looking for a cheap car, the old XR4x4 really is boring me now after 4 years (anybody want one, 1990, 12months mot, taxed, towbar, 2.9i, careful owner last 4 years looking for £500 or offers not tooooo far below!)

anyway been looking at maybe getting a Lexus LS400. Dirt cheap now, if I get a late pre-cat one then they can go in the bin when they fail the mot, looks like a good tow-car with the 4.0 v8, comfy, seem to eat bizarre mileages (looked at one with genuine 225,000 miles and the leather was still unmarked and as new!!!

Anybody got any horror stories or recommendations?

I know it will guzzle fuel but my brother and I were discussing last night that we both get 18-20mpg out of any car we drive (at the moment road car wise we have between us a 1995 Scorpio Cosworth 24v, Manta with 2.0 SOHC Cav sri engine, XR4x4 2.9i, BMW E28 2.0, 2001 Vectra 1800 16v, and they all give 18-20mpg) so it'll make little difference anyway in that respect!!!!

Plus the 7 will be going soon so I'll be using that as much as poss, the Lexus will be a wet weather and tow car really.

Hi Nat,
What happened to the diesel Transit project/thought/idea?

I got 40mpg+ towing a trailer with a car on with a Transit recently.

Cheers,
Syd.

took the words out of my mouth Syd.

What are the parts costs like? I suspect huge.

Too expensive Syd. Looked long and hard at it but I can't get any sort of transit that's not had concrete mixed clumsily in it for less than £1500 really (obviously then plus best part of a grand for the work to get ti ready for the job), and I'll still need my car trailer with the crewcab transit because the load deck won't be long enough to fit a saloon/7 on it.

Think I'm going to get a cheap big car and just carry on trailering, shame but vans are just too expensive compared to nice comfy cars!!

[Edited on 14/4/06 by NS Dev]

quote:

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Originally posted by MikeR
took the words out of my mouth Syd.

What are the parts costs like? I suspect huge.

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It's a Lexus - it won't go wrong - so don't worry about parts

They're damb nice looking cars too....

ill have to say .

Volvo 960 estate , 3 litre , auto , top of the range , for about £1500 for a nice one .96/97 model year , fully loaded .

cheaper 2.5 ones can be had manual .

The lexus engines are meant to be quite refined and economical, so the fuel economy might not be as bad as a similar european/american V8.

NS Devs driving it ........ economy isn't a word he quite understands

Actually, thats a lie, he understands it for the entire time it takes him to fill up, pay and leave the petrol station

bits are humungus on them,£700 for a steering rack,managed to replace the rubber bush for pennies tho,plugs are made from unobtanium even headlight bulbs are non standard and cost the nation debt of a small country.
apart from that dont go wrong too often