Spacewagon52

Alfa? I you are a brave man sir! I take my hat off to you! You are not a true petrolhead if you have never owned an Alfa. Alas I do not have the testicles to take the risk!

I would not describe this as choosing the "underdog" - you are obviously a person who does not wish to follow the crowd. I also like cars that are more exclusive and I would concur with your choices! I would choose "Japanese" over Germanic makes everytime. Had a Golf, had a BMW 5 series - no thanks!

I would have given it more time to get to know the car - just my opinion.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-35280633

I think many of us would like the financial resources of Chris Evans and some of his collection!

I can fully understand where you are coming from! My main concern owning an older Lexus LS, is the possibilty of NOT being able to get it fixed. I, personally, would not try an equate repair costs with the value of your Lexus - yes you may have spent more than you paid for the vehicle but when you consider all the qualities the LS has, then the total amount must be weighed against what you could get for the same money - a reliable Focus? The real downside is when a car is damaged and you can't recoup any of the money you have put into it. (as unfortunately your is your position). I must be honest, running an older car, with a few dents/scrapes and that you are not too enamoured about, is less stressful. I am now seriously considering for the future (whden I have to replace the family car) going over to Bangernomics. I know it depends on your financial situation, but I would find it very hard to justify a new purchase, no matter what money I had. I have had only one new car, after inheriting some money, and yes it was wondeful at first ........... but watching the depreciation fall like pine needles off a Christmas tree would be too much for me now. You can pick-up some cracking 10 - 12 year old cars that have been cosseted by their owners but getting the balance between age and reliability is a very difficult. I will probably change my mind when the time comes to replace my Mitsubishi and will fall back on past decisions and spend the maximum I can afford at the time. My problem is that I "love" my Lexus and find it very hard just to drive it without worrying if something will go wrong - silly because at the end of the day it is ONLY a car................... oh but what a car!

Searched the forums but not seen this:- Lexus LC 500 http://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/2016-detroit-motor-show-what-can-we-expect/ss-AAgkZvI?ocid=mailsignoutmd#image=2 Apparently coming to the Detroit Motor Show

Well done for the repair. You have saved yourself a lot of anxiety and stress and had the satisfaction of solving the problem yourself.

I think we all get a little nostalgic when we see old cars we once owned. However I do not wish to go back to the good old days of rust, plastic padding, spray cans, points, dynamos, tracking and generally poor reliability. I recall an uncle who traded in his 1978 Cortina Mk4, which was 2 years old and rusty!

Cargasstruts - very easy to fit - they even have a video to show you how! If I can do it anyone can! LOL

carmats.co.uk - I have bought from here for another make but made to measure and choice of quality. Rayaans also recommended the following in an earlier post:- http://www.carmats2u...ards-3046-p.asp http://www.npautopar...oor-mats-p90352

In ANY colour!

Just personal taste but I would try to avoid white, black and flat red cars. Have not owned a black car but my white one never looked clean. Flat red is a terrible colour, as it can fade to pink. Does not seem to matter what make it is, some red pigments fade more than others - it seems to be luck.

That is tight! Hope you had a spotter!

That is a relief it was nothing major! How did he get it going and you could not? Flooded engine used to be sorted by pressing the accelerator pedal fully down and turning the engine? Is this still the case? As the last time I did this was on a Ford Cortina!

That article was spot on. He gives all the right economic arguments for owning the LS. I feel very privileged to own one.

You would need to look at the overall condition by inspecting it. The MOT history indicates it could be genuine mileage but there have been advisories and fails on the brakes in the past. They may have sorted the problem but it might be something to check on a test drive. The wheels are not standard and the bodywork is described as excellent, yet you can see a large dent above the nearside rear wheel arch - can you trust the dealer on their description? The website gives testimonials and appears to sell cars on reputation. Other more knowledgable members might wish to add other points. It looks, on the face of it, good for the money in my opinion. Depends how far you want to travel and still be prepared to walk away. Car is in CannockI would consider having a look and checking the service history. If it is as good as it sounds, it will sell fairly quickly - if not there may be issues with the car. Just my opinion. Hope it helps.

Not heard of this before! Made me smile! A local milkman was arrested for drink driving his milkfloat a few years back!

Any garage in Dudley should not even try selling a Lexus! LOL!

I now fully understand! I think the economy, on a run, is very good for such a large car and engine. It is such a pleasure to drive. Hard to comprehend its age. Not sure many new cars costing upto £20,000 would be any better. I am beginning to wonder if we should keep it a secret? If too many people cotton on we might find it hard to replace ours in the furure! LOL! I would be hard pressed to come up with an alternative for the money. They are remarkable value, when compared to newer models, that you can justify spending a bit on repairs. I am more than pleased with RIO!

Wow! Those are impressive figures! I am wondering what revs is the most economical? 2000 rpm gives around 65 mph - anyone any thoughts on this. Might try an opposite comparison ............ try to get the lowest mpg!

Stick out for more. My daughter was offered a derisory £1700, then £2600 and got £2,900 in the end - but that was below market value.

Speed varied from 60 mph to 80 mph. I would describe my driving style as smooth and steady. When traffic conditions allowed (it was quite busy being a Bank Holiday) I put the cruise control at 70 mph. Constant speed driving on a motorway is the best for economy. On the way down to Bristol I got 31 mpg but travelling in city traffic (heavy in Bristol) really knocks down the economy and it was reading 29 mpg as I left Bristol. Town driving, even with a very light throttle, knocks the mpg right down. This was all based on the computer but I will do a fill-up and calculate again. I am not particularly concerned about mpg - as I am running a 4 litre V8! - but it is interesting to compare with my old 2.0 petrol people carrier. People's perceptions of the LS 400 V8, not familiar with the Lexus, are also interesting. "What do you get to the gallon? 15 mpg?" After frowning at them they say "Oh, around 20 mpg then? If I can get between 28 and 30 mpg on a long run, then I consider it worth every penny for the driving experience an LS 400 gives. When you need to accelerate from say 60 mph - the power is superb. On the negative side of driving the LS 400 ............. well I can't find one yet.

Took my LS 400 for my first long distance run, from Kent to Bristol and back. What a superb drive. The power available for overtaking is a dream. I got 30.2 mpg there and back, 420 miles and still the fuel light has not come on! More than impressed with the MkIV.

Thanks for the information Mike - I did not know about returning a car for a full refund.