Rc-f's Taken A Big Hit!

[Guest]

M4 - RS4 - CL63 - RC-F 

All the RC-F owners here have been in this position and chosen the RC-F for various reasons, the merc forum it's opposite (except they probably didn't even include the Lexus). There is no right or wrong or even a 'best', as the experience is personal. I've had BMW drivers literally stop me in the street to comment on the RC-F and been totally surprised how it is in real life. Exclusivity is also a nice thing to some people. Not so nice that you'd buy a Honda accord though.

What I would say regarding reviews is that journalists do not part with any cash to make their decision and they have no concerns over long term ownership. A decision made while parting with cash is much harder the make. You may feel physically and emotionally different.

So, all cars above are more than adequate in power and performance for the road, they are all comfortable enough and for the most part probably all reasonably reliable. I doubt many of us can get near the performance envelope on the road in these cars and still make it home. What journos do is quibble over meaningless subjective elements and very often fail to understand the engineering or design ambition. They certainly seem to misunderstand engine torque - even claiming to be able to feel it when driving. And when you hear one person saying the steering is excellent and another say the steering feels dead, you know something is up. And it's not the car.

If it comes to buying a car that I like the look of and trust over one that is 0.3 seconds faster 0-60 I'm going with looks. 

My bike does it in 2.9 and I can't afford a car that can do that.

I would say not to let magazines guide you too much, I once went to a bike shop to buy a bike I'd read endless reviews on - and left with the one I'd discounted, after looking over them and seeing the superior engineering.

[Stuno1]

I don't disagree with any of that, as always it comes down to personal preference. The one main thing that will stop me buying an rcf is the resale of it. I imagine trade it would take a hit and privately it would be tough to sell. 

[Guest]

You might be right. But there are less than 200 rc-f on the road in whole of UK. If there are 300 people who want one prices will hold. About 800 cl63 of various types. I'd also suggest a petrol hungry car is going to be hard to sell whatever the brand. That's another reason to buy with extreme caution in case it's a long term ownership.

 

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[Flytvr]

2 minutes ago, Comedian said:

You might be right. But there are less than 200 rc-f on the road in whole of UK. If there are 300 people who want one prices will hold. About 800 cl63 of various types. I'd also suggest a petrol hungry car is going to be hard to sell whatever the brand. That's another reason to buy with extreme caution in case it's a long term ownership.

 

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I see what you are saying Sean, but the chances are, the majority of those 300 people, like most potential F buyers will be savvy and in no rush. So, I don't see prices holding. I suspect they'll be around the £25k in a year, but of course that's crystal ball stuff 

[Guest]

I agree actually. I think they will floor at 25 and then demand will come in. I've just seen a 20 year old Bike that was Probably 7k new sell for 13.5k. Is it worth it? No, not logically but it's not a common Bike and appeals to a niche market. If you want one you're competing with other potential buyers.

 

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[Stuno1]

Demand will definitely come in at that price as it's a huge amount of car for the money and age and depreciation will be minimal at that stage. I am only looking to own my next car for 2 years so at current prices I don't think it makes sense. I'll certainly drive on with and who knows that may change my mind. 

[Guest]

I got in at about 35. I paid 25 on top of my old car which was paid for. I don't care about depreciation on my rc-f. I knew when I bought it that it could happen. One thing is for sure, I will lose a lot less than buying a new IS or RC hybrid at 38k. They will be worth 1500 quid one day. V8 NA will always appeal to some and do not underestimate the power of nostalgia :)

 

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[MNMJ]

 

19 hours ago, Comedian said:

M4 - RS4 - CL63 - RC-F 

All the RC-F owners here have been in this position and chosen the RC-F for various reasons, the merc forum it's opposite (except they probably didn't even include the Lexus). There is no right or wrong or even a 'best', as the experience is personal. I've had BMW drivers literally stop me in the street to comment on the RC-F and been totally surprised how it is in real life. Exclusivity is also a nice thing to some people. Not so nice that you'd buy a Honda accord though.

What I would say regarding reviews is that journalists do not part with any cash to make their decision and they have no concerns over long term ownership. A decision made while parting with cash is much harder the make. You may feel physically and emotionally different.

So, all cars above are more than adequate in power and performance for the road, they are all comfortable enough and for the most part probably all reasonably reliable. I doubt many of us can get near the performance envelope on the road in these cars and still make it home. What journos do is quibble over meaningless subjective elements and very often fail to understand the engineering or design ambition. They certainly seem to misunderstand engine torque - even claiming to be able to feel it when driving. And when you hear one person saying the steering is excellent and another say the steering feels dead, you know something is up. And it's not the car.

If it comes to buying a car that I like the look of and trust over one that is 0.3 seconds faster 0-60 I'm going with looks. 

My bike does it in 2.9 and I can't afford a car that can do that.

I would say not to let magazines guide you too much, I once went to a bike shop to buy a bike I'd read endless reviews on - and left with the one I'd discounted, after looking over them and seeing the superior engineering.

I agree with all of this.

Apart from the bike bit. The fastest I've got to is 49.8mph on the Buxton to Leek road

 

[Guest]

You need to pedal faster :D

[MNMJ]

Yes I do need to try harder. it was my first ride on that road so I wasn't sure it was safe. I think 55mph is possible, which would be nice as there is a 50 speed limit sign at the bottom of the hill

[Linas.P]

8 hours ago, MNMJ said:

it was my first ride on that road so I wasn't sure it was safe.

You are right, it never is...

[Guest]

Not with cyclists all over the place ;)

 

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[Linas.P]

26 minutes ago, Comedian said:

Not with cyclists all over the place ;)

especially those pedaling at 49MPH... 

[dutchie01]

What is expensive for one is cheap for another, always two sides to the argument and so on and so . Maybe the question should not be what it costs but what you get for you hard earned money, a superexclusive spectacular looking car with loads of character and power enough to bring a smile to your face every time you wake it up. 

Owning a car will always cost money but if you are interested in a little more than the cheapest form of transport from A to B spending it on an RCF ( or RCHybrid) doesnt seem like a bad idea at all!

[Corrado]

Just reading some comments on this thread regarding the C63 and as someone who owned an IS-F and moved on to 6.2 C63 I have posted my initial impressions on the IS-F forum already a few months ago.

I was not and am not a big Mercedes fan - I'd still have my IS-F if it weren't for practicality reasons but I've found the C63 slightly quicker than the IS-F. With a remap it will certainly be quicker than the GS-F and RC-F too. I agree though that +-0.1 or 0.2 seconds to 60 does not make or break a car.

I would say that the Lexus is better built and feels better built too but I bought both cars with a main dealer warranty for peace of mind. Probably not necessary on the Lexus though!

My C63 on 18" wheels rides better than my early IS-F. I didn't drive the RC-F as it didn't fit my needs but would certainly consider a GS-F in the future.

The 6.2 AMG engine feels a little (but noticeably enough) quicker and as @Stuno1 has stated is easily remapped to 500-515bhp as the engine is detuned in the C63 to avoid upstaging the E63, CLS63 and S63 etc when they all used the M156 engine. 

Regarding the C63 having a greater proportion of 'yob' owners - I went for a debadged silver estate on 18" wheels in a bid to avoid unwanted attention.

Talking of attention though, the exhaust imho is one of the best standard exhausts on any normal five seater car. It's quiet with a nice burble when pottering along but nice and loud with pops and bangs when pressing on. 

I know the comparison being made here is RC-F v C63 and I'm not addressing this specifically but with the choice of NA V8s reducing all the time the Merc 6.2 engined cars will probably hold value relatively well due to the following AMG engined cars have. As good as Lexus V8s are, they just aren't as widely recognised except by true enthusiasts resulting in limited new and used demand. Good for us when buying a used F though! 

Each to their own though, the IS-F, RC-F, GS-F and AMG V8 engined Mercs are all very good cars 😀

 

[Guest]

I think there will come a point when you see a V8 merc and V8 BMW selling used for more than newer turbo models. Comparing used to used. I know you're right about lexus being niche, but things like the LC might wake people up to the brand who then see the RC. As I have said before I've been surprised by the reaction of sporty car owners when they see the rc-f. You'd think it had come out of a secret cia project for how much they know about it.

 

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[Flytvr]

12 minutes ago, Comedian said:

I think there will come a point when you see a V8 merc and V8 BMW selling used for more than newer turbo models. Comparing used to used. I know you're right about lexus being niche, but things like the LC might wake people up to the brand who then see the RC. As I have said before I've been surprised by the reaction of sporty car owners when they see the rc-f. You'd think it had come out of a secret cia project for how much they know about it.

 

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Interesting point of view.

i just wonder if there will be even less buyers for the RC if the LCs get traction

[Stuno1]

We all believed the RC would bring the IS in to popular view but it didn't happen. Lexus would need an M3, golf gti like success with a model to make people sit up and listen. I just done see it happening. Personally that's one of the things I like about the brand. It's rarity for the owners.

Inagree big capacity cars will become the sought after models in years to come although I was reading something about turbo cars not performing as expected in terms of emissions so manufacturers may start favouring N/A cars again in the future. 

 

I cant wait to see what the LCf will be like. I assume there will be one.

[Guest]

5 hours ago, Flytvr said:

Interesting point of view.

i just wonder if there will be even less buyers for the RC if the LCs get traction

I suspect most LC's sold will be the hybrid. It has enough performance for it's intended purpose. I would buy the hybrid in that market and for that car. 

It's an expensive chassis if you pay that much money to have an RC-F engine in it. And possibly slower. It's 200kg or something heavier isn't it? 

I note the launch events have been road based after the RC-F track launches. Journos seem to really like it, totally not realising they are driving the same engine and are being manipulated in their expectations by Lexus. Or just happy to take the free lunch and say nice things. Cynical eh?

My humble un-informed opinion of course!

[Guest]

5 hours ago, Stuno1 said:

I cant wait to see what the LCf will be like. I assume there will be one.

4ltr twin turbo 600 bhp according to a Japanese magazine, name of which I can't recall.

[Flytvr]

27 minutes ago, Comedian said:

I suspect most LC's sold will be the hybrid. It has enough performance for it's intended purpose. I would buy the hybrid in that market and for that car. 

It's an expensive chassis if you pay that much money to have an RC-F engine in it. And possibly slower. It's 200kg or something heavier isn't it? 

I note the launch events have been road based after the RC-F track launches. Journos seem to really like it, totally not realising they are driving the same engine and are being manipulated in their expectations by Lexus. Or just happy to take the free lunch and say nice things. Cynical eh?

My humble un-informed opinion of course!

I've driven both the hybrid and the V8. The hybrid did nothing for me :(

[NemesisUK]

LC going cheap... A little TLC required though

 

http://www.carscoops.com/2017/09/someone-has-already-crashed-lexus-lc-500.html

[dutchie01]

UK sales of the LC are pretty good so far with over 180 cars on order. Forecast for the first 12 months was 250. roughly 50% hybrid that are ordered in a somewhat basic spec. the V8 is ordered mostly in top spec.

the LC has received raving reviews in the european motoring press. The European introduction was in Switzerland where the journoś were given a 2 day trip they could do independently from each other stay over in a pre booked hotel next day back to base. Combined city, autbahn and mountainroads. Much better introduction than in the states where most motoring journalistst started thrashing the car around a racetrack then reporting it was not as sharp as an M4 etc etc.   

[Guest]

1 hour ago, dutchie01 said:

where most motoring journalistst started thrashing the car around a racetrack then reporting it was not as sharp as an M4 etc etc.   

deja vu

[Linas.P]

On 9/2/2017 at 11:49 AM, dutchie01 said:

What is expensive for one is cheap for another, always two sides to the argument and so on and so . Maybe the question should not be what it costs but what you get for you hard earned money, a superexclusive spectacular looking car with loads of character and power enough to bring a smile to your face every time you wake it up. 

Owning a car will always cost money but if you are interested in a little more than the cheapest form of transport from A to B spending it on an RCF ( or RCHybrid) doesnt seem like a bad idea at all!

even very expensive car can be relatively cheap e.g. if there is Bugatti Veyron on sale for £250'000 it is still expensive car, but it is relatively cheap because new it costed £1 million and other such cars costs maybe £870'000. That said I don't think RC-F is cheap, but first of all it is relatively cheap considering original price, age and condition of the car e.g. it is possible to buy 2 years old car with 10000 miles, for half of original price and it would be hard to argue that new car from dealership with delivery miles would be in better condition in any measurable way. Secondly, it is relatively cheap when comparing it with competitors like M4, C63AMG and RS/S5.. whilst it seems price is similar RC-F comes fully loaded and similarly configured BMW, MB, AUDI would be maybe £10-15k more.