maneesh

If you read the source of these results, you will realise that it's reporting the average cost of a repair once the car is out of warranty, and NOT reporting the chances of a car breaking down. IS200s are known to be ultra reliable, but they are expensive (parts and labour) to fix when things to go wrong (relative to the 100 other cars listed in the survey).

Top 5 most expensive 4 - 8 year old cars to repair Car model / Average repair cost Jaguar S-Type / £422.84 Audi TT / £402.51 MG TF / £399.35 MG ZT / £396.03 Lexus IS200 / £394.79 Source: Warranty Direct survey on repair costs

I would comment on this topic, but seeing as I don't own a LS400, I won't bother now :shutit:

What do you think of the big fat armrest? That's one of the nicest luxuries about the GS and LS models that I miss every day.

Is that the one from Bradford? Looks mint.. ENJOY!

(These are not necessarily my own, I wanted to share this article as it's pretty extreme in it's proposal). I read the article and these questions came to my mind: Have the regeneration efforts really failed for Northern towns? Is what the article is suggesting going to widen the already massive north-south divide? Does the government (and the population) focus too much on London & South East when it comes to new jobs and opportunities? How many Northerners would actually WANT to move down South for a job? Some quotes from the article: Cities including Liverpool, Bradford and Sunderland cannot be revived. And they have "little prospect of offering their residents the standard of living to which they aspire," according to David Cameron's favourite advisory group Policy Exchange. Written by Tim Leunig, of the London School of Economics, it chides richer Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle as being too weak to prop up poor relations Rochdale, Bradford and Sunderland. It is particularly scathing of Sunderland of which it says: "It is time to stop pretending that there is a bright future for Sunderland and ask ourselves instead what we need to do to offer people in Sunderland better prospects." The report calls for more houses in already overcrowded London and for Oxford and Cambridge to each built a million new homes. Liverpool city council leader Warren Bradley said: "Even the report's authors said it was likely to be dismissed as barmy. It's the only thing they got right." Abandon the North

No. (Unless you have money to burn).

Could well be true. At that age, the bushes around the car are likely to be worn, particularly the fronts.

Seconded. It's a big heavy car.

oh btw, you LIKE gadgets? go drive a 2000 model LS430..high mileage ones would be coming at the top end of your budget! then you will be smiling all the way, and petrol costs are not any worse than the GS..

Errrr, it's a factory fitted option from 1998 (when the GS was launched), which in terms of utility has been overtaken by £150 portable tomtom units in 2008. At most, the factory satnav in a GS (which was a 2.5k option new) adds no more than 200 quid (if that in today's market) to the value of a used GS, compared to non-satnav GS cars. Caveat Emptor!

In the current buyer's market, you WANT to pay 5,250 for a 7 year old Lexus GS? Have a read of my post where a 2004 GS300 with 59k is up for 7k! Regarding the fault, it does sound reasonable, but there is NO WAY of us on here determining what the problem is without you sharing the diagnostics codes with us. The check engine light on could be lots of problems. HTH

admiral focus more on lower cost policies for London/SE

I like it, some nice VIP touches, including the champagne table attached to the glovebox!

looked on link but it groups all ls after 98 as one model, so am still no wiser?? The wonders of a quick google search - see linky Lexus LS differences between generations

It's not even high mileage! Might be a bargain for someone looking for a GS! Lexus GS300 SE 2004 for 7k

Look here Lexus used car specs

Maneesh, one quick question, my car had two different types of tyres On front two wheels it is 245/40ZR18 On back two wheels it is 275/40ZR18 Will that effect display of speed measurement on console, I am not sure but one of my friend say that if you have a bigger wheel then standard from company, it will show wrong speed on console & wrong distance calculation. When I say 155 miles & you say 143, is that is because of these no standard tyres on my car. I have checked number of cars on eBay, all of the GS300 listed their model 1997 are 5 speed forward gear box, mine is also 1997, so shall I assume that mine is also 5 speed forward gear box, if not how to confirm. Kind regards -shuja It sounds like you have the Sport model, based upon the tyre sizes. The size of the wheel alone doesn't matter, it's the circumference of the wheel+tyre which affects the speed. AFAIK, the 18 inch rim/tyre combo that Lexus fitted to Sport models should not affect the speedo reading. Seriously, it's this simple. If your car looks like the mk1 in the pic posted earlier in this thread, it's 4 speed. If it looks like the mk2 in the pic posted earlier in this thread, it's 5 speed. You've already mentioned an overdrive button, those were only fitted to 4 speed models.

Pete, You had the perfect chance to stick some 4inch tailpipes on the car! Seriously, looking good :-)

Definitely needed - I drove a Prius and it's definitely harder for people to hear you at low speeds..I wonder if they will allow Prius drivers to get a noise that simulates an induction kit..lol Article is below The green lobby loves them, celebrities drive them, and they have become Hollywood's latest politically-correct status symbol. But hybrid cars, which use both electric and petrol engines, still have their critics to silence. The problem, according to campaigners, is that cyclists and blind pedestrians can't hear them coming because they are so quiet. Which is why Lotus, famous for its gasguzzling supercars, is putting a bit of vroom back into hybrids. Its ideas division, which works with other manufacturers, has used a Toyota Prius to synthesise the sound of a traditional engine which is then emitted through a loudspeaker mounted near the radiator. It projects a realistic engine sound ahead of the car when it is running solely in electric mode and the sound changes depending on speed and throttle. The driver cannot hear any of the additional noise. Concerns about an increase in accidents with electric cars seem to be supported by research. A study at the University of California found that a petrol or diesel car could be heard 36ft away but a Prius was not heard until it was 11ft from blindfolded volunteers. Campaigners have criticised hybrid cars because they pose a safety risk to blind people who can't hear them coming In hybrid cars, batteries charge and act as a storage device to power the electric motor, usually working when the vehicle is travelling at low speed or in traffic, therefore ideal for city driving. The petrol engine, usually a small efficient unit, then powers the car when more power is needed such as at higher speeds. The new engine noise system is also being developed for purely electric cars, which have also come in for criticism from blind and partially sighted people due to their almost silent operation. Mike Kimberley, chief executive officer of Group Lotus, said: 'The increased acceptance of greener vehicles such as hybrid and electric vehicles is to be encouraged. 'They have an important role in improving fuel economy and reducing emissions. 'Our advanced external sound synthesis technology increases pedestrian safety, while retaining the car's environmental benefits. 'We hope that legislators introduce minimum noise requirements for vehicles to encourage the adoption of technologies, such as ours, which will ultimately increase pedestrian safety.' Clive Wood, transport policy officer at the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, said: 'Blind and partially sighted people use the noise of oncoming traffic as a cue for when it is safe to cross a road - if a 'quiet' hybrid electric vehicle is approaching then they will no longer have this cue and are immediately put at risk.' Duncan Vernon, road safety manager for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: 'We welcome innovative solutions which address this.' Source: Electric/Hybrid cars get "engine noises"

Have you a got a link to more info? I would be interested in purchasing. Thanks!

Nice one - last pic is indeed very impressive. Thanks for sharing

It sounds like the gearbox speed sensor. Can you post the error codes that the garage retrieved for you?

BCA Blackbushe

Values of cars continue to drop quickly.. Recent prices at auction: BMW M3 3.2 coupe, 04 reg, 53k miles £14,000 Mazda RX-8 231, lthr, 05 reg, 26k miles £7,400 Jaguar XJ8 3.2 auto, 2000W, 73k miles n/w £2,400 Mercedes SLK 230K auto, 1997P, 111k miles n/w £3,650 Jaguar X-Type 2.5V6 Sport estate, 2004/54, 55k miles £3,900 EurotaxGlass’s, publisher of Glass’s Guide, reports that used car values will fall by at least 12 per cent between now and Christmas, as retail demand continues to ease back and second-hand vehicles of most types remain in plentiful supply. For a three-year old car worth £5,000, this will be almost three times the £225 decline witnessed during the same period last year. Dealers report that retail demand has been lacklustre for much of the summer - trade prices fell by five per cent alone in July, the highest drop so far this year. “Retail demand will remain weak in August, and the widely held view is that the market will remain difficult for the next few months at least,” comments Adrian Rushmore, Managing Editor at EurotaxGlass’s. “We anticipate that trade prices will continue to fall at a greater rate, month on month, between now and the end of the year compared to one year ago. In general this would represent a continuation of a trend that has been apparent during the first seven months of the year.” Dealer profitability has come under increasing pressure, reports Rushmore. “What has made life difficult for dealers is the rate of price falls from one month to the next. Retailers have been responding by adjusting forecourt prices, but maintaining unit sales in line with targets has inevitably come at the cost of much lower margins. “More positively, if the amount of new and used car business continues to ease back, so too will the number of part-exchanges entering the market. It may be that these smaller numbers will be better aligned to the lower trade demand, with the consequence that price falls will be less severe. That will only be possible once the current oversupply in the trade is at more manageable levels, but there is no immediate prospect of this happening.” Rushmore concludes, “We believe that the current price correction has still to run its course with no immediate end in sight. If there is any consolation for dealers, it would be that prices will step down in an orderly way, thereby avoiding any crash which would throw the market into turmoil.” Source: Credit crunch affecting used car values