'98 Lexus Ls400 - £100 per cylinder
'98 Lexus Ls400 - £100 per cylinder
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l354uge

Original Poster:

2,971 posts

149 months

Tuesday 23rd June 2020
quotequote all
"The one good thing about this lock down is I can save alot of money and get my car projects done" me, to my other half last month.

Naturally, I have now spent my 'rona savings on another car that needs attention

So here we have it, the £800, 176k Lexus LS I bought off twitter.



Reasons for purchase:
It has a 4 litre V8.
It's one of the best built cars ever made.
It annoys my other half.
It has a 4 litre V8.



So, I think this is the first readers cars, I was told the Lexus would go down well here, and bar my AX nothing else I own is really that interesting, and the AX is too rough and rally worn for public consumption.

It's also good to track what I've done to the car, so here is the reasons it was £800:

  • Horrific wheel wobble from the front left at any speed
  • all 4 tyres are at the legal minimum and perished
  • AC doesn't work
  • Front ciggy lighter doesn't work
  • Clock light doesn't work
  • The boot leaks
  • the cambelt is 11 years old
  • very little service history past 120k
  • it's Burgundy
  • it has a 4 litre V8.
  • it has brake judder
  • it's covered in scratches, scuffs and lacquer peel
  • horrible crust above the windscreen from a bad glass replacement


So come with me, as I attempt to make a slightly ropey car, better. With as little money as possible.

l354uge

Original Poster:

2,971 posts

149 months

Tuesday 23rd June 2020
quotequote all
Picked her up on Sunday morning from Birmingham and limped her home at 55. Previous owner had hit a big pothole and it wobbled since, he then parked it up since then. From. Viewing I knew the tyres were bad and the front left was starting to wear through, so was very careful. I later discovered I should've been even safer..

First job was to leave the lexus and hop into my workhorse octavia and head to Peterborough. £100 for a set of crusty standard wheels with new budgets on from a breaker.

Get the old wheels off and the wobble is very apparent. Very apparent indeed.




I've seen some shagged tyres in my time, but never one this bad that still held air. I really should've changed them before setting off from buying. But hindsight is great.

So, so far I've spent £100 and made the car look alot worse, but drive alot better.


manmaths

476 posts

168 months

Tuesday 23rd June 2020
quotequote all
I'm in!

andburg

8,704 posts

197 months

Tuesday 23rd June 2020
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love it.

following!

i love the gold on burgundy badging

Cambs_Stuart

3,521 posts

112 months

Tuesday 23rd June 2020
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Love a big lexus. So was the alloy buckled? Any damage to the suspension?

l354uge

Original Poster:

2,971 posts

149 months

Tuesday 23rd June 2020
quotequote all
Cambs_Stuart said:
Love a big lexus. So was the alloy buckled? Any damage to the suspension?
Wheel looks fine, I am having the new tyres fitted to the wheels that came with the car on Friday so will see if it balances up okay. They're 60 profile so I hope they took the brunt. From the look at the shoulder wear the toe has been thrown out, so she's getting an alignment check on Friday too. As well as a AC check.

feef

5,208 posts

211 months

Tuesday 23rd June 2020
quotequote all
1UZ?

kelford cams and a fruity pipe, that is all...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKYg6H7yh3k

Quhet

2,914 posts

174 months

Tuesday 23rd June 2020
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Christ, those tyres are bad! I wonder how many miles were on those?

Love these old barges though OP, this one has great colours

Peanut Gallery

2,712 posts

138 months

Tuesday 23rd June 2020
quotequote all
Im in! - enjoy!

Shed TVR

143 posts

102 months

Tuesday 23rd June 2020
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Love it. Get the disks skimmed, few ebay parts for the A/C, polish and a cambelt kit and you will have made a massive improvement. That rust around the windscreen is a bit scary to me though - be very interested to see how you tackle it! Good luck.

Hereward

5,059 posts

258 months

Tuesday 23rd June 2020
quotequote all
I love these and I hope you can save this one from the brink.

Northbrook

1,561 posts

91 months

Tuesday 23rd June 2020
quotequote all
I'm in. Cheap Lexuses are fantastic (when they work).

olly755

3,070 posts

190 months

Tuesday 23rd June 2020
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Me too. Fellow owner (of two). Fabulous cars. Watching with interest.

l354uge

Original Poster:

2,971 posts

149 months

Tuesday 23rd June 2020
quotequote all
Thank you all. The rust is the only thing that scares me, but I'm just going to leave and monitor it for now, I don't have enough to have the screen removed and repair done professionally. But if it starts leaking I might be able to sort something.

Forgot to mention two more things wrong with the car. There's an exhaust leak on the right pipe after the cat, and the main key remote doesn't work, the key itself is held together with cable ties and looks like its been stomped on.




The exhaust leak will be fixed for the mot, but I like the noise for now..
The key has been sent off for a £20 ebay repair, let's see what returns...

NGRhodes

1,291 posts

100 months

Wednesday 24th June 2020
quotequote all
l354uge said:
Thank you all. The rust is the only thing that scares me, but I'm just going to leave and monitor it for now, I don't have enough to have the screen removed and repair done professionally. But if it starts leaking I might be able to sort something.

Forgot to mention two more things wrong with the car. There's an exhaust leak on the right pipe after the cat, and the main key remote doesn't work, the key itself is held together with cable ties and looks like its been stomped on.




The exhaust leak will be fixed for the mot, but I like the noise for now..
The key has been sent off for a £20 ebay repair, let's see what returns...
Is that a T420 ?

Liamjrhodes

487 posts

169 months

Wednesday 24th June 2020
quotequote all
Love an old LS! Owned an early one for 6 months while doing my sandwich year at uni. Awesome car! Good luck with this one they really are built so much better than anything else

STIfree

1,913 posts

187 months

Wednesday 24th June 2020
quotequote all
Great buy, I feel like I might have spotted it when it was for sale. Love the gold badges on burgundy paint!

I bought a LS430 a month ago for a couple hundred quid more with a list of issues. They're pretty solid things and mine hasn't been too much trouble to sort.

Enjoy!

anonymous-user

82 months

Wednesday 24th June 2020
quotequote all
l354uge said:
Thank you all. The rust is the only thing that scares me, but I'm just going to leave and monitor it for now, I don't have enough to have the screen removed and repair done professionally. But if it starts leaking I might be able to sort something.

Forgot to mention two more things wrong with the car. There's an exhaust leak on the right pipe after the cat, and the main key remote doesn't work, the key itself is held together with cable ties and looks like its been stomped on.




The exhaust leak will be fixed for the mot, but I like the noise for now..
The key has been sent off for a £20 ebay repair, let's see what returns...
I have a load of lexus key blanks without the inside remote part of you want them? Yours for the cost of postage smile Will need to find them but sure I noticed them the other day in the office

Thankyou4calling

10,950 posts

201 months

Wednesday 24th June 2020
quotequote all
Great buy!

The original wheels look like those fitted with the DHP.

If it has that it’s a bonus.

TimmyMallett

3,180 posts

140 months

Wednesday 24th June 2020
quotequote all
NGRhodes said:
Is that a T420 ?
NERD!


I spotted that too. Old school cool.


I love the gold badges. They just highlight something a bit different.It's like a massive gold chain round your neck.