1993 LS400 opportunity

[messi]

So are we all in agreement that this maybe worth less than  £100?

[Peter_L]

1 hour ago, dendonc said:

If I were looking for one, which I am not, this is not a car I would be interested in, what you might not realize is that many parts for LS400 cars of that year can only be got from lexus as genuine lexus parts & the prices for that year are horrendous, depending on part. If I were on the lookout for an LS400 I would have few qualms about taking on a LS 400, 1995 and younger, with a good service record and 250k on the clock, 250k is nothing to them.

This one, no I would not go and look at it because it would need some Lexus mechi knowledgable person (plenty here) to even say what 'probably' needs doing as a necessity, hope that opinion is some use to you.

Thanks for your frank comments, dendonc.  I guess we'll be just scrapping it after all.

[steve2006]

Looking about right with that figure Qamar, at one time my mission was to save all LS400s but having now scrapped 2 and resold another I have finally come to the conclusion that they are still only lumps of metal.

I still try and  keep my 1994 in tip top condition but if it ever suffers a major failure it will be gone.

I still keep looking at my project 1999 LS400 but with  blowing Y pipe, non functioning steering wheel position adjustment, weird power steering fault, no cold AC,a suspected ABS wheel sensor fault, paint correction/ding repairs and the need for a cambelt and water pump change I am reluctant to spend anymore time or money on it as I would be lucky to break even.

[cruisermark]

8 minutes ago, Peter_L said:

Thanks for your frank comments, dendonc.  I guess we'll be just scrapping it after all.

Peter i think you should atleast advertise it once to the World Wide Audience and see what happens

[messi]

I do love the Ls400. I was going through a mid life crisis and bought an sc430, it's beautiful car, I've had it resprayed due to previous owner taking it to Austria and back so all mileage is motorway and it had stone chips and scratches, and so I got the whole car resprayed and changed ball joint that needed replacing and gave it a full service as I didn't get a service book with it, but it's nice mint now, but I'm still getting drawn to an ls400, I still love the ls400..especially a DHP version. They just look so mean and I think in my opinion the most Lexus ever made.

[steve2006]

The engines are always well sought after for transplants and fetch around £500.00 alone but in this case there is no guarantee that the engine is still serviceable due to standing so long, the engine is non interference so if the belt did break there would be no damage but obviously again this would affect the selling price.

Also bear in mind if you do break it for spares you still need to dispose of the remains which these days costs money.

[dendonc]

1 hour ago, runsgrateasanut said:

Dennis I think that's a bit too negative.  Parts are available imported from America at a reasonable cost and sometimes below cost

Yes they are reasonable cost over there, but, when imported goods arrive here you have VAT added and on top of that you have customs duty which varies depending on what kind of goods your importing, when importing anything you would need to work out all that as well as what the courier charges (handling fees) when it gets here, you'll find theres barely any difference, if anyone buys anything they are only interested in total cost not what it would cost to someone living in another country.

I speak as someone who imported goods for resale here, they cost me 10cents US per unit at source, by time I had paid all uk overheads (above) they worked out around 55pence per unit to me. 

[dendonc]

1 hour ago, messi said:

1 hour ago, Peter_L said:

Thanks for your frank comments, dendonc.  I guess we'll be just scrapping it after all.

They weigh around 2 tons, if you call your nearest breakers yard which takes cars they will give you their price ton or cwt, they do in london anyway

Local to you, I know nothing about them though their add seems ok

A1 Wokingham Car Spares

[runsgrateasanut]

20 minutes ago, dendonc said:

Yes they are reasonable cost over there, but, when imported goods arrive here you have VAT added and on top of that you have customs duty which varies depending on what kind of goods your importing, when importing anything you would need to work out all that as well as what the courier charges (handling fees) when it gets here, you'll find theres barely any difference, if anyone buys anything they are only interested in total cost not what it would cost to someone living in another country.

I speak as someone who imported goods for resale here, they cost me 10cents US per unit at source, by time I had paid all uk overheads (above) they worked out around 55pence per unit to me. 

I've bought several parts from America and I may have to look back at some bills.  Checking out the price of the Cam belt parts at Dllrs 174.42 add Dllrs 27.94 shipping to UK totals Dllrs 202.36 add 5% import duty Dllrs takes you to Dllrs 212.47 converted to sterling by Oanda.com = £163.57 add 20% VAT on import makes £196.28 and maybe another £10 delivery UK side and you get £206.28 which is way below UK price.  Let me know where my calculations are incorrect.,

Frankly, to let the car go for scrap is a great shame.  Worth even considering an AA inspection or advice?..  Not quite so easy (being a V8) to put a little oil in the pots overnight and hooking up your own Battery before an attempt to start the engine after checking the Water level.  A gallon of petrol in the tank on top of the old won't do any harm. It will likely start But you should get more advice on this first.  

[dendonc]

Thats a good price for those things with customs etc added still a good price, that said........ in this context the stored car above, no MOT & not currently driveable or insureable for public roads,  is set against this car & others, please note, cambelt pump etc recently fitted.2 grand prior to being offered cash

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lexus-LS400-V8-Automatic-Immaculate-/252948805003?hash=item3ae4ec758b:g:iZgAAOSwfRdZGZgv

[dendonc]

Actually the above car has a very good MOT history, it is not taxed

XKZ 6349

https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk

[runsgrateasanut]

5 hours ago, messi said:

So are we all in agreement that this maybe worth less than  £100?

I'm certainly not in agreement its worth One Hundred Pounds.

To an enthusiast who is "hands on" this is a good prospect.  You could put it on eBay and see what you get. Mind you, you may likely get time wasters.

When I mentioned starting the engine after various things I forgot to mention that after overnight oil in the pots, turn it over without the plugs in for half a minute.to circulate the oil.

I very much doubt that the Lady would have put it away in the Garage fuel on "empty". A dry Garage, a gallon in it and a sound Battery and suspect it would start.

I hope its rescued as the styling of the Mk 2 was errrrrm  slightly nicer than the mk3, dare I say? Beauty etc...

 

 .

[dendonc]

4 hours ago, runsgrateasanut said:

........ and you get £206.28 which is way below UK price.  Let me know where my calculations are incorrect.,

 

They are incorrect when you say "way below UK price", they are  £10 below UK price for a kit, the kit is a japanese make trading to europe from germany, I had mine fitted a week last friday, see link.

http://ebay.eu/2qCsft3

[ambermarine]

There is out there someone with a Mark 2 with a couple of hundred thousand miles on the clock

This is a great opportunity to get all the worn running gear, seats, electronics  body panels replaced because the 60k on this car means the parts are better than you would get from a breakers yard.

I did the same operation on my Mark1 years ago buying a written off 80k clone of mine I sold the engine and shell for what I paid for it but stripped everything else off it. 

I doubt the engine is goosed as the garage looks dry the oil leak is the pas pump most likely.

The car is worth what someone who wants it will pay your task should you want it is to find that person.

[runsgrateasanut]

15 hours ago, dendonc said:

They are incorrect when you say "way below UK price", they are  £10 below UK price for a kit, the kit is a japanese make trading to europe from germany, I had mine fitted a week last friday, see link.

http://ebay.eu/2qCsft3

Well spotted. As one who paid £600 to Lexus for the parts I can't recall seeing a UK seller at the time or maybe I just went with the common notion it was best to buy from Lexus. 

[The-Acre]

On 2017-5-20 at 1:01 PM, steve2006 said:

Looking about right with that figure Qamar, at one time my mission was to save all LS400s but having now scrapped 2 and resold another I have finally come to the conclusion that they are still only lumps of metal.

I still try and  keep my 1994 in tip top condition but if it ever suffers a major failure it will be gone.

I still keep looking at my project 1999 LS400 but with  blowing Y pipe, non functioning steering wheel position adjustment, weird power steering fault, no cold AC,a suspected ABS wheel sensor fault, paint correction/ding repairs and the need for a cambelt and water pump change I am reluctant to spend anymore time or money on it as I would be lucky to break even.

I think your comments on them only being lumps of metal are spot on.  Sometimes these cars (although exceptional cars) can be talked about as though they are alive with a soul!  They all end up as something else one day.

[Malc]

.............  if i had somewhere to store it i would have a go at getting it back on the road. I have a feeling that most everything is absolutely fine, the pas pump needs a £1.50 gasket , the tyres need pumping up, the brakes need carefully priming when first used, the Battery needs replacing and wallah !  ...........  she's off at 0 - 60 in 6.9 secs and doing 70mph and wheelies around the car park !

No exhaust blow, the cambelt is absolutely like new ( and if it's not then " so what " it's non-interference ) and you have a superb Ls400

anyone now want to take it on ??                scrap- value is @£200

Malc

 

 

[dendonc]

1 hour ago, Malc said:

 if i had somewhere to store it i would have a go at getting it back on the road.

I sometimes wonder if I am the only one on here who lives in a city (London), for starters, any resident is only allowed 2 parking permits, if you want the second one the cost is £497 pa, almost no house in the area has a car accessible garden, there are some houses with a tiny bit of garden adjoining the pavement, some houses have a garden at the back buit there is no road access to them, what front garden strips there are could not fit any car & even if they could you need planning permission, what a laugh that would be.

Anyway, anyone can check this location on google earth simply by posting the post code, then, come back and say ''yes it is a good buy'', buying a car has very many different variables involved, many folks on this forum simply cannot out, buy the lump of metal, & then plonk it on the street outside, check outthis postcode on google earth and please note, on top of what I have written 'residents parking permits' apply to the outer boroughs of london, this is on the edge of central...google earth postcode.....W6 7LR 

[Malc]

Denis, hi, STREET PARKING PERMITS apply most everywhere these days............  in many town centres, coastal resorts, wherever

My cars are parked on the road, I don't have a driveway nor a garden, just a courtyard and my house is @450 years old !........  but the stables were along the High Street in those days 

Malc

[dendonc]

1 hour ago, Malc said:

Denis, hi, STREET PARKING PERMITS apply most everywhere these days............  in many town centres, coastal resorts, wherever

My cars are parked on the road, I don't have a driveway nor a garden, just a courtyard and my house is @450 years old !........  but the stables were along the High Street in those days 

Malc

I know they are in numerous places, but, I am in one of 45 (I think) London boroughs so as a real example I can only give details of >the actual zone< of this borough I live in, by that I mean, some other zones, within this borough, have 7 days per week parking restrictions, the zone I am in has only 5 days parking restrictions.

The reason I made a post on this is that there are quite a lot of posts, maybe with a 'preservation of the LS400' approach, tend to suggest that anyone can go out & buy a second car for a few hundred quid & apart from insuring it just drive home, park in the street & admire it from the window whilst it sits glistening in the street with passers by dazzled by the wonder of it, the reality is with a couple of days it will have gathered parking tickets after around 3 or 4 days it will be towed away, same applies to the rest of the London boroughs.

How on earth 'some' people think that normal UK people can buy a car which needs semi stripping down and do it in the street is living in cloud cuckoo land, maybe a minority have the land and can do that, but, do the minority who have the land even have the skills or interest to strip these old cars, so, what else can I say except lets get real when it comes to useing such words & inferences as 'opportunity'............as yet the LS400 is not classed as a classic car so they have no value that way.

Come back Monty Python, an opportunity has arisen to display your talent here

[Tinonline]

Fair point.

I remember my TR6 on ramps in the street as I changed the clutch in Fulham. Harder to do nowadays...

A parking space with some ability to move around is all you need.

As for skills I'm self taught as are many.

[dendonc]

22 minutes ago, Tinonline said:

I remember my TR6 on ramps in the street as I changed the clutch in Fulham

I think at least some boroughs have made it an offence to advertise them for sale via a notice in car window, not sure of the detail on that but I think thats it in some boroughs, I remember seeing a few parked with for sale notices by rohampton estate but that came an abrupt end some years ago, london councills have no mercy, you cannot park a taxed & insured car in London with paying a price, if its illegal ie no insurance, no mot it will come up on any marked or unmarked police car scanner as it passes, and on top of all that, you cannot get a residents parking permit unless you show the insurance. the car advertised in this post cannot have valid insurance untill it gets an mot, all these factors should be taken into account, they very rarely are.

[ambermarine]

Denis 

I did not realize I was abnormal thanks for the heads up, Your experience in London boroughs is not the norm nationwide so it must be you that is abnormal.

There are a lot of LS400 owners nationwide that live in normal environments and having been on this board for most of its life I have noticed most of them have a liking for the LS400 and do indeed regard it as a classic because they have owned them like me for over twenty years.

It is not just the owners who regard this car with affection and admiration most of the motoring experts also regard it as an icon,your regard for this catalyst of the modern Luxury car era does not seem to be in alignment perhaps you have not come to love yours yet. 

[dendonc]

22 minutes ago, ambermarine said:

because they have owned them like me for over twenty years.

And there may well be folks who read this post who have never had much or many dealings with used cars at all, see a car like this, cheap, buy it and suddenly find themselves in a whole lot of trouble, finacially & maybe legaly, are you suggesting thse people ( if they exist) should not be given the real picture about cars such as this, if so we can aggree to disagree on the subject, which, to point out, was not relevant to buying a road worthy LS400.

[dendonc]

37 minutes ago, ambermarine said:

Your experience in London boroughs is not the norm nationwide so it must be you that is abnormal.

It represents many UK cities, we do have cars in cities and that car cannot legaly go onto any UK public.road at the moment until it gets an MOT & insurance & to get an MOT it would have to be transported at whatever cost (????), if it passed good, if it did not and needed more work then it would need to be transported back again, on top of the other things I wrote.