Anyone Know This Car?

[jpjsavage]

Anyone know this car?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201410198341409/sort/locasc/radius/15/price-to/5000/usedcars/postcode/cw113zb/page/3/seller-type/private_adverts/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/channel/cars?logcode=p

Hoping to look at it this afternoon. Looks good to me.

[Malc]

............. I was always under the impression ( probably totally wrongly ) that number plates with a Z in were from Ireland !

Not that it matters I guess

Malc

[Bluesman]

They have it listed as a 1994, looks as though you have found a good one. Good luck Mike.

[bigjap]

it can't be 1994 its obviously a mk4,its 1999 according to the description underneath,the z plates are indeed irish,but its been reregistered ,someone bought the plate so its not age related.my car has a z plate,it was changed about 5yrs before i bought it ,the old plates are still in the boot. looks a nice car jonathon,are you building a collection

[passman53]

Tow bar must be worth £3/400. Looks good and genuine, even down to the discovery in the background.

[Toy40]

............. I was always under the impression ( probably totally wrongly ) that number plates with a Z in were from Ireland !

Not that it matters I guess

Malc

It is a Northern Irish plate not all plates have Z in them More and more of the recent ones have Z but not all,Six different ones here for each of six counties mine (county) was IL now IG as in AIG BIG no CIG, DIG etc.its at OIG at the moment.Being non age relared they are great with these cars as the look so new even when older.

[jpjsavage]

it can't be 1994 its obviously a mk4,its 1999 according to the description underneath,the z plates are indeed irish,but its been reregistered ,someone bought the plate so its not age related.my car has a z plate,it was changed about 5yrs before i bought it ,the old plates are still in the boot. looks a nice car jonathon,are you building a collection

Well, I sold my black LS400 to another member here a while back. He was really keen on getting a black one!

I went to look at this one this afternoon. Met by a lovely gent who is the second owner. He has had it five years. He uses it to travel up and down to Aberdeen from Cheshire. I think he is in the oil business.

Anyway, car is in good condition but MOT expires next week. It is booked in for Thursday. It has four good Dunlop tyres that are about 1 year old with minimal wear. The discs and pads had been done around 6 months ago too but it was hard to see what make etc and there as no receipt. There is a full service history, mostly Lexus, and one or two other bits of work have been done on the car recently, including a new spring and a suspension bit too.

There are a few bits of bodywork that need attention to. The most costly would probably be the front near side bumper which looks like it has been knocked at some point. There is a small dent in the wing and the plastic moulding has been pushed back. I believe that these can be plastic welded back on? There is a small scape on the off side rear wing which would be easily sorted and the back bumper needs some attention too, as you can see in the photos.

The two advisorys from last years MOT are outstanding including some brake pipe related issues.

Apart from that, the car seems in very good condition with an excellent interior and everything works. I gave it a good test drive and the only thing I could notice was a slight rattle under acceleration from the front off side wheel which I guess is the bearing on the way out?

The only nagging doubts for me relate to the MOT advisories and bearing, so for that reason I have asked that he contact me on Thursday re what is uncovered prior to confirming an offer that we discussed.

If I bought it, would anyone want the tow bar? That was something the original owner, from the Market Drayton area, had put on the car and he has used it to tow a small trailer only.

Was I overly cautious in not buying this as it was? I don't know. Very much in two minds about it so perhaps a glass of whiskey will help?

Over to you guys!

[Malc]

.................. if it fails the new MOT on Thursday then buy it with the essential work done I guess ..... if it just has Advisories then you will know what to expect for the future ........... the brake pipes won't be expensive to change anyway ........... . they may just look " rusty " of course and be fine for years to come.

Advisories have a habit of sometimes just falling away, being the Testers opinion on that day and safeguarding himself.

Seems a ok buy at £1800 is it ( or your lesser offer no doubt )

There aren't many good ones around now and if an Oil Man has used it then he hasn't worried about the cost of repairs etc maybe.

Malc

[ColinBarber]

I gave it a good test drive and the only thing I could notice was a slight rattle under acceleration from the front off side wheel which I guess is the bearing on the way out?

Doesn't sound bearing related as you wouldn't normally just hear it on acceleration. An engine mount with too much play maybe?

[Colin M]

Any rust on the brake pipes is unlikely to have got much worse over the course of a year, so it may come out as an advisory again rather than a fail.

I had an advisory on rust on the rear brake pipes on my 1997 LS400 when I bought it with a short MOT and had a look at the pipes before taking it for its next MOT.

There was some light surface rust on them, which I rubbed down with sandpaper. I gave the pipes a coat of Hammerite paint and the car passed the MOT without any problem.

I hope it proves a good car for you, Jonathan, if you buy it.

[jpjsavage]

Any rust on the brake pipes is unlikely to have got much worse over the course of a year, so it may come out as an advisory again rather than a fail.

I had an advisory on rust on the rear brake pipes on my 1997 LS400 when I bought it with a short MOT and had a look at the pipes before taking it for its next MOT.

There was some light surface rust on them, which I rubbed down with sandpaper. I gave the pipes a coat of Hammerite paint and the car passed the MOT without any problem.

I hope it proves a good car for you, Jonathan, if you buy it.

Thanks Colin. We'll see what happens this week.

[Calders]

I know when I buy a car above all it just has to feel right, I have a pretty good record with my cars, I prefer to buy privately as I believe you can always get a better deal but obviously that has its risks, I do my homework and the slightest thing in an advert or a photo can put me off.

I brought my ls 400 2 years ago and my 460 6 months ago, I Spent months searching for the right car and then bang!! on both occasions they just jumped out at me and I brought on impulse, why ? Because it just felt right.

if I was looking for a nice mk4 at a decent price with a good background I think that car would be on my drive tonight,

as Rodney trotter would say "go for it, you know it makes sense'" good luck!!

[Bluesman]

I know when I buy a car above all it just has to feel right, I have a pretty good record with my cars, I prefer to buy privately as I believe you can always get a better deal but obviously that has its risks, I do my homework and the slightest thing in an advert or a photo can put me off.

I brought my ls 400 2 years ago and my 460 6 months ago, I Spent months searching for the right car and then bang!! on both occasions they just jumped out at me and I brought on impulse, why ? Because it just felt right.

if I was looking for a nice mk4 at a decent price with a good background I think that car would be on my drive tonight,

as Rodney trotter would say "go for it, you know it makes sense'" good luck!!

"He who dares Rodders he who dares"