Faults:

The car stalls when stopping at an intersection or stop sign while driving on the open road. Seems to be a common fault with the '95/'96 model.

Has slow idle at all times, once the engine is at normal operating temp (400 RPM or slower).

Stereo lost illumination at night. The problem was there when I purchased the car, and have had to fix it two times since (dry solder joints).

Front suspension upper control arm bushes worn (knock from front end going over bumps). Cannot buy bushes on their own; they're only sold as complete arm $$$!

Diff mount bushes also needed to be replaced.

Sun roof drain hose came apart and would leak water down the "A" pillar and on to the floor when it rained. Easily fixed, but you need to drop the head liner to reattach the hose.

General Comments:

I am disappointed at the wear of suspension components at a reasonably low mileage. Issue first started around 100000km.

The car is comfortable and very quiet to ride in.

Will do 150mph stock standard! (Checked on YouTube)

There is a lot of leg room for rear seat passengers; I never have to move my seat forward.

All the room in the cabin, and the position of the fuel tank behind the rear seat, makes for a small boot (trunk).

I do love this car, despite its faults, and would like to upgrade to the LS430.

Faults:

Recurrent problem when slowing down for tight cornering; the engine stalls.

Doesn't happen every time, but can stall pulling up to a stop sign, and it's annoying.

Otherwise utterly reliable.

General Comments:

I bought this car from a private vendor last year for $7250. It needed about $800 worth of panel beating, but the result was a beautiful and luxurious vehicle that I now take on a two-way 170 km journey each week, plus driving around town.

It is an ex-Singapore second-hand import.

The handling is not brilliant, but then again it's not a sports car. Power is more than adequate. Very quiet engine, road noise a bit intrusive, but my mechanic (I don't use the local Toyota dealership) says changing the tires will improve this significantly.

There is some wind noise, which I understand is common if the windscreen has had to be replaced.

Back seat leg room is amazing - best I've ever seen in a sedan - and though this comes at the expense of boot space, how often does one need all the boot space?

Sound system very good, and handy having the 6 disc changer in front of the passenger seat.

Not expensive to maintain; as I said earlier, I use a mechanic who loves Toyotas - when I first showed him the Lexus, he said "At last you've bought a real car."

Styling is a little dated, but hell, who cares - this is a classic.

I'm taking the vehicle in next week to get the fault I mentioned above fixed (hopefully). I hear electrical problems in these vehicles can be expensive.

I get up to 730 km from 70 litres, so good economy for a V8.

I realised my dream of owning a Lexus before age 50 (just!), and would recommend doing this to anyone. Used ones are incredible value for money. The 1UZ-FE V8 engines are legendary for reliability and quietness.

The person who sold me the vehicle had upgraded to a LS430, and I would probably do the same. His parents also owned a Lexus each.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.