Titch LS

I know he loved the LFA and he's famously non-PC, (which I like too), but I can't stand his obsession with German cars, sorry. He literally shot an LS to bits with tank rounds in one episode of Top Gear. Abtholutley Dithpicable.

Citroen DS-- absolute classic. Would love to drive one for a day. Magic carpet ride and fantastic looker. Prices are going up and up.

Hooray! Clarkson suspended. No more slagging off Lexus for a while and no more promoting all things BMW, Merc or Audi. The German car industry will miss all that free advertising each week.

It's got to be worth somewhere in the region of £3,000, if not a bit more, as it's in such lovely condition and has something of a service history. I paid £2,300 for my 'W' reg just over 3 years ago which was not in such a good condition as this one is.

Stuart, I'm interested to know where in the U.S. you bought your UCA's from. Was it from 'Rockauto' by any chance? I've used them a few times.

......."as I laid across her legs having noticed her blue thong showing". Wow, much better than Ibuprofen.

Phil, ------No, the two screws hidden by the steering wheel are NOT connected with the airbag. I've removed this plastic shroud myself. Easy peasy.

Anthony, you've been ripped off mate. £300 is waaay over the top for this relatively easy fix. I did mine for a fraction of that money. I woudn't take your car to them again if I were you. And no, it won't have caused any problems to anything else.

If you go the Lexus route for parts you get top quality---but at a heavy price. If you go aftermarket you tend to get a mixed bag, quality wise. Some aftermarket stuff really is up to OEM standard, but most is not. For example, some time back, I ordered 2 X Beck Arnley replacement engine mounts from an independant parts supplier; one mount looked up to the claimed Lexus standard and the other was cheap rubbish which I had to get a refund on. Both were packed in separate Beck Arnley boxes.

Both cars suit multi-point lpg injection which is MUCH superior to single point in every way. I've had both, so I know from experience. I've had multi-point on my mk4 LS400 for 3 years now and 35k miles later have not had one problem to date. It's a bit more expensive to install but worth every penny in the long run. Just find a reputable installer. You won't regret the extra outlay.

You might find that the windscreen washer low-level indicator light on the dash stays permanently on due to a failed float mechanism. Pretty easy fix though. Can't think of much else that's gone wrong in the last 35k miles apart from the bonnet struts needing replacement! These cars are very well engineered and parts last a long time. In most instances service parts are fairly easy to replace for your average DIYer.

The seller described the leak as a pink fluid. Has anyone thought that it might just be Toyota Pink Coolant on the driveway? The long-life stuff that is recommended IS pink. I have it in my car. Could be a very easy fix if this is the case. Are we all assuming the worst with a transmission problem? The known 'coolant/ATF mixing problem' comes from an INTERNAL leak not external. Could be cracked radiator(plastic), waterpump (doubtful), or leaky gearbox sump gasket. These repairs are a darn sight cheaper than a rebuilt transmission.

Another Mk4 which looks good and with full Lexus service history. Exact same spec as mine. They're like London buses at the moment, popping up for sale one after the other. Good price too on this one. Worth a look if you're after one, I'd say.

I would definitely consider this one if I was after a mk4. Seems a genuine car and at a sensible price too. I don't mind the colour and a near faultless test drive would clinch it for me. As an owner of a 2000 mk4, I know he's going to miss driving that car.

Top Gear? Isn't that the german car industry marketing programme on BBC 2? Saw an LS400 blown up by tanks on it once. Sickening.

Er..... actually, yes there is. NGK recognise the need for lpg plugs and produce them. Trouble is theirs are ludicrously expensive. The best plugs for lpg are undoubtedly Brisk plugs with single silver electrodes. They are brilliant. I've used them extensively on lpg and they definitely make the car perform better than when on the original iridiums in my 2000 LS. I use Brisk DR15YS. Just had them changed at 30,000 miles. The gap hadn't changed at all and the colour was a perfect light brown. I didn't experience one misfire from new. Tried Bosch plugs once, but they were prone to misfiring at idle. Brisk Silverline don't misfire at all. Great for lpg.

£700 and no more, sounds about right for this. Scratches, big dent, no service history, 200K miles. No interior pics, (I wonder why?). Plus, the usual exaggerations i.e. 55 mpg equivalent on lpg (Not!) and even though it runs on lpg, it's NOT congestion charge free for London either. LS's are not on the list of converted cars.

Tut, tut, where were the hi-viz yellow jackets?

Matthew, I agree with Ian, it could be a failing coolant temperature sensor telling an already warm engine that it's cold, hence, the poor warm start.. It can be easily tested with an ohm-meter though, once the sensor is unplugged. One sign of it's failure is a noticeable drop in mpg.

With fuel prices coming down significantly, I'm still paying over the odds for LPG in Bedford at 65.9p a litre. It's a bit cheaper where I usually fill up in Luton but still a rip-off 62.9p a litre there though. They could take 10p a litre off that. Both are franchise BP stations. That tells you everything. Greedy shower.

Brendan, Kwik-Fit couldn't even fit a pair of windscreen wipers to my LS and told me to visit my dealership! I fitted them myself when I got home. I was just being lazy I know, but it just goes to show you that these places, (including Halfords), are not necessarily the 'experts' you think they are. Some years ago, Halfords ruined a perfectly good ball-joint rubber on one of my previous cars and didn't tell me about it. It was only on inspecting their work when I got home that I saw the damage. It was fine before leaving it with them. Doesn't inspire confidence..

Agree about the exhaust too. Something's a bit odd with this advert. I wouldn't touch the car.

Some owners on the American forums are claiming that replacing the Coolant Temperature Sensor is improving their mpg. Could be worth a punt if you are struggling to break mid to high teens mpg figures.

Lawrence, not knowing much about Lexus, I nearly bought a 300,000 miler myself a few years ago but chickened out. Now after owning my present LS, (admittedly with fewer miles), I realise I needn't have worried too much back then. These motors can rack up huge mileages without much going wrong with them. Most reliable car I've ever owned despite being 15 years old.

Bit of blarney there with the mpg figures... "over 30 mpg around town". I don't think so.