Stevie T

Cheers, John. I keep an extensive Excel workbook with multiple sheets for my other passion, a Kawasaki ZZ-R1100. History, maintenance record, valve clearances, parts inventory and also, a fuel/mpg record. I've already created a new one for the GS, but it won't have its second entry until I fill her up again. I need to get out more, lol.

Hi Steve. Garage queen, lol, not heard that term, appropriate though. Sadly she's in the real world now but that doesn't necessarily mean she'll be mistreated. I picked up on the New Zealand reference too and I'd like to think as you suggest; it was a good omen. Thanks again for the heads-up on the key. To Paul, Phil, Roger and Richard: Thanks for the great comments guys, they represent just how I feel about the car and despite the high price I still feel privileged to be the new owner. To me she's worth every penny, especially considering her original list price of £36,275, and given her current condition/mileage/history. Barring catastrophe she's definitely a keeper for many years to come. The upholstery is actually darker than the camera portrays, but still unblemished. As John said, a class act. Hi John, dealer was LCC Car Sales, Baildon, Shipley. He's been ok and claims he's been in touch with the previous owner's family asking after the key but so far no joy. He sounded genuine enough but the issue has now become academic. I haven't told him about the new spare but If the 2nd official key turns up then all well and good. BTW, how does 28.6 mpg urban sound to everyone?

A quick follow up with more pictures: Bought an "unlocked" used key, and a cable with software. Three days of trying to pull hair out (helps if you have some), and £110 later I have a working spare, right in the middle of Steve's estimate above 😉 Just ordered a new fob case with uncut blank to finish off. The price of the car was (deep breath), £7200, down from £8k (holds arms before face as shield from incoming!) Yeah, I know, I know; way too much, but after 6 months of watching GSs I just couldn't let this one pass me by, and with only 17262 on the clock and good service history I thought I'd have a punt. The exterior you've already seen, but I've given the interior a good scrub and despite sticky stuff still on top of the dash (why do people do that?), here are the results:

Thanks, Joe. To all: Wife now home from NZ, previously unaware of Lexus purchase. At AKL check-in she was given passenger assist throughout journey, and also upgraded to business class FOC 😮 I jokingly remarked that passengers of this calibre have high expectations and felt I had to rise to the occasion, and hoped madam would find the vehicle assigned to complete the final leg of her journey acceptable. She's ok about the GS. Coming from an Avensis of vintage '98, there was a lot to learn in only a short period before travelling to LHR. Journey uneventful, satnav clunky but functional, car didn't miss a beat. Early verdict: WHAT.A.MACHINE!

Thanks for the input, guys, very grateful. I'll let you know how things turn out, Steve. EDIT: Hi Steve, Was writing the above as you posted yours. Wow. I wasn't sat down and the fall left a bruise. Not sure if I have the master, but your post is encouraging for damage limitation, cheers.

Thanks, John. The circumstances of the sale were that he brought the car to my home for viewing. COVID rules prevented me from visiting the dealership, but I verified his authenticity before proceeding. We shook, he left, leaving me the car. It took about three hours. Test drive, vehicle examination, paperwork scrutiny, and then slap to face when I realised my oversight and he was well up the road. Sent him a text asking after the key and received; "Yes, one key. Pleasure doing business". Yes, I'm sure it was. I'll be touch with him again on Wednesday, and try to impress upon him how important it is any and all keys are found, although I don't hold out much hope. Before me, the car only had one owner. A retirement gift to himself it would appear. Unfortunately, he passed away, hence the sale. I'll ask the dealer if he can re-establish contact with either the previous owner's family or whoever dealt with the estate. If that proves to be fruitless then I may well have to do the legwork myself, although any attempt to contact the family/executors may well be received as being in very poor taste. I'll have to give that some careful thought and my conscience will probably prevent me from pursuing that line of enquiry.

Thanks for all the kind comments, much appreciated. There is an issue that I forgot to mention that I don't consider insignificant: the car only has one key. I was distracted during negotiation and wrongly assumed the spare would be in with all the other documentation. The dealer has also confirmed this is the case. Again, once we're settled here i'll investigate further, but if anyone would care to comment on the implications should the spare not materialise I'd be grateful.

Thanks Steve, I'm a little too embarrassed about the price just yet. I've got too much going on here at the moment to take gently humoured abuse as well, lol. Everyone likes to think they got one over on the dealer, but I can assure you this wasn't the case. I really didn't want this one to slip by, not when it ticked so many boxes. Maybe after Tuesday when wife is home, settled, and we've put all the trauma of returning from NZ behind us. On to the pictures. These are a few lifted directly from the ad'. The alloy is typical of all four corners. Also bear in mind the dealer sold it without even touching it.

All good advice, thanks guys, and for the welcome. Oil and water levels fine. Oil condition good, underside of oil filler and what little I can see into the alloy casting looks very good too. Temperature rock solid for the 10-mile test, as was my Avensis. Steering doesn't have a bias on flat road hands free test, so, promising and hopefully, minor issues only if any. Will top up washer bottle with premixed fluid before trip. Agreed on the looks, Phil, it's what drew me to the old GS, especially at this mileage. I think they look timeless, and remind of the Jag XF in some ways, but I know which one I'd sooner rely on. I did pay a lot more than I should, and it will remain a secret (for the time being at least), but I still feel the car is worth it. Hopefully time will not sway that opinion. Regarding pictures; I don't really have time to read the T&Cs at the moment, but do forum overheads allow pictures or should they be linked from an external source?

Hi all, I acquired the car in the last few days and it was a bit rushed; not the best way to do it perhaps, but things have been somewhat hectic. It's not yet a "she"; we need to become acquainted. My bike on the other hand definitely is. My apologies if applying gender to machines is frowned upon, but I'm not likely to change anytime soon. I get my hands dirty and the more you do, the closer you become. The car is "an old man's colour", I've been told 🤨 Boreal green/Grampian, as recorded on the original bill of sale, and a £375 option at the time. It doesn't shout, which I prefer. The paintwork is also unmarked. The car has 17,300 on the odo, but only 4 Lexus stamps in the book, with the fifth and final one being done by a "specialist". Whilst five services might be commensurate given the mileage, I'm a firm believer that the lifespan of all vehicle fluids is time dependant and not just dictated by the mileage. Hopefully I've caught the car at the right time and will press forward with annual fluid services where appropriate. The MOT history is almost clear with only one failure recorded for a rear tyre, and consecutive advisories in 2018 and 19 for the fronts, which are now new. The car doesn't have a sunroof, which I won't miss from the outgoing Avensis. Nor does it have air suspension, which I specifically wanted to avoid. It does however have satnav, so, upgrade potential perhaps? The interior has a black dash and is light grey leather throughout, accented with black ash (?) trim. My perfect choice and the only one I sought. It's just as impressive in reality as it was in the ad's pictures. Very pleased. Due to everything that's going on here, I haven't really had any time to drive it other than the 10-mile test, which went flawlessly. Early Tuesday morning will be a baptism of fire as I travel from Manchester to Heathrow to collect my wife as she returns from NZ on a repatriation flight. Should the 400-mile round trip be a worry, and are GS300s beyond the scope of the AA? Only one alarm bell really. The steering wheel is slightly out; a degree perhaps, maybe two but certainly no more. This, and the advisories given for both front tyres being worn on their inner edges are worrisome. Could the car have underlying suspension issues? The dealer claimed it was "tyre pressures", at which point I shook my head and very nearly threw him the keys, but the car spoke volumes, and I was won over. When I get time I'll study the forums in greater detail. I've been a lurker for quite some time prior to purchase, and had my eye on the older GS range for well over six months. The shared info and advice in here is astonishing; well done to all. If anyone would like to comment, offer advice, tips, tricks, anything; I'm all ears, Steve.