Malc

Oh dear, sorry to hear your news ...... as it's a 430 then maybe £650 might be the answer ! Sorry, nothing useful to say ...... think my LS400 might be a write-off this week following vandalism. Not a happy bunny. Malc

Absolute lottery this year for me back in February. Was with the NFU for years but premiums went nuts for no good reason. Went with SAGA at last years NFU premium @£400 with my Lexus and for my Mazda went with AXA and my classic 1932 Triumph stayed with NFU ( same quote from all sources so wonder if there's only one classic car underwriter left at Lloyds ! ) Absolute lottery I found. Malc

Yes, I forgot, mine's a Mk2. I spent so long driving my 1992 Mk 1. These cars are just so brilliant. You will not regret your purchase. I just so, so prefer the Mk1 and 2 profile. Malc

Hi, wow, £2k will buy you the very best 91 or 92 LS400 in the UK. Normal prices for this year are @£500 or so. Cherished and loved and amazingly well looked after will be available to you BUT where, oh where could u find one ? check the MOT Advisories and Failure records of the one you find with the DVLA search with the co-operation of the owner's log book. Cambelt changes at 60k; and these models suffer from Alternator failure usually from a leaking Power Steering Unit just above it. BUT at £2k you will get an amzingly loved car at this age. Personally, I think the best year is the last of the Mk 1's ......... guess what that is ........ 1994 on an M plate ! Mine's now done just 40k miles. Happy hunting. Malc

Quite simply then .......... it's misreading ! Malc

Hi, suggest fill the tank FULL and look to do 400 or so miles per tank ( should be a little more ) and when my orange light shows I know ( from experience ) that it has about 60 miles left in it. 85 litres in total and £120 later fills the tank to the brim ! Malc

Hi, carpet, steering wheel and seat shown look rather more than 92k methinks ......... I would personally do the free DVLA on-line check on prior MOT Advisories and Failure records for the time this car has had its MOTs computerised. You will need some detail from the logbook from the owner though. Simple initial checks anyway prior to go seeeing the car. Don't like the LPG filler positioning either; I don't have LPG but someone on here wrote ( recently ? ) that their LPG filler was unobtrusive ! Good luck with it. Malc

If the cambelt was genuinely changed at 59k then I wouldn't doubt that it would hold good for you to at least 159k even tho' it's been 12 years now. I personally wouldn't rush around worrying about it as an ultra urgent job to be done. But of course, it's at your risk ! Malc

Cambelt change is a long job but not beyond the wit of many non-Lexus mechanics. It's expensive because of the booked time for the job which I think might be 5 hrs or so with a Lexus dealer. You won't often need it doing, probably every 100,000 miles or 10 years. And even then the old belt will probably look like NEW. Your car would get buggered up if it went tho' .... it's not a non-interference model. Good luck with it. Malc

Best to keep an eye on that reservoir then, I understand that re-filling the system is tiresomely tedious and can take forever to achieve .... that might be it. malc

All your water problems vanished now ? Malc

Hi, my coolant level now and on the J reg car was pink. The J reg might be a clue as to age related pressure cap issues ! What age / mileage is your LS 400 by the way ? My replacement pressure cap came off the shelf at a normal motor factor that stocked Toyota bits. Malc

Hi, my earlier J reg LS400 had an overheating problem and all it was, I had to replace the coolant reservoir presure cap. Problem then just simply vanished. Not expensive either. I do understand that the reservoir tank is a bugger to get filled correctly and I'm suffering this continually, but, hey ho, I just top it up from time to time, sometimes with the correct coolant mix but otherwise with water. No problems either so far and the temp. gauge ALWAYS runs true. Just have the system checked for antifreeze strength come the winter and you might be OK. Malc.

Hi, there's another thread on here about the LCD stuff Malc

Chris..... that's really a dopey question ...... you know full well that you shouldn't be selling it ! I'm surprised that the BMW only cost you £500 squid a pop ... the Bentley / RR / Jag / big Merc would ALWAYS cost more for silly things too. The LS400, well, does much really ever go wrong! Malc

Like you, I've driven all sorts from RR and Bentley and humungous Mercedes and quite frankly, the LS400 is just so understated and the most wonderful car to drive. I really wouldn't know what other car I would wish to take on a long journey from the position of comfort and reliability and ease of driving with utter confidence. Malc

Mine's a standard petrol LS400 and this weekend doing 800 + miles I avaeraged 510 miles to a tank as opposed to the usual 420 ........ just by driving on cruise control for the long Motorway journey to the Lakes from Kent and back............. just driving more carefully and better gave me a 21% saving ? ! Malc

Hi, just out of interest, did you manage to look at the DVLA old MOT Advisories and Fail sheets ? Malc

Well, my 94 LS400 has just turned 40,000 miles from a weekend away from Kent to the Lake District. On cruise almost all the way there, M2,M25, M1 and M6 but a bit busier and less cruise control on the way back. Not a murmur from her in 800+ miles over 2 days. Expenses to keep on the road, well over 3 and a bit years and 31500 miles, brake pads back and front, an oil change and another now due and now just needing another 2 front tyres making 5 in all over the time. Oh, and the £60 5 yr gtee new battery and the dash lights being fixed by Chris Vince on here. That's it ! Better get some lexus replacement wiper rubbers too methinks. Wot a marvellous car. My earlier one cost a bit more but it had done 189k when I gave it away, having a cambelt at 120k and tyres and suspension stuff and battery and services generally and an alternator at.... 150 / 160k miles which seemed to be the " tipping " point for that sort of expensive stuff. And I'm now in my 60's and have so enjoyed my LS400 motoring these past 8 years and can't imagine what other car I would ever want to drive. The desperately sad thing on this trip was that I didn't see another single LS400 on my travels. That's unusual, and there's only one other one that I know of locally to me in Herne Bay in Kent. Maybe a dying breed and I guess it's the fuel costs that are beginning to be the true killer for these cars if you don't want to go to the expense of a LPG conversion. But I'm happy. just hate the petrol costs at £100+ every fill-up .......... I note the prepay with card pumps now authorise up to £130 fuel per fill. Times they are a changing ! Malc

Well done abs 66 ...... go look at the thread I put into the Suspension Section by mistake recently on the LS400 Radio BackLights not working ! Malc

And if you look ( it's a freebie ) at the old MOT advisories and fail sheets on the DVLA computer database for the specific car ( you will need some detail from the owner to do the search ) then that will give u a head start with thinking what might need doing apart from the obvious when u physically see the car. You will find one OK, and it might well be a good 'un. Good luck malc

Hi, Benfur / Maurice on here breaks LS400s, north Kent though I believe. Good luck Malc

Hey,............... only 4.5 tanks of fuel here in Kent with 85 ltrs x £1.33.............. Malc

I rather like the LS400 cabriolet too ! Malc

I think she looks a stunner ! Not much value in cars like these tho' maybe right now. It's such a shame. If I needed a second LS I would buy it, but going to keep the g/fs mazda going a bit longer .............. just economic too. Good luck with your decision whatever you decide to do. Malc