BaT Auction Success Story: The End of a Relentless Pursuit: A Practical Look
This Success Story comes to us from stevec1456, who completed a fly-and-drive adventure with the 2000 Lexus LS400 Platinum Series that he won from Lroling in an October 2025 BaT auction:
We paid a little more than what I thought was the going rate for a reasonably low-mileage Lexus LS400. But it appeared to be a well-maintained car capable of driving cross-country, which was exactly what we had in mind. We flew from California to Florida and picked it up, then started our 3,000-mile, 12-day adventure.
Along the way, we visited family and saw some remarkable sights. The aquarium in Atlanta was described as the biggest and best in the Northern Hemisphere, a claim we can attest to be true. The San Antonio River Walk was another stop worth the extra 400 miles.
The highlight of our trip, however, was the Lexus. We drove a total of 3,700 miles without using a drop of oil. The car was the perfect blend of comfort and performance. Our longest one-day drive was 900 miles. Most of those miles were in Texas, where the speed limit is 80. So we kept our speed at 90, and in the Lexus it felt like 50.
The only close encounter we had was on our last day. Southern California experienced some dramatic storms as we started the final leg through the mountains. Knowing that California drivers typically think the weather is no reason to slow down, I tried to stay away from other cars. That strategy worked well until a car two lanes over hit a puddle, overcorrected, and ended up in our lane facing the wrong way. The truck one lane over slammed on the brakes, leaving me half a lane to squeeze through. You know how time slows down pending a disaster? I thought that we were going to hit one of them. Which would have left less damage? I also thought, “3,500 miles, and I’m gonna wreck the LS400 200 miles from home?” But the highway gods smiled, and our seven-foot wide car squeezed through a six-foot section of highway. As I started to breathe again, I looked at the rear-view mirror and witnessed headlights going in every direction across all five lanes. It must have turned into a massive accident.
In the following 50 miles through the mountains, we counted 12 accidents. Fortunately, none included our LS400. It was a good start to what I’m sure will be a long and very positive relationship.
We’re glad to see you made it home unscathed! Thanks for writing in to us, stevec1456, and best of luck on your future road trips.
If you have a Success Story about a car you’ve bought or sold on BaT, please send a few lines and pictures (or a video) to community.content@bringatrailer.com, and we’ll send you a $50 credit to the BaT Gear Store when your story posts to the site.
We love to hear from satisfied BaT buyers and sellers, and a Success Story feature is a great addition to any car’s history when you’re ready to sell.
