Spottedlaurel

I went to the local East Coast Japanese car club meet at Ipswich yesterday, saw a few things which may be of interest (and possibly known) here...... I left the LS400 at home and took my Datsun, along with a load of spare/duplicate kits (I managed to sell a few). The Lexus can have a trip there next time. Had a pleasant chat with the long-term owner of this Mk4 DHP. The mesh grille was nicely done, similar to what Toyota/Lexus UK did on some of their home-grown Sport/SR models in the late '90s. For @Malc1, at least two Mk3s came along. Should have spent more time looking at this one. As a '93 I suspect it's a Mk2 rather than a Mk1 - despite owning one of the latter I can't readily recall the differences (if they're on non-standard wheels at least). VIP treatment is a natural look for these big saloons. A few examples of Chaser/Mark II and Crown to be seen, including this oddity: Blit is apparently the wagon version of the Mark II, it ran from 2002 to 2007. Nice use of the GS300 Sport type staggered alloys on this Crown Athlete. I've probably missed the boat now, but I do like the Sportcross. A shame Lexus didn't persevere with it, or any sort of estate version of the other saloons. Had a good chat with the owner of this GS-F, who kindly let me and my son sit in it and enjoy the V8 sound. He turned out to also have a Gen 3 RX450h, and he's in equal admiration of his. Hello and thanks if you're on here! A friend had this lovely Celica Liftback there. I had a chat with the organisers about how we could try to get more older Japanese cars to come along. Supra was LHD and looked like it might be US-spec. Great to see this rare Lancer Turbo. I had a couple of 1980s Accords and they were great to drive with a smooth, well-engineered feel. I can only imagine these enjoy the same qualities, I'd happily have one someday. The location of the show at an old RAF site which now houses an aviation museum made for an interesting backdrop. ECJ host the event 4-5 times a year here, well worth a visit with the museum as an added attraction. Thanks for looking!

Not on the public highway: My old Mk3 did this with consummate ease at a trackday on an RAF base. Don't know if I'd subject my current Mk1 to the same thing, but driven within speed limits it feels like it has so much more to give and wants to keep pulling.

Having read this I was fearing the worst for my renewal. I have a multi car policy with Footman James for the RX daily plus 1980 Datsun (with agreed value) and 1992 LS400 as classics, no limit on the mileage for any of them, Class 1 business use on the RX and Datsun (for some reason they won't extend it to the LS, which is SDP + commuting). I think it's with Ageas. Anyway, I think mine went down by £10! I seem to remember that it also went down for my wife's 2010 Auris, when her Tesco renewal came through earlier in the year. Odd.

I'd dearly love that, especially with it being on a Norfolk 'CL' plate. It's like an incredibly good version of mine, even down to the colour, but with fewer owners and much lower mileage. Even if I spent £17k on mine I doubt it would be that nice. Day-to-day it might not be quite as useable as a Mk3 or 4, but as a statement of intent of what Lexus were about I find it very appealing.

I don't recall the blind rattling in the four years I've had mine, but I did have a squeaking noise which appeared to come from the tailgate area. I put felt strips on the little plastic flap surrounding the tailgate latch and I think somewhere each side of the tailgate where there appeared to be plastc-to-plastic contact. If the centre rear seat isn't fully clicked into its neighbour then that can make a terrible racket. Soulds like I'm in agreement with Bill. For a company that made a lot of really good estate cars I find the rear seat/loadbay cover to be not so good. I wonder if something is missing on mine as there's a gap between the seats and cover (even my son's 2004 Yaris has something to hide that if the rear seats are slid forwards), and the back of the blind itself would be better attached to the tailgate. As a whole it doesn't seem as substantial as it could do, and any rattles are exaggerated by the ride. On the positive side, as I found when we moved house the RX can take a lot of weight! I ferried lots of cars brochures, books and magazines back and forth and it took them quite happily. The firm suspension doesn't drop too much and there's plenty of power on hand.

Treat yourself, go for the RX. That money should get you a 3-4yr old 4th gen model with low mileage from a main dealer and you'll have a choice of colour/trim level. As you're already used to driving a hybrid you ought to get half-decent economy for something so refined with the V6. I don't seeing anything else of those you mention having the same special feel. I went to my 3rd gen RX a few years ago from an Avensis and I don't regret it at all, I shall be keeping it for a few years more until the time comes to change to a later RX.

Sad news indeed. It won't be the same without him.

I'm not yet at the point where it's a regular occurence, but certainly much appreciated it when it does happen....

First step taken today on the list of repairs/improvements - I replaced the interior light bulb! Otherwise had a rather enoyable day out in it, on my own with a few things to do but no particular time pressures. Loaded up the CD player. Found a friend. Took it to where I lived when the car was brand new - I was living in a cheap, not especially smart rented house here and the concept of me one day owning a car that would then have cost over £35,000 new when I was doing 20k a year in a tatty Datsun Sunny that I bought for £750 is not something I could have comprehended back in 1992. Wafted around town for a bit then drove home the back way, enjoying the quiet, dry B-roads and good visibility before the hedges get their leaves. Haven't had a drive like that in the LS for a long while, it really is a remarkable thing.

That doesn't sound good, my commiserations. I had to speak to the dealer prinicipal when I first bought an RX which didn't turn out to be in the condition it should have been. He was useless, in the end I exchanged the car for an alternative but you're past the point where that's an option, and it doesn't solve what seems to be the main tow bar issue in any case. If they can't get the correct tow bar parts then negotiate for a refund on that portion and get one fitted by a trusted specialist? Hopefully they will eventually sort the wheel and sensors, but at least you can use it for its intended purpose.

The 2000 model looks very nice, that would be my choice. I'd love to keep my Mk1 going for as long as possible, but I can see that at some point I might have to consider one of the later ones. Daughter's boyfriend was off to view a Mk4 this afternoon and I was mildly concerned that these might be a better option for him. However he seemed happy with what they went to see and it was less money than either of the above so it was purchased. In convoy with their 1999 Avensis SR the pair of them have safely cruised back up the M1 to Loughborough.

In order from that selection, GS450 followed by IS300 (smaller, but at least you get a folding rear seat).

I tend to fill up a little bit before that, but that's what I'm usually getting as my range after the majority of a tankful has been used up. It tends to start off around 450-460 at present, but last summer I was getting trip + range to equal 480-490+, but it's dropped since then due to winter use. I'm on 34.8mpg overall. Back on topic, interesting to read some more thoughts on the 5th gen model. On the tank size, wouldn't 40 miles or so of full electric use cancel out most of the 10-litre difference? I presume they limited the capacity to offset the weight of the bigger battery?

I thought of something today, with the adoption of electronic, non-mechanical door handles (inside and out) across new models. The new NX has them, as did the RX I tried. Leaving aside them not seeming to work in an intuitive way (maybe that's just me), what happens if the 12v battery goes flat? Is there any sort of mechanical override? As I assume Lexus are contnuing with small 12v batteries and no option to draw some charge from the hybrid battery, that seems to be a risk. When we were at the showroom on Saturday there was an NX being delivered to the workshop on a recovery truck. It was completely immobile and they were having to skate it off the truck, and I heard mention of it being due to a flat battery after a month or so of inactivity. Didn't seem like it was first occurence either.... I also read about NX owners having an issue with not being able to get in their cars when it was cold weather, and having to heat up the button somewhow.

I didn't drive them back-to-back, but the RX had a different feel to the NX to me. I'm certainly happy to keep going with my 2014 model until such time as I have to change - for now I'll be saving an awful lot which can go towards unexpected repair bills which might arise. I'd rather spend any spare car cash on keeping my LS400 going. When the time comes I'll take a view on whether to go for a tidy late RX4 or stretch to a 5th gen model.

I got my drive as the result of a call out of the blue on Friday from one of the sales team, he'd seen I was taking in an RX for some work and asked if I wanted to try the new one. I had time to kill, so why not?! Worth a call to them now that test drives seem to be readily available? I made it very clear I wasn't in the market for one, but still had a pleasant chat with the sales guy on Saturday. He said the current high interest rates on finance woud make it difficult to afford/justify for some buyers, but at present there were no discounts or incentives on it as a brand new model. Will be interesting to see how that plays out over the next year or so. I had the same sceptism over the 4-cyl engine, and under hard throttle it's clear that it's not powered by the V6, but having also tried a new NX the overall refinement is what differentiates it. Difficult to justify it in any rational way, I just hope a few buyers do now so I have a good choice in a few years' time.....

Promised photos and a few more thoughts after yesterday's drive..... Ths is the model I drove, RX450h+ in Premium Plus grade. Has the panoramic roof and what looks like a protection pack. The deep blue paint is part of the standard range, so it would have a list price of circa £73,000. Styling is an evoloution of the current model, although I'm not sure if I'm fully on board with the front end yet. I would agree with a comment elsewhere on there that the grille looks better with the darker colours, and the lump in the bonnet looks odd from some angles. As a Premium Plus this one has 21" wheels, an upgrade over the 19s on the Premium model. With more tyre choice and better suitablity to the potholed rural roads I drive on the latter would be my choice. The important bit, what's it like inside: I personally wouldn't opt for this light/dark colour combination, I'd be happy with straight black. It was a wonderful place to spend time, as comfortable and smooth as could be hoped even on the 21" wheels. I'd say it combines the 'proper' luxury car feel of my LS400 with the best features of the RX. I wondered if the seating position and overall height is slightly lower than the 3rd gen car, but not so much that it just felt like a tall car which is what I thought with the NX. The 2.5-litre 4-cyl engine was fine, yes it could be heard under hard acceleration but better muted than in the NX450h+. Can't help but think the back of the seats look rather plain, almost cheap, and the two-tone effect seems a little contrived. However it was good to see it has a light coloured headlining. Boot space looked decent, maybe a touch longer than my 3rd gen RX. When we looked under the floor we couldn't see a spare wheel of any sort, do they just rely on a can of goo and a compressor? Is there room for an optional spacesaver spare? The display was fairly simple, which I like. I also appreciated the fact that the main HVAC controls could be operated without entering a menu. They had a big 67-reg Porsche SUV on the forecourt and that was a mess by comparision with a bewildering array of dials and switches. A scene I'll be repeating in a few years? Did have a sit inside the RX4 in the showroom and had a look at this one for sale circa £50k with just under 10,000 on the clock. If I can't stretch to the new model in a few years then this would be ideal for me.

Were you there today? I had a drive of their dark blue RX450h+ just this morning! I've never had the pleasure of even driving a 4th gen model, let alone owning one, but in my mind that's what I saw myself moving onto when my current 2014 RX eventually needs to be replaced. However, now I've tried this new one I think I have something else to aspire to, it was very impressive. I had a go in the NX PHEV last year, but that wasn't enough to sway me and I feared that this new RX might feel the same. However the smoothnes and refinement are in another league, and the full electric mode certainly adds to the feeling of calm and hush. I'll get a few of my photos and more considered impressions up tomorrow.

If you're confident about the rest of the car then this definitely sounds like they way to go, especially given the price of a replacement vehicle (and might that be suffering the same issue or other significant issues?). Last year my daughter's boyfriend was lucky to find a good replacement subframe for his 1990s MR2, he was lucky to find it in a local scrapyard. He got it blasted and powder coated before installation, might be worth considering in your case?

Odd, the PDF worked just fine for me. 2012-on lightly facelifted model would be good if you can stretch to it. No real difference in performance or economy however, so you'll be better off buying on condition and history than looking for something too specific. Possibly best to avoid the highest-spec models with air suspension. Otherwise the usual used car buying recommendations apply.

Current Lexus Ipswich prices: Front pads £205, £415 front discs + pads. Rear pads £140, £355 discs + pads. Mine is going there soon....

I did have a pair of CrossClimates on mine, thinking I would eventually fit them all round but by the time the rears needed doing then the fronts weren't far off so I went for all-season Continentals on all four corners. No snow to try them on yet, but certainly no complaints in cold/damp/frosty conditions, likewise they were just fine driving around France last year in 40-degree heat and running at 130km/h on the autoroute. My conclusion is that they appear to have no downside in summer use and will hopefully be better in winter, so all-seasons suit the RX well.

Too early to have done much today, but yesterday I taxed the fresly MoTed LS400 and started driving it again. I doubt the £50 of V-Power I put in will last me long, but it's great to be behind the wheel of it again not just looking at it on the driveway. Now to start on the list of things it needs to keep it going as longer-term proposition.....

Sadly I didn't try the GS that was available when I was hunting around, I didn't get beyond the fact it didn't have a folding rear seat so there was no point. I can only imagine it to be more like my LS, in that it's purpose-designed as a RWD luxury saloon. The RX is certainly luxurious and refined, and I wouldn't be planning to keep mine for so long if it wasn't, but it doesn't ride quite as well as the suspension feels like it is fairly stiff to keep 2+ tonnes of weight on the road. It's essentially FWD, with occasional help from the rear motor when AWD is required. It is very practical though, I like the height of the boot floor for day-to-day use and it will take a lot of weight - I carted huge amounts of magazines and books back and forth when we moved house last year and it was barely noticeable. It's also been a mighty fine cruiser on trips to France with 4/5 passengers and luggage, but is equally capable on the filthy country roads where I live, both circumstances where the higher seating position and visibility are much appreciated.

Main dealer 3rd gen models seem to hover around the £20k area (and Steven Eagell are offering £2500 off used cars for a week or so after Christmas). You should get a decent one for that. To get the ML audio and ACC it looks as if you need to go for an F-Sport or Premier, and even then it appears that ACC was optional. Premier has air suspension, which can be a bit of a liability. I briefly contemplated a GS450 when I bought my RX, but the lack of practicality was an issue. I like my 2014 model. It offers a different sort of luxury to my older LS400 (which I think would be more like your GS) but it's still very capable and satisfying.