Waves From Other Lexus Owners

[Rabbers]

I have recently noticed an increase in the frequency of friendly waves from other Lexus drivers encountered on the road.  Such greetings were an almost automatic reflex in days gone by when encounters were rare, but, apart from natural exchanges of civilities between same-model owners, the custom had seemed to be disappearing apace with cumulative increases in total Lexus numbers.  I don’t know if my observation of a mini-revival is purely accidental or if it evidences a more generalised rediscovery of pride of ownership.  As an incurable optimist I like to think it might be the latter.

[Julncamp54]

On our trips with our Lexus we play the game of spotting at least another Lexus ES 300 🙂……..

[Linas.P]

This is probably specifically RC thing... as when I had RC spotting another one on the road is such a rare occasion that I would get waves all the time. Call it exclusive club! I guess it would be similar with LC.

Didn't have than in IS or NX...

[Rabbers]

Actually I’ve seen maybe three or four RCs on the road in the seven or so years I’ve had one, and they were too far away to be waved at or be waved at by.

[Mincey]

I used to notice it back in '99 when the IS first came out - a cheery wave or a cheeky flash was quite common. Now I often find that if I'm parked near another Lexus and we come back to our cars at the same time, a conversation usually strikes up about one aspect of ownership or another. I guess if BMW/Mercedes/Audi owners do the same, it's about how many bits have fallen off so far that week.

[Mr Vlad]

Back in the day when I was an avid biker when I saw a fellow biker or vice versa we'd wave to each other no matter what size or age of bike. It was a bikers camaraderie. 

When I pass another lexus on the road I always look over and give a nod. Unfortunately my nod is ignored. If I sence that I flash my indicators/hazards once I've passed them. 

Sometimes I wonder if those lexus drivers are just plane ole snobs. If it wasn't for this forum I'd tar every lexus owner as a snob. I'm certainly no snob. I'm a working class hero.

[Rabbers]

3 hours ago, Mr Vlad said:

… I'm a working class hero.

Difficult to tell who is and who isn’t these days. 

[Spacewagon52]

A while back, my kids were given £1 if they spotted a LS400 - if it was a 430 they only got 50p! Fortunately there are not many about and electronic devices tended to distract them!

[Malc1]

44 minutes ago, Spacewagon52 said:

A while back, my kids were given £1 if they spotted a LS400

My kids ( all themselves adults grown up now  ) wouldn't know what a Ls400 is ( if they didn't know i have one ) as there are now almost none, zero, zilch on the roads ..  I could probably give them, oh and the grandkids, £100 a pop if they ever see one 

What i did see parked in my local swimming pool car park was an enormous 22 plate Lexus in dull army fatigue brushed green colour  .  you could tell it was a Lexus, or maybe a tractor by the shovel like front just below the armour plated coloured bonnet ...  jeez UGLY or Wot 😥

Malc

[Malc1]

Oh, and I vaguely, aeons back, remember the AA man on his motorcycle with sidecar waving at Members displaying their proud AA badge  ✌️

Malc

[Mr Vlad]

Yes Renato difficult to tell nowadays except seeing fellow workers and those at nearby industrial areas.

[DavidCM]

1 hour ago, Malc1 said:

 

What i did see parked in my local swimming pool car park was an enormous 22 plate Lexus in dull army fatigue brushed green colour  .  you could tell it was a Lexus, or maybe a tractor by the shovel like front just below the armour plated coloured bonnet ...  jeez UGLY or Wot 😥

Malc

That must have been the new LM.

[MartinH]

I was surprised recently, forging along the A303 at a brisk clip towards the M3, to be overtaken on the inside by the driver of another 07 IS250, who then sidestepped into the gap in front of me — not a manoeuvre I approve of! One way of bonding... I guess?

[Rabbers]

3 hours ago, Malc1 said:

Oh, and I vaguely, aeons back, remember the AA man on his motorcycle with sidecar waving at Members displaying their proud AA badge  ✌️

On the subject of being saluted by people in uniforms, one of the most extreme irritations known to man consists of being stopped by Italian police who, according to regulations or long sadistic tradition (I don’t know which), honour you with a military-type salute before asking to see your car papers and hitting you with a ticket.  I am willing to swear that the smartness of the salute is proportionate to the amount of the ticket.

[Barry14UK]

Let's face it, most drivers are just interested in getting from A to B and there are a lot of drivers on the roads now but many brands as for example before WW11  no longer exist or have been consolidated into other makes.  So we have larger numbers of fewer makes now.  Those getting a wave are usually driving a model which is a bit of a small run rarity, or because there are not many left of a particular make/model.  Then certain sporty brands like for instance MG seem to have more enthusiasts and you see many at car meets and they can get waves.  Also, there used to be more interaction between motorists, so you found more of them stopping to help whether the were punctures or other things that were not too difficult to rectify en route.  Today cars are more reliable but far more complicated, so you call the emergency services to deal with what they can and have a low loaded take the car to appropriate garage, where rectification is beyond their ability to fix which is increasingly the case.  So perhaps other than help change a wheel or jump start a car, it is rare to see motorists  help each other now and many wouldn't want an unqualified person fiddling with their car.  The relationship between drivers has therefore changed and this is evidenced in waves being much less often given.

[LenT]

1 hour ago, MartinH said:

I was surprised recently, forging along the A303 at a brisk clip towards the M3, to be overtaken on the inside by the driver of another 07 IS250, who then sidestepped into the gap in front of me — not a manoeuvre I approve of! One way of bonding... I guess?

Were you tempted to wave at him, Martin?

[jdlexus]

Back in the early 70s I had a wv beetle 🪲 we all waved at each other.

These days I think people are to miserable to be waving at you unless they are cutting you up

[Malc1]

17 minutes ago, jdlexus said:

we all waved at each other.

I thought they " winked "

Malc

[MartinH]

1 hour ago, LenT said:

Were you tempted to wave at him, Martin?

Well, that or some other antick gesture 🖕

[LenT]

6 hours ago, Malc1 said:

Oh, and I vaguely, aeons back, remember the AA man on his motorcycle with sidecar waving at Members displaying their proud AA badge  ✌️

Malc

And if they didn’t wave, it was possibly to indicate that you were driving towards a Police speed trap!

Or possibly you were driving so fast that the AA badge was just a blur.  Anyway, they stopped doing it when it was realised that the motorbike patrols were spending far too much time focusing on the front bumpers of an increasing volume of traffic.

[Duggie B]

2 hours ago, Barry14UK said:

where rectification is beyond their ability to fix which is increasingly the case. 

I called the AA out (homestart) to sort my sons non starting golf mk3 1.4 boggo basic 1994 vintage, and after much deliberation trying this and that came to the conclusion that the crankshaft sensor was the culprit....eerm a car that old doesn't have one!!! but I let him carry on .....bless him he was very green around the ears and had only been with AA for two weeks ....but without the benefit of on board diagnostics he was totally lost and decreed he would recover the car to my local garage where to be fair they were lost after changing HT leads, dizzy cap and rotor came to the conclusion it must be the Hall sensor .....voila !!! after I sourced one from Germany car back up and running .

[Rabbers]

16 hours ago, Barry14UK said:

Let's face it, most drivers are just interested in getting from A to B and there are a lot of drivers on the roads now but many brands as for example before WW11  no longer exist or have been consolidated into other makes.  So we have larger numbers of fewer makes now.  Those getting a wave are usually driving a model which is a bit of a small run rarity, or because there are not many left of a particular make/model.  Then certain sporty brands like for instance MG seem to have more enthusiasts and you see many at car meets and they can get waves.  Also, there used to be more interaction between motorists, so you found more of them stopping to help whether the were punctures or other things that were not too difficult to rectify en route.  Today cars are more reliable but far more complicated, so you call the emergency services to deal with what they can and have a low loaded take the car to appropriate garage, where rectification is beyond their ability to fix which is increasingly the case.  So perhaps other than help change a wheel or jump start a car, it is rare to see motorists  help each other now and many wouldn't want an unqualified person fiddling with their car.  The relationship between drivers has therefore changed and this is evidenced in waves being much less often given.

The picture you paint is bleak but generally accurate, Barry.

Still, it was not long ago that buying a Lexus was so idiosyncratic a choice as to border on eccentricity.  A wave or nod or flash from a fellow owner would therefore have been interpreted as a confirmation of the goodness of that choice.  It might even have provided a small measure of comfort, if comfort were needed, that you were not alone in having made it.  For sure, you knew that any hypothetical further contact you might have had with the fellow owner would not have required you to suppress the sort of self-congratulatory smugness you regularly felt when explaining your choice to unenlightened friends and neighbours.

[Gary H]

I can't say I've had anything in the UX. I do know someone has an identical F-Sport white one to mine locally - but that's a 70 plate and mine's a 20. I doubt it has the red leather mine, but exterior wise it's my car's twin. I see it two, maybe three mornings a week, travelling in the opposite direction on my way to work. 

I did often look across to the driver when it was new to see if he noticed mine, but he's never acknowledged me/the car. 

[Littorio]

Years ago when driving an old series Land Rover you always got a wave from another, probably more just to acknowledge you are still running more than anything and not broken down.

Only seen two RC's on the road near me, one a double of mine driven by an uninterested women and other in blue that flew past me while I was doing 70 so didn't even get time to see if it was a 200, 300 or F. 

[Mr Vlad]

You reminded me Luciano that when on the M62 last Saturday cruising at 72mph I was overtook by another is250 in silver. I thought to myself mmmmmmm then I floored it lol but there was quite a bit of traffic. Anyway I saw that the silver is250 had slowed to just below 70mph which baffled me. As I passed that car I looked over to nod but was surprised to see the driver was quite a stunning looking young woman. She didn't look over so hey ho.

When I'm driving my truck I get overtaken by every car going in the same direction. I use my mirrors every 5 seconds or less to see what is coming up. When I notice a car I like which is kind of rare I'll open my window more and give a thumbs up. Sad to say only 1 in 5 or 6 acknowledge.