Potential LC500 Owner after a little advice

[wendle]

1 hour ago, Dingle Dell said:

I must admit it left a sour taste, as did not getting to test drive the 2nd car after driving a 6hr round trip to see it.

I must have been a bit miffed as I found myself in my local Aston Martin dealer this afternoon looking at a couple of very nice Vantages that they have. The 'New' face-lifted Vantage is due out in the next couple of weeks, so will be interesting to see the impact on 2nd hand values.

I'm still very much looking at LC's though... what's the deal with the wheels on this car; not sure if I like the effect or not.

 

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202401306043987?sort=most-recent&advertising-location=at_cars&body-type=Coupe&make=Lexus&minimum-badge-engine-size=5.0&model=LC&page=1&postcode=me172dn&year-to=2024&fromsra

Looks like the previous owner has opted for the 20' wheels which i believe come from the base model LC, rather than the 21' wheels that are standard on the sport model, probably for a more comfortable ride, or they just didn't like the 21' wheel design.

[Dingle Dell]

Despite it saying 20" wheels in the add, aren't they the 21" wheels without the black painted bits?

[shapiro]

Looks that’s way to me. 21 inch, likely scuffed so they refurbed them. They still suit the car though. I’m mine were not OEM I may have also chosen a diff colour. 

[Glyn Jennings]

I would love a V8 LC and you never know one day it could happen because I love them. What I have seen is they do not sell as there is no demand certainly in the UK.  I have never seen one on the road and only a couple at dealers. This means recently they have really dropped in price and probably will continue to do so. So if you do buy one if ever you want to sell is going to be difficult. It’s such a shame but I guess that the price you pay for exclusivity.  My choice would be the metallic red although the green or blue are also nice but seem rarer. Good luck in finding the one you want.

I know not everyone’s taste but I love these two.

 

[Dingle Dell]

That's the beauty of places like WBAC. I have sold a few cars through them, and it has been totally hassle free and I got a fair price. Could have got a bit more private maybe, but I wouldn't even entertain the thought these days.

Spreads went a bit crazy a few months ago, as the market started correcting, but it's normalising again now. For example, there's 2nd hand LC's for sale for, lets say 50K at present, that if it all went t*ts up tomorrow in that your circumstances changed, and you needed to sell it, WBAC would give you 45K. That's not bad at all as a spread, and instant payment. 

On newer cars though, the spread is still much more extreme. For a car over 90K, WBAC are offering low 60's... They have more data than anyone, and know what is selling and what isn't. They are basically saying they don't want the newer cars, unless you are that desperate that you will sell ridiculously low. This isn't just a Lexus thing and is applying to Astons, Ferrari's, etc. I looked at a 458 for sale for around 120K, and WBAC were offering 70K! Others, like Motorway often offer more, but there can be more hassle involved.

In part due to the above, I'm considering getting an older car, say a 2018. It will still put a smile on my face, have enough warranty on, and the losses will be that much less, meaning I will have the funds in around  2 to 3 years time, when the new Vantage (out shortly) is dropping into my price bracket.

[Dingle Dell]

Seeing as this is now on Page 4, I'm aware that I should have called this thread "Potential LC500 after A LOT of advice" but don't think it's possible to change the title  🙂

[Dingle Dell]

Well, today I did a thing... so much for buying a red one

2023 Sports Plus with black interior and ML sound system, and less than 2K on the clock

 

[MattyJB]

Well that took a big swing from potentially buying an earlier model 😁 congrats, that looks great.

Quite a bit more movement in the market now the new year is here - the red on mentioned earlier in this thread (with SPP, and the painted wheels) sold quickly. The red one that was up for sale for aaaages at Auto100 has gone too.

[Dingle Dell]

6 minutes ago, MattyJB said:

Well that took a big swing from potentially buying an earlier model 😁 congrats, that looks great.

Quite a bit more movement in the market now the new year is here - the red on mentioned earlier in this thread (with SPP, and the painted wheels) sold quickly. The red one that was up for sale for aaaages at Auto100 has gone too.

I think the red ones still for sale. This one?

https://www.motors.co.uk/car-69741511/?i=3&m=undefined

 

[eightk]

2 hours ago, Dingle Dell said:

Well, today I did a thing... so much for buying a red one

2023 Sports Plus with black interior and ML sound system, and less than 2K on the clock.

Fantastic! That’s my ideal spec. I’ve not seen yellow in person but from the videos and photos I’ve seen it’s absolutely stunning. You’ll love it.

[MattyJB]

2 hours ago, Dingle Dell said:

I think the red ones still for sale. This one?

https://www.motors.co.uk/car-69741511/?i=3&m=undefined

 

No, I mean the one you mentioned at the bottom of Page3, where you weren't sure about the colour/effect on the alloys. That was a lovely spec and sold very quickly.

The one with the black wheels is nice...but I'm still holding out for ML.

[MattyJB]

 

I'm not sure I'm allowed to do this on here - but I am now conciously on the lookout for Sport+ with ML if anyone is planning to sell soon. V8 with FLSH is a must though. Sub £45k.

[Dingle Dell]

1 hour ago, MattyJB said:

No, I mean the one you mentioned at the bottom of Page3, where you weren't sure about the colour/effect on the alloys. That was a lovely spec and sold very quickly.

The one with the black wheels is nice...but I'm still holding out for ML.

oh, wow, that one has gone already then. Just goes to show if priced right they will sell.

I didn't think the one I have bought had ML, as don't think it was mentioned in the ad. Wouldn't have stopped me buying it personally, but it was a bonus when I got there and saw it did have it after all.

Good luck in your search. 

[shapiro]

Lovely colour. It will look like a million bucks when the suns on it. It will transform to something that almost radiates light! 
 

Looks like it also has a Heads Up Display too… so it’s “fully loaded”.

[Dingle Dell]

I have a double garage where the car will live, but it's currently got filled with 'junk' and I urgently need to clear some space.

Don't suppose anyone know the width of the rear of the car (at the widest part of about the last 2ft of the rear), as I have a load of shelving that I need to cut back just enough so that the car will fit in. 

[malcolmw]

The LC is 1920mm wide or 2168 over the mirrors.

I have a double garage and park mine in the centre so that I can get out when I open the doors. 😀

[SH20]

I don't have a double garage and because builders don't build houses these days with a decent footprint I didn't stand a chance to get any of my Lexus cars in to the match box size garage,  especially  my LS500h at over 5 metres long

I always wanted a little workshop space for my projects so I made one.  No clutter, tools to hand, multiply power sockets, hot and cold water with sink, fridge,  blah blah blah.    She says I spend far too much time in there, but it's so peaceful.   

[ColinBarber]

Dimensions:

[DavidCM]

Shame the 500 doesn't have an opening sunroof.You could get a hoist installed over the driver's seat to winch you in and out without using the doors.(or buy the convertible.

[Dingle Dell]

9 hours ago, SH20 said:

I don't have a double garage and because builders don't build houses these days with a decent footprint I didn't stand a chance to get any of my Lexus cars in to the match box size garage,  especially  my LS500h at over 5 metres long

I always wanted a little workshop space for my projects so I made one.  No clutter, tools to hand, multiply power sockets, hot and cold water with sink, fridge,  blah blah blah.    She says I spend far too much time in there, but it's so peaceful.   

 

Your garage puts mine to shame - I can never keep my spaces tidy; I just fill whatever space I have with 'stuff'!

My double garage is nice and wide but quite short. I believe I will have less than an inch either end. I need to come up with a fool-proof way to not take the back wall of the garage out, bringing the roof down on me (a good reason not to get the convertible lol). I guess i'll be bolting down a some blocks of wood to give a good definite stop.

 

 

[SH20]

You know this right?   tennis ball on  a length of string hanging from garage ceiling or A frame joist so that it is just touching the windscreen screen in the car's final parked position inside the garage.   Each time you drive in and the ball just kisses the screen you stop.   Too scary ??

[DavidCM]

Or...get a front facing camera fitted.Cargoplay on amazon sell a wireless one which you can fix to the front number plate holder.It has an optional small solar panel to top up its charge.The monitor (about the size of a tom tom satnav) does need a 12v supply from cig. lighter socket.I usually leave it in the armrest and prop it temporarily on the centre console when in use.

 

[Dingle Dell]

The tennis ball approach is always a good idea, but it's best if I reverse into my garage for a number of reason, so it doesn't really work for me. That being said, I could always do it so it makes contact with the drivers wing mirror perhaps. With my Quadrifoglio, I used to get it within a few inches, then get out and roll it back by hand, just to be on the safe side.

I will be fitting some sheet foam to the back wall. just in case!

[malcolmw]

I am not as tight as you in my garage but I use two house bricks on an old carpet to position my LC exactly every time and should work in forwards or reverse. This method seems repeatably accurate to about 1 cm. The carpet is to stop the bricks shifting on the garage floor.

[Ruffle]

The tennis ball on a string really is the best value for money but if you want to go high tech there are loads of DIY parking assistant gadgets out there.

This is a neat one (if a little more complex than most):