Doesn't this look nice!

[Chris Skelton]

18 hours ago, Scribe said:

It looks higher off the ground than normal, like a Citroen with the suspension raised.

Correction! Citroens look like this normally! They do sink, when parked, but at operating level, they do rise up quite a bit.

(DSs/CXs/early XMs/GSAs....) My current XM stays up much longer-designed that way- but doesn't waft as much as the DSs.

[ScousePaul]

21 hours ago, The-Acre said:

I do agree, the LS400 is very easy on the eye! I agree about the later body shape too, and for me the LS430 was the last of the "classic" limo shape from Lexus.  And as I'm nearing the stage where I want to slow down with work, I'm guessing my pocket will confirm that it remains the last classic shape for me!  It really was my first ever sighting of an LS that did it for me, I thought it was American, and having always loved American cars the next step was an obvious one!

Yeah, the LS400 was to me the first American-styled Japanese-built car that made sense on UK roads . They lost that trajectory a bit in more recent LS revisions, but give me an LS430 interior in an LS400 body and with some of the more contemporary LS460 gizmos and I'll not ask for more. Not going to happen though.

[Chris Skelton]

I wanted a Citroen CX, or XM body, with LS 400 underpinnings!

Ended up with 'just' the XM! Albeit probably the best one in UK (last ever 3Litre auto; 42K miles, full history....)

[Scribe]

Nice one.  I always liked the big Citroens but never owned one.

[Spacewagon52]

I quite fancied an XM estate, as I thought they looked super. Not brave enough to own a Citreon though!

[Malc]

when I was very much younger and had 4 kids, 5 and under, I contemplated buying the only then available ( I think )  in the UK,  7 seater vehicle, the Citroen Safari Estate ( was it ? ) .... but I couldn't really afford it ......  it was cheaper buying and running two older cars then ..........  mid to late 1970's i think.

Not sure how on earth i managed to afford 4 young kids then either tbh.....  ****, life was a struggle in those early days even though i seemed to earn good money.

Malc

[Spacewagon52]

My borther-in-law had two sets of twins under 3 years old. He bought a Sierra estate and a company supplied rear seats like a Volvo 245. They were legal and insurance covered. A far cry from when I was a lad - sat with six mates in the back of a Ford Thames 400E van!

[Chris Skelton]

I remember a horrible scene in a film about rear facing/boot seats.

Guy's children always fighting to be facing backwards. Wife drives off, kids all beaming at Dad left behind....over the hill they go.

Dad Hears awful screeching of brakes and awful BANG of crash.

Lorry has crashed into the rear of his car.......

just the remembrance makes me shiver!

 

Anyway. I had a (rather tatty) Citroen DS Safari for a while, with fold up rear seats. A mate borrowed it to go mountain climbing.

Idiot rolled it on a mountain side -did a complete sidways roll, back onto wheels with 5 guys inside! Was OK!!

I just gave him the car in the end!

Oh, and David Spacewagon; nothing to fear about Citroen-I'm guessing you suffer from the myth that the suspension was dodgy? Nothing further from truth!

Not only was it superb to ride on, but it was superbly engineered and failed no more than 'normal' aka inferior, suspension!

 

(Hmm. What was this string about, again? Sorry!)

[Spacewagon52]

It was not the suspension that bothered me (my father-in-law had a BX1.9D) about Citreons it was the electrical issues. Common to many French cars I believe - or am I just prejudiced?

[Malc]

............ come Brexit i guess we get back our full 240 volts ..........  not the European 220 .............. ..........  sorry ! 

Malc 

[Newbie1]

On 04/03/2017 at 1:28 PM, Malc said:

............ come Brexit i guess we get back our full 240 volts ..........  not the European 220 .............. ..........  sorry ! 

Malc 

Isn't that when the lights go out?

[Malc]

13 hours ago, Newbie1 said:

Isn't that when the lights go out?

only if you believe Blair and Major  ..............and their lights faded many a year past  ........  I'm looking forward to a greater selection of cheaper and better  Japanese cars from which to choose my next car  ......  but it's got to last at least 30 years coz that's when my present Mk3 will maybe need recycling 

Malc

[Newbie1]

Malc, it will be American cars coming in (which might include American-made Japanese cars.) And American foodstuffs. If you can call them foodstuffs.

[Cotswold Pete]

On 04/03/2017 at 11:19 AM, Spacewagon52 said:

It was not the suspension that bothered me (my father-in-law had a BX1.9D) about Citreons it was the electrical issues. Common to many French cars I believe - or am I just prejudiced?

My experience of French electrics is if they work then your okay, but if they do not, then be prepared to park up open a bottle of Red and leave the car to rust away.

When I had a Peugeot 406 from new after 3 months the radio would turn off or change at random, and more than once the headlights would go off (at night), then all the dashboard would go, and then 5 seconds later it was like nothing had happened.  Glad I only had that company car for a year.

BUT my dad who bought a 406 at the same time has had no such problems and 17 years later his 406 is still trundling along.

A mate of mine who is french prefers to buy non-french motors and would love and LS if his wife would let him, but has to make do with some BMtroubleU.

The one thing is the french seem to build (or at least they did) good diesel engines if you like that sort of thing.

[plastic orange]

I purchased a new Renault Clio in 2002 for my wife and only got rid of last year when my daughter bought a new Mazda. Condition wise the car was still like new with zero rust anywhere and was a super reliable run around. I must admit to being very wary about anything French having had a part time job delivering new Peugeots back in the early 80's (some had electrical malfunctions from new  - no wipers all the way back from Penrith to Dundee for example), but having tried  the 2002 offerings from all manufacturers decided on the Clio and was proved right. New cars are just pot luck I guess, not that I'll ever buy anything new again.

 

Pete

[Malc]

6 hours ago, Newbie1 said:

Malc, it will be American cars coming in (which might include American-made Japanese cars.) And American foodstuffs. If you can call them foodstuffs.

back a hundred years then with Ford !

Malc

[mikeyv]

10 hours ago, Newbie1 said:

Malc, it will be American cars coming in (which might include American-made Japanese cars.) And American foodstuffs. If you can call them foodstuffs.

I've had a couple of Jap cars which were made in the U.S of A, Honda Accord aerodecks (estates), and they were excellent in every respect.