Faults:

Alternator fused at about 97000km. Looks like it might have been caused by the power steering unit leaking onto it. The Toyota dealer where I bought the car would not tell me what caused the alternator (AUS$2040) to fail. They in fact replaced the broken alternator with a second-hand alternator and refunded me my extended warranty premium (about AUS$1500). I have had no such problems with genuine Lexus service departments, and have not gone back to the Toyota dealer where I bought the car.

The temperature LCD display leaked at about 120000km; I have not had it fixed, but have asked for a quote.

Had the steering pump replaced at about 150000km. AUS$1200+.

General Comments:

Apart from the above the car has been ultra reliable for over two years.

There is a bit of tyre/road noise on rough bitumen roads, but it is *very* quiet on smooth bitumen. No engine noise much at all (I've not driven it beyond 120km/h much) at freeway speeds.

Leather seats could be more comfortable. Improved in later models. I think Toyota Camry seats are better. The best seats I ever had were in my Renault 16 TS.

Excellent air-conditioning (compared to my 1998 Prado VX Grande).

The car really needs traction control (my model does not have it).

Faults:

Power steering seal.

Clock and temperature readout.

Both fixed under the Lexus warranty which came with the car.

General Comments:

I purchased the car from a Lexus dealer and it came with a 3 year Lexus warranty. The warranty issues have been carried out with no quibbles, even though the temperature screen cost A$800. Apart from failure of the original battery, these have been the only faults. The car deals extremely well with the diabolical road surfaces we have in Australia. It is no sports car, but just eats up the miles on long journeys. The seats are a little hard, but the leather shows no signs of wear or scuffing. I get 15 litres per 100kms on city driving and 10 litres per 100 kms on longish journeys. That is between 20 and 30 mpg for the decimally challenged! There are no squeaks and rattles even though I drive over unsealed roads from time to time. Leg room in the back is a little tight for taller passengers. Overall one of the best cars I have owned, I would not hesitate to recommend one to any potential purchaser.