a breakfast meet at Goodwood. The driver wasn't hanging about - I could hear their 427 over my car from around 200 yards away, the heady smell of a big carbed classic through my windows. (As an aside, when I was around 14, I'd been driven around Mallory Park for a few laps in a Cobra. It was that morning that I became a lifelong car nut!) I turned off after around 10 minutes of following. It was so nice; that rare occasion when you see another driver, also in their P&J, out to enjoy the process of driving. Just before home, I stopped to refuel - I'd demolished 3/4 of a tank in around a hundred miles. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat...

Wow, that looks amazing! We need to make this happen. I've already told the wife we're going and if she decides otherwise then just means I'll have an extra space in the car. Might have to find a new wife when I get back mind.........win-win then!!

I ordered some mats via ebay from carmats4u - http://www.carmats4u.com/tailored-car-mats/lexus-car-mats/lexus-ls-400-1989-2016/lexus-ls-400-1994-2000/lexus-ls-400-1994-2000-platinum-car-mats.html £85.00 for the thickest option with leather binding, unsure why they are cheaper on ebay vs going direct to their website ? I was attracted by the process, whereby you place the order, they send you a template for the mats which you can accept as good, or create your own, which they then scan in. They also send you a large sample so you get a good feel for quality and match The templates they sent were a bit off, so i took the option of tracing my existing genuine mats for them to reproduce. See the original template mismatch below - plus it needed 20mm or so trimmed from the LHS. Only showing the Driver mat, however i ordered a set of 4 of their thickest mat. Both rear mats were fine, They then made the mats from my templates, created on a number of A4 sheets taped together - the result is pretty much perfect (new overlayed on old). Personally, i would have gone a slightly lighter shade, however there aren't too many options, plus they'll be winter mats; hi'll get the old ones cleaned for use over summer,autumn. And once fitted using the original mounting clips: some pics of the thickness and non-slip backing:

Due to a hijacked thread, I've decided to create a new topic gauging genuine interest in doing a road trip at some point this year? Based upon feedback so far, the below people would be up for it depending on dates:- Emjay82 Spacewagon52 Dandydons Flytvr Big Rat Mark G Jgtcracer (I may be able to get a couple of petrol head mates also) Of course the list is not final and can grow should others wish to attend. May need to look at dates now.......lol Marcus

We tend to believe what people tell us without any evidence if they have any qualifications giving them a right to an valid opinion. Some people even believe politicians, owners of multi national companies, bankers and the BBC. I do believe some people even think Bob Geldoff and Eddie Izzard know what they're talking about. :)

That's for 2016 models. The car in the photo is on 15 plate. Graphite black was first introduced on the RX which started on 65 plates. Either way, celestial looks better regardless. The gold flake looks better than the silver in graphite

i have something else..... Perception mate of mine worked in tossa de mar, spain in the old days, behind the bar in an "english pub" they had 3 different beers on tap, san miguel, heineken and carlsberg. Thing is all pipes went into one can, the cheapest they could buy on the black market.. he frequently told me about ( inabriated ) customers that did not like the san miguel then tried heineken and were convinced it was way better. could it be that one thinks tesco is not as good as it is tesco and not shell?

I am not saying they did something wrong, I am just saying I would be very suspicious if somebody unplug my dashcam i.e just because of that I would assume something dodgy was going on... even if it didn't.

It has been mentioned numerous times on this forum - and I have to agree - the IS250 mk2 is the best bang for buck car in its class you can buy. So if mine was written off tomorrow, I'd get another one, there are plenty still for sale in great condition with low mileage. If I was after something newer, I'd hunt for a IS250 mk3. They are rare, but have the same engine as the mk2 and also a 6 speed auto gearbox, so the refinement of ride should be pretty much the same.

Took the GS450H in for it's MOT today. It passed without problems, and only one advisory for a rust bubble on the outer skin of the nearside rear silencer (no leak). So all is good for another years motoring. John.

Gawd, how frustrating. What did Lexus 'fix'?

Been thinking about suggesting this myself. Would be up for this, subject to the exact date of course.

Great reading Chuckie. I still have the map from trip I made last year... Works out at 1600 miles. Probably a touch more for random detours. 36 hours of driving (not including the many, many stops) over 7 days.

About 3 years ago 2 friends of mine decided they were going to cycle Lands End to John O'Groats unassisted. They were a bit worried about what was going to happen either end so I volunteered to drop them off in Cornwall and pick them up 3 weeks later in Scotland. The trip to Lands End was uneventful and not really worth mentioning. We ended up staying the Friday night (after work) at the hotel right at Lands End and I pushed them off early the Saturday morning and I went back home. I decided to make a bit more of a trip of the other end and with regular updates from my friends it was obvious they were going to make it to John O'Groats with a couple of days to spare. We had hotels booked for the "finishing" day so my plan didn't change and on one day mid-week 2.5 weeks after they started I left home in Somerset and drove over 550 miles to Fort William which was to be my rest stop for day 1. My plan was to get the crap bit out the way in one hit and then have a couple of days flying round the highlands before meeting my friends. 2/3s of the way up I was slightly worried I'd messed up as I was more tired than I was hoping for. Thankfully after getting off the motorway at Glasgow and going East around some roads I'd done a couple of years earlier in my BMW I had a petrol related adrenaline rush. 125 miles flew by and I ended day 1 where I was supposed to much more awake than I was expecting. Shame I'd missed dinner but never mind. Day 2 was shorter but more fun. The road from Fort William to Mallaig is great fun and one I'd done a couple of times before. Up early for the blast down the A830 and stop in Mallaig for the ferry to the Isle of Skye and breakfast. A days hooning round the Isle of Skye was finished with a 70 mile trek to Inverness for the next bed (and I managed to get food too). Day 3 was a bit shorter and the day I was meeting my friends in John O'Groats so north from Inverness and then cut across country and basically up the middle and across the top. I'd done the loop from Inverness to Ullapool, Durness, Thurso and back to Inverness in one day in my BMW a couple of years earlier (that's a different story). Thankfully this day was a bit shorter but no less fun. At the end of the day met up with my mates, loaded the car up with 2 bikes on the roof plus all their luggage (weighed 45kgs plus bikes) ready for the next day. Day 4 showed a different side to the car. Having put up with me using much fuel for 2 days it was time to start the slog home, all 700 miles of it. 3 people, 2 bikes on the roof plus all that luggage (plus my stuff) and we cruised from John O'Groats to Carlisle for our midway stop. Comfortable, fairly fuel efficient (still got 30mpg) made this bit just easy. Day 5 is more of the same from day 4 apart from more motorway. It's quite difficult to limit yourself to 70 even with all that stuff. 5 days and somewhere in the region of 2000 miles later I was back home and back to work Had to pay for the petrol I suppose Always amused me of peoples reactions being overtaken by a car with that noise and cycle bars on the roof

Hopefully not hijacking! Some photos I dug out from my NC500 tour last year. Can't wait to get back up there.

Strange how it's scratched inside as well as on the face. Scratch looks like the thickness of a screwdriver head but it wouldn't hold up in a court of law therefore I retract my previous statement.

Hi Daniel it has covered a genuine 44000 , i have checked MOT's and Lexus service records from the only other owner ,who was a director for a large electronics company , i have no reason to believe that this is not a true low mileage car

Wowzers, what a great looking car. Well found and enjoy the burble.

Assuming they would have updated their template based on what I provided -they have one for -94 and 94-. They said the template they sent me was based on genuine mats, but they were some way off. If yours is a Mk4, speak to Georgina and maybe ask them to copy the template I sent them (in name of Shirish Patel) The original ones ive removed don't feel great either, pretty stiff, although maybe the actual material is softer (the backing is the same as the new ones).

your not missing much, just plastic and a little 5.0 V8 motor. Mines got a red HPS intake just to jazz it up. Seriously though, easy to slip with wrench if not doing it properly on the street in the pouring rain, a bit harder to do in a main dealer unless the apprentice was tightening up without a torque wrench

I've done that before by slipping with wheel wrench. Lost skin on knuckles too, maybe DNA could be found!lol

Absolutely superb Keith. Wonderful colour, inside and out. Enjoy and please let us have updates on how she`s performing and your degrees of motoring orgasms ! :):):) Regards John

Car goes in to dealers for new steering rack, comes out with scratch on wheel, think that's it Dav..........

Have to thank Cruisermark for his recommendation of the Avon ZZ5 tyres given above. Had two fitted to the front of my 85,000 mile LS430 2004 and like him the excessive road feel at low speed has gone. I was convinced some steering/suspension bushes needed renewing but the car passed MOTs and Lexus Guildford picked up nothing. The 15mph tram lining is cured and they are quiet which is important for this car. The original Bridgestone Potenzas [Turanzas?] were in reasonable condition with 6mm and 4mm tread although the latter a little old from 2011. Cost £104 each fitted from National website, 245 45 18 Y XL. Have no idea how they will last but at my low mileage they will be out of date before out of tread. Thanks again Mark

Hi all the search is over , i have now exchanged my 51 plate 430 for a 07 Ls 460 se-l silver with ivory leather and dark maple trim and after all my other wasted trips i am a happy bunny . Travelled 520 mls round trip to Hollybrook car sales in Southampton where the car was exactly as advertised all checks and history were confirmed 44,000mls flsh the part ex price was honoured ,and a deal was struck , very good people to deal with . The car is immaculate and a pleasure to drive and unlike others i've seen absolutely everything works,all it needs is a battery for the key card (£3 flea bay) . it came with 2 x smart keys so that's not a major concern Take care Keith

Looks like a lightening strike to me, seen lots of them. You've been lucky.

Thank you for ur help

Brought the car last year in January so not sure when the clutch had been done. So guessing it needs doing sitting right at the top. I'm not sure bout the self adjuster on these is200. Will have to take a look Cars covered 149000 miles

Sent you a PM

Sorry to say my friend but it's showing the same symptoms as mine when the head gasket failed. Luckily for me I have a mechanic mate who fitted me a new gasket for £450 but your looking at around £600-£700 at an indy garage and a couple of grand if you go to lexus. Don't meen to sound harsh but geting rid of the diesel for the 250 is the best thing I've ever done.

Ooooh that looks good, I've got a graphite black FSport with black leather premier pack ordered and due in about 3 wks too! yours will look great with rose leather. That I'll miss. is the grille surround chrome or dark chrome? Looks chrome there, but the red demo dealer had it was dark?!? any more pics to keep me going for another few weeks?

I've done the NC500 and many sections of it in recent years and long before it gained that identification. It's a bit like releasing the V8 into the wild. Best roads in the UK are North and West of Inverness. I would recommend the early Autumn when there's less tourist traffic on the road and don't be surprised if you're pushing the ISF hard in the twisty bits only to suddenly find the rear view mirror full of local builders van hurrying home for tea. Some of the high Alpine passes with the long tunnel sections stick in my mind and the Alaska Highway is a contender but the most memorable road trip for me was Lands End to John O' Groats.

have you considered becoming a poet?! For me it was driving over 4 days from Vancouver to Calgary in a rented Toyota Camry, taking our time, in awe of the mountains and lakes and surprisingly enjoying the 60mph speed limit!

Car arrived @ Dealers ------- 3 weeks to wait !!!!! Tel

My car is on M+S tyres. Snow mode does help though - seems to reduce slip somewhat.

It could indeed be smell related. I once recruited a lady who used to wear a perfume called Opium. Within minutes of her coming into the office, I would feel nauseous and get severe headaches. It got so bad that I had to mention it to her. She stopped wearing this particular perfume in the office and the situation resolved itself. With regards to motion sickness, I recently read a very interesting paper on motion sickness in space travel, specifically in zero gravity environments. In all vertebrates, the vestibular part of the ear (aka inner ear) contains 3 very small pebble-like bone formations called otoliths. As your head moves, these otoliths come into contact with hairs inside the inner ear, and messages are subsequently sent to the brain as to the position of your head. Similar position-related messages are relayed to the brain from your eyes. In some circumstances such as in a zero gravity environment, or more commonly (!) while reading in a car, the signals sent by the otoliths and the ones sent by the eyes contradict each other, confusing the brain and resulting in motion sickness. For instance, if you are reading a book whilst a passenger in a car travelling along a winding road, your inner ear will register the side to side movements and advising your brain accordingly, while your eyes will say, "no mate, you've got it wrong... We're reading a book and it's not moving at all" Hence you are less likely to be sick if you are looking out of the window (forward, as opposed to side window), and if you are on deck rather than below deck on a boat. It is also why astronauts suffer from motion sickness (their otoliths were all over the place due to lack of gravity) and so do submarine crews. Incidentally, you are also less likely to feel seasick if you are deaf because your inner ear is inherently deficient. With regards to Paul's complaint, and to some extent in view of the above, is it possible that, in the CT, you sit much lower than you did in your previous car? - This would contribute to the upper part of the dashboard being more into your line of sight where your eyes are seeing a larger, non-moving part of the dash, against the moving scenery? Does that make any sense? Also, do you wear glasses and have you changed them recently? Varifocals? Did you know that all vertebrates can suffer from motion sickness... including fish! However, you will be please to know that neither cows nor horses can actually be physically sick due to the morphology of their digestive system! Things you didn't know you didn't know!

Don't say to them anything about the membership untill they give you the final price, stops them from saying I had already allowed for that before they know you are a member.

Good deal at the moment. Got me a full set, going for the Stoptech Street front pads though.