Slightly Optimistic Pricing

[Ruud]

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/lexus-car-for-sale/1040425722

[cruisermark]

yep! my P reg sold for £1100 3 years ago with 90K on the clock and 2K for the Mark 4 a year ago with 80K on the clock

[messi]

You think that's bad, have a look on eBay, there is a 1993 ls400 where the guy is asking £2500. I know the value on the mkIV has gone up, but that price for a 1993 ls400 is ridicules

[Ruud]

You think that's bad, have a look on eBay, there is a 1993 ls400 where the guy is asking £2500. I know the value on the mkIV has gone up, but that price for a 1993 ls400 is ridicules

Aye that's the one who previously had a picture of a tractor and boat up :)

[harrylime]

I noticed the L plates. My daughter recently passed her driving test and I can't imagine her doing it in my 400. The turn in the road would have taken a while

[Malc]

and those goddam awful wheels too ..... have we seen it mentioned before, recently on here ?

Malc

[Bluesman]

I like the slightly Gene Vincent pose in the first picture, looks like an out of work mail order catalogue model, Gene Vincent for you younger ones was one of the real hard Rockin Rollin singers back in the 60's that's 1960s and not the 1860s when Bad meant Bad.

[steve2006]

That's not an L plate it's a custom made Lexus logo for the boot :), seriously overpriced mines done half the mileage and probably worth less than half his asking price.

[wackyjim]

That's not an L plate it's a custom made Lexus logo for the boot :), seriously overpriced mines done half the mileage and probably worth less than half his asking price.

Makes mine look like a steal too Steve :arrrggg-matey:

[steve2006]

Hi Jim,

Still happy with yours?

[wackyjim]

Very happy, love how you can drive in complete luxury and not attract any negative attention....putting on some winter tyres this weekend just to keep the old girl safe on the road :-)

[Keynsham1]

Why does everyone seem so keen for their cars to be worthless? Surely it is a good thing that the prices are up a bit? Low prices mean shoddy maintenance as it is not worth looking after. This leads to the end of the line for a lot of models.

[Ruud]

Not saying my car is worthless, but a mkIII @ £3000 is wayyyy to much by any standard.

[Bluesman]

Why does everyone seem so keen for their cars to be worthless? Surely it is a good thing that the prices are up a bit? Low prices mean shoddy maintenance as it is not worth looking after. This leads to the end of the line for a lot of models.

I don't think anyone is wishing the prices down but there has to be a certain amount of logical thinking. You will never force the market to put the price or value of your car up, its just impossible to control the market.

I have seen good quality LS's for little money and in really good condition with FSH and the dreaded cambelt done and we have all seen them put up on eBay Autotrader for ridiculous prices the only difference between the two is that the logically priced good condition one will sell in minutes as the other one will still be around this time next year.

Prices are holding on some LS's with MK4's probably increasing in value over the last 6 to 9 months as goodens are becoming very rare.

I love to see LS's being put up for big money but we all know in our minds that they will never attain that price.

[Keynsham1]

I just saw a Ford Capri 1.6 Mk3 sell for £13800. Ford escorts regularly fetch over £10K Very few large Mercedes ever get below £4-5k. I have a 1970 Rover 3500S which is a show winner. The value is not great however. Historically this is because the Rover club thought that keeping valuations low would attract people to the car and keep them popular and on the road for the future. Sadly what actually happened was that the car magazines used these valuations in their published car value tables and insurance companies followed suit with agreed values. This killed any chance of these cars being valuable. The knock on effect is that no one makes spare parts as the cars aren't worth keeping on the road and restoration is not cost effective. They were generally scrapped when anything went wrong with them. How many do you see today on the road? It would be sad to see the LS go that way, but it is already in 'banger' class with values as low as a few hundred pounds so I suspect it is too late!

[Bluesman]

I just saw a Ford Capri 1.6 Mk3 sell for £13800. Ford escorts regularly fetch over £10K Very few large Mercedes ever get below £4-5k. I have a 1970 Rover 3500S which is a show winner. The value is not great however. Historically this is because the Rover club thought that keeping valuations low would attract people to the car and keep them popular and on the road for the future. Sadly what actually happened was that the car magazines used these valuations in their published car value tables and insurance companies followed suit with agreed values. This killed any chance of these cars being valuable. The knock on effect is that no one makes spare parts as the cars aren't worth keeping on the road and restoration is not cost effective. They were generally scrapped when anything went wrong with them. How many do you see today on the road? It would be sad to see the LS go that way, but it is already in 'banger' class with values as low as a few hundred pounds so I suspect it is too late!

I can see where your coming from but the one big difference between your Rovers of any age and Lexus is that all Rovers were rust buckets and once you have to start hacking large amount of body work metal they become hugely expensive to repair and so they just go to the breakers, this of course is true of many other marques. Its rare even on this Lexus club too see them finish their days because of rust. Replacing mechanicals by comparison is cheap and as long as bodies hold together can go on, many Lexus owners do a lot of the mechanicals themselves keeping costs down where as bodywork needs all sorts of specialised equipment and skills.

[Malc]

And then we have RRs and Bentleys that cost a fortune new, cost a fortune to keep on the road, always break down and are more or less worthless towards the end of their lives UNLESS they are special one's when they are worth a mega fortune too ............. how weird can car prices be !!!

I guess I'll probably be the last buyer of the last Ls400 ..................... even if I have to source one from USA or Australia or wherever .......... assuming I ouitlive and outdrive my Mk3 :outforcount:

Malc

[harrylime]

It's a pity we can't predict which cars will become sought after classics, with values to match. If I could have seen the future, I would have bought every vw camper, Mk 1 Golf GTI and Ford Cortina in sight, back when they were cheap. It could have been my pension fund. Other cars are sought after by those who may have owned them and formed an attachment in the past, but they do not have mass appeal. It is down to supply and demand. Big, expensive or complex cars are not likely to appreciate dramatically. Exceptions include the E Type jag and to a lesser degree the Mk 2 Jag. However, parts are still available for these cars, thanks to specialists.I love the P6 Rovers, having had several 2000s but they are relatively cheap.

The Lexus LS 400 has the potential to be very sought after, which will be good or bad depending on whether you are seeking to buy or to sell. Not many people are aware of just how good they are and as the looks are not its strong point it is all about the driving experience and the fact that it is modern enough for daily use. ( I think they look elegant btw but they are not an E type jag). Compared to the LS430 and later cars they are relatively simple. Spare parts are a concern and perhaps the owners club should look at having common parts manufactured,? This could start with an initial order from members for parts which are no longer available, to cover tooling costs.

[Malc]

May be a little known fact ( shoot me down if I'm wrong please ) BUT one can hold a second ( or more ) cars effectively as a " pension fund " or part, as upon sale cars do NOT attract Capital Gains Tax.

Doesn't apply of course if the HMRC consider you to be dealing or trading .

Malc

[Titch LS]

I'm fairly confident that the LS400 WILL become a desirable 'classic' given a few more years yet. Prices do seem to be on the rise at the moment for well maintained examples. When I casually enquired about the absolutely immaculate early LS in the Hatfield Lexus showroom, I was told it would only be sold 'for the right money'---- meaning they would obviously ask a whole lot more than 'book' price. I'm sure someone would pay way over the top for that car, it's fantastic.

My 2000 mk4 is nice, don't get me wrong, but it's not in the same league (condition wise) as the one in the showroom. My insurers value mine at £1500 at present which I thought was a bit low, but that's insurance for you.

[cruisermark]

i agree with that brian - already we have seen how dealers are putting up prices of decent low mileage Mark 4s and equally people looking for the right car are happy to pay the price.

Personally paying 3k ish for a decent low mileage mark 4 is not expensive really - its a steal!

Ive had a 430 for a year now but always look at the mark 4s incase something rare comes along!

brain i cant see this car you mentioned advertsied anywhere?

or id you decide to sell yours (fat Chance) im all ears and Local!

[harrylime]

I agree with that view, what else can you get for that money? I just paid £2500 for my Mk 4 with 60,000 miles on, and am not bothered about making a profit if I ever sell. However, I can see where I want to spend some money on cosmetics to get it to my standard, new chrome badges, properly refurbished wheels etc. I am also anticipating suspension bushes at some point, although no sign of any problems, it is a heavy car and that is bound to take its toll. It is not a car I will begrudge spending money on, but would be nice to know if it is likely to retain most of its value. Depreciation is by far the biggest cost of running most cars, and easily outweighs losses in fuel economy to something "sensible". Running a car like this and "beating the system" is not bad going.

I am running out of excuses to drive the car for no reason. Last night I had to go out to "check the headlight alignment", as I had not yet driven in the dark. I was surprised how good they were following some comments on here. Perhaps upgraded bulbs have been fitted.

Incidentally, anyone know what type of stereo system was fitted as standard in 1999? I can't tell if mine is a Mark Levinson or an alternative. It's bloody good whatever it is. I'm hearing nuances in some Cds that I've never heard before

[Bluesman]

I agree with that view, what else can you get for that money? I just paid £2500 for my Mk 4 with 60,000 miles on, and am not bothered about making a profit if I ever sell. However, I can see where I want to spend some money on cosmetics to get it to my standard, new chrome badges, properly refurbished wheels etc. I am also anticipating suspension bushes at some point, although no sign of any problems, it is a heavy car and that is bound to take its toll. It is not a car I will begrudge spending money on, but would be nice to know if it is likely to retain most of its value. Depreciation is by far the biggest cost of running most cars, and easily outweighs losses in fuel economy to something "sensible". Running a car like this and "beating the system" is not bad going.

I am running out of excuses to drive the car for no reason. Last night I had to go out to "check the headlight alignment", as I had not yet driven in the dark. I was surprised how good they were following some comments on here. Perhaps upgraded bulbs have been fitted.

Incidentally, anyone know what type of stereo system was fitted as standard in 1999? I can't tell if mine is a Mark Levinson or an alternative. It's bloody good whatever it is. I'm hearing nuances in some Cds that I've never heard before

Absolutely amazing sound. I always look forward to a long drive by loading up 6 new CDs.

[Titch LS]

Mark, the 'Hatfield showroom car' is definitely a mk1or mk2. It's on display to show potential new customers a bit of Lexus 'heritage'. It even has its own write-up displayed on a posh looking wooden lecturn. It didn't have a 'for sale' sign on it, so I just made my own tentative enquiries about the car while I was there buying my new LS460 (only joking). I'd really gone there to pick up a few oem parts for my own car. The Lexus chap just remarked that they would only let the showroom LS go for 'a seriously good offer', by which I think he meant, in the thousands. I've not seen an LS as good as that one though, it looked like it came off the production line yesterday.

And you're right, I'm not selling my Mk4 either! Cheers.

[cruisermark]

Another good look early LS - enjoy the pics

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/73297-defiantly-the-best-mk1-ls400-for-sale/