Newbie1

Hi, I went to look at this the other day. Very pleasant owner and his wife. The car is in good condition, with good panel gaps etc although it was an awful day and I didn't get to spend as long as I otherwise would looking at it. He took me for a drive and it drove well and the brakes noise did quieten down after a bit. I didn't get to see the service history. I am sure you would get some miles out of this one. I have my heart set on a Gen 1 as I think they look the nicest so will keep on looking..

Interesting that people are getting rust around the windscreen. Having restored a few older cars, I've always found that visible rust around the windscreen usually hides some ugly stuff beneath. Perhaps not so much with bonded windscreens but it would make me nervous if it was rust near the A pillar. It looks like the same story with any car on British roads: get it cleaned and coated/injected with with waxoyl (or Dinitrol, which has lasted much longer on my old cars and tends not to crack and gather hidden muck like waxoyl can.) Oh for a car lift. Axle stands on a beast like the 400 does not sound like fun.

Thank you for an informative post. The plastic guards/inserts seem to be a double-edged sword, being a good protector for the first few years and then being the devil incarnate if not removed and regularly cleaned. This helps to confirm my view that I will look for a Mk 4, helped by my dear wife extending the budget a little! I would be interested to hear from anyone who has experience of rust issues with a Mark 4. I do appreciate it depends on many things i.e. care, the locality of the car, whether rust protection was applied (interestingly I've not yet seen an LS400 where someone has taken the time to waxoyl the car, unlike many other older cars I've seen or owned.)

Hi all, I'm on my LS400 hunt and being patient, having checked out a few cars. I inspected a 1995 UCF20 with 150k odd recently and was surprised to find rust at the rear of the sills at the base of the wheel arch and a bit of crustiness along the sills generally. Looking into the engine bay and I noted surface rust on the trumpets and a few other places. Otherwise, this car looked very well cared for with good service history. The point of this is to ask my learned friends what their experiences have been on rust in the LS400. Was this just an unusual example? Or do the LS400s rust like any other 1990s Japanese car? Thank you.

Viscosity is one thing (and just like semi-or mineral oils, synthetic come in varying viscosities) but if you face temperature extremes (like extreme cold starts or high speed race driving) and perhaps want to get away with not changing oil as often, go for synthetic. For a climate like the UK and for non-race driving I think a semi 10w40 is fine. Pocket the difference.

Do you have to declare Cat C etc to your insurer?

Thank you to all who have responded. Great forum. The ebay listing does not disclose front end damage and I have to say I can't quite see the difference in colour on the front, but I suspected someone on here might know this car. I do note that the car has been sitting on ebay for some time. I suppose the number of these Mark 4s is limited and people do get to know each car, especially with a forum like this. Whilst I'm looking for a Mk4 as a lot of faults have been ironed out, I really am developing a liking for the old school look of the Mark 1/2s, based on the ones I've seen. That gem with LPG must be out there, somewhere!

Hi guys, Turned 40 and the LS bug has bitten. I've been looking for one with LPG and this one looks pretty tidy but price is possibly a little steep. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300964551157 Not sure how much history it has but the description seems honest. Thoughts? Thanks guys.