Spottedlaurel

Very nice. Those relatively minor issues aside it looks to be in decent condition and it appears like that will continue in your ownership. Like I'm hoping with my 2014 model, should be plenty of life left in it yet.

Are the values being offered by insurance companies reflecting the higher price of used cars at present? On the basis that they usually offer "market value" they ought to be. The only car I've had written-off was an old Toyota estate that got hit up the back, it was obvious then that would be the case due to the cost of replacement parts. I had a nominal amount knocked off the settlement figure so I could keep it, then I replaced the tailgate with a spare panel I already had and got another three years or so out of it. The only implication of it being recorded as a wite-off was that my insurers wouldn't give it agreed value insurance (it was old enough to be on my classic policy).

Sorry to see this, but definitely looks worth keeping! Imagine how much it would be to go and find one that you trust, especially in the current market.

A shame they didn't keep going with them. I have previously considered Mazda 6. Great-looking cars, but for me the 19" wheels and low profile tyres on the nicer-spec models would have been an issue on the rural roads around here (and no spare wheel of any sort either). What about CX5? A pity there is no 'normal' biggish Toyota or Lexus estate.

I got this earlier in the year: The trip meter had been zeroed when I last filled-up. I think at least half the driving was done following a Morrisons lorry who was cruising on gentle A-roads at around 40mph. I think it was showing 44mpg after that journey, it dropped to 40 once I'd done my normal commute the next day. I'm also at around 36-37 currently on my 2014 model, with AC on most of the time.

I only have experience of the Avensis. Leaving aside the 2015 1.8 petrol I had for a year (best avoided), I ran a 2010 2.0 diesel for four years. Not especially powerful, but I rowed it along on the torque like an old, carb-fed petrol engine. Circa 45-50mpg from memory and it happily took the four of us on several French holidays. Lots of space inside, both for passengers and luggage (I still think the boot is comparable to or possibly bigger than my gen 3 RX). I believe the final series of BMW-engined models are best avoided, at least as a 1.6 diesel, and I don't think they look so good either, but I think the second, mildly facelifted version goes up to 2015 or so. There is a 2.2 that is more powerful, but I'm not sure if this as reliable or economical, besides which it doesn't seem to be very common either. I can't say it would be better than Mondeo or Volvo, but it did a decent enough job for me. This one is a 2014, would it be OK for you? Cheap tax apparently, and quite nice spec with leather and Alcantara (the one thing I did like about my petrol version): https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207017359569

It was just punctures that were outside of the safe area for repair, no issues with the tyres.

Nissan offered convertible and cabriolet versions of the Murano.

Even if you get a puncture it's not always the case that the tyre will have to be replaced. At least the RX (and I assume most other Lexus models, perhaps until recently?) has a spare wheel of some sort, even if it's just a spacesaver. The lack of one put me off buying Mazda and Subaru. Some particular makes of tyre will have cover included. My wife had a full set of Toyos put on her Toyota by Treadfirst several years ago and she was lucky to get several replacement tyres and repairs at no cost. After a while she started having to contribute to the cost, but it worked well in her case.

Looks wonderful, just the tool for cruises around Europe.

Hmmm, not like on a dark street in a big town or city then.

Sorry to hear about the cat theft. I was curious as to whether it's happening in France, as we're back holidaying there this year. I'm in a pretty rural area and hopefully not using the car too much. Without being too specific about where you are, what sort of location was yours taken from?

Good to hear of a successful outcome. That's the only issue I'm thinking might occur on my 2014 RX, and like you I'll look to move over to the extended warranty at 10+ years old.

Well done, look forward to seeing photos and hearing more about it. Once you get to those three trim levels I don't think there's much too choose between them. When I got mine I went to view an F-Sport, actually bought an Advance, but quickly exganged it for a Luxury in better condition. I'm certainly more than happy with my choice. The base-spec SE seems to be very rare, and Premier with its air suspension is perhaps better avoided.

Good news on a straightforward MoT pass. Interesting to hear your views about the NX. I'm curious as to whether I'll get one when my next visit is due. Could (very) eventually be a replacement for my RX? I've got the big 60k mile service to look forward to, with the amount I'll be spending it should be an LC......

I was expecting just the same. I'd been trying alternatives for my multicar policy which covers the RX and a couple of older things but whilst a bit cheaper it would have been more hassle, so I went back to my original company.They wouldn't/couldn't give me a discount, but the helpful chap did say it would be worth trying the figures again as ratings for individual cars goes up or down on a daily basis. In my case it went down, and I saved at least £50.

My last policy renewal dropped by around £50 when I was within two days of it being due. I didn't think it would work out that way but was happy to be told otherwise.

Interesting to see. I'm not 100% sure about the new front end, the grille has a softer ppearance without the chrome edging and I suspect it's quite colour-sensitive as to what looks best. Unless there's a significant difference with interior space and/or boot capacity I'm struggling to see the advantage over the NX450h.

Sorry to read this Barry. Hopefully no issue with the other party admitting liability. Sounds like it will be an expensive repair, fingers crossed they can get the parts OK and you aren't without it for too long.

My LS turns 30 this year. Back in the early-mid 1990s I built a Tamiya model of a Celsior, little did I think that I would eventually own one. Mine would be a very challenging/expensive restoration, but if it dramatically fails its MoT then I'll mothball it until I can afford to give it the attention it deserves. It'll be interesting to see how long I can keep the RX going if it doesn;t get changed for anything else. Maybe 20 years?

Ah, but what if I had the best of both worlds, i.e. ownership of RX and LS at the same time? Like I do! That being said, the LS is currently on SORN as it needs an MoT and I fear that it won't be a cheap/easy exercise, and I have other financial commitments at the moment in getting the new house sorted. I can still get my older car fix by using my 1980 Datsun Laurel (free tax, MoT-exempt!), and I also have access to these two Toyotas plus Mrs SL's 2010 Auris: Yaris 1.0 is daughter's first car, but here for us to use when she's away at uni, and the rare Avensis SR was recently purchased with 270k miles on the clock for her and boyfriend to drive on a student rally to Dubrovnik this summer.

Quickly glossing over the Advance that I had for a month before returning it, I've had my 2014 Luxury for just over three years now. I bought it on a PCP as a low mileage car (just under 24,000) with one former owner so it had all the signs of being a decent example and in brief that has proved to be the case. It's my main work/family car, but with one or two older cars to use (or four, as it was until last year) I can keep the mileage down. Of course Covid lockdowns and spells of working from home have contributed to that.When I started the PCP I based it on 15,000 miles a year, but in reality it's been just under 10k. That works out neatly so I can get the MoTs and services done at the same time, which have all been carried out by Lexus Ipswich (part of Steven Eagell). I'm now on 54k, when I should have been closer to 70,000. That means I have the big 60,000-mile service to come later this year, with the change of plugs etc. My PCP has just come to an end, and it was an easy decision to buy it outright. I had a final payment figure of just under £10,000, but as we know used car values have gone the other way to what anyone could have predicted three years ago. I reckon mine would retail for around £23-24,000 at a main dealer. I accept that as a part-exchange I would now get rather more than £10,000, but the value of its replacement will have gone up too so I'd be no better off - if I was to buy the equivalent of my car now (i.e. a 2017 RX with 20-odd thousand miles) I reckon I'd need to pay at least £35,000. A big reason for getting an RX was to provide capable, comfortable transport for the family holidays. In its first year with me it did that admirably, report here: For obvious reasons, that didn't happen in 2020-21 but we've still managed a couple of family trips away and it's done a great job of carrying people and luggage. All being well it should be heading back to France this year, I'm looking forward to it. The comfort is still much-appreciated. On long journeys Mrs SL likes the fact it's more like sitting on a chair than in previous cars with legs oustretched. As an overall luxury vehicle I still think my Mk1 LS400 edges it, certainly in terms of ride quality, but it's a close-run thing. I've been driving big, Japanese estates for much of my motoring life. It's always handy to have something with plenty of room and the RX was the closest I could get to that (Mazda 6 and Subaru Outback were my other considerations). I hadn't planned on it being quite as useful as it turned out to be when we moved house last year. It undertook numerous runs to and from the storage container, carting bundles of car magazines and brochures (I have a fair few thousand of each) along with loads of other stuff that we probably shouldn't have kept, but have done. While the loadbay isn't quite as roomy as a 'proper' estate it was more than capable of carrying a lot of weight. It didn't sit too much lower and although the engine was working harder it still drove fine. After the move I squeezed in around 100 flattened boxes to take back to the removal company. Economy-wise I generally get 35-36mpg from a mix of local trips and cross-county A-road runs, dropping to 33-34 if it's mostly my 10-mile work commute. Over winter it dropped to low 30s, and occasionally I can get around 40 after filling-up when the car is fully warm and conditions are right: I haven't found the change from E5 to E10 has made any significant difference. I enjoy trying to get along at reasonable pace but using anticipation and the car's momentum to keep rolling along with minimal throttle opening. It's amazing how it will still continue at decent speed with the throttle eased-off. Mid 30s for a heavy, automatic petrol V6 seems OK to me - I would have struggled to get that out of the manual Camry 2.2s I used to run. Driving it an economical manner also adds to the hush and refinement. What faults and issues have I had? Nothing too major - the 12v battery went flat in the first lockdown. Although it was OK once running again they said it had lost some of its life and I changed it as a precaution before I got too far into the following winter. I've suffered a squeaking brake for the last year or so, the dealership say it's a lipped disc and it could be skimmed as it still has plenty of materialleft on it, but I do wonder if it's the caliper sliders being a little sticky. It's only occasional so I've lived with it, but at some point I will get it looked at by a local garage. Not long after purchase I replaced a couple of tyres with CrossClimates. The others were brand new Dunlops, so the intention was to replace them with a matching pair once they ran down a bit. That never really happened and after almost 30,000 miles they had all worn to the point where it was better just to get another full set fitted. It now runs all-season Continentals which were around £700 from a local place, as Michelins weren't readily available at the time. I'm very happy with them so far, they've been fine over the winter (albeit no snow encountered) and they have a chunky sidewall which should minimise kerb damage to the alloys. I had the tracking checked and the front needing adjusting, with that done and the new tyres it made a significant improvement to ride, noise levels and general feel. The interior has stood up to daily life pretty well. Most of the time it's just me and the boot liner has been good at containing muck and debris from my site boots and carting stuff. Like the outside, I'm sure a good valeting and detailing session would make it look very smart. After a winter of driving around on filthy country roads I do need to give the underside a good clean. As previously mentioned, I plan to keep this car for the long term, maybe until it's 15-20 years old. It would be different if I was 5-10 years younger with more of my working life ahead of me, but I'm now focusing on clearing debt and reducing outgoings. Owning outright a good quality, practical and comfortable car like the RX with known history and inherent reliability that will last me for quite a few years feels like a good thing to do in these uncertain times. Also, I'm not really sure what I'd replace it with. A 4th gen model would undoubtedly be a lovely thing to drive, but I don't know what it would do that mine doesn't. I'm not sure if I'm ready/able to go full electric yet, although I did enjoy my go in a UX300e. The new NX450h will probably be a good option for me, maybe that's the way I'll go in a few years when used examples are within my budget.

I'm inclined to agree the ride isn't quite as smooth as expected, and that's from my fairly low mileage example. I also have a 1992 LS400 and that is definitely better. Tyres can of course make a difference, it certainly improved when I recently changed mine. I sometimes get a squeak from a front brake on mine, the dealership say it's because of lipped discs and they could be skimmed, but I wonder if it's the caliper sliders needing to be cleaned-up a bit. The boot area and tailgate can be a source of noises. Make sure the centre rear seat is properly clicked into place. I put some self-adhesive felt strip either side of the tailgate catch on mine where I could see some plastic components were rubbing. There are lots of cubby holes and pockets where loose items can rattle, make sure the noises aren't coming from something rattling around there before worrying too much!

Ah, I would have done. Yes, the RXs were vastly outnumbered by all the usual German/JLR suspects.....

At Aldeburgh/Thorpeness, on the Suffolk coast. We took ours there for a short break with the family, well-loaded and with five of us on board - it did the job admirably of course. We first saw another one on Friday night and then throughout the weekend I continued to spot various examples of 400h and 450h. Mostly gen 3 of the latter, with the occasional gen 4. I think the oldest gen 3 I saw was a 59-reg,which may have been the one below: I hadn't intentionally included this very late gen 3 here, I only noticed it later sneaking into the shot of this pampered Volvo. It looked particularly smart in dark blue and turns out to be a Premier that'd only done 34-odd thousand at its last MoT. Makes mine seem high mileage at 54k! I don't see a huge number of them around on my normal travels in East Anglia, it made a pleasant change to catch sight of a few others being used and hopefully enjoyed. After three years of owning mine I'll write a brief update soon.