LS 430

Gloriously comfortable express but expect some early bills at this age

I do 500 miles of motorway a week, much of it when the M25 is busy, so needed something comfortable. Knew it would be older - I hate depreciation - I'd rather spend the cash and know I'm getting something in direct exchange for it. Wanted to treat myself but whatever it was going to be, it had to be reliable and not ruinously expensive to run. With a £5k budget and horror stories from my brother about his BMW and Mercedes' reliability, there was only one choice really, and that's a large Lexus. LS 400 was known for being bomb proof but getting seriously on - most over 25 years old. LS 460 doesn't have same quality of build and car tax approaching £700 p.a.. Lots of good US reviews to learn from: 160k LS 430s sold there. 2004-2006 refreshed version is the one to go for.

So, I got a 2004 LS 430. Fabulous to drive, totally effortless progress, incredibly relaxing but with serious oomph on tap. Luxurious interior cabin quality and pretty much everything works. Had it nearly two weeks and done 1k miles. Heated (and cooled) seats are great for a grumbling back. Rear seats are heated, can tilt/extend and have a massage function that family report is pretty ineffective. Good sized boot. I'm quite tall, so sorting out the seat took a while so as to avoid the central door frame creating a dangerous blind spot when checking for overtaking vehicles. Fabulous sound from Mark Levinson system and has a tape deck plus 6CD changer. Step in and unwind!

Running costs: I got the car for the motorway and it doesn't disappoint - on cruise at indicated 62mph or 72mph, getting 35mpg and 33mpg respectively. Lousy around town (18mpg) but what can you expect from a 4.3 litre V8? Have an 08 Yaris for local runs. Comprehensive cover was £1,250 (ouch) from DirectLine and tax was £395 for the year. There must be a catch right? Well read on - you can find you've bought a dog but if you go into it with your expectations set right, and the budget to match for early jobs, you should be OK if you buy carefully.

Bought at 136k for £3k and expected £1-2k bills on top, of which £500 is a full service. Planning to run for up to five years and to 250k miles. Car comes with good Lexus and subsequent independent service history. Clean MOTs hid some neglected matters. Usual works at this age will be done at good independent garage (Edwards Vehicle Services, Oxon): full service; timing belt, tensioner, idler, water pump, auxiliary belt. Owners tend to use Park on auto-box rather than hand-brake, so the rear handbrake mechanisms need reconditioning. Air suspension is fine (expensive if not - a must-check if you're looking at buying one of these) but a front shock absorber is misting so will replace both fronts plus front suspension arms/bushes and front tyres, change the transmission fluid and regas the aircon, bringing the total to around £2k. There are a couple of other minor advisories and an annoying parking sensor to fix, plus another interim service in six months and a full service in a year or so, so expecting another £1k bill in about a year's time but should then be pretty secure.

Bodywork generally excellent but LS 430's known for rust bubbles at top of front doors (got single spot of small bubbles on each door just in front of the door mirrors) along with some minor under-body corrosion at the rear wheel arch to be cleaned up to avoid later problems. Steering wheel adjustment motors can fail (tilt has but not telescope), doors' mirror hinge mechanisms can fail so recommend folding only when strictly needed (car wash, parking on a highway). Watch out for dampness in the rear boot side wells that hold the DVD and fusebox - keep drains clear. Look out for a little corrosion on the front of the sun-roof window frame. Door locks can go, so check.

For fabulous motoring at an upfront price that's in the real world, a late Lexus LS 430 is hard to beat. Hope this review helps you find your own waftastic conveyance.

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