Spacewagon52

Not heard of this before! Made me smile! A local milkman was arrested for drink driving his milkfloat a few years back!

Any garage in Dudley should not even try selling a Lexus! LOL!

I now fully understand! I think the economy, on a run, is very good for such a large car and engine. It is such a pleasure to drive. Hard to comprehend its age. Not sure many new cars costing upto £20,000 would be any better. I am beginning to wonder if we should keep it a secret? If too many people cotton on we might find it hard to replace ours in the furure! LOL! I would be hard pressed to come up with an alternative for the money. They are remarkable value, when compared to newer models, that you can justify spending a bit on repairs. I am more than pleased with RIO!

Wow! Those are impressive figures! I am wondering what revs is the most economical? 2000 rpm gives around 65 mph - anyone any thoughts on this. Might try an opposite comparison ............ try to get the lowest mpg!

Stick out for more. My daughter was offered a derisory £1700, then £2600 and got £2,900 in the end - but that was below market value.

Speed varied from 60 mph to 80 mph. I would describe my driving style as smooth and steady. When traffic conditions allowed (it was quite busy being a Bank Holiday) I put the cruise control at 70 mph. Constant speed driving on a motorway is the best for economy. On the way down to Bristol I got 31 mpg but travelling in city traffic (heavy in Bristol) really knocks down the economy and it was reading 29 mpg as I left Bristol. Town driving, even with a very light throttle, knocks the mpg right down. This was all based on the computer but I will do a fill-up and calculate again. I am not particularly concerned about mpg - as I am running a 4 litre V8! - but it is interesting to compare with my old 2.0 petrol people carrier. People's perceptions of the LS 400 V8, not familiar with the Lexus, are also interesting. "What do you get to the gallon? 15 mpg?" After frowning at them they say "Oh, around 20 mpg then? If I can get between 28 and 30 mpg on a long run, then I consider it worth every penny for the driving experience an LS 400 gives. When you need to accelerate from say 60 mph - the power is superb. On the negative side of driving the LS 400 ............. well I can't find one yet.

Took my LS 400 for my first long distance run, from Kent to Bristol and back. What a superb drive. The power available for overtaking is a dream. I got 30.2 mpg there and back, 420 miles and still the fuel light has not come on! More than impressed with the MkIV.

Thanks for the information Mike - I did not know about returning a car for a full refund.

Very sorry to see that. A couple of xmas ago our whole road had every car rear window broken by some half-life! Including my daughter's Golf. Not a nice thing to wake up to on Christmas morning. Did they get the driver?

Would be very interested to hear your comparison and your reasons for changing to a BMW?

That is the sort of Car Park I like!

Happy Christmas to all and safe driving over the holiday period. Taking the Lexus to Bristol on Sunday to pick up my lad - only two big sleeps to go!

Very sorry to see that. Ouch! was my initial reaction.

Being a member of this forum, can give you some added inside information before buying. Getting hold of a genuine LS 400 seems to be getting much harder and chancers will obviously try and pull the wool over people's eyes. As most LS 400 owners seem to keep their cars for an extended period, when they do come up for sale, it is even more important to try and ascertain the genuine reason for selling.

Are the wheels correct for a 1998 Mk IV?

That is interesting, as the throttle response on my MkIV is much sharper than my old MkIII. Setting off, you need to be very gentle with the pedal, otherwise it feels like you are accelerating too quickly.

Quote: ."........but the ride and drive quality is by far the best I've ever driven. " This is what really grabs me about the 400. Toys are fun to play with, but just to cruise along, even a 30 mph, and enjoy the smoothness of the ride, engine and gearbox is enough for me. The sound system is superb to my old ears but I often have it off just to enjoy the peace and quiet. Are we going a bit OTT? I hope not, as I do not wish to be disappointed.

Malcolm, you are now making me nervous about taking her out of the garage!

That is so interesting. There IS something quite special about a LS 400 (especially considering its age) which is very different from anything I have driven (experience limited) before. It is comforting that I am not the only person who thinks this way about the 400. Will try to keep mine going as long as I can afford it. When I can't, hopefully someone else will come along and keep her running. I have a friend who was a big Landrover fan ......... eventually he got fed-up with breakdowns and repairs. His argument for keeping the 90 was that it had soul. The LS 400 certainly has SOUL, in bucketfuls!

The debate continues - here Jason owned a LS 460 and he has bought a LS 400! The mind boggles! Are the Ls 460's really not as good? Or are we just searching for nostalgia? Owning a LS 400, the hairs on the back of my neck tingled when I read Jason's comments! Took the LS 400 out for a spin last night .......... yes.... they are something special. I came out of McDonald's (can't afford a decent restaurant!) and the lights were shining on the alloys (though they are a bit corroded) - I thought it was a flashy Mercedes, then I realised it was mine! (Smug look - aka Jeremy Clarkson). Enjoy Jason .... compared to other cars costing that much, you have got a bargain!

From other posts I would say this was sound advice! I was not sure if a suplimentary cooler had to be fitted or not.

Mark, do you tow with the Lexus LS 430? If so do you have any extra cooling (oil cooler) for the auto box?

I print out the advice on thge forum, just in case the garage mechanic starts to scratch his head.

My daughter wrote off her old but immaculate Golf by rear ending another car - her fault. They did not even look at the car, I described the damage and they said it would be written off. It was worth at least £3400. They offered her £1700 - I sent them adverts from Autotrader showing almost identical cars between £3200 and £3,600. They came back to her with £2,600 - she said "NO!" "What will you accept?" they asked. "Nothing less than £3,000!" They paid her £2,900 in the end! BUT ............. from £1,700 to £2,900??? What a joke. It was like bartering in an Arab market!

Very exciting challenge Mark. I wish I had had the courage to take the plunge and gone abroad, though circumstances would not have allowed me to take the plunge anyway. Are you going with an organisation such as VSO or is it private? Good luck with the move. Will look out for your LS 400 advert!