rharper83

Hi all! Apologies for the massive delay in posting here, but I thought given that so many of you had taken the time to post and offer advice, I thought I'd better share an update. Sadly, the update is that the car is still sat at the garage, untouched! The garage owner hasn't had chance yet to look at it, seeing it as a 'project' to bring back to life, rather than actually getting it running again - which is partly true, but it's a project of love rather than one that 'needs' to be done. Having said that, as soon as anything does happen with it, I'll be sure to keep you all in the loop! On the plus side, it's giving me more chance to get my driveway sorted out to park it on when it is sorted :) Thanks, Rich

Thanks Malc - hopefully! Definitely need something doing with the back corner, a new battery, MOT, something doing with the exhaust, and quite probably 4 new tires. Fingers crossed that's it, or very little else. Thanks for the tip re: the rear seat. Will have to see what the situation is once it's on the ramp. Cheers!

Hi guys! Thought I'd give you a quick update as it's been a few weeks... The Lexus was low loaded to the local indie yesterday, for it's resuscitation operation 🙂 We were worried at first that the brakes might've been stuck, but pulling it onto the tow truck there was very little initial jarring when they were unseized (a small clunk, but nothing at all that caused concern). It does however look like there might be some issue with the rear passenger side spring or damper, as it's sat a little lower on that corner than the other side, but won't know the issue until it's on the ramp. I'll keep this post updated as and when I know more - it's not high priority for the indie, more of a project that he can dip in and out of over the next few weeks. He was good friends with my Dad so although I'm paying him the going rate to sort it, he'll be looking after it too. Thanks, Rich.

Great advice, thanks Malcolm! I'll see if I can find any paperwork that says it's been done or not (or ask the indie again in case he can remember!).

Fingers crossed for good news then! Hoping they haven't bound, but we will see when it gets towed in a couple of weeks! Regarding the cam belt - really? Would you not be concerned that it may have become a bit brittle/perished? I guess it's not having a static weight load on it like the tyres when they are sat. Thanks Malc - she's definitely in decent condition! The only difference now is a layer of road film and dust, although that does get periodically washed off 🙂 It's really tempting, although I do like the go-kart handling of the A1 😉 The 70mpg isn't to be sniffed at either, compared to the 21/22 of the LS400! Having said that, maintenance costs on the Lexus look like they'd be lower... I will definitely keep updating this thread over the coming weeks with updates as soon as it's low loaded to the indie! I'm fairly sure that it was factory fitted - or whoever did it made a really good job of it as it looks integral.... Yep, sat nav with the discs for it in a unit in the boot, I think... I'm not sure which model it is, but Phil suggests below that it could well be a Mark 4... Apologies all for the slow replies over the weekend... lots of DIY in progress, so haven't been near a laptop much! Not sure if I'd posted above, but it's due to be low loaded to the local indie in a couple of weeks time, so I will have more updates to share then. I'll share thoughts, updates, and photos in this thread 🙂 Thanks all for your interest and advice - it's super helpful, and really appreciated.

As promised, here are a couple of pics that I've managed to dig out that my Dad took when it was running, and a couple that I took - one a while ago (the decent one!), and one recently that's a bit poorer quality. I spoke to the indie last night too (after picking up my A1 - that was an expensive day, 2 new front springs and a major service, with new rear discs and pads needed in the next 3-4k miles, along with the outer skin of the backbox starting to corrode so that'll need replacing in a year or so!). Anyway, I digress, he'd be more than happy to take a look and see what needs to be done to get it all roadworthy and running again. He agreed that a new belt would be an idea, although he'd check the state of it first. His only concern was that the calipers may need checking as they might've seized due to it being sat so long - but he won't know until he looks. We're getting it low loaded to him in a couple of weeks when he's got a bit of time to take a decent look at it. I will keep you guys updated 🙂

Thanks Dan. When it's running again I'll give you guys a call 🙂

Sounds very apt! 😉

Such a lovely post, thank you! I'm glad I posted here asking for advice, as I think you've all convinced me that, if for no other reason than sentimental ones, I should get the car sorted and keep it (at the very least in the short term!).

They'll be coming soon 😄

Oh that's a really good thought - thanks! Hadn't thought of the "classic" route at all. Will definitely check out Adrian Flux and Classicline, cheers! Totally agree about the mileage limit. I think at the very least 2-3k miles/year would be the bottom range, as you're right; it's such a lovely car to drive so would definitely be tempted to do more, even with the 20-25mpg that it gets!

Thanks Damien - and definitely hoping to do the right thing by him. He was a member here in fact, I think his username was Jim Pike (that wasn't his actual name - long story!) £19k! That's insane. If it was worth £3-4k in roadworthy condition that'd be a damn sight more than it is now 🙂 I know how you feel about the regret - my dad had a P100 pickup too that he used for work, and we let that go for what he paid for it, but in decent condition they are fetching upwards of £5k - plus it would've been useful for me to use to get my garden and drive done! Family peer pressure though, that's why I'm pushing back on the Lexus! Will check for the metal tag as I don't recall seeing one, and see if the local indie that always looked after it can remember too. If it was done not long before being 'stored', is it likely to be ok to start, without too much of a risk of shredding it? Totally agree with the MOT, thank you! I think even if I have to spend £1k or so on it, it'll still be worthwhile doing. Thanks for the buyers guide link too, will keep me busy going through that 🙂 I'm partially tempted to keep it as a project/toy (apologies if I offend anyone calling it a toy!) - I've got the drivespace at my house, and it would be a nice second car. I'm 37, so even with 18 years no claims (which sadly I can't put on a second policy!), the insurance is still 3x the price of my Audi - so that's the sticking point at the moment. That's where I checked yesterday to get the mileage, and also how I knew about the MOT history - but thank you for the link too, it's appreciated. I also checked last night, and it is currently 168k - so I was correct in saying it was 166 + a few k 🙂

Hopefully they will 🙂 It's the same guy that's still there, so fingers crossed! Will chat to him later on, and see what his thoughts are too. Cheers!

Awesome, thank you so much guys! Will get some pics over the next day or so (will be too dark tonight when I go down to it!), but will take a selection and post them here. Yeah, it's been SORN since Jan 2018, sat on my parent's drive (hardstanding, so little to no water ingress from below, hopefully). It's been cleaned periodically, but hasn't since the back end of last year (lockdown!). It was a daily driver until the end of 2017, so it's been well used (well, obviously not given the mileage, but it was driven daily). I gave it a good run up and down the dual carriageway (about 30 miles) just before it was parked up. Definitely a great plan of action from you Pete - will see if I can get it on a lowloader to a nearby garage (they serviced it and looked after it when it was in use, and the owner was a good friend of my Dad's (in fact, my A1 is in there now with a broken front spring - potholes!), so will chat to him later about it when I collect my car. Some great food for thought from you guys here, I really appreciate it. As promised, I'll come back with some pics in the next day or two 🙂

Really good question! I'm honestly not sure off the top of my head, but can check when I go down to it this evening, and post back on here. Last MOT in March 2017 was 166k, so it will be a couple of k more than that at the most. Should add that it passed the MOTs from 2014-2017 with no issues as far as I'm aware, and was pretty well looked after by my Dad whilst he had it. Which is also partly why I feel a little guilty for letting it just stand.