Best smoker barges 1-5 large [Vol 21]
Discussion
Mr-B said:
I always thought Lexus were supposed to wear their miles well? As you say it looks as though it has been used as a builders van, even the back seats look knackered unless it was used as an airport car/taxi
In my 1990 LS400, all 4 seats looked new after 10 years and 183,000 miles. The Top Gear 1990 review Lexus (reviewed in 1995 in the Quentin Wilson days) also had immaculate seats at 225,000 miles, when I had it as a loan car. I would suggest that Lexus in the picture has been to the moon and back with a Sumo wrestler as front seat passnger. 
Been out for the day in it, it's surprisingly comfy, well padded bench seat up front with a drop down centre armrest, 4 spd auto column selector, no centre console or transmission tunnel, plenty of space and legroom, quite remarkable. It does drive a bit like a barge, I've found myself quite laid back and slouching a bit to the left on the centre armrest, palming the over assisted steering. The engine is rough and vibratory at idle, not too bad on the move, but it does shout uphill, revving itself fit to bust in a lower gear, climbing up to Togakushi in the mountains earlier. The ride ain't bad considering the modest dimensions. It's weird, our Panda isn't like a barge in any way or form, yet this thing is. I rather like it. It's been named Ugoku.
Prinny said:
Anyway - I didn’t particularly break silence/lurking just to comment on ropy old BMW, I also got SL1 through its MOT today - clean pass (again) is always nice. But it brought home a point. 550 miles between MOT. The 7series won’t be far off that either. I really, really don’t need a car (at all) these days, I need to find a job that has some sort of commuting again, I’ve had enough of WFH.
You prompted me to look at my past MoTsE39 bought Feb 2021 - around 1,300 miles to date
CL - around 3,000 miles since Oct 2020
Both are due in January and I don't expect passes at the first attempt.
tog said:
Crook said:
I think you're forgetting the speaker joystick in the Ford. Easily the best in-class feature.
That was a great feature of the 1982 Granada estate I had 30 years ago. You could twiddle the joystick round in circles to hear the music going round and round the car like some sort of quadrophonic experiment. It would have been more impressive if all the speakers worked of course.No sunroof in the Escort though.
Mr-B said:
I always thought Lexus were supposed to wear their miles well? As you say it looks as though it has been used as a builders van, even the back seats look knackered unless it was used as an airport car/taxi
parts of japan have intense sun, that often kills leather/dashes etc! some of the older japanese cars have got issues with cracked dashes etc due to intense sun. LA kinda thing sadly. This leather is probably dead because of that too.. Prinny said:
Last year it was approx £3k for valve-stem oil seals.
Was that at Darren Woods Prinny? I've been mulling a 650 for some time now so valve stem oil seals is something I'm aware of, and I've been using DW for 10yrs now for the 330. I did find a guy in Stockport somewhere (IIRC) that can do them for under £1k now - ISTR it's literally the only thing he does!
martynr said:
Well, today we have this Japanese barge(hashike). It has only a little problem and it seems to have been imported not so long ago. The underbody is clean and straight piped? The Japanese cars are very reliable until they are not. Also the parts are more expensive as there are not many aftermarket options available.
The crown without the crown.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125608708409
This is the top of the Crown tree as it were I wonder if it would be that expensive to repair as the 3UZ-FE are plentiful here from various Lexus', parts are cheaper than the usual suspects - my Crown certainly is. Would fix that exhaust though the V8 sounds good enough without messing with it. The crown without the crown.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125608708409
Swervin_Mervin said:
Was that at Darren Woods Prinny? I've been mulling a 650 for some time now so valve stem oil seals is something I'm aware of, and I've been using DW for 10yrs now for the 330. I did find a guy in Stockport somewhere (IIRC) that can do them for under £1k now - ISTR it's literally the only thing he does!
Yes-ish…. it’s on the v12, not the v8 (it was the first 12 they’d done) and I got other bits done along the way. The job sheet has the parts at £260 & labour at £1700 (both ex. VAT). I’d imagine the v8 to be slightly cheaper (33% fewer seals to change!)Prinny said:
Swervin_Mervin said:
Was that at Darren Woods Prinny? I've been mulling a 650 for some time now so valve stem oil seals is something I'm aware of, and I've been using DW for 10yrs now for the 330. I did find a guy in Stockport somewhere (IIRC) that can do them for under £1k now - ISTR it's literally the only thing he does!
Yes-ish…. it’s on the v12, not the v8 (it was the first 12 they’d done) and I got other bits done along the way. The job sheet has the parts at £260 & labour at £1700 (both ex. VAT). I’d imagine the v8 to be slightly cheaper (33% fewer seals to change!)d_a_n1979 said:
21st Century Man said:
It's Friday!
My temporary barge from a rent a wreck outfit, Guts car rental. 2 months rental with all the insurance options ticked, a new set of winter tyres and a fresh Shaken. £600.
I'd be frightened of driving that & toppling it over on a fast bend My temporary barge from a rent a wreck outfit, Guts car rental. 2 months rental with all the insurance options ticked, a new set of winter tyres and a fresh Shaken. £600.
Swervin_Mervin said:
Ahh yes, my bad. Had a total brain fart there thinking it was the V8.
Yeah, fair assumption! I would have bought V8BRJ at the same time as I got 10&12, had it been available, but someone (I like to think AC/DC) beat me to it.Anyway… random musical whimsy aside, if I ever get the M6 back from my sister (it has ISOFIX, the others don’t), when her new car comes (hopefully January), you’re welcome to have a go in that & get a feel for what a 650 would be like. Well, apart from the engine & gearbox, obviously, but they’re not important, right?
Oh, and advance congrats M. GdG, très bein.
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