doog442

Prices are generally up. WBAC (pre Inspection of course) is a decent indicator. I was offered £21k 12 months ago for my bimmer, today it sits at £24k which represents 20% depreciation from new over 3 years - basically unheard of. Our Mercedes / Audi and BMW dealerships are mainly devoid of vehicles on their forecourts. Our Lexus dealership is rammed in comparison ....although I noticed last week the back yard had thinned out slightly. Plenty of sad looking IS300h's covered in seagull droppings. I'm tempted to chuck mine in and buy a 2009/10 IS250 and use the difference on holidays....oh hang on.

Audi are the PCP choice / trend whatever and tend to attract plenty of numpties. They also have some very rapid cars and people tend to drive them as such. Lets be honest now, unless you have a select few Lexus with performance attributes (RCF etc), your driving style will probably be limited to relaxing driving as your car is designed exactly for that. The IS200 managed a bit of a reputation in its day.

There is a Sonic Titanium RC 300h at my local golf club. It looks absolutely superb. I parked next to it on Tuesday just to admire its lines but not close enough he might clatter me with his humongous door

Great rant many thanks. I lived in Germany for many years and still visit. What I would say is their roads and driving infrastructure are far superior to the UK so perhaps its installed a false sense of security amongst the populace. That combined with lack of enforcement I guess compared to the UK. It still can't be as bad as rural France on a Sunday afternoon where I reckon a sizeable majority having enjoyed a Merlot or two for dinner make things rather 'Interesting'.

That's a coincidence as my nephew is a Lexus technician. However he has never commented on workshop practices. I would find it appalling if he was to admit that him and his team weren't doing 'their job' . However we're not talking workshop practices even though my experience with Lexus has been 'shoddy', we're talking vehicle presentation at the point of sale which is something that anyone on here can see with there own eyes or with an inspection report. The OP is reporting 3 worn tyres and bodywork / windows covered in chips. We had a thread yesterday where someone pulled out due to a Lexus approved vehicle with a badly chipped windscreen that they refused to replace. Our dear Linas purchased a Lexus with no pads left, an RCF two weeks back in Scotland that needed a respray ....the place is littered with stuff like this. Also worth noting that my local BMW dealership service high powered police vehicles. They're not perfect and I've pulled them up over a few minor issues however I'd like to think that it's more than there job's worth to not provide a service that meet a minimum standard.

BMW AUC is pretty definite in its tolerances. If its low then its replaced. You will get disc and pad thickness from a BMW dealer, you won't necessarily from Lexus approved, you may as well whistle in that respect. In regard to your assertion that 'there are many BMWs with discs under the minimum thickness on the forecourts'....you have absolutely no evidence to back that claim up other than a random google search I guess. As I said you won't find many lipped discs on a BMW forecourt, or even Mercedes.

Your post isn't entirely true either. I'm a serial car buyer who visits numerous BMW forecourts and my basic check is running my finger over discs. BMW are without doubt the best in swapping out worn discs and pre inspection...Lexus are the worst.

He wouldn't get away with it selling BMW's. You simply don't get shoddy cars on BMW forecourts, that's one thing they do correctly. Totally agree about contacting the dealer principal.

Snows again You can trace their cunning stunts back to when I joined the forum in 2007.. Another thread on just crap forecourt and sale condition from yet another Lexus dealer.

They need a pedlars certificate, of course they never do. Its usually a sob story and do you want to buy a duster or some tat. As with anyone dropped off in nice areas (to knock on doors ) many miles from where they come from caution is advised.

Two LC500h at Lexus Gatwick substantially cheaper. Have they priced it as a V8 rather than a hybrid ? No disrespect to them but they were marketing an RCF as a hybrid last week.

Thanks I stand corrected, can I borrow your user name. I simply can't keep up with all this stuff tbf. I do agree e 'things' are a viable mode of transport, however they get more adverse comments (e scooters) in the local rag than cyclists and that's going some.

As you say wrong on so many accounts. They even mention its suitable for drivers who lost their driving licence ... where down the back of the sofa !! Notwithstanding its still a motor vehicle- which is a mechanically propelled vehicle intended or adapted for use on roads. As such Insurance is required if used on a road or other public place and a licence for on the road.... and if you're disqualified you cannot drive ' a motor vehicle' on the road.

Bargain. I guess its also exempt from luxury car tax.

I'm not sure what to say but well done for due diligence. I hate windscreen chips, hopefully its been sorted. It might be a little 'tester' if they haven't touched it, that said on a 2011 vehicle I guess you can expect a few wear and tear issues. Windscreen repairs can be pretty good nowadays, strangely enough if its a decent size its usually easier to deal with than the smaller chips. They'll have a windscreen repair guy to call on so really shouldn't be an issue. ps how are the alloys ?

You don't get locked in and will get the money back pro rata from any unused months on your service deal. I had a three year deal on an IS, I utilised one service but had still overpaid at the time of sale as the monthly costs included the major service in year 2 as well as minor in year 3. I was refunded automatically as soon as I told them the car was sold. In effect I simply paid for the one service and it was cheaper than a stand alone service.

I must admit I see the price of some decade older IS250's and they look excellent value. In relation to the humming, before getting the bearing replaced it might be worth double checking there's no build up of rust on the outer disc contacting the back plate, or the plate itself could be distorted contacting the disc. Similar to this video. Apologies if you've jacked it up and already covered this, however it can sound like a bearing on its way out.

Yes for some reason many Lexus dealers don't prep cars before sticking them on the forecourt whereas BMW and Mercedes usually will in my experience. I looked at an IS at Jemca in Reading. The front discs were badly lipped and clearly needed changing. As a matter of fact its a little tester I do on most forecourts, run your finger over the edge of the brake discs . When I pointed this out the salesman simply said it had been through their 100 point check or whatever it is- not good enough on a £20k car. When I pointed out the general condition of the bodywork he said 'that will be sorted', I wasn't convinced. The same with Lexus, Bristol. I actually purchased an ex demo from there but same again, small marks on the bodywork (not prepped) but I went around the car with the salesman and pointed out every blemish, he noted them down. On collection and before paying the balance I closely examined the car and all was good. There are a couple of threads recently, a new LC500 delivered with damage, an RCF on sale at a Lexus dealer that needs clearly a respray. As you say a video won't tell you much, a pair of cynical eyes on a dry day will tell you everything. Also ask to see the history. A Lexus approved history doesn't mean it has a FULL history.

Yes, it appears you can still configure a new RCF on the Lexus website, well I guess that's what you did ! Good move, don't blame you.

If you're after practicality I don't believe the rear seats fold down in the ES. (apologies if mentioned ) ..actually I guess that's not an issue looking at your current car !

Its a well known issue with the IS200 (appreciate you have 300). Many of us never got to the bottom of it despite new shocks / top mounts etc but some did. Seemed a bit of a lottery. Thread here from back in the day, you may find your answer in there. Best of luck, the IS300 is a lovely car.

Indeed, I utilised this function on this thread after making the mistake of engaging with them again. Apart from your quote I can only guess what the Individual concerned is raging on about now, the fact it allegedly involves violence is nothing new.

That is Indeed a work of art. I had a lovely ride yesterday. Only 36 miles but the motoring public were extremely courteous. If I'm in the unfortunate position of lawfully being on a road and have the temerity to hold up their precious journey by more than 30 seconds or so I give a small acknowledgment as they pass, thanking them for their patience. Most reciprocate but rarely school run mums. These drivers appear so incapable of organising their private life that picking up Tarquin is an excuse to gain back some precious minutes in their day. In the same way the poor unfortunates above avoid the club run, I try my hardest to avoid school closing time. I do find that things are actually improving, slowly. I'm not sure if some of the neanderthals who would usually find a reason to have a go are aware that they could well be being filmed nowadays. Of course your Internet keyboard warriors are usually just that as you state, often to be found in the comments section of our local rag when a new cycle lane or scheme is announced. Strangely enough lycra usually comes into it.

I'm a cyclist (two road bikes) on 23mm's I also tour for weeks on end abroad and in the UK with a tent and panniers on 28mm...apologies saw the tyre posts above and couldn't resist. I'm not a club rider but fully agree with your post. The most stressful part of my ride is leaving the town into the country lanes and the return. People don't understand that cyclists don't want to hold up motorists, most cyclists are actually motorists ! Its quite funny how motorists will slow and give a horse a wide birth (and rarely moan about it) yet when they see a cyclist they just have one thing in mind and that is to get by them, no matter what and usually as quickly as possible ( and they'll pop on places like this and moan about it/ them /oh yeah and lycra ) You can feel the tension build behind and when it does some drivers do some crazy things. As a solo cyclist its rarely a problem, on some of my narrow routes I'll pull in and let them pass (I quite often have no choice with tractors and heavy machinery) as I'd rather have Mr Impatient ahead of me than behind. I'm really not sure what the etiquette is on club rides. In a former career we would always get the same persistent moaners complaining about the local club ride blocking the road, however as you say what's 30 seconds and the chances of following the same route are pretty remote. Anyway I've digressed again, good to see some other cyclists on here offering an alternative opinion.

It wasn't the 'biggie' in Poole was it ? I was there for six years back in the 80's. I've just cashed in that final salary pension .....happy days