Considering a used LC500

FrzingNuts · July 7, 2018

Hi all, great forum.

I have a fairly rich car history (ranging from a number of 911s, to Mitsubishi Evos, Nissan GT-Rs, Nobles and even some american muscle cars (Challenger Hellcat)). I am now looking for something reliable and fun which preferably will fit 2 children in the back. I love good-sounding, unmuted V8s (not necessarily NA versions). I'm not a race car driver but I do appreciate car dynamics and reasonably skilled.

The LC500 has caught my eye and I am going to see and drive one next Saturday. It is a '67 with around 2k miles (ex-demo/dealership MD-owned I suspect). I usually go for grey/black cars with black/dark interior but the LC is sonic red with the beige leather interior. Initially I thought the whole thing is a bit shouty but it has grown on me although not sure what it will be like to live with. Are there more favourable/resalable colour combinations? Also all the cars seem to have the nasty 21in wheels, especially if in sports+ trim. I may end up swapping those out especially if on runflats, which I detest.

I usually don't finance cars but the dealer seems to have a reasonable PCP deal on a £72k Sport+ with ML and HUD with 3.9% APR, 10k miles a year and roughly £750 a month payments with a £15k deposit, and a GFV of around £36k after 3 years. Not sure if this is good or if others have had better? Anyone managed to get any service packages or deposit contributions in?

What are people's thoughts on depreciation? I tend to swap cars around every 1-2 years so I'll be hit with this either way I imagine. I have no experience on how Lexus performance models depreciate but hoping given only 250 coming to the UK, it will not be disastrous.

Any other advice would be appreciated. The other car I was looking at was an AMG GT S - I know this is only a 2-seater, but I do like the looks. I have a bad feeling that it will spend most of its time in rubbish Merc dealers getting fixed though and I really can't be bothered with that.

ColinBarber · July 7, 2018

There are quite a few red LCs as that was the colour all of the press material was created in and most of the demonstrators/press vehicles came in.

I imagine Lexus dealers will try and keep prices high but expect a lot of depreciation. Sport and Sport+ packs all have 21" wheels, but even the standard 20" models all have runflat tyres - however owners here have mentioned the ride isn't too bad.

The GT S is nice but does have a reputation for poor reliability.

malcolmw · July 8, 2018

In response to some of your points:

- I have red with black interior. This is the first car I have had in red and, like you, I generally go for grey/silver. I did not care for the tan seats and I think cream would have been a better choice by Lexus (Japanese taste?).

- The 21 inch wheels are a bit Marmite. I have the 20 inch ones and can confirm that the ride is firm but perfectly acceptable on runflats. If I had my choice I would have taken my chances with Michelin PSS and no spare or foam/pump kit.

- The rear seats are SMALL. Check that you can get your children in and out reasonably easily.

- Who knows about depreciation? I always allow 50% over 3 years as a guide.

- The Merc AMG GT has quite a similar feel to drive as the LC and, IMO, is the nearest comparator.

- The LC drives very nicely and, at least, very few others have one.

Let us know what you think.

Jules640 · July 8, 2018

I think the two best colours are red and white. I’m not sure about the tan interior though.

I have got the white with the red interior which goes together really well.

I personally like the 21” wheels. The black and chrome goes really well with the white.

I haven’t driven a car with the 20” wheels but the ride on the 21” is fine. The seats are quite soft and very supportive and so it makes it very comfortable.

NemesisUK · July 8, 2018

It's a real shame Lexus don't do the Clove interior with the Sonic red on either the LC or the RC-F a curious decision...

FrzingNuts · July 8, 2018

Thanks guys.

Colin, I didn't know the 20in wheels had runflats, thanks for that. I do like the 20in wheel design.

Malcolm, great combination. I'd love a red one with black interior but almost all of the ones for sale currently have the beige leather interior. Its something I have never gone for before, but I have to say it feels quite luxurious and seems to go with the sonic red. In the absence of a red or white car with black interior, I may just go with beige leather. I usually stick Michelin PSS on every car I own and carry a tyre puncture/conti comfort kit around. The only runflats I have experience of are on Nissan GT-Rs which were Dunlop SP Sport Maxx and were the stiffest things on earth. I think I am permanently scarred by how inappropriately harsh the ride was with those. Switching to Michelin PSS totally transformed the car. What tyres do LC500s come with as I've seen some with Michelins and some with Bridgestones.

Jules, stunning car! Those 21s really suit the white paint colour.

Nemesis, I haven't seen the clove interior. The choices on the LC500 do seem limited though.

rayaans · July 8, 2018

2 hours ago, FrzingNuts said:

Thanks guys.

Colin, I didn't know the 20in wheels had runflats, thanks for that. I do like the 20in wheel design.

Malcolm, great combination. I'd love a red one with black interior but almost all of the ones for sale currently have the beige leather interior. Its something I have never gone for before, but I have to say it feels quite luxurious and seems to go with the sonic red. In the absence of a red or white car with black interior, I may just go with beige leather. I usually stick Michelin PSS on every car I own and carry a tyre puncture/conti comfort kit around. The only runflats I have experience of are on Nissan GT-Rs which were Dunlop SP Sport Maxx and were the stiffest things on earth. I think I am permanently scarred by how inappropriately harsh the ride was with those. Switching to Michelin PSS totally transformed the car. What tyres do LC500s come with as I've seen some with Michelins and some with Bridgestones.

Jules, stunning car! Those 21s really suit the white paint colour.

Nemesis, I haven't seen the clove interior. The choices on the LC500 do seem limited though.

The choices are limited simply because most of them at dealers right now will be demo vehicles. These are usually in certain colour combos e.g. white/red, red/black, red/tan, yellow/black

Be careful with the 21" wheels. They're chrome and I believe they're quite expensive to get sorted out if you hit a kerb. I would also be aware that Lexus don't tend to use a lot of chrome wheels in the UK so would be concerned about the long term durability, especially pitting etc

You also need to be aware that whilst Sonic Red is a great colour, any dings/prangs and you'll have an expensive bill on your hands. The colour is very difficult to match and I know of 2 vehicles which have been written off as a result of the cost of colour matching a bumper!

All LCs in the UK have Run-flat tyres. There is more choice with the 20" wheels in terms of tyres. Currently, for the 21", there are only pirelli and Bridgestone widely available. Both sizes are roughly around £1000-1500 for 4 tyres

You have to be aware that the Nissan GTR is very stiffly sprung to begin with. The LC is designed with run flats in mind and the suspension has been tuned to accommodate this. It is firm, but nowhere near as hard as a GTR.

Remember that these cars are not cheap to run. Cheaper than some rivals yes, but servicing needs doing 1 year/10k miles at nearly £400 or £600. Later services are more expensive. I also doubt you would get anything significant in terms of discounts on these.

Depreciation is yet to be seen but in 1 year, there are some available currently which have lost about £16k.

The LC always reminds me of an Aston Martin when driven.

Additionally -

red with black

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201805196672385?model=LC 500&advertising-location=at_cars&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=New&sort=price-asc&make=LEXUS&postcode=wf177rs&radius=1500&page=1

ColinBarber · July 8, 2018

1 hour ago, rayaans said:

Depreciation is yet to be seen but in 1 year, there are some available currently which have lost about £16k.

Probably a lot more than that, I'd imagine if you traded-in a £72k LC the dealer would only offer £65k at most, probably only £62k.

FrzingNuts · July 14, 2018

Hi all again. Having driven the v8 LC500, I put a deposit down this morning. I am hugely impressed with it. So much more special than any 911 I've had. The v8 sound is superb and it is really well damped despite the 21s.

The car I am going for is Sonic red with the tan interior. It looked even better in the flesh than in pictures. It had Bridgestone tyres and I asked the salesperson if they were runflats but he said they are not? I thought they were standard in all LC500s?

The car is a 67 with just over 2k miles and has had the fuel pump recall performed. There is an option to prepay for the next service/services (after the one it is about to have) and it seems they are saying all services are a standard £595? Is this correct?

Is there anything else I should be asking for in terms of routine stuff pre-collection ?

malcolmw · July 14, 2018

I was told (and have a service plan to prove it) that services cost:

- Intermediate Service £345

- Full Service £596

I have a Feb 18 car (so would be 67 reg) and this did not require the fuel pump recall so I guess it depends on the actual manufacturing date.

As far as I know, all the tyres fitted on production cars are Bridgestone run-flats. There may have originally been some demonstrator cars with Michelin PSS.

You might like to consider tyre and wheel insurance as the cost of getting the 21 inch ones replaced (I can't see that they could be repaired after a scrape) would be immense and I see that you live in London so you may need to park at the kerbside more than I do.

Yes, it does sound wonderful in Sport+ mode. Enjoy.

FrzingNuts · July 14, 2018

Thanks Malcolm. I think mine is a Sep '17 car, which is probably why it needed the recall. So in terms of servicing, can I ask a favour? If you have the service booklet/manual handy, does it detail the schedule? Is the 12 month service a full or intermediate type?

Did the v8 LC500 need a 1000-mile run-in service? I was told by the salesperson that this isn't the case.

malcolmw · July 14, 2018

The LC500 does not need a "run-in" service. My oil is still clear after 3K miles. I almost can't see it on the dipstick. I haven't used any oil anyway.

The service schedule is:

- after 12 months an intermediate service

- after 24 months a full service

Repeat.

There are a few extra bits after big mileages (4 years plus)

Hope this helps.

FrzingNuts · July 14, 2018

Thanks Malcolm, very helpful.

Looking forward to this.

wendle · July 14, 2018

if you pay for a membership on this site you should get 15% off your service's

FrzingNuts · July 14, 2018

On 7/8/2018 at 2:29 PM, rayaans said:

You also need to be aware that whilst Sonic Red is a great colour, any dings/prangs and you'll have an expensive bill on your hands. The colour is very difficult to match and I know of 2 vehicles which have been written off as a result of the cost of colour matching a bumper!

Rayaans, apologies, I totally missed your post. Very helpful thanks.

The sonic red car I looked at had a notable aroud 3cm scratch near the top of the driver's side door. To me, it looked polishable with a rotary polisher but the dealer mentioned a "smart repair" potentially to be done to it. I strongly declined that and suggested they try to polish it and go from there. The only other solution would be a bodyshop respray but I am worried about colour matching.

Slightly surprising that cars of this age have to be written off due to repainting a bumper? Competent bodyshops charge £10-15k for full resprays (e.g. precision porsche), so it would be good to understand the rationale behind writing off for such a job.

FrzingNuts · July 14, 2018

1 minute ago, wendle said:

if you pay for a membership on this site you should get 15% off your service's

Nice, thanks Wendle. Will do this.

wendle · July 14, 2018

I am pretty sure that Sonic red is not just a LC colour , Lexus have had this colour for a few years now on various models so I am quite sure they can match it otherwise they would not have mentioned a smart repair, they also no how us Lexus owners require perfection with our cars

FrzingNuts · July 14, 2018

13 minutes ago, wendle said:

I am pretty sure that Sonic red is not just a LC colour , Lexus have had this colour for a few years now on various models so I am quite sure they can match it otherwise they would not have mentioned a smart repair, they also no how us Lexus owners require perfection with our cars

Just did a bit of reading about this and the ultrasonic blue Lexus colour seems to have this 5-layer process:

http://blog.lexus.co.uk/lexus-paintwork-look-good/

I read elsewhere that recent Lexus models and other paints undergo this process so I can see how it is difficult to replicate with traditional 2/3 layer bodyshop resprays.

rayaans · July 14, 2018

20 minutes ago, wendle said:

I am pretty sure that Sonic red is not just a LC colour , Lexus have had this colour for a few years now on various models so I am quite sure they can match it otherwise they would not have mentioned a smart repair, they also no how us Lexus owners require perfection with our cars

It's just a dealer add on. Their smart repairs on 5 layer paint will be rubbish. Doesn't mean they can't do it

FrzingNuts · July 14, 2018

1 minute ago, rayaans said:

It's just a dealer add on. Their smart repairs on 5 layer paint will be rubbish. Doesn't mean they can't do it

The dealer I am buying from has to be commended. I emailed him about this just now and he's replied almost immediately, reassuring me that they won't be doing any traditional smart repair. They lightly machine polish and apply heat in order to allow the top layer clearcoat (of the 5 layer paint process) to self heal. To be honest if it isn't a major cosmetic issue, I'm leaving well alone as I wouldn't even trust a bodyshop with it.

Thinking of getting my detailer do a swirl correction and then apply a ceramic coating as I want this paint to last. Any others with experience on ceramic coatings on Lexus paint?

I have had Cquartz on several cars and found it great and long lasting. Don't want to make things worse on an unfamiliar brand to me though.

rayaans · July 14, 2018

2 hours ago, FrzingNuts said:

Rayaans, apologies, I totally missed your post. Very helpful thanks.

The sonic red car I looked at had a notable aroud 3cm scratch near the top of the driver's side door. To me, it looked polishable with a rotary polisher but the dealer mentioned a "smart repair" potentially to be done to it. I strongly declined that and suggested they try to polish it and go from there. The only other solution would be a bodyshop respray but I am worried about colour matching.

Slightly surprising that cars of this age have to be written off due to repainting a bumper? Competent bodyshops charge £10-15k for full resprays (e.g. precision porsche), so it would be good to understand the rationale behind writing off for such a job.

Some cars have been sent once for repair and the colour looks off in the lighting. Bumper cost and repair alone is £2-3k roughly at Lexus bodyshops

The problem starts when the car comes back from repair. The colour tends not to match very well at all due to the 5 layer process. So sometimes the bumper looks darker or lighter. It's never the same as factory anyway. Anyway by the time it goes back and gets corrected or partially corrected, it comes back looking somewhat different too. Hence the cycle goes until insurance company decide to forget the aggro and write it off.

2 RCs I know of have been written off. I understand the LC is more expensive so this is less likely but hey...

wendle · July 15, 2018

11 hours ago, FrzingNuts said:

Thinking of getting my detailer do a swirl correction and then apply a ceramic coating as I want this paint to last. Any others with experience on ceramic coatings on Lexus paint?

The dealership's ceramic coating is not that good, they only use a basic coating which you can buy and do yourself.

I have had this done on my last 3 cars and have been very happy with it, it is expensive your probably looking around £700 / £1000 mark depending on the amount of paint correction needed and coating used.

http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/car-care-blog/new-car-protection/lexus-lc-500-v8/

malcolmw · July 15, 2018

A colleague of mine has the Ultrasonic Blue on her NX. It was damaged on the bonnet by some chemical (while being serviced at the dealer!) and Lexus repaired it FOC. There is absolutely no difference in the colour or finish. However, I don't have any experience of Sonic Red. I wonder how Structural Blue is repaired?

However, my local smart repairer told me he would not attempt any work on Sonic Titanium which is also multilayer.

Regarding ceramic coating, I have had Glasscoat applied to all my Lexus cars and have been pretty pleased with the results. It is much better than Lifeshine.

Apparently, Lexus cars have self-healing paint so minor makes eventually disappear...

NemesisUK · July 15, 2018

12 hours ago, wendle said:

I am pretty sure that Sonic red is not just a LC colour , Lexus have had this colour for a few years now on various models so I am quite sure they can match it otherwise they would not have mentioned a smart repair, they also no how us Lexus owners require perfection with our cars

I have the 5 layer sonic red on my RC and acquired a stone chip on the bonnet after only a few weeks. My dealership said they could smart repair but it will stand out like a sore thumb. They also quoted over £1k to do an invisible repair, basically respray the bonnet.

Regarding the ceramic coating from Lexus, mine is holding up very well and 12k miles later still gleams and sheds water like new. The car is not garaged and driven most day.

July 15, 2018

A colleague of mine has the Ultrasonic Blue on her NX. It was damaged on the bonnet by some chemical (while being serviced at the dealer!) and Lexus repaired it FOC. There is absolutely no difference in the colour or finish.
Apparently, Lexus cars have self-healing paint so minor makes eventually disappear...

USB is not 5 layer so easier I think, azure blue is sort of the evolution of it. If she actually has azure blue chipped then that's interesting.

Self healing top coat, not paint. Only works on very fine swirls and reduces doesn't eliminate totally as takes a long time to heal, therefore there are always some visible. I'd happily live without it. The type of stuff it helps with is easy to buff away instantly.

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