SlowV6

Hi All, Occasional poster here still harbouring a desire for an old LS! Quick question about some LS430s looking a bit "saggy" in photos. Is this a guaranteed sign of rear air suspension issues or are they like the old Citroens where they only rise up when the ignition is on. For example this one linked below. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lexus-LS-LS430-4-3-V8-Premium-Pack-Sheldon-Green-Suffolk-Leather-2001-51/302936195094?hash=item4688678016:g:mdUAAOSwfcNb1Ix2 Slightly off topic but I note good MkIV LS400s and pre-facelift LS430s now appear to have crossed over in values. thanks as ever!

Utter utter bargain. You lucky thing!! That is a £2k+ car all day every day. Go on rub it in! Might as well tell us that the timing belt and water pump has been done at a main dealer just recently to go with the 19yrs of main dealer stamps. 4 brand new premium tyres? Bonnet and boot struts all brand new!? Why does this never happen in Dorset........

I really hope not! For those who didn't see it it was green with cream interior. Genuine cream lexus floormats in the rear but replacement (cheap) black ones in the front. It also had two little black plastic tabs above the rear number plate (no idea what they were). Finally it also had unusually neat alloys (i.e. not discoloured) and rear parking sensors. That should be enough to identify it along with the unusually low 98,000 miles.

It is 102miles away from me. This is probably a good thing as far as my wife is concerned! I think it is a lovely colour combo and looks a steal. Even the alloys look ok. Hope someone on here gets it bought and reports back!

Hi All, not a LS400 owner but one day would like to scratch a persistent itch so I still have my AutoTrader notification running and lurk here sometimes! Anyway spotted what looks to be a suspiciously mega bargain late Mk4 on AT. Under 100k miles, 1 owner and £995! The MOT history says in has a no MOT, which is at odds with the ad but it could be the private plate. I was just wondering if people on here had seen this one before? LS400

What tactic does he use to wreck them?

No I haven't yet. Still looking but there's not many about and certainly none locally. A silver mk4 has popped up on AT "with last owner for 10yrs" but I am not inclined to rush off on a 300mile round trip over Xmas. I have also started thinking about GS430s. There are none of them even vaguelly locally either. Seems like Lexus haven't made much of a dent in Dorset! Has anyone compared and contrasted LS400s and GS430s?

Thank you ColinBarber. How does reliability of an early GS430 compare to an LS400 mk 4? I have been focussing on LS400s to date, but the slightly smaller size of the GS appeals.

Hi there, Sorry to interrupt the thread, but regarding the brake booster issue was this problem eradicated after the facelift. Thanks!

I'd do them with a brush. Do the tyres too so they match.

Well the silver Southend one got delisted in the end, and I had gone cold anyway. A silver LPG' ed one has turned up locally on ebay, complete with rusty LPG filler cap, but doesn't appeal at all. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lexus-LS400-LPG-SAT-NAV-/231413436367?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item35e150cfcf Looks to be some dodgy shill bidding going on as well as a zero bidder has suddenly jumped the price up to £1000! Need to wait for the market to refresh a little.

Someone has bid on the abysmal £2k LS400 with orange wheels and the fast and the furious body kit. And the reserve price hasn't been reached!

You mean the other Lexus he sold? Fair point. I am in a position to wait, so I think you're right. My Aero is a very nice place to be in the meantime, although I've not bonded with it quite in the way I expected.

Well I never did hear from LexusChap. Looks like he sold the dark green one as it has disappeared. He's now got a pale green one with lots of tasteless adornments on it up on eBay. That car has been on and off eBay and Gumtree in recent weeks changing its price each time and guess what it now has two timing belt changes with invoices ;-) What do people think of the silver one in Southend. Currently £900 with no bids. Seller has answered all my questions and the MOT history looks fine. Has any one seen this car before by chance? Southend is a real PITA to get to from Poole so I would be going in blind plus a horrid journey to boot. Why is no one in Devon, Dorset or Hants ever selling mark IVs! Moan over

Message received and understood.

It is still showing on both eBay and Gumtree.. I will be looking elsewhere, but would still liked to have seen that MOT history trace.

Not heard anything from LexusChap yet..

Off topic sorry, but I did enjoy this sentence.. "However, I have a 12 year old battery on my V8 Morris Minor which still holds it charge." I bet that is most amusing.

Thanks All. I asked for the most recent MOT reference, the date that the 120k mile timing belt was done and confirmation of the dealer who did it yesterday. Will update you with answers if/when I receive a response. Someone selling another 160K mile LS400 got back to me with the same info within the hour.

Thanks very much for the heads up guys. I think I will steer well clear. There must be a safer route to Lexus ownership.

Nice looking mk4 has popped up on ebay. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LEXUS-LS400-MK4-4-0-V8-2000-V-FSH-2-OWNERS-TAX-MOT-FINE-DRIVE-NICE-1000-/301410871347?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item462d7ce833 Quite tempted but buying one blind I find a bit of a scary prospect. Lexus racing green with the black leather I think is my favourite combination. Thoughts from the floor? Has anyone seen this particular car before? Thanks all

Thank you messi. Premium pack = air suspension then it seems. Based on that I assume almost all 430s must be air suspension! I will stick to hunting for a mkIV.

Just following up on this point - would an early x reg 430 definitely have springs, or could it have air suspension? Thanks! Ps still no vaguely local LS4x0s for me.

IMHO that car is at least £500 overpriced even before haggling. There are a bunch of £2k MK4s (plus this one which is the most expensive of the lot at £2.5k) dotted around the country sitting on AutoTrader/Ebay/Gumtree and not selling. A member here (bald headed chap according to his Avatar!) has just snapped up a lovely looking black one for just over £1000, admittedly needing a cambelt plus some tyres. A great looking two tone silver over grey one went through on ebay last week for under £1500. I think £1500 for a decent one is target price at the moment. They seem to have gone up in the last 12months or so since I started casually looking (darn it I have missed the trough I think) but £2k+ is overpaying IMHO.

Thank you Nach. My head and heart tells me a Mk4 LS400 is what I want. You are right that they are now increasingly rare and I am clearly going to have to be prepared to travel. There don't seem to be any (ever!) down where I live in Poole and being on the coast of course I only have 180 degrees of catchment area. One observation - the used prices for LS400 (Mk4's in particular) seem to have levelled or even risen in the last year. The low end currently seems to be £1500, excluding the 250k mile gold one that has been sitting on AutoTrader for months. I would like to properly join this Owners group, however I feel the search may take a while. I will report back. Please excuse me if I continue to ask newbie questions as the search continues.