Gbneil

i think i may have caused some misunderstanding, i would not expect to average 30mpg in an rx300, i was initially asking if 30mpg would be available on long commutes sitting around 55mph as i am not a fast driver. i would expect an rx to average high teens/low twenties in daily use. my old ls400 used to return 34mpg on long runs, but averaged 24mpg weekly. i am aware there is a difference between a running average per trip and an overall average. many thanks for all the advice, gbn

Mpg no longer an issue as it will be Mrs car, she is urban commute so mpg will be dire, but she does about 50 miles a week so shouldn't be an issue.

Thanks for all replies, my ls400 is long gone , a car I should NEVER have sold. Since then I have had tdi beetle cabrio, tdi golf, mitsubishi L200, Honda accord v6 coupe, 20k mile streetka and Mercedes w169 a150 three door. Oh and a wonderful 30K mile from new showroom '97 Volvo 940...should NEVER have sold ka or Volvo. You see a pattern emerging? It's the baby Mercedes I have sold and am presently running around in my old beetle again which gets passed around the family like a well worn sweatshirt. Mpg not such a worry now, have talked my Mrs into taking the new car to replace her old BMW z3 which she adores, but is a bit tired. Shortlist so far is Hyundai terracan or shogun or other full size four by four, not comparable to rx I know, X5 and xc90 have been scrubbed because of reliability. My favourite would be rx but if you know my car history am as likely to buy a panda!!! Will keep you all posted, thanks again.

Thanks man, working away till Friday.

OK , sold my wee car yesterday so actively looking for rx. There is one nearby which I can't view till weekend, what should I be looking for, it's a 2005 se and it's mot history seems decent.

Big difference in economy running at 50/55 as compared to 70 where your wife is getting 28mpg? Particularly with a mobile barn door like an rx! Not set on an either or yet, my ridiculous eclectic car buying history suggests am as likely to end up with a direct opposite type of car!!

Thanks for all the replies. Given my propensity to waft along with cruise on, sounds like mid thirties might JUST be achievable. I have not sold my current cars yet so all this may be spurious for now. I am considering X5 and xc90 for diesel option and I guess I am making mistake of comparing them all to my current 45mpg supermini, whereas is should be comparing them to each other. If for arguments sake, the diesels can return mid thirties and the Lexus about thirty, the difference is not huge. Lexus likely to have been more sympathetically owned too! Thanks for the offer to see rx, may take you up on that! God I miss my ls400!!

I know, I know, don't buy a v6 petrol behemoth if mpg bothers you, I'm just looking for some advice from owners who may do the same kind of miles I do. Some weeks I cover almost 1000 miles, I am self employed so utilise the pence per mile approach to tax returns, and whilst a more economical car means more money in my bank, I spend a lot of time IN my car and do love a Lexus. So, my commute is Dundee to Aberdeen return four days a week or Dundee to Edinburgh return four days a week, each of these once a month. I commute Dundee to Perth four nights a week week in week out. So, essentially ninety percent dual carriageway top gear cruise. I am a very steady driver, fifty to fifty five mph on cruise most of the time, rarely above sixty. I know, boring auld git. Anyhow, I know town mpg in an old rx would be ruinous, but with the driving style and mileage I do, would low thirties be achievable as that Is my breaking point? Would love a hybrid but still to rich for my meagre pockets. I ran an ls400 for several months and averaged 26-28mpg with 33mpg on longer runs, so quite light footed.

Think it's your luck, or skill in buying, with fiats. I have owned loads, they are my go to cheap banger. My 20vt was immaculate for all the years I had it, on top and underneath. Same with all the old and new pandas if owned, cinquecento a, 127, 132 and pintos...and don't forget UNOs...

Imagine this to the beat of Dylan's it's alright ma. It's alright world. Some people stand and stare, wonder if they’re even there Don't know when or why or where, feel like their souls are bare Take no action stand and look, don't turn the pages of their book Feel the fisherman sink his hook, wonder if he is a crook But it's ok, to stand and stare, at the monsters that aren't there It's alright world, you’re only bleeding. People believe what they read, fisherman tells them what they need With his words he plants the seed, walks on by as they bleed The money that they never owned, to buy their cars and their fine homes It wasn’t theirs it was only loaned, by the fisherman on the telephone But it's ok, to,pay the price, for your vanity and avarice It's alright world, you’re only hurting. The preachers tell them all to pray, waiting for the end of days When a wise man comes along and lays, his life down for the ones he slays The fishermen, they bait their lines, fool their people every time They Promise them a life so fine, but it's their life, it isn't mine But it's ok, to heed the words, of the wise men, and their lords It's alright world, we’re only dying.

There is a known problem with the radiator, also afflicts other Toyota vehicles I believe, where coolant is allowed to mix with transmission fluid, due to corrosion, with predictably disastrous results for the auto box.So it's a radiator issue, not a gearbox issue. Q: How does the 400 cool it's auto trans fluid? Or should I say where? OP, what is your definition of "ropey"? - Mine would be any Lexus with air suspension as it is such a liability once the car is out of warranty. After that, rust. - From 45 yrs of experience, high mileage in a short time is great. The cars are cheap & they don't (these days) wear out cruising down a motorway. Whereas high age, low mileage cars can be an expensive disaster, esp. if unused in winter when the pickled timing & guide wheels rubbing on a timing belt will shred it; but you can't convince the buying public because they are so concerned about their street cred. But what do I know after being brought up in the business. I deliberately waited for a coil sprung 430, & what do you know, at last a big Lexus that's a driver's car!! Shock. Hi. Mileage does not frighten me one bit, I have owned a few 200k mile cars, and 2 300k milers, a Citroen xm td estate and a Volvo Amazon estate! Having taken on board the advice proferred in this thread, it has merely confirmed my suspicions that whilst a well kept ls430 can be a paragon of reliability, the earlier 400 is hewn from granite in comparison. My mk3 had 67k miles and drove like new, nothing like a well cared for car. My current lowly ford had 20k miles up when I bought it and if added almost 10k miles. It has only needed petrol. My ultimate Lexus would be a 600h lwb but lottery win notwithstanding, that will have to wait a significant amount of time. Thanks so much for all replays. Gbn

Have the guys address but no phone number. Was a strange one as he got a beautiful car for pennies and never left any feedback. Have tried to contact him via eBay several times but no joy. Lives around 100 miles away. I may go knock his door if my ka sells

Maybe just find yourself a good Mk3 again ..... or dare I say it, try to but back your last one ! Malc I have tried to make contact several times but no joy, and if I can't have THAT one back I think mk4 would be my choice

I much prefer 400 aesthetics to be honest and they have that granite like impregnability. Yup, confirmed my gut feeling. No school like the old school

Purely hypothetical at the minute but God I miss my Lexus. I was never overly keen on ls430 but had a proper poke around one the other day..another level of luxury? I am in process of selling my car and whilst the 2k or so will not go near even a ropey 430...and why would I want a ropey one, it will, sadly for 400 owners, buy a decent mk4 ls400... So question, revisit ls400 in full knowledge I will always compare it to the one I loved and lost, or save for 6 months or so and get a decent 430 albeit probably not as nice condition as the 400 I can potentially afford. This dilemma is hypothetical and has probably been posted many times, but opinions please?

Beautiful car, makes me miss mine even more. I think my next car change will entail some saving and a good mk4 or ls430...should NEVER have sold my 67k mk3... You told me so, shoulda listened!

...cliches alway have a basis in truth,I guess. I was wondering more about the gender specific attributes that seem to have been assigned certain products. Coupes in general seem to,have become feminised, Hyundai, rx8, puma...lots of bought by and driven by women, yet market used to be predominantly male marketed....Capri, manta, monza etc... Yet...a 350/370 z is a man's car, for sure....is this why toyobaru have found it so hard to break into this sector...a pretty coupe with 'blokeish' traits, fine handling etc...and, conversely, why are these considered 'blokeish' traits. Some cars are not gender specific, I have tended to find saab, and volvo, as asexual- a by product of their socialist Scandinavian image..again created as both were ultimately bought by the huge multi national companies..perhaps BECAUSE of this brand image and the loyalty it generated? Driven by either s*x and liked on their merits. This stuff fascinates me as I am writing a philosphy project on marxism and feminism. advertising seems to have created accepted modes of possession, and society has becomes culturally and sexually divisive, and fragemntaiton suits capital? I would love, for instance, a boxster....any age, any engine...because it appeals to me, looks, hand,ing, engineering ingenuity...I like them more than 911... But...womans/hairdressers/couldn't afford a 911 baggage comes with these cars. I WILL have one because I buy and drive what I like....given the loot, I'd buy a boxster gts, or rs spyder over a 911 anyday...

Having just bought a wee streetka, a thought occurred to me...it's a great wee car, nippy and handles superbly. And yet, I will probably be One of the only men who ever find this out as they do seem to be blighted with that 'woman's car' tag...surely a manufactured nomenclature?...ford themselves marketed these cars to women and predicted 90% of buyers would be female. And yet, a frogeye sprite or midget was never considered a woman's car?...same template, small,,cheap, cute..and fun....it is indicative of the times we live in that the sight of any man driving a convertible of less than about 200hp is culturally incongruous. Now, this got me to thinkng...what's in a badge....How would history remember the copen, streetka, mx5 mk1 and 2 if they had, say, an Alfa badge on the snout....and therefore became 'acceptable' for a petrolhead to own and drive...or even an alpine or matra...or mg badge for that matter...may I make the observation that if the ka had an Alfa badge....everyone would love it...I think it looks stunning, although I appreciate its styling is divisive...superb sharp handling, only thing un italian- it was styled by ghia and built by pininfarina remember- is its engine....neither powerful, economical or sonorous, it is the wee cars Achilles heel....with the puma 1.7 this csr would have been a nigh on perfect small roadster... Now this being a lexus forum I know I am dealing with bright, like minded individuals who plough their own furrows...but as the title says...what's in a badge...if our beloved ls400 for instance were made, and badged by, mercedes, they would have had even greater kudos, no? I appreciate this is an open ended and speculative question, but I just wonder how much of what we buy is actually what we want to buy and how much we buy because we are constantly encouraged by overt and subliminal suggestions and stereotyping that's it's THE THING TO HAVE....fits our demographic, s*x, wage packet.?

Well, beetle went to my daughter at Christmas....that was a big surprise for her. I ran her golf for a month or so and sold it the other week and bought a 20k miles from new streetka....which surely has a mini me lexus sc430 tail on it? Seems like a great wee car, nippy and handles superbly. I will probably be the only man who ever finds this out as they do seem to be blighted with that 'woman's car' tag...surely a manufactured nomenclature- a frogeye sprite or midget was never considered a woman's csr?....same template, small,,cheap, cute...and fun....it is indicative of the times we live in that the sight of any man driving a convertible of less than about 200hp is culturally incongruous..

Really like clarksons...sure he makes stupid comments,but much of this is a manufactured persona, he essentially plays a caricature of himself....

I would have paid around 2-2.5 k for this car....only thing that really put me off was the hideous air bag control unit ruining the centre console...

Yup, series one with rolling speedo and satellite pods was fantastic...I had a 2400 gti when I was young, superb car

I am, of course, talking nonsense...it's an age thing...the cx was the citroen named after the acronym in French for aerodynamic coefficient..il get my coat....

as far as I know the deese connection was a lucky coincidence , or a contrived one...ds is also the French term for cd, as in drag co-efficient...I was always under impression that's where its name came from and the goddess nomenclature conveniently fitted. Stephen bayley write what I thought was a dreadful article on them in car magazine last month. usually like him too..

Link?....could be interested if price is right...