Scribe

Interesting that there are bids on only TWO 400s on eBay at the moment. Most of the other cars are overpriced and/or look tatty, or are classified ads with prices. Not a good time to be looking for one, I suspect, and I'm glad I got mine when I did.

This will be interesting to see what this goes for. http://www.ebay.co.u...=item2327734a32 It's a pity more sellers don't take as much trouble to describe and photograph the car they want to sell.

In addition to the LS400 (perfect on long journeys, thirsty and a nightmare to park in town) I have a smart cabrio (the complete reverse). Both cars are brilliant at what they do, but they do quite different things. I know it's two lots of insurance and tax but I split my mileage between them, so neither has clocked up a lot of miles. It may seem like an extravagance to run two cars, but in some ways it makes more sense than running one boring mid-range-mobile that's worth about the same money (£4000 combined). And even if it doesn't, whenever I do a long journey in the Lexus I think, 'Who cares? I love this car.'

I don't think I've ever seen a 430 advertised that DIDN'T have the Premium Pack. Are there any 'standard' models out there? I'd be more inclined towards one of those on the grounds of 'less to go wrong'.

Mark, I don't know how tall you are, but have you noticed more headroom in the 430? The cabin looks deeper than the 400s, which feels a bit cramped to me.

Yes, good luck with it Mark, and let us know how you get on. Meanwhile it's interesting to hear your first impressions. And I hope your 400 goes to a good home.

Same here. if I bought another one I'd only go and split it on a kerb. Easier to keep a roll of black sticky tape in the garage.

It's easily broken on high kerbs. Mine's stuck together with black tape. Hitting a christening font would probably cause more damage.

Maybe we can all have a word with your wife for you?

It's the best looking car Lexus have produced, IMHO, and one day I'll have one (I hope).

I had to go to a family funeral in North Norfolk yesterday and wasn't looking forward to doing the whole trip in a day (fog all the way there, dark on the way back, temperature barely above freezing). I left home at 8.00 a.m. and drove there mostly at the legal limit, and came home slightly more slowly because I wanted to reach the Dartford crossing after 10.00pm so I could avoid the £2 (rip-off) toll. Supreme comfort all the way, engine noise barely noticeable, plenty of power in reserve for overtaking, brilliant sound system (no need to turn the volume more than half way up), and of course it ran like a train without missing a beat. Indicated tank average over 400 miles: 33 mpg. Got home at 11.30 p.m. tired but not shattered - I haven't fallen asleep at work today. And all that from a car that costs no more than an old Fiesta, and which is worth pretty much what I paid for it in August 2010. And did I mention two MOT passes without work needed? I know I'm preaching to the converted here, but after two and a half years that car still amazes me.

For me, it all boils down to trust, especially when it comes to major work like cambelts or starter motors. And you're probably more likely to trust a main dealer (and to expect service like ambermarine got when they c*ck up). I take mine to an independent who isn't the most conveniently situated but who's Toyota/Lexus trained and who was generous with his time giving me tips on what to look for when I was Lexus-hunting. That's the sort of specialist who's worth seeking out, but not everyone can be so lucky.

If you spend an hour or two around Knightsbridge or Kensington you'll see loads of new Merc S class and BMW 7 series but not a single LS600. I assumed that virtually all new 600s were leased, because of the massive depreciation from new. Would the figure of 10 fleet sales include leasing, or only outright purchases? Anyway, 10 private owners (with good taste) bought one.

Hi Beeblebrox and welcome to the Club. I echo what Malc and Mike have said: there are good 400s out there, but you may need to spend some time travelling to find them. Mine was bought privately in August 2010 from someone 230 miles away, which may seem a bit mad, but after looking at another example (younger, more expensive, fewer miles but more faults) I could tell it was a good buy - and I still think it was. Apart from the pleasure I get from driving it, it's got through two MOTs without work and has barely depreciated. So I'd say: look at a few cars, then you've got something to make comparisons. You won't regret buying a good one, but you might regret settling for a dodgy one. Any good one will need maintenance and will have the occasional problem - they're just cars, after all - but people on here are very willing to share their knowledge and experience. Good luck with your search.

And it looks okay to me. Worth taking a punt on for £400-500, I'd have thought.

Can't help feeling that most of the 400s currently on EBay and Autotrader are sheds and/or grossly overpriced. And you don't see many late ones for sale. It looks like everyone's hanging on to them - perhaps because early 430s don't seem worth trading up to? My very limited experience of car traders (people who buy and sell cars as a sideline to their everyday work) is that they hope to make a few hundred quid on each deal, so they're not going to spend anything on the car to fix serious faults. I went to look at a 400 being sold by a trader and it had more problems than I wanted to take on, especially at the price he wanted. And traders are more likely to buy a Lexus that needs work, because private owners who maintain cars properly are going to sell them privately to get a decent price.

Assuming they're the two on Autotrader at £3290 and 3449, that sort of sums up my feeling about the 430 at present. It's a very desirable car, but those two examples are younger than my 400 and have much lower mileage, and yet they're both sheds that cost twice what my 400's worth. No wonder many of us don't trade up to a 430, even though we'd like one.

I'm getting used to the phenomenon of MOT passes, even though the Lex is one of the oldest cars I've ever owned. At test-time this year I said to my mechanic, 'You mean it passed?' Answer: 'Of course.'

The sort of 'rut' that some of us are in is that we drive old cars that are worth little on the market, and yet they're extremely comfortable, well-made and reliable. There's no way we can afford to replace them with anything newer unless we trade down to a 'normal' car - which we don't want to do. So how long do we hang on to our old 400s for? Sometimes - especially this time of year, when I have a long journey coming up over the Christmas/New Year period - I worry about running such an old car and wish I had something modern; and yet I also know that the Lex is less likely to let me down than anything newer that I could afford. The point of this waffle is that the most affordable (i.e. early) 430s don't seem worth trading up to at the moment. When I bought my 400 in August 2010 my mechanic said I could run it for ten years if I wanted to; but I wonder whether I'll still be confident in it when it's twenty years old?

I can't imagine NOT having a 430 next, though I doubt I'll ever feel as confident in it as I am in my ageing 400 (15 years old next month). But I might be wrong. As someone said recently, the problem with a forum like this is that we focus on problems that occur. And I'd feel more confident in a 430 than in a Merc of the same age/mileage - no contest there!

If your car is a 2000 reg it must be one of the last ones - you're lucky. If a W-reg 60k did come up, all of us on here would be fighting for it, probably. At one time I would have agreed with you about the 430's looks, but I have to say they've grown on me - though it could never be considered a beautiful looking car. As you say, it's what all we 400 owners will probably be driving in a few years' time. Though I'm a bit concerned by the intercooler problems discussed on here recently. I know it's not a widespread problem, but when it happens it's likely to make the car unrepairable. That's less likely to happen with a 400 unless everything needs fixing at the same time.

It wasn't my choice, Mike - I'd rather have had silver. But I now really like the colour, and think it suits the car well. I would also have preferred black leather inside, but now like the pale brown (whatever it's called).

I look forward to having a 430 one day because it seems a fantastic car, but I'm not in a hurry. And if there were much newer 400s around I'd probably have one of those instead. Having lots of kit is all very well, but at my (bottom) end of the market, what's more important is reliability and value for money. From what I've read on here, the 430 will never beat the 400 in those areas - and the 460 even less. Much as I'd like a 430 or a 460 (fancy swapping, moriwaki? LOL) it does seem that as you progress to Lexus's more recent cars, the build and even the refinement are less good.

Mine's going to get a pre-Christmas wash, that's all. I think it realises it's lucky to be dozing in my garage most of the time - though I'm starting it once a week or so in the cold weather.

I thought leaving the car unlocked (obviously not advisable unless the garage is secure) stopped the security system from running down the battery?