Joined the club

[Alex S. Driver]

Hi folks,

I recently traded in my trusty 13 year-old IS 250 for an LC 500 V8. I'm hoping the Elsie will be every bit as reliable as its predecessor. Every time I go out in it I come back buzzing. I got the actual car that featured in these reviews:

Autocar

Auto Express

and being maltreated in this  CARWOW video. Thankfully it survived untainted.

After 8 weeks I'm still exploring the driving experience with lots yet to learn,. It certainly grabs attention wherever I park it and I've had a few comments from people. The best was "You don't see many cars like that around here" and this from a Porsche Boxster owner.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to enjoying your company on the forum.

 

 

[AJ500]

Hi Graeme and welcome to the LC club.

As a matter of interest where did you get the car from after its appearances listed?

Look forward to updates on ownership.

They certainly do create a lot of interest when out and about.

A J.

[steve2006]

Hi Graeme and welcome to the LOC.

Nothing like getting to the top of the Lexus tree in one move.

Did you manage to buy through Carwow who offer great cars at great prices 😀.

 

[Alex S. Driver]

Thanks for the welcome.

I had some trouble obtaining the car due to 1) Lockdown 2) The fact that it belonged to Lexus GB and not my local dealer. It appeared on the Lexus used cars website under the heading "UK Stock". This transpired to mean that it was held centrally for marketing purposes. My local dealer wasn't keen on obtaining it for me in case I sent it back, so regrettably I had to register a complaint with Lexus GB. An hour later the dealer phoned back and said 'Yes sir, we can do that for you, after all'. 😁

It has 5500 on the clock and is a Limited Ed. car in Terrane Khaki - meaning green with a nice tan interior. It's not the Sport model but has some of the Sport features - e.g. ML Audio, big wheels, HUD.

You don't work for Carwow do you, Steve. If so, please tell them to drive test cars with a bit more respect. 😃

[Kevin Williams]

Welcome to the LOC Graeme.

Unbelievable, that you had to register a complaint to Lexus GB, to buy one of their great cars, and in a great colour... 

[Herbie]

Lovely car except for the 'shopping bag grab handle' things on the passenger side - what's that all about?

[lloydweb]

Strange that, my LC500h I bought last month was UK stock (Lexus exhibitions and marketing car) and Lexus Bolton brought it over the moment haggling was finished & I'd paid a £1,000 deposit. No issues like that at all. I'd been with Lexus Bolton for nearly 4 years since I got my RC off them, not sure if that helped.

[Alex S. Driver]

Mike - I'm sure my 13 year gap between buying Lexuses must have flavoured their estimation of my sincerity. You're a much more regular customer. 😉

Kevin - I see you, too, have a spectacular colour on your LC500 but what's that soft squashy bit at the top? 😮

Herbs - What?! - At least it's in 'Waitrose green' shopping bag handle.

[Kevin Williams]

2 hours ago, Alex S. Driver said:

Mike - I'm sure my 13 year gap between buying Lexuses must have flavoured their estimation of my sincerity. You're a much more regular customer. 😉

Kevin - I see you, too, have a spectacular colour on your LC500 but what's that soft squashy bit at the top? 😮

Herbs - What?! - At least it's in 'Waitrose green' shopping bag handle.

20 years ago. I had an LS 400, that was such a great ride, I shouldn’t have changed it, when I sold my business, and my bank balance told me I could change it… More money than sense…! 

After owning several different cars I finally bought another Lexus, a 2018 LC 500 Sport+ in Nov last year.

After watching several youtube reviews of the new Convertible, I placed an order for one…

I haven’t got haemorrhoids!, but these videos influenced me to buy one…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZfAW6NqASY&t=16s 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvKoUF1MAis 

I am glad I did buy one, because it’s a great car… Enjoy your great car…

[Alex S. Driver]

That's a beautiful car you've got there, Kevin. I bet you've had the top down this week!

I watched the savagegeese video last week as it happens, and I'm re-watching his first vid of the coupe from a while back. He's very good at giving a balance of tech detail and seemingly objective opinion. Wish I understood what he and his techie mate had to say about the suspension and gearbox. I'd be interested to know what you thought about the ride quality between the 2018 sport+ and the convertible.

Nice reg. by the way. I've put one on mine... starts with V8

[Kevin Williams]

1 hour ago, Alex S. Driver said:

That's a beautiful car you've got there, Kevin. I bet you've had the top down this week!

I watched the savagegeese video last week as it happens, and I'm re-watching his first vid of the coupe from a while back. He's very good at giving a balance of tech detail and seemingly objective opinion. Wish I understood what he and his techie mate had to say about the suspension and gearbox. I'd be interested to know what you thought about the ride quality between the 2018 sport+ and the convertible.

Nice reg. by the way. I've put one on mine... starts with V8

This one is brilliant of the Coupe… 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHp-ZI5mFnY

This very long one, saves you having to refer to the owner’s manual…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq1j7GIDmPM

I also had 1KSW, but sold that one recently… 

I also had G-KSWI on my helicopter…

Boys and their toys…!

The Convertible is a better ride than my Coupe. But the Coupe’s ride was also great…

Enjoy your LC 500… I am sure you will… 

As other Forum members who drive LC 500’s… also know you will…

[Kevin Williams]

Sorry, I meant to send this one... This is the best one I have viewed...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGg4bk1hGDw  

[Alex S. Driver]

Thanks for the links. The manual itself is ideal reading for insomniacs.

I like the chopper - very cool. 🚁

 

 

[ColinBarber]

On 4/1/2021 at 1:01 PM, Alex S. Driver said:

My local dealer wasn't keen on obtaining it for me in case I sent it back, so regrettably I had to register a complaint with Lexus GB. An hour later the dealer phoned back and said 'Yes sir, we can do that for you, after all'.

Dealer doesn't like it because the price is fixed and they make less money. Previously Lexus GB used to auction their vehicles off to the dealers, now they put their stock on the used car section of the website - seems a much better model for everyone (expect the dealers).

[lloydweb]

That's what my dealer told me. He said, if they were selling that LC themselves, it would probably have a sticker price £3-£5k more. Still managed to get a bit of a deal on the p'ex price for my RC and on the GEN3 coating, but not huge amounts.

[bvhout]

On 4/2/2021 at 12:15 PM, Kevin Williams said:

Sorry, I meant to send this one... This is the best one I have viewed...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGg4bk1hGDw  

This is from the Netherlands where the price in 2017 was € 165.595. One of those times to be happy to live in the UK. 

[Alex S. Driver]

21 minutes ago, bvhout said:

This is from the Netherlands where the price in 2017 was € 165.595. One of those times to be happy to live in the UK. 

😄 I don't know - you can't do this is the UK!

[Kevin Williams]

3 minutes ago, Alex S. Driver said:

😄 I don't know - you can't do this is the UK!

You can in an MD 500E. But you need to make sure it doesn't have HTC tail rotor blades, because they can break up @ 2,200 feet above Glastonbury...

[Alex S. Driver]

1 minute ago, Kevin Williams said:

You can in an MD 500E. But you need to make sure it doesn't have HTC tail rotor blades, because they can break up @ 2,200 feet above Glastonbury...

😄 Yes, I read your account - scary! The only ones I've flown have been in flight sims and I crashed those all the time!

[Kevin Williams]

On 4/13/2021 at 12:15 PM, Alex S. Driver said:

😄 Yes, I read your account - scary! The only ones I've flown have been in flight sims and I crashed those all the time!

Hello Graeme, I hope you are enjoying your new car...

Being nosey. What was your involvement with flight sims, and where were the flight sims...?

What type of helicopter did you think you were flying...? 

[Alex S. Driver]

3 hours ago, Kevin Williams said:

Hello Graeme, I hope you are enjoying your new car...

Being nosey. What was your involvement with flight sims, and where were the flight sims...?

What type of helicopter did you think you were flying...? 

Hi Kevin,

It's been a while since I've used a flight sim, but I'm not talking about the proper mechanical simulators you see in big hangers with flashing lights underneath (although I bet they are fun to fly!). No, I'm just a bit of an amateur Microsoft Flight Simulator type of pilot. I got quite into it at one stage and collected PC Pilot mags, planned simulated commercial routes etc just out of interest in the tech. The helicopters were very hard to keep airborne from a PC joystick so I mainly kept to the airliners and fast jets. I might get back to it one day as I see Microsoft have produced a new version - so I suppose I could crash in a much more detailed & realistic manner.

I bet you've used the real thing in training?

When I ordered my new registration for the LC I noticed that F16 XTC was available and was very tempted. It sounds more like a spitfire than an F16, though. 😁 

[Kevin Williams]

21 hours ago, Alex S. Driver said:

Hi Kevin,

It's been a while since I've used a flight sim, but I'm not talking about the proper mechanical simulators you see in big hangers with flashing lights underneath (although I bet they are fun to fly!). No, I'm just a bit of an amateur Microsoft Flight Simulator type of pilot. I got quite into it at one stage and collected PC Pilot mags, planned simulated commercial routes etc just out of interest in the tech. The helicopters were very hard to keep airborne from a PC joystick so I mainly kept to the airliners and fast jets. I might get back to it one day as I see Microsoft have produced a new version - so I suppose I could crash in a much more detailed & realistic manner.

I bet you've used the real thing in training?

When I ordered my new registration for the LC I noticed that F16 XTC was available and was very tempted. It sounds more like a spitfire than an F16, though. 😁 

Hello Graeme,

No my training, was lots of actual flying, and lots of lessons in a class room, and lots of written exams… It was certainly difficult to learn to hover, even with no wind…!

When we decided to move after my accident. A guy a few houses away from where we moved to, heard about my accident, and came to see me. He was a member of a club that used their computers to fly planes etc.

He asked me if I would come down to his house, so I could teach him to hover and fly a helicopter… Because I wanted nothing to do with helicopters, I said I couldn’t help him… I didn’t even want to use a computer screen to fly one…! I kept friends with the guy…!

Actually, I know several people that also enjoy Flight Simulators, there are several makes of FS’s…

I imagine it's good fun. Does the FS include for you to also talk to an air traffic controller…?

FS’s are certainly a lot cheaper than the real thing…! Enjoy it! Your feet are on the ground…!!!

Like you, I am going to enjoy my cars…!

[Alex S. Driver]

57 minutes ago, Kevin Williams said:

Hello Graeme,

No my training, was lots of actual flying, and lots of lessons in a class room, and lots of written exams… It was certainly difficult to learn to hover, even with no wind…!

When we decided to move after my accident. A guy a few houses away from where we moved to, heard about my accident, and came to see me. He was a member of a club that used their computers to fly planes etc.

He asked me if I would come down to his house, so I could teach him to hover and fly a helicopter… Because I wanted nothing to do with helicopters, I said I couldn’t help him… I didn’t even want to use a computer screen to fly one…! I kept friends with the guy…!

Actually, I know several people that also enjoy Flight Simulators, there are several makes of FS’s…

I imagine it's good fun. Does the FS include for you to also talk to an air traffic controller…?

FS’s are certainly a lot cheaper than the real thing…! Enjoy it! Your feet are on the ground…!!!

Like you, I am going to enjoy my cars…!

Can't say I blame you - once bitten..., as they say.

I think there is some kind of ATC emulation these days but it's been some while since I looked. Too many other projects since I retired. 😃 Life's hard isn't it?