Scribe

I once did something with the valet key (not the remote) and all the windows and the sunroof opened. Fortunately it wasn't raining.

We're all relieved for you, Chris. I hate the thought that just about any damage to my Lex would write it off, but there you go... At the end of the day it's only a car (I suppose) - though I've never been so attached to any other I've owned.

I've had a similar problem with two cars. The batteries just failed suddenly, rather than running down and being coaxed along for a while with a charge. New batteries cured the problems in both cases. Maybe batteries are like everything else these days: expensive but poorly made, and you have to just chuck them away and replace them?

Anyway, welcome to the Club.

My first thought: Nan from Catherine Tate ("What a load of old S**T!) Second thought: Auto Express may be right. What do I, the owner of a 15-year-old LS400, know about current luxury cars? I've never even opened the door of a new XJ or S class. It's a different motoring world to mine.

Mike's right - there isn't any logic to car insurance any more. I get the impression they do their calculations on lots of factors: insurance group, age, location, occupation, the way the wind's blowing, how Corrie ended last night, and - more importantly - what they can get away with. One example is giving lower rates to new customers, even for the same risk and level of cover as existing ones.

The man I bought my Lexus from replaced it with a new Skoda Octavia - although at the time I couldn't think why. Most of the taxi drivers here in Brighton who don't run Octavias or Toyota Avensises run Skoda Superbs - which says a lot about their durability. But this is rapidly turning into a Skoda forum...

'I have come to the opinion that these days everything is built to a price not a quality.' I think you mean 'built to a cost', Steve - it's US who pay the price. And you're right - it does seem that what we get for our money these days is bells, whistles and ghizmos that last about five minutes. Built-in obsolescence, I think it's called. It's all superficial: it looks like great value, but in the long term is quite the opposite. Which is why we love our LS400s so much. Whoever bought them new paid for lasting quality which we're now enjoying. I don't mind spending a bit to keep mine going, but I'd be seriously pi**ed off if I had a 5-year-old 460 that was rusting, like Jeremy's. And even more pi**ed off that Lexus's legendary customer service seems to be hit and miss, too.

I enjoy wafting along at 60 and thinking, 'My old car made more noise than this when it was freewheeling at idle.'

I recently bought petrol in Brighton, reset the Average MPG on the computer and set off for Suffolk. Admittedly I was driving gently, but when I arrived 150 miles later the average MPG was showing as 38.5. A few days' running around brought it down to 34 but I reckon that's still pretty good.

Have you kept the registration number? I'll look out for you (I live in Saltdean). Leigh at Grove Garage, Hove (tel. 01273 773055) has serviced my Lex for as long as I've had it (two years) - and my smart car too. I've always found him helpful and trustworthy.

Never been to Mousehole, unfortunately, but I've just done a 500-mile trip to and around Suffolk. I saw one other LS400 (a G-reg Mk.1) and two 430s, and that was it. Averaged nearly 34 mpg by wafting along gently, car didn't miss a beat. I wouldn't drive anything else.

Thanks for posting that. It's good to be reminded what a fabulous car the 430 is - after all, it's what I'll be buying next time.

Aren't they 430 wheels? The car looks very nice - I'm not surprised you're pleased with it.

Congratulations on your new acquisition. I faffed and fannied around for ages, plucking up the courage to buy a big, old and complex car to replace a 'normal' one that was reliable and ran fine, but I've never regretted it. I wouldn't want to drive anything else on long journeys now.

My mechanic ordered a Bosch battery for me because he said it was the best, but when it arrived it was too for long for the tray in the engine compartment. So it seems unlikely that your tray has been changed.

Don't they have speed bumps over there?

I must admit they appeal. But I think it's partly because they're so cheap secondhand.

Yes, and I can't imagine that the same will be true about buying and running one of the later LS models. But I'll find out in a few years.

Rich, what percentage of new LSs are sold to private buyers? I'd assumed that virtually all of them were leased, since no one spends £80,000+ on a car that's going to be worth half that within a few years. I'm quite shocked how (relatively) cheap used LS460s are already - and without high mileage, too. As I'm sure you know, one of the reasons we love our old LSs so much is that they cost £50,000 when knew but can be picked up for less than 4% of that!

Mk.4s sell for anywhere between £1000 (sometimes even less) and £3000. The cheapest ones are usually neglected and likely to be money-pits, the most expensive ones usually overpriced. Prices can vary almost from month to month, but I'd say a sound, well-maintained Mk.4 isn't overpriced at £2000-2500. Sometimes you can be lucky and pick up a good one for less, but with cars of this age (they're all 12-15 years old now) it's difficult to work out a precise value. And because there aren't many around, they're sort of worth what you're willing to pay for them. What makes things more confusing is that the price range now includes Mk4s, Mk3s AND some Mk2s. In other words, value seems to be determined by condition rather than model (which is why you can now pay less for an early 430 than for a late 400). This probably isn't much help... but unfortunately it's not an exact science.

Mine was changed a few weeks ago when the car was 14 years old, so I guess the old one could also have been the original.

My recent experience of batteries (two different cars, including the Lexus) is that they've packed up suddenly, without warning. I didn't have any idea that they were on the way out. So getting yours checked is a good idea, I'd say.

I don't have any sympathy either. But I get equally annoyed with the public who want the royals to be both down-to-earth and 'normal' and yet also beyond reproach. Hence all the ridiculous fuss about Harry. People like the fact that he's a bit of a cheeky lad, and yet as soon as we know he behaves like one, all hell breaks loose. The royals aren't behaving any worse than their ancestors did; the only difference is that we now know what they get up to. It's OUR problem.

Maybe people were willing to spend a lot of money on a new 400 because of its quality, despite its rather bland looks, whereas they wouldn't spend as much on a 430, which some found positively ugly. I must admit I used to, and thought it was too much of a Mercedes clone, although now I like it and find it rather imposing - I think it's the extra cabin height compared to the 400, which feels cramped for such a big car.