superatticman

Am due to replace both rear tyres soon. Bridgestone are the recommended brand and have them on the front. Was pondering Avon as they seem a reasonable mid range tyre. Does appear some prefer Toyo over them though.

Another long trip North from Greater London to Skye and Ullapool. Was going to do some more of the NC500 but yours truly managed to injure themselves climbing on a rock for a better photo and now in Raigmore A&E awaiting a CT scan on my ankle. Lovely drive though and the car very at home on those long winding roads. Girlfriend has been driving it since my injury and it's going to prove hard to prise her away from it now!

Am 50 next year. 😮 Have to admit I'd love to treat myself. Was originally thinking of a later GS450h but given the nature of the driving I do, mainly Greater London traffic or motorway, I really won't benefit much from the extra power. Especially given the near endless average speed cameras, gatsos, volume of traffic etc that are present these days. ES very much a logical upgrade although pricey imo. Top spec Camry maybe better value? Congratulations though on your purchase. Lexus Edgware Road have upheld their excellent reputation so far with me. .

My GS250 is very good over the bumps. How does it compare weight wise to the hybrid versions?

Nearly 4 years of running my GS250 and absolutely delighted with its reliability and general ownership. Not really interested in changing it at the moment as nothing/little else is capable of replacing what it brings to the table.

Spent a good 7 hours today giving my Lexus a good seeing to. Used a DAS6 Pro D/A polishing machine which seems to work really well. Stages were: 1) Shampoo 2) Go over bodywork with Clay cloth (lubricated with Shampoo and water mix), dry with chamois. 3) 4 pass with meguiars ultimate compound. Remove residue. 3h 4) 2 pass with meguiars ultimate polish. Remove residue. 2h 5) Hand wax with meguiars carnuba wax. Remove residue. 1h 6) Clean up up excess. Clean windows, wheels etc 1h Even with a D/A its still quite a prolonged job. You do get a fantastic finish though. A trade rotary takes less than half the time but you really needs to know what you are doing. No wonder they charge what they do to give a car a full mop and polish!

I can absolutely guarantee a GS250 is ULEZ compliant. I've driven through it every day without receiving a ticket! That car went for below the asking value even in the seemingly sub average state it was in?

A colleague of mine has just left a relatively low commute job to work in the City of London. Its a 1st/2nd line IT support role at a large company with excellent perks. What was interesting was that he explained to me that it took them 6 months to recruit for that role. Prior to lockdown...they were able to recruit within the month and were overwhelmed with applications. Quite simply, people have tired of working in Central London, the commute etc. There's been a cultural shift since lockdown. Friends of mine have traded well paying jobs for less income but far higher quality of life. Happy to earn less WFH and not having to face up to the commute every day.

I'd say there's definitely a link between cigars and GS/EX/LS ownership especially!! Or maybe I'm getting a bit confused with pipe and slippers?! Do confess I occasionally smoke a big Cuban such as a Romeo and Juliet no 1. They aren't cheap but that's just as well really as they aren't exactly great for you. Especially enjoyable with a peaty whiskey. Only started this a couple of years ago and never smoked before.

I spend a lot of time in the Highlands. Plenty of people are still happy to buy diesel cars. My missus owns a top spec 2018 Nissan Juke 1.5D, its perfect for her needs. Does 55mpg on a run (including several inclines), is surprisingly peppy, is reliable and pretty reasonable to service. She's gonna keep it for another 3-4 years.

Agree with this. Some relatively basic maths and spreadsheet administration can give you a very accurate picture of where you are financially and where you could be depending on in/outgoings. I worked out recently what I would have saved had I kept my superb old 1999 Honda Accord 3.0 V6 that I swapped for an E60 in 2014. It would have been on around 160,000 miles now but I'd suggest with dealer maintenance it would have still been running as of the day I sold it. I know it was still running like a dream with its new owner at 120k In short I'd have saved £23k in new car costs. Would have saved around £3000 in repairs that the E60's flawed engineering lumbered me with. Probably would have cost me another £1500 over the Lexus in repairs though. Stuff like alternator would have been vulnerable. Lets also stick in £500 for body touch ups at that age and mileage. The Honda was heavier on fuel than either though by around £500 a year so lets make that £4000 extra. Insurance, tax and bog standard servicing etc there really wasn't much in it. I made it approx £20k saving. Enough to buy.....growing up that would have been a deposit on a house, but nowadays? I suppose I could have nearly bought late GS Hybrid. However...I've loved running my GS250 and will continue to do so.

I think the theme is definitely stick rather than twist!!!!

Yes....ownership is probably fairly 'middle class' in general but quite often those in that bracket can have some pretty heavy overheads too. That's a sound tactic. A Lexus shouldn't really need any major repairs until the 100k mark. At least. Of course 50-100k things like suspension bits might need replacing due to potholes, humps etc. Consumables such as tyres, pads, discs are going to be required throughout the cars lifecycle.

To be honest, you can give your current car a bit of the 'new car' feeling by giving it a good exterior polish and interior valet. Leather restore the seats etc. Get the rims refurbed, touch up any chips, scratches etc. Maybe even get a few bits sprayed properly. When its time, a decent set of tyres can help with road noise etc.

Was just wondering whether the fact the majority of us seem to have less disposable income has affected your short or longer term automotive buying plans? I usually change every 4 years or so but for a number of reasons am not preparing for any change at all come January 2023. Unable to really acquire any substantial savings being one reason, having a Lexus GS (in spite of its age) with only 50k on and full dealer SH being another. A motor trader who I met at one of Dad's freemasons do'd told me I'd be absolutely mad to sell a reliable GS in the current climate. Was pondering a move to a GS hybrid but I simply can't justify it for that 'newer car feeling'. Anyone else in a similar situation?

What did they quote for you out of interest? I got quoted over £500 for front discs and pads by Lexus. Seemed excessive. Lo and behold Toyota Jemca quote £325 for OEM. I think I'll have to admit...I'm heavy on the brakes and did two big road trips Inc Skye and the Yorks Dales. There was a lot of heavy braking in places. Have definitely made a big effort to lighten my right boot since I got told the wear rate.

Indeed that's a valid question!! I guess I also have favourite fighter aircraft although I certainly never got close to ever flying one.......maybe that answers the question? 🙂

Ah the GM Straight Six beasts! They always seemed to slip under the radar at the time. However, I'd say they were better overall cars than the Granada or Rover. Did own a Senator and Monza myself although both succumbed to suspension turret fatigue. I can remember the Police using Carlton's too. The earlier one was surely the 2.2i, the later the 2.6i

Gut feeling is that there may be a clear winner here..... For me...the obvious choice is the Rover SD1. It just looked so well suited to the role. Something about it said 'I am a Police car and no, you can't get away from me'. At the time, bar specialist cars, I very much doubt anything could get away from them. Only other frequently used car that maybe came close at the time was the Mk2 Senator 3.0i They looked pretty menacing too and were probably as quick as a standard V8 SD1. My Uncle who was a traffic Cop for 20 years raved about the Mk3 Senator 24v though. Reckoned it was the best cop car overall. Reliable, fast and more roomy inside than any of the big Rovers.

The Police use to love using those. Not much could get away from them back in the day. Very reliable too. Think this deserves another thread 🙂

Just to resurrect this thread. Is it about normal for Toyota Jemca to come in at over £100 cheaper to fit OEM discs and pads?

Yep! I absolutely adored it. I've never lusted over cars I could never afford. I believe the owner is looking for a GM straight six beast beast next. Either a Monza or Senator.

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Just three more here that my missus took. There is a Fiat Panda 4x4 somewhere there too!

During a visit to the North West of Scotland recently, a friend of my missus let me view his collection of 15 or so mass market cars. Amongst others he's got a couple of LS's, a lovely Legend, 7 series and a Fiat of which I can't recall it's model. All MOTd and insured too!!