Bluemarlin

Unavailable to me too. I think the WEF or Illuminati must have blocked it 😉 🙂

It's getting crazy with all these zones and low traffic neighbourhoods. I don't mind the principle so much, it's just that they're not always obviously marked, and are easy to miss; especially if you're used to driving on such a road regularly. On the plus side, I once returned to my car just as a warden was ticketing it. Upon looking at the ticket I saw that he'd got a digit wrong, so I smiled at him as I tore up ticket and drove off. Never heard anything about it 🙂

I'm very happy with the Cross Climate SUV's too. They're not only quieter and more comfortable than the mix I inherited, but also handle the snow and wet very well too. Fiddling around with the tyre pressure a little will also improve the ride, although at the possible expense of tyre wear.

I think I read somewhere that the older model RX's had leak issues regarding the seams and around the rear light clusters, leading to leaks in the boot. Other things were corroded fuel filler lines. Initially I was looking at 300's and 400's and read about these isssues so in the end I bit the bullet, doubled my budget, and went for a 450h, without either a sunroof or roof rails. I've also treated and sprayed the underside and wheel wells with Bilt Hamber, and annually give it all a good spray with ACF 50 in the hopes of keeping any rust ay bay. To improve the chances of finding a relatively rust free car, I'd suggest avoiding any that have come from Scotland and the far north, or coastal regions.

Regarding corrosion, it makes sense to have a good look all over the car to see the extent of it. Fortunately, given the ground clearance of an RX, it's easy to have a good look underneaath with a torch. Some surface rust is inevitable, but be wary of anything more serious. I'd be most concerned about corrosion on the sills, wheel arches, bottoms of doors, than a little surface corrosion on the subframe, which can be easily treated. It's also worth checking the floor of the boot. Typical areas where leaks occur are the sunroof drains and the roof bar mountings. I can't really comment on which car would be better, but bear in mind that road tax on the 350 is around twice that of the 400.

I don't mind spending decent money on tyres assuming they last their lifetime, my only concern being the high cost of replacement if I get a puncture. With that in mind I did notice recently that National Tyres offer an accidental damage guarantee for £7.50 a tyre for tyres supplied by them.

Or will it be the reverse? BMW are shifting electric Mini production from Cowley to China.

Same as my 2009

Thanks for this Ed. To me this is one of the biggest benefits of the move to electric, the fact that it's prompted manufacturers to totally rethink how cars can be made. Many of the negatives surrounding EVs come from the fact that current cars involve little more than fitting a battery and electric motors to existing designs. With real innovation, like this, it will be interesting to see what other manufacturers can come with over the next 10-20 years.

Depending on when last changed, coolant and spark plugs. Obviously check brake discs/pads.

Oh yes John, seemingly only 100 miles in the last year, and around 700 the year before. Also quite a few recent repairs (not necessarily a bad thing). I'd also be concerened about the bottom having been painted black following corrosion advisories, as it implies a cover up rather than a fix. The corrosion issues are possibly a result of it sitting around for long periods. Looks to me like the owner's got fed up patching things that tend to go wrong on older cars and wants to get rid, and is trying to price to cover some of his costs. That said, it's a 22 year old car, so no surprise there are some issues, but the patchy MOT history and lack of recent use are red flags.

No MOT between 2016 and 2022 either.

I've done the "just needed" touch ups on a previous car, and it only resulted in the same issues recurring a year or so down the road. There's also the possibility of further issues that weren't picked up as part of the MOT. The front carpets look as though they might have been soaked at some point, and there's quite few rusty bits in the engine bay. My car's a 2009 and cosmetically looks almost new in comparison. It really doesn't look like a well looked after car. I suppose someone with time and acccess to the right equipment might be able to make it a viable proposition, but for anyone else it could just be a long term money pit. Which is the opposite of what most people look for in a Lexus.

My understanding is that cars have to be roadworthy in order to be sold as "used". Without a valid MOT, and all the failures, then surely it should only be able to sold as "for spares or repair". With both near and offside sills and wheels arches corroeded to the point of failure, I imagine it would be quite an expensive project.

I thought the same, and so assumed that perhaps he keeps the manual key with him, and the fob part in the suitcase? An alternative solution when travelling is to take the batteries out of the fob and hide the fob and batteries somewhere in the car, and then either keep the physical key with you, or in one of those magnetic boxes, hidden somewhere under the car.

I can just about remember my first girlfriend. She didn't mind being manhandled, but drew the line at being put in a suitcase in the boot 🙂

I don't believe that is the dealer's statutory responsibility. In the first 30 days the buyer can reject the car rather than accept a repair, but I don't think he can insist on a repair instead of a refund. So, as I understand it, the dealer is perfectly entitled to take the car back and refund the customer's money, if he feels a repair isn't cost effective. Look at it this way, if the engine blew up, there's no way a dealer would be expected to supply and fit a new one over simply refunding the customer and taking the car back. I'm not usually a huge fan of car dealers, and I sympathise with the OP's position, but I don't believe his personal/financial circumstances are the dealer's responsibilty. Basically, the car's faulty and so the dealer has offered a full refund. As awkward as that may be for the OP, it doesn't seem unreasonable. Personally I'd rather have my money back than risk the dealer trying to cut costs on a repair, in order not to lose money on the deal.

I quite like the day out too. I put my folding bike in the back and then go for a bike ride while they're servicing the car.

I was sent a video by the dealer when I had my last service a few weeks ago, as well as the service before. It was basically just showing that the brakes and tyres had plenty of life left, as there were no issues to highlight.

Thanks Herbie, after a quick play around that seems to be the ticket. On the phone it's "add stops". Just need to figure out how to save the route, but I imagine that just needs me to fiddle about with it with a bit more.

Yes Len (and Maurice), I want to use my phone rather than a dedicated sat nav. I think Herbie may have highlighted the solution though.

I must add that one thing I'd find really useful, in any of the navigation apps, would be the ability to set multiple waypoints for any given journey. I often want to go to a set destination, but would like to stop at/pass several other places on the way. Other than setting each place as a separate journey, I've not yet found a simple way to do this on either Google maps or Waze. It seems like a fairly basic requirement, and so maybe I've missed something obvious. So, if anyone has found an easy way to do this, I'd be grateful for any pointers.

I've used it for a couple of trips to Europe and it's been great. I tend to switch between Google maps and Waze which, in the past, meant loading up my destinations/favourites to both. The advantage of what3words for me is that I can just load them up once, and then pick which mapping app it uses.

Which I guess is why they introduced the 10 year plus extended warranty. As said, the option is either to go to an independent and forgo any extended warranty, or shop around for a discount. I got a discount on a five year service plan, which works out at £275 for interim services, £460 for major ones, and £629 for the spark plug service. The quotes I got from independents at the time weren't any cheaper, so thought that was reasonable.

I think this kind of thing will become more common with the increase in camera phones and dash cams. So Vlad, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, and get yourself a speed camera and earn some commission on your travels. Do truckers still use CB radios? If so your handle could "Vlad the Bounty Hunter" 🙂