2000 Lexus LS400 - a bit of a bargain (to buy...)
Discussion
Hello all. Here's my newly-acquired car - a completely unnecessary Lexus LS400. I bought it for -£0.14.
I took over ownership on Friday, after chatting with a nearly-former colleague, who was moving her car over to her partner after starting a lease on a new car for her new job. This is his old car, and much loved by both of them. There's a story here, recounted on the barge thread, which I'll elaborate if anyone's interested!
I've done about 150 miles in the car now, and it's an interesting comparison to my daily Skoda Roomster and rolling-resto Mercedes W124 estate. Although I can't directly compare to my Mercedes as it's been with my mechanic for a month, and I can't compare much to my Skoda because it's been parked since I got home in the Lex!
For a car that's nearly twenty years old, the car is remarkably well-equipped - auto lights, heated seats front & rear, auto mirrors, cruise control (first on a car I've owned, but much appreciated on the cars I've driven), lovely comfy seats.... Oh, and a four litre V8.
So, what's wrong with the car? Well, considering the price, not much!
- Brakes sometimes sing (gentle braking);
- Paintwork not perfect, with some minor scrapes & stone chips (not a problem!);
- Antenna is very juddery when going down, and makes a horrible noise at the bottom of its travel (any tips?);
- Minor crack in one rear light unit;
- Fan belt squeal, briefly, after a rain squall was blown straight into the grille while sitting;
- One wing mirror has stopped the auto-darkening - it's just dark, but perfectly usable;
- Recent Landsail LS388s all round (cost more six weeks ago than I paid for the car).
On the flip side, it's Lexus LS400 with everything working except the bulbs behind the cabin temp displays, the ashtray catch, and the antenna. And it's on recently-refurbed DHP wheels. And it's comfy. Very comfy.
There's some mild rust on one rear arch:
Driving impressions:
It's quiet - on a cruise, the loudest noises are the tyres and a spot of wind (the car, not me. Mostly). The engine note makes a restrained woofly appearance, but it's by no means intrusive - one of the other cars in the fleet is a 52-plate Smart, currently on winters, so the LS is a significantly quieter car!
Steering is light but accurate, with a lovely wood & leather wheel with a nicely slim rim.
Acceleration is adequate - I haven't floored it yet, but I imagine it'd gather speed more than acceptably.
Lots of space for driver and passengers, and the electrically-adjustable everything is great, albeit overkill - headrest adjustment is just showing off!
Economy.... well. Display is currently showing ~26mpg on this tankful, based on mixed driving. Not toooooo bad. But local stuff will see that figure drop considerably. But then, this is a car I'd be happy to drive to the south of France and be comfortable doing it - I have previous with that, having done exactly that this summer with r129sl's gorgeous W124 estate.
I'll update as & when. For now, I'm very much enjoying the amount of car for the amount of money exchanged - this is, by 14p, the cheapest car I've acquired. And I'm quite pleased with it.
MOT due in the next fortnight - we'll see how she does.
I took over ownership on Friday, after chatting with a nearly-former colleague, who was moving her car over to her partner after starting a lease on a new car for her new job. This is his old car, and much loved by both of them. There's a story here, recounted on the barge thread, which I'll elaborate if anyone's interested!
I've done about 150 miles in the car now, and it's an interesting comparison to my daily Skoda Roomster and rolling-resto Mercedes W124 estate. Although I can't directly compare to my Mercedes as it's been with my mechanic for a month, and I can't compare much to my Skoda because it's been parked since I got home in the Lex!
For a car that's nearly twenty years old, the car is remarkably well-equipped - auto lights, heated seats front & rear, auto mirrors, cruise control (first on a car I've owned, but much appreciated on the cars I've driven), lovely comfy seats.... Oh, and a four litre V8.
So, what's wrong with the car? Well, considering the price, not much!
- Brakes sometimes sing (gentle braking);
- Paintwork not perfect, with some minor scrapes & stone chips (not a problem!);
- Antenna is very juddery when going down, and makes a horrible noise at the bottom of its travel (any tips?);
- Minor crack in one rear light unit;
- Fan belt squeal, briefly, after a rain squall was blown straight into the grille while sitting;
- One wing mirror has stopped the auto-darkening - it's just dark, but perfectly usable;
- Recent Landsail LS388s all round (cost more six weeks ago than I paid for the car).
On the flip side, it's Lexus LS400 with everything working except the bulbs behind the cabin temp displays, the ashtray catch, and the antenna. And it's on recently-refurbed DHP wheels. And it's comfy. Very comfy.
There's some mild rust on one rear arch:
Driving impressions:
It's quiet - on a cruise, the loudest noises are the tyres and a spot of wind (the car, not me. Mostly). The engine note makes a restrained woofly appearance, but it's by no means intrusive - one of the other cars in the fleet is a 52-plate Smart, currently on winters, so the LS is a significantly quieter car!
Steering is light but accurate, with a lovely wood & leather wheel with a nicely slim rim.
Acceleration is adequate - I haven't floored it yet, but I imagine it'd gather speed more than acceptably.
Lots of space for driver and passengers, and the electrically-adjustable everything is great, albeit overkill - headrest adjustment is just showing off!
Economy.... well. Display is currently showing ~26mpg on this tankful, based on mixed driving. Not toooooo bad. But local stuff will see that figure drop considerably. But then, this is a car I'd be happy to drive to the south of France and be comfortable doing it - I have previous with that, having done exactly that this summer with r129sl's gorgeous W124 estate.
I'll update as & when. For now, I'm very much enjoying the amount of car for the amount of money exchanged - this is, by 14p, the cheapest car I've acquired. And I'm quite pleased with it.
MOT due in the next fortnight - we'll see how she does.
Edited by Northbrook on Sunday 8th December 17:29
Edited by Northbrook on Sunday 15th December 21:17
hstewie said:
My plan is to keep it for now. It's growing on me. It'd be a hard choice between the Lexus and my W124 if I had to make one, but I probably won't - looks like this car will be Mrs-appropriated fairly soon, as a change from the 52-plate Smart that's too uncomfortable.
Although I haven't told her yet about the 4 litre V8 or the 290bhp
MOT is due by the 20th, so I'll hopefully run through my Man in case anything is needed. But, to be honest, I'd be fairly surprised if anything was...
We'll see, but it's a confidence-inspiring car.
Although I haven't told her yet about the 4 litre V8 or the 290bhp
MOT is due by the 20th, so I'll hopefully run through my Man in case anything is needed. But, to be honest, I'd be fairly surprised if anything was...
We'll see, but it's a confidence-inspiring car.
Thanks all. Another few miles driven today, and I really appreciate the oasis it provides from work & busy roads. Although, of course, it's a 'new' car and an old one, so part of my brain (the bit that's frustrated with my W124) is listening out for problems to emerge.
The passenger window not wanting to auto-wind to the top of its travel is a minor annoyance. Likewise the random patch of expanding foam that's sealing a tear in the rear driver's side door seal (why?).
Fan belt is squeaking. Brakes are sometimes singing. But the car will be with my Man next week for the MOT, so we'll see what he says.
I'm off to France tomorrow for the day. I would take this car, but I booked the ticket before the handover was agreed, so Skoda Roomster it is. No leather, no heated seats, no cruise control, no cosseting ride. But double the fuel economy!
The passenger window not wanting to auto-wind to the top of its travel is a minor annoyance. Likewise the random patch of expanding foam that's sealing a tear in the rear driver's side door seal (why?).
Fan belt is squeaking. Brakes are sometimes singing. But the car will be with my Man next week for the MOT, so we'll see what he says.
I'm off to France tomorrow for the day. I would take this car, but I booked the ticket before the handover was agreed, so Skoda Roomster it is. No leather, no heated seats, no cruise control, no cosseting ride. But double the fuel economy!
Edited by Northbrook on Tuesday 26th May 19:32
Northbrook said:
Thanks all. Another few miles driven today, and I really appreciate the oasis it provides from work & busy roads. Although, of course, it's a 'new' car and an old one, so part of my brain (the bit that's frustrated with my W124) is listening out for problems to emerge.
The passenger window not wanting to auto-wind to the top of its travel is a minor annoyance. Likewise the random patch of expanding foam that's sealing a tear in the rear driver's side door (why?).
Fan belt is squeaking. Brakes are sometimes singing. But the car will be with my Man next week for the MOT, so we'll see what he says.
I'm off to France tomorrow for the day. I would take this car, but I booked the ticket before the handover was agreed, so Skoda Roomster it is. No leather, no heated seats, no cruise control, no cosseting ride. But double the fuel economy!
Great purchase*The passenger window not wanting to auto-wind to the top of its travel is a minor annoyance. Likewise the random patch of expanding foam that's sealing a tear in the rear driver's side door (why?).
Fan belt is squeaking. Brakes are sometimes singing. But the car will be with my Man next week for the MOT, so we'll see what he says.
I'm off to France tomorrow for the day. I would take this car, but I booked the ticket before the handover was agreed, so Skoda Roomster it is. No leather, no heated seats, no cruise control, no cosseting ride. But double the fuel economy!
I really want one of these late LS400s but my Toyota resolutely refuses to die (256,000 miles) and I don’t really have the space for a land whale without releasing one from the fleet.
If you need any expert knowledge then you will never ever do better than Japex in Kings Langley, Herts. They really know Toyota/Lexus better than anyone - the two brothers were Toyota trained in the 90s so were at the sharp end when these came out. They are also absolutely lovely to deal with, NO BS and very favourable on price. They’ll also lend you a car.
Good luck with this! Let’s see some pics from France please!
Nice write-up, and a great car. As others have said, these things get under your skin. I consider selling my 430 from time to time but then the quiet competence and comfort of the thing reminds you of how good they are.
At normal prices they're excellent VFM, at a 14 pence profit it's a miracle!
Oh, and flooring it is a hoot too, mine really shifts after a momentary 'are you sure...?' pause.
At normal prices they're excellent VFM, at a 14 pence profit it's a miracle!
Oh, and flooring it is a hoot too, mine really shifts after a momentary 'are you sure...?' pause.
Very nice car and looks in a fairly good nick, all things considered!
I'm a big fan of unnecessarily big Toyotas and an LS400 is definitely something I'd want to own at one stage or another. They also seem to be a very odd beast now price-wise. They're not bargain basement as they used to be but not unjustifiably expensive as they have been in the most recent past. When you get one in a decent nick, it would be a shame not to invest in one.
I'm a big fan of unnecessarily big Toyotas and an LS400 is definitely something I'd want to own at one stage or another. They also seem to be a very odd beast now price-wise. They're not bargain basement as they used to be but not unjustifiably expensive as they have been in the most recent past. When you get one in a decent nick, it would be a shame not to invest in one.
Thanks all!
There are a couple of things which are diminishing my enjoyment of the car:
- Belt squeal. It happened this morning (damp, car last driven 36 hours before) and, although the squeal diminished from all-the-time to just when I was on the throttle, it squealed on & off for my entire 20-minute, 8-mile commute. Same this evening (albeit I'm only 5 mins down the road so far). Fans being turned off made no difference.
- Very odd rhythmic thudding when starting the engine from cold. This has only happened today, but both this morning and evening. The thud are initially enough that you feel them, every half second or so, then seem to tail off, then come back quieter, then tail off & disappear.
If anyone has any tips, I'm all ears! Car is going in for MOT next week so I'll ask them to look, but if it's something dodgy I'll stop using the car for now.
Thanks.
There are a couple of things which are diminishing my enjoyment of the car:
- Belt squeal. It happened this morning (damp, car last driven 36 hours before) and, although the squeal diminished from all-the-time to just when I was on the throttle, it squealed on & off for my entire 20-minute, 8-mile commute. Same this evening (albeit I'm only 5 mins down the road so far). Fans being turned off made no difference.
- Very odd rhythmic thudding when starting the engine from cold. This has only happened today, but both this morning and evening. The thud are initially enough that you feel them, every half second or so, then seem to tail off, then come back quieter, then tail off & disappear.
If anyone has any tips, I'm all ears! Car is going in for MOT next week so I'll ask them to look, but if it's something dodgy I'll stop using the car for now.
Thanks.
Hmm. I now thinking the squeal might likely be pulley or tensioner related, not the belt itself. I'd have thought the belt, if slipping because it's damp, would dry out in 20 mins. A bearing wouldn't, and if the tensioner isn't keeping the belt tight, that again wouldn't change.
I say it like it's fact, but it's my non-mechanically-minded conjecture.
The thudding.... I don't know. Is there something that's supposed to move around on startup? Other than the pistons, the cams, the...
I say it like it's fact, but it's my non-mechanically-minded conjecture.
The thudding.... I don't know. Is there something that's supposed to move around on startup? Other than the pistons, the cams, the...
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