UKPulse

Just been treated by Lexus Brighton to a day out in the new GS300 and lunch at South Lodge. Must admit to thinking the new GS was a bit frumpy initially, but I'm actually finding it grows on you. I was also thinking while driving that I actually don't care if this isn't the most exciting looking medium/large exec car on the road (it certainly isn't ugly), because it more than makes up for it in the 'being inside it' experience. If you want to waft 4 people around in comfort then this is a refreshing alternative to the ubiquitous german offerings. It was also fairly nimble when her indoors was giving it a spirited drive down some country lanes. I liked: - Keyless/smart door entry - White on black dials (really clear) - Satnav (Lexus still make the best IMHO) & audio/climate controls - Super smooth/quiet V6 - Unfussed quiet ride with little road noise - Self closing boot - Air conditioned seats - Reversing camera (as you get older your ability to park seems to diminish!) Not quite sure about: - The pop-down panel for the boot release - Finish of the dash air vent panel above the centre console. It butts directly up to the dash & console and the fit has to be spot on to not look mass-produced and uneven. - Slightly flimsy feel to the centre armrest assembly. These are minor niggles. Overall it's an exceedingly nice car to drive, and just 'be in'. My main two reasons for not buying one are firstly that I rarely need the space to carry four in such comfort, and secondly... I don't have a spare £35K! :P Will definately try and arrange a drive of the new GS450h if/when it comes to the UK.

My IS300 was just TWO WEEKS OLD when some tw@t put a ding in the door in a supermarket carpark. I was totally gutted so I know how you feel mate - you want to slam their head straight into the nearest plate glass window!! When I got the Soarer, same thing happened. Guy in a Renault Megane literally slammed his door into mine causing nearly £400 of damage! Funny thing is, I bought a ropey old '91 Astra off a mate to use if we ever need to park in a supermarket carpark. In the 2yrs I've had it, it hasn't been scratched or dinged once. Go figure.... :duh:

Always has been the governments policy to try and price motorists off the road rather than invest money in real alternatives, like a half decent public transport network for starters. Fact is, we value the (apparent) freedom our cars give us so much that we'll pay thru the nose for it. The government knows this and will just keep increasing the cost of motoring thru direct and indirect taxation.

A couple of other things - front tyre wear. Some IS's have a tendency to scrub the inner shoulder of the front tyre. Having a full geometry done may sort that. Also, early IS300's (certainly in the UK) had a poor starting problem. This was fixed under warranty (ECU re-programming). IS300 vs. BMW 330i - well the BMW is quicker than the auto version of the IS300, but that's about it. I'd say the IS is better value for money, more reliable, much less common, and just as rewarding to drive. (But then I'm biased) :P

Boring and slow.... maybe. But the IS being predictable is a bad thing?? I like my IS being predictable - always starts first time, bits don't fall off, corners/handles without surprises. Trouble with Minis is that down my way they're everywhere! Think it's a bloke thing - we get bored with most things eventually :winky: The ultimate Q car? Lotus Carlton (if you can find one). :D

Regarding insurance it shouldn't make a difference. Insurance companies (that do imports) will have it on their books as one or the other. Think of all the brokers/insurers I've spoken to, only one ever called it a Lexus. My first Soarer had Lexus badges but was a Toyota on the V45, insurance, MOT etc. My current one is badged Toyota and all the paperwork says Toyota. (After the respray it'll be wearing gryphon badges back & front) :winky:

About 5 sec. Also spotted the rabbit poo :yack:

I buy £1 worth online as & when I remember (which is about once a month - must get my memory fixed!) Have won a tenner twice and have a mate who won about two grand. If I won a few mill' I'd buy a DB9 (despite the build quality) but I'd keep the IS and the Soarer - just get them done up a bit.

like it...

Hi Andy, Manual Soarers do come up for sale in the UK but they are quite rare. I tend to keep an eye out for what's selling on AutoTrader, eBay etc., and for about 6 months there wasn't a single manual for sale. Then all of a sudden there were 4 (yes FOUR!) all at once, all '92-'94 models. There was a '98 manual on eBay a while back that went for £7K.

I call mine "better'n'audi" just to annoy her indoors. She bought an Audi with their top of the range Navigation Plus, and it's utter pants compared to the Lexus system.

Shame I missed the fun. Still I note in his eBay feedback someone has put... "Thanks for the refund,you must be honest when describing items!!!!!" Sound familiar? :P

£384 fully comp on a TT is brilliant. Cheapest I could find was £670 with full NCD and a £400 excess - think I'm screwed because it's a Brighton postcode even though Brighton is 7 miles away.

Yup, it looks clean enough, but I'd agree a fiver shy of £7K for a '94 TT is too high - it would have to be utterly mint, very low mileage and have TEMS and a few toys.... oh and come with a 3yr warranty :P

Are the optional 18" wheels 18x7 or 18x8 ?

Really feel for you - hope you can get it sorted economically My IS300 was just 2 weeks old and I made the mistake of parking at Tesco. Parked miles from anyone, in there 10 mins & return to find my drivers door dented :tsktsk: Lexus quoted big bucks - luckily I managed to get Dent Magician to sort it for £70. Exactly the same happened to the Soarer only a bigger dent and I caught the :tsktsk: Even tho I got all his details it has proved an absolute nightmare to claim off his insurance and I am still waiting nearly three months later. Spent £200 on a ratty old Astra - that's the only car I'll park in Tesco/NCP/etc. now, but does kinda defeat the object of having nice cars :duh:

Excellent news - here's to many happy years of Soarer ownership :D

Dealers often describe TEMS as 'active' suspension - but as Simon points out TEMS is not the same as the true active setup on the UZZ32 Soarer. What TEMS will do is stiffen the ride if you're giving it some wellie (plus it has a handy trackday setting). If you have the choice of a TT with or without TEMS, go for TEMS - on the limit it will handle better than one without, and it's pretty rare for TEMS to go wrong I think. Have seen '91 TTs go for as little as £1995, but at that price be prepared to spend another £2-3K getting it sorted. If you're after a Soarer then definately, Steve Smith is yer man :)

Mine doesn't creak, so you're right - if the dealer claims it's a characteristic of the car, then they're talking bull.

Excellent choice of car - nice one :D Re - tyre wear. Had the same problem with mine, the inner edges of the fronts were smooth as a billiard ball while the rest of the tyre had masses of tread. Got Lexus to arrange a full geometry check (cost me £100) but Lexus replaced the fronts for me f.o.c.

Payback time for BMW drivers... mmmwwaahhaaaaahhaaa

Really bad luck mate Make sure that in any statement you make it perfectly clear that: * You checked your path was clear prior to moving forward. * As you commenced to turn left in to the road, the Rover was not moving. (So she must have pulled out after you, and when you were already moving). * That as the Rover hit you in the rear door, behind your line of sight. (So you were clearly in the main road before her, and she therefore failed to take action to avoid hitting you). Think you have to tell your insurance company about any accident, regardless of blame, as they will consider it a material fact. Not really fair, but that's insurance companies for you.

How is it going? Sold the Corolla yet? Looked at any Soarers yet? :)