Before you purchased your Lexus

[Newbie777]

Hello,

Before you purchased your Lexus. What other car/s did you choose from and what was the reason/s they were no good

Mine were Rbage Rover Vogue SW (SDV8) reliability, running costs, security.

Bentley Flying Spur (w12) reliability, running costs, depreciation.

Audi A8L(4.2 tdi), purchase cost, hard to find one with good spec.

So I chose (wisely) and bought the Lexus LS600hl which also cost me only half my budget!! Happy days.

[Ahsan225]

The Lexus was effectively replacing my much loved W211 E-220 from 2008. all thanks to Sadiq Khan for bringing in ULEZ. My first choice was a BMW / Merc as I already have a BMW. The reason I chose Lexus (IS300h) was the realization that the mileage and the usage the car would be subjected to would be detrimental to a diesel and hence the hybrid was chosen.

 

    

[Spottedlaurel]

Interesting question.

My daily driver RX replaced an Avensis estate. The latter was a 1.8 petrol and just didn't feel special enough to justify its cost, that really hit home when travelling 4-up around France on holiday. The RX fully met my expectations and I've now had it for almost five years, with plans to keep it for at least that long again. Unfortunately the theft/insurance issues with the 4th gen RX have meant that isn't something I'm keen to move onto as a replacement, and the new model is somewhat out of my price range at present (the money is better going into my pension that to Lexus). I like big, Japanese estates and there is sadly very little choice nowadays - I considered Mazda 6 and Subaru Outback, but I doubt either would have the feel of the RX and I wouldn't have kept them for so long.

Both of the LS400s were cheap, opportune purchases that didn't replace anything, they ended up being additions to my fleet. The second, current one I kept when I did a downsize a couple of years back and I let my beloved Toyota Camry estate go instead, so it could be said it replaced that.

In my motoring past I've had the likes of V6 Nissan 300Cs and straight-six Datsun/Nissan Laurels* plus various examples of Toyota/Honda/Mazda, and my preference is always for something Japanese and usually on the larger side for the relaxed feel.

 

*Still have one now.

[Mincey]

Back in 1999 before buying my first IS200, I was also considering an Accord Type R and an Impreza Turbo. Common sense prevailed and I've not been outside Lexus since.

[KentColin]

I had  4 Skodas before my current UX. 1st was a basic 1.2 Fabia,  next was a Fabia Vrs diesel which was a fantastic car, followed by a petrol Vrs which was really quick but used a fair bit of oil. Lastly was a  2017 Yeti with all the extras on it. That was a great car. They still hold their value really well 

[Newbie777]

1 hour ago, KentColin said:

I had  4 Skodas before my current UX. 1st was a basic 1.2 Fabia,  next was a Fabia Vrs diesel which was a fantastic car, followed by a petrol Vrs which was really quick but used a fair bit of oil. Lastly was a  2017 Yeti with all the extras on it. That was a great car. They still hold their value really well 

My son has a Skoda Superb, Brill car very spacious and just like any other VW/Audi.

I think the Yeti is fantastic too, at one time there was a huge waiting list.

[Newbie777]

2 hours ago, Mincey said:

Back in 1999 before buying my first IS200, I was also considering an Accord Type R and an Impreza Turbo. Common sense prevailed and I've not been outside Lexus since.

Good thinking, you must saved quite a money and stress by making the right choice.

[Newbie777]

4 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

Interesting question.

My daily driver RX replaced an Avensis estate. The latter was a 1.8 petrol and just didn't feel special enough to justify its cost, that really hit home when travelling 4-up around France on holiday. The RX fully met my expectations and I've now had it for almost five years, with plans to keep it for at least that long again. Unfortunately the theft/insurance issues with the 4th gen RX have meant that isn't something I'm keen to move onto as a replacement, and the new model is somewhat out of my price range at present (the money is better going into my pension that to Lexus). I like big, Japanese estates and there is sadly very little choice nowadays - I considered Mazda 6 and Subaru Outback, but I doubt either would have the feel of the RX and I wouldn't have kept them for so long.

Both of the LS400s were cheap, opportune purchases that didn't replace anything, they ended up being additions to my fleet. The second, current one I kept when I did a downsize a couple of years back and I let my beloved Toyota Camry estate go instead, so it could be said it replaced that.

In my motoring past I've had the likes of V6 Nissan 300Cs and straight-six Datsun/Nissan Laurels* plus various examples of Toyota/Honda/Mazda, and my preference is always for something Japanese and usually on the larger side for the relaxed feel.

 

*Still have one now.

You have had quite a few Japanese cars. All the ones I have had always been reliable. But not kept them long as I always wanted something German, not wise thinking at all

[Spock66]

I was choosing between Jaguar F-Pace (3.0 Diesel) or 4th Gen RX to replace my Chrysler 300C Estate.

Jaguar has better performance, slightly larger boot and I prefer the looks.

Lexus has better build, reliability and better spec.

Reliability and the Relax warranty was ultimately the deciding factor.

[Malc1]

I don’t remember that far back, well not without difficulty …… 

My first Ls400 even before this amazing Forum was created ….. about 25yrs back 

But N4PRO my Saab was a great car and my Carlton F560HNK too …… over 200k miles 

the rest probably into oblivion 

Malc 

[Ken R]

My daily driver back in 2017 was a Ford Focus Titanium X Diesel Estate which in all honesty was a great car with virtually all the options fitted. I also had a Mercedes SLK for weekends and holidays. Was looking at a Discovery Sport or a Jaguar E-Pace when I got an offer to test drive a Lexus NX for 24 hours. The car was hugely impressive but what really sold it to me was the fantastic customer care that Lexus Edinburgh demonstrated. The sales teams at the Land Rover and Jaguar dealerships basically ignored me in the showroom whilst I felt genuinely welcome at Lexus. Now on my second NX.

[Bezzer]

Had a 2007 Rav4 from new for 16 yrs, decided this year to replace it, nothing ever went wrong with it throughout the whole time but it was starting to get get tired. Wanted another Toyota for reliability, SWMBO hates the current Rav4 looks and we don't tow a caravan anymore. Looked  at the C-HR (too cramped) )and Yaris Cross (didn't like the layout) a UX ticked the boxes so we got one, not regretted it.

edit, told a lie, the Rav did go wrong once, brake light switch broke, cost me £8 and 10 minutes to fix 😪

[Jim1977]

My car history is not exotic, but shows a consistent trend of buying for reliability and practicality, our current cars are a treat after always buying for affordability or to ferry kids!

Nissan Micra

Toyota Yaris

Toyota Corolla

Honda FRV and Honda Jazz

Another FRV and another Jazz  

Toyota Prius

Honda CRV

Nissan Leaf

Kia Soul EV

Now UX EV and NX (coming next week)

[Bluemarlin]

I won't go right back to the beginning (Vauxhall Viva), but my last few cars were a Jag X type, followed by an XF, both were great, but were company cars, so issue free 🙂 I liked Jags so much that when I left the company I bought an XK8. Lovely car if you don't mind regular maintenance bills.

It was a combination of ULEZ, maintenance costs, and a preference to step into a car, rather than crouch down, that resulted in me buying an RX. I can honestly say, apart from the looks of the XK, it's a better, more comfortable, and far more reliable car than any of the Jags I owned.

[Ken R]

My full car list (including company cars) is as varied as follows -

Mini Clubman

Mini 1000

Mini 1000

Mini 1000HL

MG Metro 1300

Austin Maestro 1.3 

Austin Montego 1.6L Estate

Austin Montego 1.6SL Estate

Peugeot 405 GR Estate Diesel

Renault Espace Diesel

VW Sharan GL TDi Automatic

Mercedes C180 Estate Automatic

Volvo S80

Ford Mondeo Ghia TDCI

Ford Mondeo Estate Zetec TDCI

Mercedes SLK Kompressor Auto (weekend car!)

Ford Focus Estate Zetec TDCI

Ford Focus Estate Titanium X TDCI

Lexus NX 300h Luxury

Lexus NX 450h+ Premium Plus

Had Austin Rover continued to be in business the list would probably featured more from their range as I was friendly with a local dealer and went against the "approved" company car list to ensure he got my business!

Best by far the Lexus NX 450h with the Lexus NX300H running itva very close second. Outwith Lexus the Mercedes C180 was a great car as was the extremely comfortable Volvo S80. The worst - Peugeot 405 Est and Mondeo Zetec Est.

 

 

 

 

[Andy B]

Here's my list (quite varied I think considering that I've only ever had a driving licence to drive automatics). There may be one or two gaps in this list as I've had so many cars over the years that I've lost track.

Vauxhall Viva (the car I learnt to drive and pass my test with)

Ford Capri (with "go faster stripes" 😀)

Nissan Silvia (with the pop-up headlights 😎)

Peugeot 406 Coupe

2 x Lexus IS250

Mercedes SLK

Porsche Boxster 986

Porsche Boxster 987 S

Porsche 911 996 Carrera 4s

Porsche 911 997 Carrera S

Nissan Micra (don't ask 😀)

Mercedes CLS

2 x Kia Sportage

Lexus NX300h

Lexus NX350h

I owned the Porsches when I was in my early 40s and everyone joked that I was having a mid-life crisis 😀 but in fact the real reason was that that was the period of my life when I could start to afford such luxuries. My biggest regret was that I allowed myself to get too paranoid about using them as a daily driver (e.g. parking them in supermarket car parks; driving them in bad weather; etc.) that I never got to enjoy them fully (plus they never got to see a track day). The Nissan Micra on my list was acquired from my late father to use on a daily basis with the Porsche kept in the garage and reserved for "special occasions". Choosing which car to use at the time was like going from the sublime to the ridiculous!

 

[Tickedon]

I’ve only ever owned four cars:

Ford Focus (sold when first moved to London)

Volvo S60 (sold at five years old as the servicing costs at dealers became ridiculous)

Audi A4 saloon (sold as I was approaching 100k miles, a lovely car otherwise!)

Lexus NX (current)

 

Tend to buy cars nearly new under one year old and run them until near 100k miles - has worked out to be the cheapest way for me for run cars. Over 70k+ miles and 6 years, my Audi depreciation was less than £140 per month (don’t think I’ll ever repeat that bargain!). Pre-pandemic I could do 20-25k miles a year (mix of work and leisure), seems to have settled at 10-12k miles per year more recently - so may be holding onto my cars for longer! And the 10 years/100k relax warranty option is really what sold the Lexus on me (that and finally having brilliant infotainment system). 

 

[Gary H]

I pretty much had my heart set on the NX - so I knew even before I ordered it, I knew it was going to be the likeliest option. I had a UX at the time and was happy with the car and the service I had. 

I did briefly consider a Volvo XC60 and Mazda CX90 as 'back ups' in case anything went wrong with my NX order. After a grueling 16 month wait, I can say there we're a few occasions where I come very close to cancelling the NX simply down to frustration. Close to the point where I did actually pick up the phone to call the dealer at one point to tell them I'm on my way down to get my deposit back, but put it back down again before I dialed the number. I know the situation isn't as chronic now, but as I've said before, it's something I've promised myself that I'll never go through again. 

Another option for me was an Audi Q5 - a car which I've had and adored in the past. However, I'm not overly keen on the current model and I don't think the interior is as nice as the original (I had one of the very last of the original models, on a '66' plate). One of the reasons I moved to Lexus after the Q5 is because I didn't like the direction Audi we're going with their designs afterwards - and I still don't. 

Another reason for the move to Lexus back in 2020 (well, the Toyota Group in general) is because of it's well developed self-charging hybrid systems. As diesel was starting to be demonised during the time I had the Q5, I wanted to go back to a petrol but I didn't fancy losing the MPG I was getting. A self-charging hybrid seemed like a sensible and no-fuss alternative to me. 

Anyway, during the three and a half years I had my UX, it proved to be just that little bit too small for me after having the Q5. In many circumstances, such as commuting to/from work, it was absolutely perfect. However, at the weekends and trips away - the lack of boot space was always an issue (which deep down I did suspect would happen...) and elderly parents getting in and out of the back was starting to become a bit of an issue with it's low roofline. A bit of a shame really, because otherwise it was a car I found difficult to fault.