Nick W858

Yes, must admit, that thought did cross my mind too for the first time since I owned the car. However, my logic to pay and keep it running was based on the fact that many of the people I work with but new cars every two or three years and are quite happy not to have any big repair bills but for some reason are happy to many more thousands each year on depreciation which is madness. Plus they are running around in cars that although new do not feel anything like as special as the LS400. I did think about putting the money I spent on the work into a new LS430 but there is no saying that I would avoid similar big maintenance bills even with a newer car. The car is running so well now that I don't begrudge the cash I spent and it will push me to keep the car for another two or three years of what will hopefully be fairly low cost motoring - next big expense is the cambelt change at 189k.

Thanks Deckie - I keep pretty detailed financial records and the previous four years have averaged significantly less so am treating the last 12 months as a one off and I am also realistic enough to know that with a 12 year old there will inevitably be things that need replacing and when they do they are likely to be costly Nick

Just had a SE-I 'loaner' from my dealer = great car, loved it - didn't feel quite as nice as my wifes Merc ML320cdi in some respects but overall I would take the Lex. Over a couple of hundred miles of fastish motorway miles (85-90) it averaged 29.2 which for such a big car is pretty good. My wifes ML has done 150000 miles and its average MPG overall is only 21mpg!

Just reviewing the last 12 months costs after picking up my 98 LS400 from Lexus Hull today after a couple of days in the workshop - car was due a service (A service) and I knew the front tyres, discs and pads needed replacing too. What I wasn't expecting was the MOT failure the car suffered a week or so ago at a local independant test site. The sensor that controls the headlights has broken leaving the lights too high, on top of that both rear brake pipes had corroded and both rear suspension arms had excessive play in the ball joints. If you have seen my previous posts, you'll see that I have always had the car looked after by Lexus Hull and whilst I know this isn't the cheapest way of maintaining the car, it is something that fits in with my need to keep the car on the road long term and I am fortunate to receive a generous car allowance from my company that I use to maintain the car. The bill today to sort all the MOT items, the service, tyres, brakes etc came to £2095! Back in July 09, the starter motor went and I had that replaced aong with a B service - this came to £1086 and in December, the EGR pipe was blowing - this was sorted for £447. So with the tax and insurance, the total for the last 12 months has been around £4200 which makes it the most expensive year to date but hopefully now will be okay for some time. The car has around 175000k on the clock and still makes me smile every time I drive it. The guys at Lexus Hull have been great and I have been running around in a lovely Rx450h for the past couple of days which has been a great car and one that perhaps I will buy at some time in the future. Nick

Another vote for Autosocks. I had the same problem with my LS400 - I live in a fairly steep cul de sac and it was impossible to get out of. Bought myself a pair of autosocks a couple of years ago and although I only have had cause to use them three times since, they have been invaluable and I can fly past my neighbours who spend hours digging out the snow. I think they can only be used up to about 30mph but they give loads of grip and can at least get you out. I have absolutely no mechanical skills whatsoever but I can get them on easily. They cost about £60 - got them from a place in Cumbria that I found on the web. They are light and I keep them in my boot over winter.

I had the same problem with my LS400 - I live in a fairly steep cul de sac and it was impossible to get out of. Bought myself a pair of autosocks a couple of years ago and although I only have had cause to use them three times since, they have been invaluable and I can fly past my neighbours who spend hours digging out the snow. I think they can only be used up to about 30mph but they give loads of grip and can at least get you out. I have absolutely no mechanical skills whatsoever but I can get them on easily. They cost about £60 - got them from a place in Cumbria that I found on the web. If you google autosock you will find quite a few bits of information. They are light and I keep them in my boot over winter.

Guys – just popping over from the LS forum. Took my LS400 in to Lexus Hull last Friday for some work and was given the RX450h as a courtesy car. I have driven a couple of the previous models (400h) when my LS has been in for a service. Have to say I really liked the 450 – seemed an improvement over the 400 particularly the dash and set up in the front. Car seemed a lot more under control when “booting” it – previous model seemed to suffer from excessive torque steer. My wife has a 2007 Mercedes ML320CDi and I have to say that I actually prefer the “feel” of the Merc – difficult to articulate why but it just feels more planted on the road. Interestingly, the Merc has only averaged 21mpg since new (my wife does quite a lot of short trips) and I’m fairly certain that if I was spending money on a replacement then the combination of the additional mpg coupled with the excellent dealers and the reliability longer term of the Lexus then I would more than happily go for the 450. Nick

Hello All Just thought I’d give an overview of the costs involved during my fourth year of ownership of my Mk IV 98 LS400 – this site was immensely helpful in my decision to purchase my vehicle so hopefully this information may help others too. During the last 12 months I have covered around 13000 miles, I have been doing shorter journeys which has resulted in my average consumption dropping to about 24mpg. Costs as follows; Insurance £400 Tax £185 New battery £104 154000 ‘A’ Service at Lexus Hull £385 Auto socks £60 – not strictly a necessary cost but they worked brilliantly in the snow Replacement windscreen wipers £15 Puncture repair £16 MOT £41 Total £1206 This year has been the lowest spend I have incurred over the past four years, I think this is partly due to the lower mileage I have undertaken this year and also the fact that some of the expensive items I replaced in the early years (wheels, brakes, cambelt etc) are obviously not yet requiring replacement. Comparison below; Year one - £3115 Year two - £2871 Year three - £2126 Year four £1206 The car still continues to impress and with the current financial gloom I will keep it for at least another year and plan to replace with a late 430 or possibly a 460. Other options are the RX400 as my wife has a Mercedes ML320CDI that will be replaced at the beginning of 2010. To anyone thinking about buying a Lexus, all I will say is that my experience of the product and the dealerships has been superb and I would not hesitate to recommend them. Hope this helps. Nick

Hi - not sure what the oil is but I had mine changed at Lexus Hull in Jan 08 along with a few other bits. According to my bill, the cost of the oil was £39.98. I have a 98 LS400. Nick

Nelson That’s fine if you trust the mechanic and he knows the cars, my point was that with these "complicated modern cars" (that I can't fix with a hammer....) if you leave the servicing to any garage you will probably end up paying more money in the long run.... Check with your local dealer first and see what his price is, a lot of the time it is not as bad as you think. Nicks £753 service must had had a lot of extras to get that high, if you tell the dealer you just want the service and to speak to you about any additional work that is needed then you can judge what needs dealer work and what doesn't. Also just because a car is worth less than the service doesn't mean you should cut corners or use cheap parts..... A Lexus is not a cheap car to run but it can be kept in top condition and reliable with only a small premium over other cars... You seem to know about cars, there are those who think they can run an old executive car for the price of a Fiesta, it can't be done if you want to keep the reliability and safety that it had when newer... Pete I have to concur with Pete and he has outlined exactly why I use a main dealer. The £750 service cost was made up of about £450 for the service (inc brake pads) plus another £300 of advisory work, which I opted to let the dealer undertake. To put this spend into context, you have to understand that I am in the fortunate position of being able to save my generous company car cash allowance plus the tax I would have been paying if I had taken a company car. This means that although the car is worth very little, to me it is actually worth £1000 a month as this is the amount I put aside each month. I have been doing this for the three years I have had the car and at the moment I have a car that is paid for plus £20k left over. This means that I do not worry too much about the main dealer prices, as I am happy that opting out of my company scheme has financially been very positive. Ok - I don't have a brand new car to run around it, but frankly, the LS is a far better vehicle for my needs than any company car I have ever owned. We all have the option to use main dealers or independents and I expect that we make this decision based on what suits our own personal situation.

I guess after running brand new company cars for 20 years I have been a little bit spoiled by always using a main dealer - plus I'm not aware of any independent specialists near me. As Pete has pointed out, the running costs are very cheap even with using the main dealer and of course those Lexus sweets make it all worthwhile

Just completed my third year with my Mk IV 98 LS400, costs for the last 12 months as follows ; Service (Lexus Hull) £753 Four new tyres £520 New Sat Nav Disk £112 Paint Chips minor repairs £120 Car Tax £180 MOT (passed first time) £41 Insurance £350 Total £2076 I covered 15000 miles using 2670 litres of fuel – average mpg 25.5. The car has now covered 150,000 miles – no idea what the depreciation was but I imagine it would be very small given that the car is not worth a great deal. I am still putting my company car allowance and tax savings aside so I am still in a good position to buy either a 430 or 460 when the LS400 finally gives up on me. Still love driving it and still puts a smile on my face. Hope this is of help to anybody thinking about buying one – just do it – you won’t regret it. Nick

Hi Alan Just put 4 Michelins on my 98 LS400 today (£520 black circles) - had the DBZ's on prior to this & covered 30,000 without any problems. Early days but the Michelins seem fine - I couldn't get hold of any Dunlops - even the Dunlop factory were out of stock & said they didn't know when (or if) they would be making any more. Nick

Hi All Just popping in from the LS forum to seek some advice about a 400h I have seen that I am considering buying for my wife. Vehicle is about 26 months old & has done 100k miles! It was a Lexus demo then has had two owners. Full Lexus Service History and I think it's a reasonable price. I have not driven the car yet but am told it drives "as new" and the only issue is with some stone chips on the bonnet. I have bought a 100k mile car before (my LS) and have since added another 50k without any problems. Has anybody got a high mileage Rx out there & do you think the 400h will keep in one piece without too many major issues? Thanks Nick

Chris - mines 98 model - got the new disc about three months ago from the dealer for £112

Hi Lexus Hull just put a new D8Z on the spare of my 98 Ls400 for £78 plus Vat as part of some other servicing work I was having done at the time - not sure where they sourced the tyre from. I also had four put on about 20,000 miles ago from black circles.com. Nice and quiet and seem to stop/handle well. Nick Hi Lexus Hull just put a new D8Z on the spare of my 98 Ls400 for £78 plus Vat as part of some other servicing work I was having done at the time - not sure where they sourced the tyre from. I also had four put on about 20,000 miles ago from black circles.com. Nice and quiet and seem to stop/handle well. Nick

I'd look at this guy D Blundell car sales - I bought my 98 Ls from him with 100k on the clock & it has been faultless. Car is black 2003 and although has 68k on the clock, he is looking for £16895 - he sells a lot of Lexus cars and I wouldn't worry about the mileage - these cars are built for sky high miles & the car has been owned by Lloyds TSB so will be well maintained. I have no link to this chap but I keep an eye on his site because he was good to deal with & he has good cars in at good prices and I know that when I swap my LS400, I'll more than likely do it through him. Nick http://www.dealer.autotrader.co.uk/da.htm

Barney; had mine done by guy in Mangotsfield somewhere. Respray really...... Thanks Chris Just had the alloys replaced by the dealer - they take your old ones and give you some refurbed ones - I must admit I was very pleasantly surprised by how nice the new ones were although I am sure if you shop around you can get them cheaper than at the dealers. I have not seen anything about the Privilege programme but it sounds interesting. I looked around the 460 too - beautiful but I'd sooner wait until they have dropped in value! Nick

Hello Just thought I’d give an overview of the costs involved during my second year of ownership of my 98 LS400 – this site was immensely helpful in my decision to purchase my vehicle so hopefully this information may help others too. During the last 12 months I have covered 17737 miles using 3132 litres of fuel giving me a 25.7 average mpg. Costs as follows; Insurance 440 Tax 170 AA 80 New battery 90 Cambelt Service 797 Refurb alloys 572 Replaced brake warning wire 152 B service inc MOT 480 One new tyre 85 New sat nav disk 112 Total 2978 All work has been done at Lexus dealerships, the only mechanical failures have been the battery & the faulty brake wire - there were no issues with passing the MOT. I undertake quite a few long journeys and the car is supremely comfortable, I’m planning to keep for a while longer and ultimately will replace with something like a 2005 LS430 or if I can hold out, I may try to pick up a three year old 460 when the time comes. I have tested pretty much all the cars in the Lexus range now and will hopefully look to buy my wife a second hand RX400k next March when the lease runs out on her current car. To anyone thinking about buying a Lexus, all I will say is that my experience of the product and the dealerships has been superb and I would not hesitate to recommend them. Hope this helps. Nick

Had mine done at 126000 miles a couple of months ago including an "A" service at Lexus Hull on my 98 LS400 - total bill came to £797 inc vat Nick

Hi All Just had the big service at Lexus Hull (126,000 miler) £797 all in including the belts and the A service - always get excellent service from the Hull dealership. The LS continues to run like a dream, I was thinking of upgrading to a newer LS430 but my current thinking is to keep on saving my company allowance and go for a secondhand 460 in three years or so. The dealers lent me a nice new IS250 which was ok for a change but I still prefer the LS! Nick

Cheers Chips I realise I could have things done a bit cheaper but struggled to find a decent local independant and I am hoping that when I come to sell that it may be a bit easier if I keep up the Lexus dealer FSH. Nick

It’s a year now since I purchased the 98S 400 LS. I have covered about 20k & during that time have incurred the following expenses. Four new tyres (Dunlop D8Zs) £450 B Service £390 – Lexus Hull A Service £1130 – Lexus Hull – includes new discs and pads (front & rear), new handbrake cables and MoT The car now has around 120k on the clock and is running very sweetly. The dealer has been superb and even gave me a RX400h for the day at my last service which was fun. Nearly all my journeys are long (between 100 & 300 miles). Overall I have been getting 27mpg and I claim 18p a mile from my employer so fuel costs have been easily covered. Having opted out of my company car scheme, the monthly allowance I receive along with the tax I am saving has effectively paid for the vehicle. I’ll be running the car for another couple of years and by then will have hopefully accumulated enough cash to purchase a used LS430 – I’ll probably be looking at a 53/54 plate. My decision to buy the LS was heavily influenced by the things I that I read on this forum. They are fantastic cars and I would recommend that anybody considering a purchase should not hesitate to go for it – it will not be a decision that you will regret. Nick

After following much of your advice for the past year or so, I have finally opted out of my company car scheme and purchased a silver 98 S LS400 with 106,000 on the clock. The car has full Lexus history, is immaculate inside & out and drives like a dream. I paid just over £8k and am well and truly chuffed to bits with it. I do a fairly high mileage (25k pa) and at 6'3 wanted something that was going to be comfy on my long journeys. With the tax I am saving and the allowance from my company, the finances all make sense barring any major mechanical disasters. Sorry, I have no pictures, I'm a bit weak when it comes to technology - I guess you all know what an LS looks like anyway! I have deliberated over buying an LS for some time now, I've been in co.car schemes for the past 15 years or so. Much of what I have read on here has helped me make the decision to take the plunge. I don't think I am going to regret it. Thanks