Have I Done Right Thing

cool SN · September 21, 2015

Wonderful friends,

On weekend I paid deposit for Rx450H 10 Reg 60K mile. Full service history with Lexus. I bought it from Lexus dealer (Lister)

I do 350 - 450 miles a week.

I liked the car.

I understand that

Rx450H won't give any significance average than my Zafira
and insurance will be 50% - 200 % higher
services etc will be atleast double.

I liked the car but as it was about to close I didn't check much functionality bought it as I believe Lexus is quality and it was Lexus dealer (lister)

Once I came home I started to get into negative thoughts (it is just me) that have i chose the right car. it is atleast £8k more than prius I saw plus £150 - £200 extra spending per month over prius (fuel economy , service , insurance etc)

I just hope I made the right decision.

I bought 2 years additional warranty for peace of mind. but thoughts coming to my mind what if a button is not working or Bluetooth is not working etc etc.

Also they were asking if I want to go for insurances like

car protection against dent scratches etc £347 for 3 years for maximum of £500 per claim (smartinsurancecover.com)

guarenteed asset protection(in case of totally written off vehical. the gap between what my insurance company pays and the value I purchase). the policy price is £177.00. I think this is too good to be true and like any other insurer they will find a way to not pay in case someone meets this unfortunate scenario.

So I am looking for some thoughts / suggestions from you guys and some tips for new Rx owner.

Thanks for reading

SN

Geryatrix · September 21, 2015

Whilst I can empathise with your problem, I am afraid that I cannot be much help. I am convinced that you and only you can decide what is important to you, and with two such differing cars it's a bit like trying to compare a pet rabbit with a pet dog, both are excellent in their own way, but at the end of the day they are completely different animals.

I chose my RX because I wanted the size, comfort and "waftability", but I can see that a Prius would give reliability at a lower cost, and if cost is an important factor then that could sway the decision. The problem is of course, if you follow that line of thought to it's logical conclusion you would end up with a Smart Car.

Best of luck, but remember that in the end you only have to justify your decision to you.

cool SN · September 21, 2015

Whilst I can empathise with your problem, I am afraid that I cannot be much help. I am convinced that you and only you can decide what is important to you, and with two such differing cars it's a bit like trying to compare a pet rabbit with a pet dog, both are excellent in their own way, but at the end of the day they are completely different animals.

I chose my RX because I wanted the size, comfort and "waftability", but I can see that a Prius would give reliability at a lower cost, and if cost is an important factor then that could sway the decision. The problem is of course, if you follow that line of thought to it's logical conclusion you would end up with a Smart Car.

Best of luck, but remember that in the end you only have to justify your decision to you.

I liked the drive and small small things of lexus impressed me.

Moreover my daughter forced me to buy this :)

Just hoping to pay deposit for a car after a small testdrive ... but then lexus is a lexus I guess :)

rayaans · September 21, 2015

Firstly, the Lexus RX is no Zafira - its one of the most refined SUV's on the market today and pampers you unlike Zafira's and the Prius. That's essentially what you pay for.

Of course, if you just want to get from A to B as cheaply as possible, its best to get something cheap in the first place but if you want to get from A to B in style, the RX fits the bill.

If you've driven a Prius, you'll know how crap that car actually is..... lol

With GAP protection, they HAVE to pay unless you've deliberately given them wrong information. It doesn't matter whether its your fault or someone else, they have to pay regardless.

No point getting the ding and scratches insurance though, the people who come out to do it can't seem to get it right, especially on Lexus 3 stage paint.

Bluesman · September 21, 2015

I hope everything is OK but why Oh why don't you ask these questions before you give them your money? Mike.

carld · September 21, 2015

In relation to Gap cover, my wife purchased this on a car we bought 7 years ago, unfortunately i wrote the car off which p×××ed her right off. As the car was a total lose the gap cover would cover a max of £5k difference, the insurance assesor submitted his report and after a period of time i was offered a settlement figure, the figure given left us with a 2.5k shortfall. I told the insurance that i thought the car was worth more, they informed me that they had searched Autotrader amongst other sites and that was the best offer.

I got intouch with the company who supplied the Gap cover, and Yes they refused to pay as they stated that they thought thw car was worgh more, i informed them that i had asked this and i was told this is what the car was worth and i would not get another offer, GAP refused and we ended up paying the shortfall. Becareful with these companies ( pinnacle).

rayaans · September 21, 2015

In relation to Gap cover, my wife purchased this on a car we bought 7 years ago, unfortunately i wrote the car off which p×××ed her right off. As the car was a total lose the gap cover would cover a max of £5k difference, the insurance assesor submitted his report and after a period of time i was offered a settlement figure, the figure given left us with a 2.5k shortfall. I told the insurance that i thought the car was worth more, they informed me that they had searched Autotrader amongst other sites and that was the best offer.

I got intouch with the company who supplied the Gap cover, and Yes they refused to pay as they stated that they thought thw car was worgh more, i informed them that i had asked this and i was told this is what the car was worth and i would not get another offer, GAP refused and we ended up paying the shortfall. Becareful with these companies ( pinnacle).

Surely insurance companies have to give you a main dealer "market value" than a trade value though?

carld · September 21, 2015

I thought the same, the car was 2 years old when we purchased it. I did my home work also finding cars with the same spec and mileage and anything that would help, but the insurance informed me that there offer was the best available, if i refused to accept it then i would have to pursue this which wouldhave meant me taking them to court.

As the short fall was only 2.5k i thought no problem as im still covered by gap, they did not want to help at all just saying to us, if you cant get a better settlement offer then they will not pay out. And true to there word they refused, as the insurance would not budge and i was at a stalemate.

We paid just shy of £500 for a service that they refused to honour.

cool SN · September 21, 2015

I thought the same, the car was 2 years old when we purchased it. I did my home work also finding cars with the same spec and mileage and anything that would help, but the insurance informed me that there offer was the best available, if i refused to accept it then i would have to pursue this which wouldhave meant me taking them to court.

As the short fall was only 2.5k i thought no problem as im still covered by gap, they did not want to help at all just saying to us, if you cant get a better settlement offer then they will not pay out. And true to there word they refused, as the insurance would not budge and i was at a stalemate.

We paid just shy of £500 for a service that they refused to honour.

ohh thanks for that.

The way salesman was explaining things I thought that if someone buy car for £20K and in unfortunate event he gets only 10 K from insurer (even the market value is 10K that time) the person will get £10K from GAP. I did thought that it is too good to be true. Will check this with them

thing is that the car value is a subjective thing and insurer have an interest to value it lower

ChrisKaye · September 23, 2015

Whatever that sales guy says get it in writing!

As for the poor soul who shelled out £2.5k as they wouldn't cover him, I'd have got a few solicitor's letters off to the GAP company, if I was gonna be screwed like that, £2.5k would be quite a few letters to at least go down with a fight!

I hate insurers with a passion, they always screw you one way or another!

cool SN · September 29, 2015

Thanks everyone.

I bought the lexus and very good drive.

One thing I wanted to ask.

Is it normal to feel small potholes , uneven road in RX450H?

The car I bought have done 60K miles.

When I drive I can feel the road is uneven and my car minor shake. Although it is not uncomfortable like pushing me up from the seat but I can feel it.

I was expecting it to be smooth that the minor unevenness is not felt at all. My car is 450H SEI

Shall I ask garage to check it again?

Cheers

S

billgatesisaconman · September 29, 2015

Thanks everyone.

I bought the lexus and very good drive.

One thing I wanted to ask.

Is it normal to feel small potholes , uneven road in RX450H?

The car I bought have done 60K miles.

When I drive I can feel the road is uneven and my car minor shake. Although it is not uncomfortable like pushing me up from the seat but I can feel it.

I was expecting it to be smooth that the minor unevenness is not felt at all. My car is 450H SEI

Shall I ask garage to check it again?

Cheers

S

It depends how big the potholes are, if it has air suspension & how much air is in your tyres ... It is a car not a hovercraft and uk roads arent the best... lol .... if you do think there is something wrong though take it back to the dealer sooner rather than later ...

You should always do your homework on different specs/options available & be sure to get the spec you want.... as regards the Rx 450 Sel's ride ..."lexus is a lexus" ....is not always the case I'm afraid it depends which options you want & which model you buy ...

heres a quote from the telegraph regards the Rx 450 Sel ride ...

"The powertrain may be flawless, but the £50,460 RX 450h SE-L's ride quality isn't. Criticism of the previous car has stung Lexus into trying to make it handle like a saloon, which it never will. The upshot is a WOE that corners acceptably, but sacrifices too much straight line ride comfort, leaving customers no choice but to pay for an optional air suspension which does much to rectify the damage done."

billgatesisaconman · September 30, 2015

I thought the same, the car was 2 years old when we purchased it. I did my home work also finding cars with the same spec and mileage and anything that would help, but the insurance informed me that there offer was the best available, if i refused to accept it then i would have to pursue this which wouldhave meant me taking them to court.

As the short fall was only 2.5k i thought no problem as im still covered by gap, they did not want to help at all just saying to us, if you cant get a better settlement offer then they will not pay out. And true to there word they refused, as the insurance would not budge and i was at a stalemate.

We paid just shy of £500 for a service that they refused to honour.

When my wife.used to work in insurance the standard was if you turned it down you got 2 further offers. can I ask what make/model car it was ?

rayaans · September 30, 2015

Yes, you're supposed to feel the potholes. I have the F-Sport version so even mine's stiffer than the regular RX which I prefer as it doesn't fall over on roundabouts and corners like the regular RX. Frankly, the Telegraph doesn't know what its talking about, it keeps saying the RX is a rough ride, yet doesn't say anything on "German" car's ride's which we all know are stiffer than the RX is.

billgatesisaconman · October 1, 2015

Yes, you're supposed to feel the potholes. I have the F-Sport version so even mine's stiffer than the regular RX which I prefer as it doesn't fall over on roundabouts and corners like the regular RX. Frankly, the Telegraph doesn't know what its talking about, it keeps saying the RX is a rough ride, yet doesn't say anything on "German" car's ride's which we all know are stiffer than the RX is.

The 1st gen Rx 450 had different ride characteristics to the previous Rx 300/400 & this quote highlights that, it also highlights that air suspension was an option not a standard, something that some people may not know;

I'm unsure if he has this option on his Rx 450 Sel but this revue also suggests it may be better suited for ride comfort if it did... so you can see why I chose this quote ...

I personally wouldn't have air suspension which is one of the reasons I chose the 400 but simply stating what I or you prefer doesn't really add any value to this topic ... I thnk we all agree Rx's are a great car otherwise we wouldn't be driving them ...You could always write the Telegraph if your upset though ... lol

DanD · October 2, 2015

It is often reported that RX450h with the standard suspension set up are more comfortable that cars with the air suspension on less than perfect roads. On the other hand, the air suspension is reportedly very good on motorways....

Comfort will also be impacted by the type of tyres you have, and how worn they are.