Lexus LS400 | Shed Buying Guide
Discussion
Seems rude calling these sheds now they are over 30 years old, they are a pretty usable classic, the fact they were so good means they are still viable as daily transport.
No big V8 car, even modern ones are going to give good fuel economy but as you waft past doing <20 mpg do you care, your colleague with a diesel A class, Golf, A3 etc will wax lyrical about the 47 mpg they get but not mention the £300 a month lease payments, £300 pays for a lot of fuel, especially as its just the difference between 20 ish and 40 odd.
People go on about W124's and that era Mercedes and their longevity, surely these are equal or better and deserve a bit of looking after.
Reckon nice ones will start climbing in value, perhaps already have. So many have been treated as sheds, had the engine nicked for a conversion into something else, can see why, where else can you get an indestructible peach of an engine like that for a few hundred quid ? anyone ever had one break without tuning or whatever ?
Toyota have always made quality cars, then they turned it up several notches, remember thinking it was just a Big Camry/Carina at the time, then I drove my bosses one and was gobsmacked.
No big V8 car, even modern ones are going to give good fuel economy but as you waft past doing <20 mpg do you care, your colleague with a diesel A class, Golf, A3 etc will wax lyrical about the 47 mpg they get but not mention the £300 a month lease payments, £300 pays for a lot of fuel, especially as its just the difference between 20 ish and 40 odd.
People go on about W124's and that era Mercedes and their longevity, surely these are equal or better and deserve a bit of looking after.
Reckon nice ones will start climbing in value, perhaps already have. So many have been treated as sheds, had the engine nicked for a conversion into something else, can see why, where else can you get an indestructible peach of an engine like that for a few hundred quid ? anyone ever had one break without tuning or whatever ?
Toyota have always made quality cars, then they turned it up several notches, remember thinking it was just a Big Camry/Carina at the time, then I drove my bosses one and was gobsmacked.
miken2k8 said:
I had the 2gs couple of years ago for a few onths stonker of a car with thaty 2jz-ge engine. It was massive though in carpasrks. Can't imagine how bad this would be. Do they even fit in a standard parking space?
Yeah, I struggled with a Merc CLS for that reason, had a look and the Lexus is 3 inches longer and surprisingly, marginally narrower, seems a lot bigger somehow, more upright I guess.
I have one of these that I bought about 4 months ago on 200k plus miles but an extensive maintenance record. I’m genuinely amazed at how nice is but the mention of rust is not accurate, rust is what actually kills them. Mine looks great but it’s starting round the edges so I’ll have to stay on top of it.
I use it for longer trips when I have friends with me and for long distance comfortable travel at the price I can’t imagine anything else as nice. Paid £1500 for mine. Anyone I’ve transported in it has been also very impressed.
I use it for longer trips when I have friends with me and for long distance comfortable travel at the price I can’t imagine anything else as nice. Paid £1500 for mine. Anyone I’ve transported in it has been also very impressed.
My friend just got rid of his 2000 LS400 a few months ago, he only owned it for a few months.
Had 230,000 miles on the clock, LPG, cost him a small fortune to get through the MOT.
Rust everywhere underneath, sills rotten and bubbles externally. The interior was very worn with holes in the leather.
Turned out to have low compression on two cylinders.
To be fair I don't think he bought a good example, but I don't think they are as mechanically perfect as people suggest.
It was ugly, interior was ok and well equipt considering the age and pretty comfy.
You can get something like a alloy Jag XJ for not much more...
Had 230,000 miles on the clock, LPG, cost him a small fortune to get through the MOT.
Rust everywhere underneath, sills rotten and bubbles externally. The interior was very worn with holes in the leather.
Turned out to have low compression on two cylinders.
To be fair I don't think he bought a good example, but I don't think they are as mechanically perfect as people suggest.
It was ugly, interior was ok and well equipt considering the age and pretty comfy.
You can get something like a alloy Jag XJ for not much more...
What are zeppelin shoulders?
"Mercedes granite factor"? Don't make me laugh.
Lovely cars. I have a '97, which I paid 1000 for. I only used it for a year (due to having too many cheap cars), and have it sitting around, now. It was so comfortable, and I think 30mpg is ok fro what you get. It still got up to 150mph quite easily on the autobahns, and felt fairly safe.
One gets a feeling of pity for others driving in new diesel euroboxes which cost more in depreciation than the Lexus drinks (unless you're planning on doing a lot of miles).
They do rust though. Rear subframes can rust badly. I had to import 2 rust-free subframes from the States (buy one, get one free), one for my car, and one to sell, probably.
They rust in the arches and the boot floor, but compared to most other brands, they are very good..
I wanted the car for the engine, but I'm now torn between scrapping it, and repairing it.
It's the smoothest engine I've had the pleasure of experiencing. My friend's 6 year-old Mercedes S600 sounds and feels positively agricultural in comparison (but it is a hell of a lot faster, admittedly).
"Mercedes granite factor"? Don't make me laugh.
Lovely cars. I have a '97, which I paid 1000 for. I only used it for a year (due to having too many cheap cars), and have it sitting around, now. It was so comfortable, and I think 30mpg is ok fro what you get. It still got up to 150mph quite easily on the autobahns, and felt fairly safe.
One gets a feeling of pity for others driving in new diesel euroboxes which cost more in depreciation than the Lexus drinks (unless you're planning on doing a lot of miles).
They do rust though. Rear subframes can rust badly. I had to import 2 rust-free subframes from the States (buy one, get one free), one for my car, and one to sell, probably.
They rust in the arches and the boot floor, but compared to most other brands, they are very good..
I wanted the car for the engine, but I'm now torn between scrapping it, and repairing it.
It's the smoothest engine I've had the pleasure of experiencing. My friend's 6 year-old Mercedes S600 sounds and feels positively agricultural in comparison (but it is a hell of a lot faster, admittedly).
As good as they are, and they are very, very good, I'm a little surprised by some people expecting cars with massive mileage to be in brand new condition. You have to expect living in this country with the salt / grit used during winter months that there would be "some" issues. And a car which has been through 30 years of this? Give it a fair go. Lets see some other brands and how THEY fare with similar...
To be fair, I think a car of this age should be bought with your eyes well and truly open
As the previous posted quite rightly said, one cannot expect a 30yr old car to be as good as a new one
As my friend proved, the secret is to know what you’re looking for (buyers guide anyone?) and also look for the ones that have had plenty of care. And proof of that in the way of bills, receipts etc.
But as he would also say, you will be surprised how many are still on only their 2nd or 3rd owner which must say something.
I agree on the leather btw, it smacks of the sort of plastic-leather you get in yank tanks, and some of the exterior colours aren’t the best or don’t suit the car (for instance I don’t like the black)
As an aside aren’t they (or weren’t they) the fastest depreciating car on sale? (I think that may actually be the newer versions, but even so it’s not a sobriquet that any manufacturer wants...)
As the previous posted quite rightly said, one cannot expect a 30yr old car to be as good as a new one
As my friend proved, the secret is to know what you’re looking for (buyers guide anyone?) and also look for the ones that have had plenty of care. And proof of that in the way of bills, receipts etc.
But as he would also say, you will be surprised how many are still on only their 2nd or 3rd owner which must say something.
I agree on the leather btw, it smacks of the sort of plastic-leather you get in yank tanks, and some of the exterior colours aren’t the best or don’t suit the car (for instance I don’t like the black)
As an aside aren’t they (or weren’t they) the fastest depreciating car on sale? (I think that may actually be the newer versions, but even so it’s not a sobriquet that any manufacturer wants...)
I owned a ropey ls400 a dozen or so years ago, intergalactic mileage. Used prodigious amounts of fuel, superbly comfortable.
The thing I remember is the steering wheel, it was beautiful for a quarter million mile car.smooth and soft, perfect stitching. Almost sensual. Odd what you remember.
The thing I remember is the steering wheel, it was beautiful for a quarter million mile car.smooth and soft, perfect stitching. Almost sensual. Odd what you remember.
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