Shaft

That says to me, "when I grow up, I'm going to be an LS460!" ... If you had no idea what the 2006 IS250 was going to be like I think you could pass that off for it with ease... nothing wrong with the wood in my humble opinion...

Thanks CHips. I think that is all good advice and I will be looking for a good honest cars. Liike you, I would take ugly over incompentent. A good mechanical car is what I need. that is a main reason for going Lexus again. been let down by smaller engines too so I now subscribe to the "there is no replacement for discplacement" school of thought. Happy days just around the corner... looked at a 211k car yesterday and it drove like a dream. had a TV bolted to the roof lining though...

Sounds like you didn't really enjoy your LS ownership, Maneesh? I'm buying cheap, expectations are low to middling on the whole, "will it be trouble free" but I expect the thing to run and run and run. "incidentals" are to be expected. The whole point being. it IS a £50k car and is built to out last its german counterparts. Its the landcruiser of its day. chosen by those who know the difference. I hope...

I know its japanese but, its still to nice to be a taxi.

I recall this being a problem with the 98/99 LS400 also. overly laden with booze on the way back from France I saw one dragging its behind... Can anyone confirm which models have air suspension so I Can aviod if practicable.

Looking forward to those comments in the "soon to be mine" LS400. Although I don't imagine I'll have many passengers.

Hmmm... Sound advice. I'm also after a "cheap" LS. Don't expect the earth from ir but would like to do 30k in it without major trauma. Drive it stread not racing pace. warm it up gently and no racing starts. Service it locally and make sure the oil is always taken care of. I'm hoping for a fairly trouble free existence. but I am going to have a £1k Per year running fund and if it eceeds £7-800 on one job then I will canibalise it in the garden and buy another one... at this price, why not? Meanwhile you are driving around on a slightly soiled magic carpet. Hmmm... Sound advice. I'm also after a "cheap" LS. Don't expect the earth from ir but would like to do 30k in it without major trauma. Drive it stread not racing pace. warm it up gently and no racing starts. Service it locally and make sure the oil is always taken care of. I'm hoping for a fairly trouble free existence. but I am going to have a £1k Per year running fund and if it eceeds £7-800 on one job then I will canibalise it in the garden and buy another one... at this price, why not? Meanwhile you are driving around on a slightly soiled magic carpet.

Thanks Terry. I will. I see you timed your ownership to avoid the dreaded cambelt change... A wise move I guess... I'm looking forward to getting out of a £15k Luxury used coupe and back in to a Japanese bargain for ten percent of the price.... What was I thinking???

So now is the time to buy....

Hi, I want a car that I can use everyday and count on to get me up and down the motorway as well as around town on occasion. I do about 25k a year and have had a newer lexus in the past but now want to keep my costs on the floor for a year or two. I think the LS400 is a great car for the money and at £1500 ish if there is a major problem you'd buy another for the same money if it was going to cost more than 700 to repair.... I'm hoping to have running costs (servicing and maintenance) of less than £1000 a year. tyres, brakes, service items. belts possibly. I understand spark plugs used to £700 to replace in the old days but are makedly cheaper now! So what can you tell me to watch out for on these early 90's cars? Suspension? Gearbox? (can't imagine this is a weak spot) Head Gaskets? (Surely not, but tell me if they should be a concern) Steering Rack? Engine ? (hope not, this is ther area of greatest reliability I'm hoping) Cooling system? (water pump??) Any other costly business? All help appreciated at this time. Thanks.

Having owned a Lexus before I think they are the bee's knees. I strayed from the brand and now am coming back as they seem to be the only "good value" mile muncher you can count on. I'm looking for sub £2k LS400 and have seen some belters and some rough ones. But I drove a 211k miles example yesterday and other than the drivers seat feeling soft, it was faultless. I'm having a hard time justifying not buying it other than I've seen lower mileage cars in the same bracket. If the history confirms its not due a belt change anytime soon I might be owning it by the end of the month... PS. Great forum.