davidlexusls400

I love the 'suicide' rear doors that remind me of the Rover P4's that I once owned. Acess and egress is definitely grander with this method. The Spirit of Ecstacy in your eye-line is a driving experience that I will never forget and one that filled me with pride every day. Agreed about Bentley, especially as I like comfy rides! Kindest regards David

Hi Chris, you do make me chuckle! I am naturally a bit scruffy I think and hate shaving! I haven't driven the current range of RR, but am sure that they are head and shoulders (don't use it?!) above the previous models. My sadness is that the design is a bit Teutonic and that we have lost these evotic marques to 'Europe'. However I would love a drophead...........! Kindest regards David

Hi Steve, May I respectfully suggest that you retain your Yen in a safe place, as it may be worth a lot more than the £ in a few years time!

Let me know if you get an answer here as I too tried to remove it, albeit without any success

Try rubbing the exposed lipstick onto the tyre wall. I have found that it deadens a rather lurid colour. Top tip is to use the inside wall of the tyre for obvious asthetic reasons!

Will that stop him inhaling?!

Excellent idea, thanks will do! Is it an easy job? Sounds dangerous for a man of my erm......mechanical ability!

It isn't long since the 27th February 2009, but since my acquisition of a 'budget' '97 LS400 I have been hankering to give the old girl a good wash and vacuum. You don't really get to know a car until you have been lying prone inside it scrubbing away years of undisturbed grime. Today was a welcome interlude from work and I washed and cleaned the car just to give an overall improvement, rather than enter a concourse event. Washing the car I noticed a few more scuffs and a small bubble of rust on the NSF passenger door just underneath the window. Will have to watch out for that one. Cleaning the inside I have been impressed with the quality of the finish and the depth of the carpets. There are some trim clips missing, but these can be sorted later. My interior is cream, the exterior being a sort of metallic gold - that I love. However the cream interior takes a lot of cleaning and this will have to be done with some kind of machine, I think to remove coke? stains, etc. Next job was vacuuming. The carpets came up adequately and the mats were cleaned on the floor in the back of my van. Sadly I failed to engage brain when I decided to vacuum out the (full) ash-trays, without removing them first. The rear 2 ash-trays worked perfectly and I watched with amazement as the contents swirled around and then disappeared up the tube. By this time my assistant was watching and I turned my attention to the front ash-tray. Once again I watched with pleasure as the rubbish swirled around and then to my horror, I saw the cigarette lighter disappear up the nozzel. Looking at the hole left behind made no difference and it dawned on me that I had now vanadlised my precious 'new' car. My assistant just laughed. Tentatively I tore into the vacuum bag and sifted through the dusty mass. I struggled through all this with a feeling of impending doom, until eureka, the cigarette lighter had rolled out to one side, quite unharmed - though very dirty. One look at my hands, face and clothes said it all and I was banished to the rest-room! Tomorrow am having a tow-bar fitted, so let's hope I don't get involved! Kindest regards to you all David

Hi Chris yes but you know I loved getting out of the RR with scruffy clothes and people looking at me, assuming I must be even more important! I have had many double takes! RR ownership is partly/mostly about making a statement and being pretentious - yes am guilty m'lord. The Lexus hasn't got the same presence, but people do come and look at what this great space-ship is! Kindest regards David

Hi you seem to have paid a very low price! These cars are so beautiful in operation and to view. I have had many cars, but I do think these are the very best bargains. The fuel economy is a bit poor, but the cost is small compared to the driving experience! Best of luck and enjoy your bargain. Kindest regards David Convert it to run on LPG, a good conversion pays for itself & increases the value of the car, I get 40mpg equivelent out of mine average, & drove the 650 miles from south Germany to London for £42 due to lpg bieng 30 cents a litre in Belguim & that was cruising between 80 to 110 mph, the engine is also runs smoother on gas, its cheaper to run than my mothers corolla 1.6 vvti auto. Hi sounds interesting - do you have an idea of the cost and a company who can be recommended? Kindest regards, David Hi David, depends if you want a single induction type conversion or multi point sequential single around £1100 multi around £2000 I have a brc plug & drive multi point on mine & so far so good ( your model will run fine on a single point if set up properly) I wont reccomend the installers who done mine as they have mixed reviews If you google lpg fourums you will find all the info you need I didn't untill after my car was in for conversion & wished I had. Lucky for me mine turned out fine as they were not busy at the time. If you plan on keeping the car for any length of time I would 100% recommend getting it converted, its also a lot kinder to the enviroment ( I took mine for its MOT yesteday & the emmisions are incredably low)also lpg is a waste product a byproduct of petrol production so if I didn't use it it would be burnt anyway. ta Mark Hi Mark I am afraid that I am not as green as I should be by inclination, though I do my best with recycling etc. Buying an LS at 12 years old is much better than buying a brand new car - for the environment. I drive a van (Renault Master box van) mostly for business use and live just 1 mile from work. Therefore my annual mileage is low, maybe 5,000 at most in my car (now LS). Yes I should cycle to work and my health would benefit too! I trust that I will be poluting the environment much less that would a rep with about 100k miles per annum? Once again thanks for the information and will bear this very much in mind. Kindest regards David

Hi I really enjoyed your story. I would agree with everything that you said about RR v LS. However your last answer of what to choose following a lottery win has got me thinking. Could I have both?! Kindest regards David

There was a member on here (Haylands) who converted his LS430 to run on LPG and seemed to know absolutely everything about it! He recently sold the car so not sure if he's still about much but might be worth sending him a PM if you're thinking of converting. It's definitely worth doing on big engined, poor on fuel cars like this as the conversion will pay for itself so quickly :) Many thanks for this info. I know that I could well move up to a newer car next year (430?), so will find out the information now, ready for the next vehicle. Who knows, I may fall totally in love with my 400! Kindest regards David

Hi Your car sounds just like my next acquisition! Maybe you could let me know..............................!! Kindest regards David

Hi and what a shame the car was so badly looked after by the last owner towards the end. This is often the time that so many things aren't attended to that the car becomes a right-off by default. You are indeed a lucky chap and am sure you will be as pleased as punch with your new toy! Kindest regards David

Hi you seem to have paid a very low price! These cars are so beautiful in operation and to view. I have had many cars, but I do think these are the very best bargains. The fuel economy is a bit poor, but the cost is small compared to the driving experience! Best of luck and enjoy your bargain. Kindest regards David Convert it to run on LPG, a good conversion pays for itself & increases the value of the car, I get 40mpg equivelent out of mine average, & drove the 650 miles from south Germany to London for £42 due to lpg bieng 30 cents a litre in Belguim & that was cruising between 80 to 110 mph, the engine is also runs smoother on gas, its cheaper to run than my mothers corolla 1.6 vvti auto. Hi sounds interesting - do you have an idea of the cost and a company who can be recommended? Kindest regards, David

Agree on both points! Citroen toyed with using a Chev Corvair Flat Six engine in the DS!! Now THAT would have gone! I loved owning the DS, but drove one a couple of years back for a wedding gift to a friend (the driving the DS to wedding, NOT a whole car!) And it felt so old after the LS, driving, clunky doors......great to look at though! as to current "DS"....!!!! A joke! Unless they do a "Fiat 500" and remake it. Hi Chris and sorry to awake your latent? passion! I see you are a near neighbour - so hi I am a new recruit to Lexus and somehow can see that I am moving onwards and upwards from XM ownership. The proof of the pudding will be this Summer, when I will be towing my caravan down to Cornwall with the family. The original option was to use my 1956 Land Rover - I have cried off as I don't fancy the frantic wheel turning that is required to keep in a straight line and the deadening of the ear drums! Maybe I am getting old, but the Lexus does seem to be a 'rather' superior mode of transport. Kindest regards and thanks for making me smile David ps my partner works in Shire!

Hi you seem to have paid a very low price! These cars are so beautiful in operation and to view. I have had many cars, but I do think these are the very best bargains. The fuel economy is a bit poor, but the cost is small compared to the driving experience! Best of luck and enjoy your bargain. Kindest regards David

Thanks for the info, am glad I paid a lot less for mine! Kindest regards David

1997 P reg = £46,615 1997 R reg = £48,240 Brilliant info thanks am most obliged Kindest regards David

Hi many thanks for this info. I believe my car has metallic paint and is pained in 2-tone. The Orlando 'pad' looks very posh! Kindest regards David

Great number and we all need treats - often! I have transferred a number from my Mum's old 1963 Rover 95 6114 KM This has cost me a lot of time/spares to get ready for sale But anyways it is great to keep a number within the family - was going to fit this to a Citroen XM (KM/XM), but the Lexus seems to be a much posher car! Kindest regards and don't stop the spoiling! David

Hi Does anyone have the list price of my 1997 LS400? (UK market) I assume that the car is without extras, other than mats/carpets maybe This will make the next few bills seem a lot better! Kindest regards, David

Hi Andrew and thanks for the advice. Please pop in at any time and you will be most welcome! Kindest regards and thanks for the advice. David

I have never driven a DS, but would love a later 21 with fuel injection. I did have a CX familiale, which was amazing but a bit ragged down one side! I assume you mean the new C6? I have driven one and think it is an amazing machine and probably better even than my beloved XM! The reviews have been pretty good, which is good for a French car! Kindest regards David

Hush ! You will wake up old Skellington... Sorry but these cars are pretty much supreme in my eyes. The Xantia replacement (C5) still has yet to match the wizadry of the old XM. I have had over 20 of these cars, from the humble 2.0 petrol to the 24 valve V6 in both auto and manual forms. The early cars had some earthing problems and rust can attack the front jacking points if the points are poorly used, but that aside I don't have any cause to complain. I used a 2.1 TD to tow a heavy car trailer with estate car atop over many miles. The same trip counfounded both a 3.5 Range Rover and a TDI Discovery to tow at motorway speeds with some degree of control. Caravan towing with a 2.5 TD was a breeze, with many cars struggling to maintain 60 mph up the A30 from Cornwall towing poxy camping trailers. They would flash past me down the hills and then I would sedately cruise past them up the next hill, towing my caravan. Fuel consumption was excellent, though I did have to keep the power down to avoid over-heating. This eventually proved to be a fault with this particular car and led to an engine seizure - also whilst towing! I have moved home for 2 people in estate cars, and once had to carry the mattress on the roof all the way back from London. These cars 'do what they say on the tin' and are perfectly reliable if properly maintained. Sadly main dealers and 'experts' prefer to replace a whole load of parts before they start to engage the grey matter, much to the detriment of this much-maligned marque. Am I waffling? Maybe but have just woken up on a Sunday afternoon and must have had a sugar rush! Kindest regards and will keep 'Mum'!