Spottedlaurel

I think the LS represents such a significant step forwards that it has every right to be considered as a 'proper' classic and command a decent price. I've used mine today and still marvel about what it does, and how it does it. I didn't pay a lot for mine, but it was a case of being in the right place at the right time and the price agreed was one which will allow me to fund future works and try to keep it on the road for a few more years. As I reported on here when I got mine, the issue is that some insurers don't see the early LS's status in the same way. FJ only seemed to accept it on my classic policy as I already had five cars insured with them, if I'd have gone to them as a new customer then they'd have turned me away.

Not quite! Admittedly that was the kind of music the previous owner removed from the CD magazine when I purchased it from him. It's a mid '90s Jungle compilation I recorded off a housemate's LP - sounds good on the decent stereo in the LS 🙂

Being used to things like LS400, Toyota Camry and various large Nissans the size wasn't something I really noticed when I got my RX - the large mirrors, rear camera and better visibility from being higher-up all help it feel reasonably wieldy, certainly in the rural area where I live. Narrow parking spaces are probably the only time I have to really consider its size. I think the boot should be bigger (and better-designed generally) - I'm sure it's not as large as the Avensis estates I had previously, and the Camry estate's loadbay is definitely longer. I fear this comes from being designed with the US market in mind, which seems to have a dislike of 'proper' estates/wagons. I find the steering lock to be pretty good for what is essentially a FWD car, definitely better than the Camry. At the end of the summer I was getting close to 40mpg much of the time, now it's colder and wetter I'm down to 36-ish. That's with some reasonable length journeys though, on shorter runs I'll be down to 32-34mpg.

Significant achievement made on my Mk1 LS400, when I used it for dad's taxi duty last night - found out that the cassette player works.

Isn't the thing with bulbs not that you have to carry a spare set, but that you shouldn't drive with a light not working? Given the complexity of changing bulbs on modern cars, even wher there replaceable, how much use would a spare set be for a roadside repair?

We visited Belcastel last year as we stayed not too far away. A very nice area indeed. All being well we'll be not far away again next year. It's a fairly mild frustration compared to a lot of what's going on, but one reason for getting the RX was for pleasant cruising when visiting France and it was a shame we couldn't do that this year.

Must admit it's not something I've felt massively in need of. The door mirrors are big and the camera gives a good view when reversing.

I recall the suggested advice is to turn off the AFS function (if fitted) on the headlights. That's what I did last year. Normandy would be a good bet, especially if you cross via Newhaven-Dieppe or the like. You can easily get onto some very pleasant, quiet roads and get into the swing of it without using autoroutes. Some really nice scenery there, whether it's coastal or countryside. We've enjoyed several holidays in that area.

Mine has gone off several times in the last week, I think because I ended up with a fly or wasp in there. The sensor can be turned off if you think there's a risk of it happening, but I think it has to be done manually each time you leave the car (unless there's something buried in a setting). Whenever it happens I am always mindful that it might be a sign of the 12v battery being on the way out. I know mine isn't as good as it should be, and I did have the alarm go off when the battery was the failing on an LS in the past.

Pleased to see you have one on your driveway now. Alongside an LS too? Similar combination to me (K-reg Mk1 in my case). The seamless and mostly inaudible way it switches between petrol and battery power is remarkable, it definitely adds to the driving experience. With the stereo on there's no way of knowing a lot of the time. In today's busy driving conditions there's still pleasure to be had on the must mundane journey in getting a big, heavy luxury SUV to give decent economy. In warm weather on some gentle, cross-country trips of decent length my 450 was getting over 40mpg recently, although now we're back to more traditional autumn weather I'm down to low-mid 30s on shorter runs. By way of contrast my LS does around 22, but I can't resist letting the magical V8 do it's thing in that one....... After odd use of the Energy screen I've settled on Consumption. That's much easier to take in at a glance, and it's easy to see the instant readout on the right go up to 60mpg with just a gentle lift of the throttle, often with no perceptible loss of speed. I also reset my trip each fill-up, and like to see the total mileage and distance to refuel figure gradually increase.

As a complete aside to the excellent advice above, and completely regardless of condition/mileage, do bear in mind the cat theft issue that 400s seem to suffer. If you're confident that it's in a pretty safe place at home, work etc then that's great, but if it's constantly on the street or in a public car park you might not be so lucky. You might find that the previous owner has already suffered it and had a straight-through pipe fitted to replace the cat.

Just had my 40k/6yr service at Ipswich. Didn't bother with Essentials as the cost difference wasn't significant, MoT was free as I have the extended warranty, total cost just a few pence short of £470 - not cheap, but exactly as quoted. 6yr service would usualy require plug replacement, but there was no need for them to be done at 40,000 miles. Ended up with a 20-reg Yaris Hybrid loan car - not really an issue as there was just me and I wasn't doing a large mileage in the day, but still a bit odd I thought. It'd only done 50 miles when I started, easy to get 55-60mpg+ out of it. We talked about the fact they don't have so many gen 3 RXs go through the forecourt now, as they're getting a bit older. The receptionist expressed interest in buying mine, not that I have any plans to get rid of it and I'm hoping to buy it outright when the PCP has finished.

Ouch. Really sorry to read this Barry. Your car is of similar age and mileage to mine (luckily one without air), I'd certainly be feeling pretty sick if I got a call like that. Just hoping I don't, as mine is in for a biggish 40k service as I write this. Having looked online I know it passed the MoT OK, haven't yet had a call about anything else..... With regard to the rears I assume what they're saying is that they'll be covered for replacement under the extended warranty should it ever become necessary. I presume the fronts would have been covered if you'd had the warranty? I suppose the lessons here for the rest of us are avoid air suspension and to take out the extended warranty if it's available. Just thinking, isn't this the second time we've heard about a car passing an MoT and then almost immediately needing significant suspension work? Is this down to things the MoT doesn't adequately cover, different standards being applied, or 'just' an oversight?

Motorline. You need go no further than that - I certainly wouldn't buy a car from them again......

I suppose these are big, heavy things with the centre of gravity at a less than optimum height, so the springs need to be firm enough to keep it under control and give handling that's as car-like as possible. I can see it being a tough compromise to reach - if it was too soft then it would feel like it was wallowing around on the bends.

Great to see an H-reg model, and in that lovely maroon colour too. I've found excuses to use my K-reg Mk1 for the last three days - haven't got a clue what issues the MoT will throw at me, so I'm just enjoying it while I can. Compares well to my RX in many ways, but not economy - 22 vs. 38mpg.....

Ride on mine isn't great and it's done less than 40k, and it was no better when I bought it with around 24k. My '92 LS400 is much better..... I believe 18" wheels only came on the gen RX on the rare entry-level SE model, although I'd imagine those from an earlier 400 may well fit (but check first!).

Does it make a difference if the AC is on or off? With no engine noise much of the time that's much more audible.

Sorry to hear of your issues. When I bought an RX last year I made the mistake of thinking the Lexus approved scheme meant I didn't have to check it too carefully. When I was cleaning it at home a week or two later I noticed the plastic undertrays were damaged and held on with cable ties and the exhaust system had a reasonably sizeable dent in it. Seems like it had been off-roading (intentionally or not). I got into a rather protracted debate with the dealer principal, he was an idiot and got rather upset, admitting at one point that he didn't know much about cars. In the end they agreed to replace the plastic undertrays but wouldn't do anything about the exhaust (probably because it wasn't a warranty item and would cost them ££££s). Fortunately I was within the period where I could exchange it for something else, luckily they'd had something better come in and I had that instead. The car then turned up at an independent sales place and I believe has now been exported. All in all not a great experience. I shall certainly be more wary next time.

I have a 2014 RX with standard suspension and I don't think the ride is particularly good, certainly like as cushioned as my '92 LS400. I suppose the suspension is doing a lot of work if you think about it, these are heavy, tall things to keep on the road.

Welcome James. My low mileage 2014 model certainly isn't quiet around that area, on mine it feels like it's interior components rubbing against each other. Make sure all the rear seatbacks are firmly clicked into place for a start. I got caught out by that on a journey once, it was the small centre seat not quite in place. Just remembered I put some felt tape on the small plastic cover that sits around the boot latch, I could see that had been rubbing against the tailgate. Are all the tools firmly in place? Nothing loose in the spare wheel well? That's not to say you haven't got any suspension noise, just try and eradicate a few easy things first. As a general comment, I don't think the ride is spectacularly good, it's a bit more jiggly and firm than I had expected it to be.

Sorry to read about the issue with your 350. I've seen that car listed, looks good to me. Pretty much exactly what I have as a 64-reg Luxury, except that one has the extra undertray parts and roofrails. Mileage is even quite close (I'm just coming up to 40k). It's low for the year, just make sure it has good ownership and service history. I haven't bought a car from the Lexus side of Ipswich, only an Avensis from their neighbours. Given the experience I got at another Lexus dealership when I bought my RX, I wish I'd been patient and waited for the right car to turn up at Ipswich (or at least in their group). I take the RX there for servicing and they're fine on that. An Advance has a slightly higher toy count, but the Luxury has pretty much everything you'll need and definitely avoid the Premier if you don't want air suspension.

Good to know you found the right car, hopefully in a colour acceptable to all concerned?!

My 2014 Luxury has what Lexus call darkened alloy wheels. On the black of mine it's not particularly noticeable until seeing a pre-facelift model where they're a bright silver. I think the darker shade looks good with the black, not too OTT like gunmetal or straight black.

Just had a look at mine - with low mileage and just one former owner I'd expect for it to be reasonably intact - and I can see nothing beyond what you describe. I have a few tool pouches from various Toyotas (and Datsuns/Nissans) I've had over the years - the only items from them that I use with any regularity are a 10mm spanner when swapping batteries around and a screwdriver for taking paint tin lids off. The Mk1 LS400 I've just bought has a neat toolkit in a dropdown panel inside the boot: It's all branded Lexus as well (unlike many of the components on the car) and there's another tool underneath the wheel chock. Looks like it's barely been used in 161,000 miles and 28 years. What's nice is I can get to it without having to remove all the clobber out of the boot first, which I just did to remind what the RX had.... While I was in the back of the RX, I'll give the boot cover a minus point for being a poor design that doesn't cover all of the luggage space and is easy to misalign when pulling it closed, but the solid boot floor panel is good and I like the way it folds in half then has a little clip to hold it out of the way when retrieving the jack etc. The 2015 Avensis had some flimsy bit of plastic with carpet that wasn't very substantial.