Sundance

I've just wasted not far short of a day of my life searching to improve upon my current insurers renewal quote of £650 that compares to last year's figure of £432. That's a 50% increase during which time I've not needed to contact them at all @ 1st Central. I've been to Direct Line (£1,550), Aviva (£797), Saga (£1,029), LV (£1,087) plus the many comparison sites from which the best premium on offer was through some weirdly named broker called 'Go Skippy' - who Philip has encountered above - @ £642 BUT with a £1220 compulsory excess!! No thanks, my current excess is £350. Are we all being tarred with the same Lexus CANbus theft brush or can I blame Brexit? Covid? Sunak? Johnson? Truss? Putin? Israel/Hamas? The Houthis? Anyway, however stupefied and apolitical I feel I shall reluctantly have to take the hit on the chin.

Some interior cuts & scuffs so don't be fooled by low mileage or the 'Executive Limited Edition' that doesn't offer much more than a standard SE-L. I'd still be checking door shuts & underside for corrosion. Never heard of Triangle Advante SUV tyres, they're poorly rated and cheap, check if they're all the same or has just one been bought as a fill in. Might soon need replacing for a 'proper' brand (that's £600+). Also ask about drive belt & water pump replacement, if not done already they will need replacing imminently (more money). Good shout by David about the Lexus warranty. Well overpriced in my view, especially for what is clearly a trade-in, but it is a dealership sale so to be expected I guess! Barter. Try playing the 'old junior school' card! 😁 Good luck. 😉

I of course mean Dec '22 🤪 Doesn't time fly 😄

Hi Nick. It certainly looks a nice, tidy & well kept car and not a heavy 'lady Doctor' as the driver's seat bolster has stood up well. Looks like some black underseal of sorts on there too, that could be a plus unless it's covering up something nasty. There's the old sales cobblers about it being "the best colour combination" which is purely subjective. I'm not sure it's worth the price advertised but I would guess Elite will say that you're paying for the low mileage. Mileage is nothing on these cars, condition means a lot though. Andrew's right about Elite, they have a debatable reputation and I doubt they will accept any offers so if you're keen be prepared to pay full price. Probably not worth the trip from Gloucestershire in my opinion as I think Colin is correct, I too would prefer an even slightly newer vehicle with more miles - which is what I bought in Dec '23. Good Luck in your search & Season's Greetings.

Just to add to my earlier rant I should also mention the paradoxical narrative about whether E5 or E10 has the same constituent parts at every pump. The different retailers would have you think that Esso fuel is of better quality than Tesco, or that Shell is better than CostCo or Sainsburys. Well, in the absence of indisputable fact my guess is as good as yours and believe you me it can only be a GUESS. The one standout FACT currently is that the cost of fuel at the pumps has dropped (in my area anyway) by over 15p/ltr over recent weeks and arguably should still be on the decline. My last trip to Shell (E10) cost me £1.39p/ltr whereas at the same outlet 5 weeks ago it was £1.55p/ltr. However, my advice is to take advantage now because oil shipments in the Middle East are being suspended due to attacks by militants and the price of crude is on the UP again! 🙄

Some still say that Esso E5 has zero ethanol in it. Who exactly are we to believe? This is a proper old chestnut, pour yourself a (very) large drink and off you go in search of the many and numerous threads on here covering this topic. There is so much rumour, speculation and anecdotal misinformation about E5 & E10 that it's difficult to establish exactly what's right and what's wrong. As I understand it the facts as presented are (1) E5 has less (5%) ethanol in it than E10, (2) ethanol is hygroscopic (ie. it absorbs water) hence (3) higher ethanol content in petrol can be damaging OVER TIME to certain seals & components, even metals, within fuel systems, (4) E10 has a lower energy density than E5 which can reduce fuel efficiency and (5) E10 (95 Octane) is cheaper at the pumps than E5 (99 Octane). The consequent, and understandable, speculation surrounds what is meant by 'OVER TIME', so how long does such degradation take? Then, does the degree of ethanol really affect the efficiency of the engine? Who can be believed about what fuel is good (or bad) for what engine? Research Institutions? Vehicle manufacturers? Automotive or media critics? Is there an underlying commercial bias? It really kicked off when E10 first hit the headlines but now the hearsay and criticism have died down to such a point where I'm not at all sure where we stand on REAL FACTS.

This is very sad John, because I seem to recall that you're the one who said this was the worst car you'd owned? Which variant is it? Maybe the SE-L what with the dipping mirrors and the auto-tailgate. 🤔 Mine's the SR, next to basic, same year as yours but doesn't have those fancy extras. I've also had mine for 12 months and I'm very happy with it ... but maybe you don't want to hear that! 🤨 Sorry that you've still got issues but not much I can suggest other than hang on in there and I hope things improve. 🤞

Oh dear, that's not good John. Re foot wells I'm guessing that you have the sunroof option and maybe even roof rails? Sadly both are known issues with water ingress. Check, clean & clear drain holes & fitment areas ... but I think you probably know all that anyway. As for heating, Malcolm is on it, maybe a pressure test if no obvious leak. Radiator? Sticky thermostat? Does car temp guage vary? Whatever it is I wish you luck, try & stick with it as these buses should in reality be reliable and relatively problem free given a sound service history. 🤞

Er ... symmetry maybe? 😂

That's good, just as we thought earlier then. So let's not over-complicate this and accept the fact that Primacy 4 are indeed asymmetrical. What's left that's not to like?

Here you go David ...

Let's cut to the chase here chaps. There's absolutely no reason for a symmetrical tyre to have either 'outside' or 'inside' stamped upon it, these two words are reserved for asymmetrical and (just in case one doesn't look at the tread) directional tyres. As for your query Len, I put it to you that Michelin Primary 4 are asymmetrical tyres and quite why or how Michelin can suggest otherwise is beyond me. https://alltyretests.com/michelin-primacy-4/

But no, that's not necessarily the case. SORN only came into being in Jan '98 so any vehicle registered before then and removed from the road could easily be hiding under modern day radar somewhere and under no obligation to be certificated. Classic examples of this are yer actual barn-finds. 😉

As we're talking SPORTS cars ... MGA 1500 ... "YXU 70" ... reg still attached to vehicle but no V5C since Oct 1982. Triumph GT6 ... "OYE 2L" ... reg still attached to vehicle but no V5C issued since Sep 1985. This info suggests to me that both my ex-cars are in store somewhere. If only ...

I'm with Len on this, in my view to suggest that any tyre has an inbuilt pull to left or right is absolute cobblers. My directionals run straight as a die so I would be seeking further advice & delete where inapplicable ... wheel balancing, wheel alignment/tracking, uneven tread wear, defective rubber, road camber, sticky caliper(s), incorrect tyre pressures, tyres on wrong way round (even asymmetrical tyres have a defined 'outside' and 'inside' for correct fitting). suspension arms ... and maybe there are even more issues that I can't think of, but quality new tyres should NOT cause the car to veer! If you still have a problem then forget the dealer/retailer and go straight to the manufacturer and complain! If for no other reason ... it's dangerous!!

How and where you drive it is up to you Al, 1st or 2nd car, makes no odds, although I would say that it's perhaps not ideally suited to just local runs, it needs its legs stretched pretty regularly. You can expect 25-28mpg driving it properly always remembering that it's listed as 'not E10 compliant' so recommended fuel is E5 only.

It's not that Al, of course I remain interested, who wouldn't about such a lovely car, but I posted just in case anyone on here was looking or had looked at it and wondered about history 😉.

In just less than 3 months ... I have been suspicious ... but now I'm pretty certain 🤐 .

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202310283427655?sort=price-desc&advertising-location=at_cars&include-delivery-option=on&make=Lexus&model=IS 250&postcode=cr3 6jq&year-from=2006&year-to=2006&fromsra I sold this car in Jan this year to a local couple. Spotted that it failed it's MoT this month just 10 months after it sailed through the one I gave it prior to sale. Suggested to me that something was up and blow me there it is on AutoTrader. Sad to see that it failed on tyres but the people who bought it off me added over 9k miles in 9 months so perhaps it was taking a beating. Still low mileage though and a lovely car when I sold it.

Hi Dennis and welcome to the Forum. An interesting colour, quite rare in my experience. Impressive MoT history with low mileage indicates that it's been well looked after & quite likely garaged. Not taxed for nearly a year suggests that it's maybe part of a deceased's estate, but looks genuine enough with perhaps above average wear to the driver's seat. I'd be checking for regular servicing stamps, time rather than mileage given it's only done 53k. If it has full Lexus history then that's a big plus especially if it includes an extended hybrid battery condition warranty. Corrosion underneath is often an issue but looks very unlikely given the MoT history and visual condition. So too is water ingress via the sunroof but there again, doesn't look likely. Age is certainly not a problem but not so sure about the price, despite it looking a good 'un I would not want to pay quite so much. Interesting that the ad details call it an 'Estate' suggesting the owner/seller is not quite sure what he/she has got. Others may have more knowledgeable comments about issues but that's my view. Good luck.

SO is OK whereas AND has become very de rigour at sentence commencement even though it remains grammatically flawed 🤫 . As for cameras (EDIT : more especially CCTV), without them I fear that our current day law enforcers would neither catch criminals nor fund the vastly diminished constabularies. Sad but true 🙄 .

Here's one for you cherishers. Local Sainsbury's car park this Summer. Incredible that the number is worth more than the car!! Since been transferred to an EasyRider 'monkey bike'!

I too have Avons fitted, but the All Season variety, the AS7. No complaints.

Worth a visit ... https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/car-insurance/