End of the road

[skyway]

Yup I have to agree a bad one is a bad one,,,,, and I have had two of them down right rotten bad ones after my shocks on my 430 went I had a long talk with myself I think a toyota corolla

would be a good choice for something that wont break down.

I think you do pay a price for driving an old top of the range model simply because of the cutting edge tech and fresh new ideas that get rushed n squeezed into cars to get people to buy them without testing it to destruction first.

 when that very shiny thing is broken as all shiny things break over time mostly after the warranty has expired  ( I think most of us sit in this bracket )  its painful and it is easy at 1st to convince yourself that it will only be this one thing you have to fix and that's it, then.... one more and one more.

after all it is the best car ever produced (that is what we tell ourselves) but after all that said I can't give up the ride and the wide seats.

maybe a bit like marriage

[mrdoofa]

I’ve grown tired of giving Lexus chances now, you can try and convince yourself that they are the best cars in the world but the amount of times I’ve encountered problems and booking the cars into the garage again and again soon contradicts that argument. I’ve owned over 30 cars from many manufacturers over the last 23 years and the only 3 cars that have left me completely stranded at the side of the road unable to move have been Lexus and the one and only car I’ve ever had to scrap was a Lexus, so much for best cars in the world!!!

[scudney]

Would say from experience,its an exception rather than the norm, having said that its your money your choice so look elsewhere if you are that dissatisfied and good luck.Some characters do really make you laugh or is it wonder with the stuff they come up with don't they just 😁 

[skyway]

Then good luck to you Martin and I wish you the best on your choice of car... because after all it is only a car and there's plenty of them.

Some people even live without one

[mrdoofa]

57 minutes ago, skyway said:

Then good luck to you Martin and I wish you the best on your choice of car... because after all it is only a car and there's plenty of them.

Some people even live without one

Exactly mate, they’re only cars!!! I’ve lost more than enough money on them I can tell you. I just expected much better from Lexus given their reputation for engineering and reliability but it’s not to be. I’m running a Ford Mondeo at the moment which is doing me fine, I can now spend some money on the other cars I love running, radio controlled ones!!! I apologise to other members if I’m putting a big downer on Lexus but that is my experience with them and I’m not going to lie about it.

[scudney]

you don't have to lie, however a few bad experiences doesn't make a brand bad. Shame about your experiences but these things do happen unfortunately 

[Malc]

apart from a few (  preventative )  major costs. like cambelt and waterpump and now UCAs ( on a couple of cars ) my 18 years and some 200k + miles of driving Ls400s has been nothing short of BRILLIANT ...........  now remembering alternator trouble about 15 years but hey, most cars at an age suffer this

other cars, marques I've had have never been troublesome either, just acceptable fair wear and tear with anticipated costs of running a working machine that will always require maintenance

I suppose an alternative is simply to change one's car every couple of years from brand new and take on board the phenomenal usual depreciation ..  and without the Ls400 comfort

Good luck to you though Mr Doofa, sorry to see you go,  you're now totally fed up with Lexus ..  Ford's are great cars, after all many many millions of people globally buy them, change them for new ones and the old'uns go on and on for ever somewhere   ( I guess ........... )

Malc

[The-Acre]

4 hours ago, mrdoofa said:

Exactly mate, they’re only cars!!! I’ve lost more than enough money on them I can tell you. I just expected much better from Lexus given their reputation for engineering and reliability but it’s not to be. I’m running a Ford Mondeo at the moment which is doing me fine, I can now spend some money on the other cars I love running, radio controlled ones!!! I apologise to other members if I’m putting a big downer on Lexus but that is my experience with them and I’m not going to lie about it.

It is worth saying this again Martin. I sold you a brilliant LS430, a car with impeccable history, a car that I should never have sold, a car which the current owner tells me is the best one he's ever had.  Maybe, just maybe, if you had have kept it for more than just a few weeks, it may be you saying now it's the best car you've had. Just a thought.

[jpjsavage]

5 hours ago, The-Acre said:

It is worth saying this again Martin. I sold you a brilliant LS430, a car with impeccable history, a car that I should never have sold, a car which the current owner tells me is the best one he's ever had.  Maybe, just maybe, if you had have kept it for more than just a few weeks, it may be you saying now it's the best car you've had. Just a thought.

Quite right. Ford Modeo v. Lexus LS? Only one winner in that contest and the overwhelming evidence of this forum confirms that.

[skyway]

Personally I love Ford Mondeo's  as they look amazing, have a sturdy build quality and are gifted with quiet ride a real credit to the Ford.

A friend of mine was an avid Mondeo fan (being in the owners club) and even turned up on those's ford event days, with his exciting looking ford Mondeo, all polished and even cleaned with cotton buds for those hard to reach areas.

He once proudly told me  "they do break down but the parts are cheap".

 

 

 

[jpjsavage]

2 minutes ago, skyway said:

Personally I love Ford Mondeo's  as they look amazing, have a sturdy build quality and are gifted with quiet ride a real credit to the Ford.

A friend of mine was an avid Mondeo fan (being in the owners club) and even turned up on those's ford event days, with his exciting looking ford Mondeo, all polished and even cleaned with cotton buds for those hard to reach areas.

He once proudly told me  "they do break down but the parts are cheap".

 

 

You pay your money and take your chance I guess. 

[Malc]

Ls400s ........... in 18 years and 200k + miles only ever had 6 breakdowns including three flat tyres ( years apart )...............on my Mk1  pas leak onto the alternator blew that on the M20 one dark cold night                      Mk1 again and the water radiator reservoir cap disintegrated and threw up all sorts of warnings ( £5 new cap at the time )                 Mk3 now with the catastrophic PAS leak from hidden corroded steel pipework that just burst, 4.5 years ago 

pretty free from breakdowns methinks tbh ..... great reliability, wonderful cars with regular servicing and preventative maintenance  ( forgive me if I've forgotten a breakdown or more over the past near two decades ) 

Malc

[mrdoofa]

15 hours ago, jpjsavage said:

Quite right. Ford Modeo v. Lexus LS? Only one winner in that contest and the overwhelming evidence of this forum confirms that.

And that’s exactly the kind of snobbish attitude I can’t stand on these forums mate. It would seem I’ve touched a few nerves for having the gawl to suggest that a Ford can be better than a Lexus, they say the truth hurts but that really is the case. I don’t just mean from a reliability point of view either, as I said previously the LS430 seat would start to hurt my back after a long journey whereas the mondeo seat doesn’t, it looks good too and feels modern, it’s spacious and comfortable with a massive boot, the dashboard doesn’t rattle (although this was a GS rather than LS issue but you still expect better from Lexus), the speakers work properly, the heated seats actually make a difference, it easily and laughably outhandles the Lexus in the corners whilst still having a very nice ride, maintenance is cheap and easy, being the Ghia X it’s fully loaded, the V6 engine is an absolute gem, in contrast to the Lexus silence (which is still nice!!!) this makes a lovely V6 growl which is very addictive and then there is the piece de resistance at this time of year, the luxury of a heated windscreen which is absolutely bloody brilliant, let me tell you!!! It’s certainly more of a drivers car but perhaps more than anything else, it’s just good fun to drive without the fear of having to remortgage or sell the house should something go wrong. You never know, I may even go all out and get a proper posh Mondeo one day in the shape of a Jaguar X-type, after all let’s not forget that a Lexus is merely a posh Toyota!!! 🤣🤣🤣

Perhaps I should’ve kept yours for longer than I did Phil rather than being tempted back into a hybrid, hindsight is a wonderful thing of course and life is full of regrets and “what if” moments but whats happened has happened, I’m glad it’s new owner is happy with it though and it seems to have gone to a good home.

At the end of the day despite everything I’ve said I do still actually like Lexus, (perhaps it’s lexus that doesn’t like me!!!) but it’s time to look beyond Lexus for me, I don’t do brand loyalty with anything in life, also I don’t do badge snobbery hence I have no problem going from Lexus to Ford, I buy things objectively for what they are rather than what they present to other people.

Cheers everybody, oh, and Happy New Year!!! 🍻🍻

[The-Acre]

2 hours ago, mrdoofa said:

And that’s exactly the kind of snobbish attitude I can’t stand on these forums mate. It would seem I’ve touched a few nerves for having the gawl to suggest that a Ford can be better than a Lexus, they say the truth hurts but that really is the case. I don’t just mean from a reliability point of view either, as I said previously the LS430 seat would start to hurt my back after a long journey whereas the mondeo seat doesn’t, it looks good too and feels modern, it’s spacious and comfortable with a massive boot, the dashboard doesn’t rattle (although this was a GS rather than LS issue but you still expect better from Lexus), the speakers work properly, the heated seats actually make a difference, it easily and laughably outhandles the Lexus in the corners whilst still having a very nice ride, maintenance is cheap and easy, being the Ghia X it’s fully loaded, the V6 engine is an absolute gem, in contrast to the Lexus silence (which is still nice!!!) this makes a lovely V6 growl which is very addictive and then there is the piece de resistance at this time of year, the luxury of a heated windscreen which is absolutely bloody brilliant, let me tell you!!! It’s certainly more of a drivers car but perhaps more than anything else, it’s just good fun to drive without the fear of having to remortgage or sell the house should something go wrong. You never know, I may even go all out and get a proper posh Mondeo one day in the shape of a Jaguar X-type, after all let’s not forget that a Lexus is merely a posh Toyota!!! 🤣🤣🤣

Perhaps I should’ve kept yours for longer than I did Phil rather than being tempted back into a hybrid, hindsight is a wonderful thing of course and life is full of regrets and “what if” moments but whats happened has happened, I’m glad it’s new owner is happy with it though and it seems to have gone to a good home.

At the end of the day despite everything I’ve said I do still actually like Lexus, (perhaps it’s lexus that doesn’t like me!!!) but it’s time to look beyond Lexus for me, I don’t do brand loyalty with anything in life, also I don’t do badge snobbery hence I have no problem going from Lexus to Ford, I buy things objectively for what they are rather than what they present to other people.

Cheers everybody, oh, and Happy New Year!!! 🍻🍻

You make some fair and good points Martin. I think you know, I also own a very nice Volvo V70 which is supremely comfortable (and contains many Ford parts!)  Given the choice of only being able to own one, the Volvo would be it, due to it being so practical.  There have been comments on the forum over the years re snobbery, and I understand completely what you're saying.  Anyway, I'm glad you've got something that suits you, keep in touch with the forum, you've made some valuable contributions, maybe even saving some 430 owners going through what you experienced with your transmission.  And if you find yourself down south at any time it'll be good to see you again.  All the best. Phil

[Texas]

I also have a Mondeo along side my 250 and I gotta say that it's horses for courses, of course they both get you from AtoB but if I'm going to supermarket guess which one I'm in ? Likewise when working away and driving for a couple of hours to a job then it's gonna be 'the nice one' as my wire calls it! Just gotta treat yourself sometimes and not worry to much about the cost, can't take it with you...

paul m.

[jpjsavage]

4 hours ago, mrdoofa said:

And that’s exactly the kind of snobbish attitude I can’t stand on these forums mate. It would seem I’ve touched a few nerves for having the gawl to suggest that a Ford can be better than a Lexus, they say the truth hurts but that really is the case. I don’t just mean from a reliability point of view either, as I said previously the LS430 seat would start to hurt my back after a long journey whereas the mondeo seat doesn’t, it looks good too and feels modern, it’s spacious and comfortable with a massive boot, the dashboard doesn’t rattle (although this was a GS rather than LS issue but you still expect better from Lexus), the speakers work properly, the heated seats actually make a difference, it easily and laughably outhandles the Lexus in the corners whilst still having a very nice ride, maintenance is cheap and easy, being the Ghia X it’s fully loaded, the V6 engine is an absolute gem, in contrast to the Lexus silence (which is still nice!!!) this makes a lovely V6 growl which is very addictive and then there is the piece de resistance at this time of year, the luxury of a heated windscreen which is absolutely bloody brilliant, let me tell you!!! It’s certainly more of a drivers car but perhaps more than anything else, it’s just good fun to drive without the fear of having to remortgage or sell the house should something go wrong. You never know, I may even go all out and get a proper posh Mondeo one day in the shape of a Jaguar X-type, after all let’s not forget that a Lexus is merely a posh Toyota!!! 🤣🤣🤣

Perhaps I should’ve kept yours for longer than I did Phil rather than being tempted back into a hybrid, hindsight is a wonderful thing of course and life is full of regrets and “what if” moments but whats happened has happened, I’m glad it’s new owner is happy with it though and it seems to have gone to a good home.

At the end of the day despite everything I’ve said I do still actually like Lexus, (perhaps it’s lexus that doesn’t like me!!!) but it’s time to look beyond Lexus for me, I don’t do brand loyalty with anything in life, also I don’t do badge snobbery hence I have no problem going from Lexus to Ford, I buy things objectively for what they are rather than what they present to other people.

Cheers everybody, oh, and Happy New Year!!! 🍻🍻

Sincere apologies! Not wanting to appear snobbish at all. But I don't think that we are comparing like with like here. From what I've heard from friends, new jags are not everything they are cracked up to be either. Good luck with your new car. 

[BigBoomer]

Commiserations on your LS400 John.

I could care less about badge or image. I bought an LS430 because I fit in it.
Ford no longer make cars for me sized people (only vans/mpvs/suvs) since they dropped the Granada/Scorpio/Taurus in the EU.
I recently drove a Taurus in the US and it's a nice car but has now been dropped there too as it seems everybody wants effing SUVs.

I've tried the Honda Legend twice (nice, but not that reliable) Merc S-class W220 (lovely car, but awful diesel motor and ******* reliability), Vauxhall Omegas, Carltons and Senators (nice but not that reliable) and am now onto the Lexus. So far it seems to be behaving itself with just a lambda sensor having to be replaced. I do need to replace the rear left door lock (deadlock works, but regular lock doesn't) and the drivers door speaker needs replacing/repairing and probably the sub-woofer too. For a 15 year old 106k mile car that's done 15k in the last year that's not too bad.

After this not sure where I'll be going. Probably be forced into an SUV as nobody seems to be buying cars any more. 😩

[Cotswold Pete]

5 hours ago, mrdoofa said:

 the LS430 seat would start to hurt my back after a long journey whereas the mondeo seat doesn’t,  

the heated seats actually make a difference, it easily and laughably outhandles the Lexus in the corners whilst still having a very nice ride, 

maintenance is cheap and easy, being the Ghia X it’s fully loaded, the V6 engine is an absolute gem, 

You never know, I may even go all out and get a proper posh Mondeo one day in the shape of a Jaguar X-type, 🤣🤣🤣

 

 🍻🍻

Martin,

Would agree on all points you made, took me a while to find right seat settings to feel as good as when I had Vaux Omega.  Would say LS seats could be better, I think back seats are better by a long way, but hard to drive when sitting in back.

On heated seats the LS range seems to be a gentle warmer, been in Audi/FOrd/BMW of late where your backside is being roasted within 10 seconds, so agree on really cold morning LS is a little too gentleman like.

Mondoe V6 in Ghia, a nice car, not driven one, but previous Ford experience tells me Mondeo a well sorted machine more or less since day 1..

X-type, the wife has one, Sport 2 litre, moves well, cheapish to run, but would say after 10 years expect to be spending a lot of money on welding sills every couple of years.  Seems to be really common problem on Jags, not just X-type. Grips road well, but clatters about a fair bit, and not so quite at 80 as I would like. Running gear seems susceptible to earlier replacement than I would expect (well compared to LS).

If it were me I would stick with Mondeo and enjoy life with the brilliance of heated windscreen (I know Ford used to have patents on this tech, so maybe thats reason why not a common feature).

[skyway]

TBh everyone has really tried to help you on this thread even after you called help snobbery, when in truth you had a bad time with a few cars for what ever reason and you seemed to just need a place to rant.

But I do wish you the best of luck what ever you drive in the future

[skyway]

 

[The-Acre]

4 hours ago, skyway said:

 

Possibly one of the most annoying YouTube people, but very interesting just the same. 

[nickd]

Thanks I enjoyed that.  So I take it from what Scotty says if you want a reliable older luxury car buy a Lexus?

Also I only use standard petrol, is that wise?

[The-Acre]

13 minutes ago, nickd said:

Thanks I enjoyed that.  So I take it from what Scotty says if you want a reliable older luxury car buy a Lexus?

Also I only use standard petrol, is that wise?

It's all I've ever used in all these years.

[royoftherovers]

17 minutes ago, nickd said:

Thanks I enjoyed that.  So I take it from what Scotty says if you want a reliable older luxury car buy a Lexus?

Also I only use standard petrol, is that wise?

A used Lexus needs to be bought with care and due diligence.

Merely buying it because it is a Lexus is somewhat short sighted in my view.

If buying from a Trader then, as with all cars checking that a full (preferably Lexus) service history and all/any recalls have been carried out are both essential. The Trader is then required by Statute to remedy any significant faults occurring within 6 months of purchase.

If buying privately, then check the service history and condition . If all services have been demonstrated and the condition is acceptable, then enter into a contract with the seller, so that in the event of clear misrepresentation the buyer can seek redress via the courts.

If an acceptable service history is not demonstrated or the condition causes concern , then unless you are knowlegeable and competent re cars and their requirements, walk away.

Do not fall into the trap of thinking that because it is a Lexus you will not have any problems.

[mrdoofa]

On 1/7/2019 at 10:23 AM, Cotswold Pete said:

Martin,

Would agree on all points you made, took me a while to find right seat settings to feel as good as when I had Vaux Omega.  Would say LS seats could be better, I think back seats are better by a long way, but hard to drive when sitting in back.

On heated seats the LS range seems to be a gentle warmer, been in Audi/FOrd/BMW of late where your backside is being roasted within 10 seconds, so agree on really cold morning LS is a little too gentleman like.

Mondoe V6 in Ghia, a nice car, not driven one, but previous Ford experience tells me Mondeo a well sorted machine more or less since day 1..

X-type, the wife has one, Sport 2 litre, moves well, cheapish to run, but would say after 10 years expect to be spending a lot of money on welding sills every couple of years.  Seems to be really common problem on Jags, not just X-type. Grips road well, but clatters about a fair bit, and not so quite at 80 as I would like. Running gear seems susceptible to earlier replacement than I would expect (well compared to LS).

If it were me I would stick with Mondeo and enjoy life with the brilliance of heated windscreen (I know Ford used to have patents on this tech, so maybe thats reason why not a common feature).

I found the heated seats in the LS400 much better than those in the LS430 although the cooled seats in the LS430 worked surprisingly well in the car I bought off Phil, they didn’t work at all on the LS430 I bought from our good friend, Old Baz!!! I had a Vauxhall Vectra Elite once and the heated seats in that would almost set your ***** on fire, they were uncomfortably hot.

I’ve heard that sills can rot very easily on X-types, especially earlier models. If I was to get one I would go for either the 2.5 or 3.0 V6 which also benefit from 4WD and probably sovereign spec.

Ford made a real winner with the mk3 Mondeo and I’m so far really pleased with it. Ford did have the patent for the heated windscreen but I believe they don’t anymore and I think some new Vauxhall’s have it now.

Would I be tempted back into a Lexus? All I’ll say is never say never!!! Despite all I’ve said and I have been very cruel I know the absolute truth is that I would still be very tempted by an excellent mk4 LS400, if I was to buy another LS430 I would go for a facelift one this time as I’ve already had 2 pre facelift ones. I also quite like the look of the LS460 although prices are a bit too high on those at the moment.

On 1/7/2019 at 10:09 AM, BigBoomer said:

Commiserations on your LS400 John.

I could care less about badge or image. I bought an LS430 because I fit in it.
Ford no longer make cars for me sized people (only vans/mpvs/suvs) since they dropped the Granada/Scorpio/Taurus in the EU.
I recently drove a Taurus in the US and it's a nice car but has now been dropped there too as it seems everybody wants effing SUVs.

I've tried the Honda Legend twice (nice, but not that reliable) Merc S-class W220 (lovely car, but awful diesel motor and ******* reliability), Vauxhall Omegas, Carltons and Senators (nice but not that reliable) and am now onto the Lexus. So far it seems to be behaving itself with just a lambda sensor having to be replaced. I do need to replace the rear left door lock (deadlock works, but regular lock doesn't) and the drivers door speaker needs replacing/repairing and probably the sub-woofer too. For a 15 year old 106k mile car that's done 15k in the last year that's not too bad.

After this not sure where I'll be going. Probably be forced into an SUV as nobody seems to be buying cars any more. 😩

I used to have a 1990 Granada Scorpio, it was the first large executive car I ever bought and I really felt like the big cheese driving that around as I was only 21 at the time!!! The insurance was eye watering but I wanted a Scorpio so bad. I also had a W220 S-class, mine was a LWB 5 litre V8, it had just about every factory option fitted and it would’ve been around £100k new but I paid £4k for mine. Don’t get me started on SUVs and simply awful crossover SUVs, it’s a sad time for proper traditional cars now the roads are becoming plagued by these truly hideous machines. I really don’t see the appeal of them at all!!! They look a bit like an off roader but would probably get stuck in a cow pat, they are heavy and have a high centre of gravity making them unstable and ultimately offer no more real practicality or space than a regular hatchback so what’s the point!?! Rant over!!!

On 1/7/2019 at 1:25 PM, skyway said:

TBh everyone has really tried to help you on this thread even after you called help snobbery, when in truth you had a bad time with a few cars for what ever reason and you seemed to just need a place to rant.

But I do wish you the best of luck what ever you drive in the future

You’re right mate, I do appreciate the help I’ve had on here and just needed to let off steam!!! Now I’ve calmed down I have to admit to still liking Lexus and if the truth be told I wouldn’t rule out buying another after all but I would be ultra careful this time, the fact I liked the cars so much makes it more annoying when they go wrong because you just want to enjoy it!!!

On 1/7/2019 at 9:31 AM, jpjsavage said:

Sincere apologies! Not wanting to appear snobbish at all. But I don't think that we are comparing like with like here. From what I've heard from friends, new jags are not everything they are cracked up to be either. Good luck with your new car. 

Absolutely no worries at all mate!!! I’ve just been feeling fed up and snapped at you so my apologies for that.

Phew!!! That’s a long post, I know many people would laugh at us for getting so worked up over cars but I love cars and have done all my life and hoped Lexus would be the ultimate experience, with the exception of Phil’s I’ve been very unlucky with them. I’m really enjoying the V6 Mondeo at the moment but I’m not going to rule out another Lexus one day.

Cheers guys!!!