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Thanks for all the replies/advice guys. Well, i'm pleased to report that after 2 weeks of shopping around i finally took the plunge and bought the beauty you see below!.....(please excuse the rubbish iphone pics) could'nt be happier with it!... I really think i've found a fantastic example at a decent price, she's the the SE-L model with every single option known to man, including the lexus ipod connector in the glovebox, and with only 28,700 miles on her she'll be with me for quite some time i think. Just one more thing.... God these things shift!..

Great to see everyone today at the Bluewater meet with guest appearances including an RC F and Porsche. Good to see 7 IS F's in one place!! Here's the clip of the different exhausts, enjoy!!!!

I’ve been lurking a bit on this forum as I was doing some research before the purchase of my current car, I have a 53 plate RX300 SE-L and can confidently say that it’s the best car I’ve owned. It was a tough call between this and the LS430 as they are both well-equipped and both have presence on the road. I opted for the RX as I’ve never had a 4x4 before so thought “what the hell!” and bought it in late August. It’s the silvery/bluey/greeny colour with black leather. Its totally standard and has all the standard equipment an SE-L has. Air suspension seems to be working fine but I’ll continue to monitor them. Reading through the forum I’ve been able to find the answer to pretty much all the questions I had, but there are 2 which I’d still like to know more details on. Are genuine Lexus car mats really difficult to get hold of outside of a dealer? The Driver’s side mat as a hole in it and I wanted to get some new ones, but nothing comes up on eBay, only after market mat sets. I would ideally want the ones that have Lexus written on them like the ones I currently have. Lastly, has anyone any details on what ports and plugs are on the back of the SE-L Sat Nav/In dash CD changer/Tape player? I’m looking for a way to add an AUX cable so I can add my Android phone and/or an MP3 player. There are a couple of ways I have thought about doing this but I’ll need to know : Is there a port on the back to allow an additional CD Changer? Does the back of the unit have any RCA inputs, or; Is there an AUX connection on the back of the unit? Having a picture of the back of the unit would be useful, but I can’t find one! Other than those 2 queries (the mats are not even an issue if I’m honest, it’s just something to complete the car) I have no complaints at all. I know if looked after it will go on forever, there is even a specialist near where I live in Maidenhead that I found purely by chance while reading another thread. So all in all i'm a pretty smug chap at the moment! Thanks in advance for your help!

Maybe they will reduce the price of the NX to where it should (and deserves) to be.

Why not go to your local dealer and ask to drive both models back to back and see for yourself? - The dealer should be happy to oblige and a test drive does not commit you to buying from them... Thanks. I think that this sounds like an excellent idea. The more I read the more I am sold on the Rx450. Also having had a look at various sites there seems to be a lot of stock of the SE-I but not the SE-L. Is it worth holding out for a SE-L - it seems like most of the difference appears to be the audio system? The other half is also desperate for a DAB radio - is it an easy upgrade if it is missing off a model we like? Thanks

You and me both Chris. Had not noticed either.

Try doing an average of 56 mph and see what you get. At high speeds the engine is purely on petrol and you are just lugging a heavy battery around as ballast. If you want to tare up the motorway and be economical get a diesel. Hybrids are better round town where it can use the battery more. Sent from my iPhone using Lexus OC

It was great meeting everyone, nice to see you again Stu and thanks for the ride in your ISF, it was mental! I'll put up some snaps i took later tonight.

Some interesting cars there lol

Car harmony in the household - you are a very lucky man!

Look to import from the US, plenty of third party products available which even if they only last half as long as the OEMs mean you're ok for another 7 years. Take a look at Rockauto.com as a starting point.

A bit! A reason I shifted my LS-added up price of bushes and it was more than car value! (Chicken!)

strut rod bushes sounds like to me, mines doing the same, i checked mine and there is plenty of play in them, how much are we talking to get fixed?

I cannot see the anti roll bushes being the problem on a 80k 2000 it is more likely to be the upper control arms as the symptom of knocking as you apply the brakes is the red flag for worn upper control arm hub bushes. The quickest way to check is jack up the front of the car so the wheels are just clear of the ground ,place a large pry bar at the bottom of the wheel and apply upward pressure at the same time clasp the hub bush .If it is worn you will feel it knocking on pressure application and release,this simulates the exact scenario of brake application.

Whoops! Sorry, thought Keith had a 400h! Oh well ignore me, I'm talking sh*te again! ;)

Simon, Changing the anti-roll bar bushes on the later models, i.e. on a mk4 like mine, are not any harder to do than on earlier models. I've changed mine and it's a relatively cheap and easy job to do for your average DIYer. Some of the other bushes are MUCH harder to replace. Some of the noise I was getting was coming from the shock absorber top mounts, so I had those replaced. No noises any more. In your case it could be your front strut rods though, and they are expensive. You'll need your Weetabix in order to fit them if you go the DIY route.

I would give all front bushes and ball joints a thorough check before throwing any money at parts that might not be the cause of the knock. Mine was knocking too when going over bumps and braking and that was due to worn bushes in the upper control arm.

It was an offer from Rock Auto in the US. Gates Parts. Actually I should have added about £45 quid to that for the drive belt pulley tensioner. Quite a few bits were worn. Labour was nil as I did the job myself. You can check out my roller coaster ride on earlier posts/threads. I spent another £60 on tools but given I've wider benefits from that £'s spent I've not included that in the overall costs.

Hi just got myself this week a Gs300 sport New to all this so bare with me