Looking at an rcf

[Drssg]

Good evening 

I am new to the forum. I have just sold my 2009 jaguar xkr 5.0 and I am looking now at an rcf

Ideally blue with the carbon pack and under 35k miles 

as this is the only forum I could find I wanted to see what owners experiences were ? Pros and cons of the car ? 

I will probably do circa 4K a year and it is most likely a second car although I may use it to commute for a year. I usually keep my cars for a good four or five years and the xkr was fantastic

best wishes 

Sim

[The Bodyman]

Hi Sim. Welcome aboard.

I bought my RCF in August this year. So, still learning. My previous car was  a Jaguar F type R. Before that a Jaguar XKR. Before that a Jaguar XK 5lt. I don't usually keep my cars more than a year to 18 months. 

Missing the F type super charger but that's all. Better built. Reliable. Seats are fantastic. More comfortable but still handles. Not so many on the roads (especially in orange 😎) which I like. Info set up takes some getting use to but I've owned a Lexus before do knew that.

I think you will be fine going to the RCF from the Jag. Try one. 

Where abouts roughly are you?

Jonathan

 

[Drssg]

Hi Jonathon 

Thanks for your reply. What made you swap from the f type r ? I have been looking at one of those too. The obvious choice is an m4 competition but it is quite common and I already have a e87 130i LE as a daily driver and I think two BMW’s would be overkill 

I am based in Kent and unfortunately even to test drive an rcf, well there is nothing close to me within 40 miles 

 

[V8ORBUST]

Got mine in June this year, long term purchase. Absolutely love it, especially with the Quicksilver bolted on.

Seats are fantastic and it is a great motorway cruiser or b road bruiser. 

Fuel econ good should you need it to be and I've never seen another one on the road.

Reliability.... it's got an L badge and no air suspension so fingers crossed bulletproof 😆

[JonP]

I've had mine for over 6 months, perhaps not quite as agile as my ISF was and the A pillars are thicker. Other than that, everything else is a more positive experience, part from the Track Pad, which ought to be consigned to the leftover parts bin. I'm planning on keeping it for a number of years.....

[B1RMA]

Good choice, as a bit of a serial car changer (once a year) so far my RCF has bucked that trend and I like the car more now than when I first test drove it. 

I'd stick to a main dealer if possible for buying the car or at least from someone on here. One thing to note when trying the RCF if you've had turbo or supercharged cars is that with the N/A engine you do have to work it. And that is part of the pleasure with the RCF,  I have read comments on other forums about them being a bit lifeless at lower revs and to a certain degree that is true. Mine can get into 6th gear just a couple of hundred metres down the road.So on the test drive shift the car into manual and try/enjoy the car in manual mode. I drive mine more or less all the time in the manual setting and of course when you fit a proper aftermarket exhaust on the car you can really enjoy the proper sound of a 5 litre N/A engine as it should be. Everything else apart from the say nav is top notch including ridiculously low serving and warranty costs. 20 MPG by the way.

[Drssg]

Thank you everyone for a reply

While it is not my first choice I am going to have a look at the closest trade one on sale to me which is near Horsham in Surrey. It is a 2018 but above what I spend on this particular car but the closest to me. 

Are there any must have options?

I do like the carbon pack but I fear I will not find one in blue with pack and the mileage I want. I have been scanning auto trader for about 4 months and have not seen a single one.

What are the annual non petrol related costs? I budgeted 1-2k a year for my jaguar and it was well under that. How much do you pay for a main dealer service? While I used jaguar specialists before, the performance sub group in Lexus specialists would be lower so I would go main dealer and Lexus sidcup is very close to me.

 

Re: NA my 130i is a 3.0 straight six NA so I am used to the slightly gutless start but I do enjoy burbling along. I prefer a split personality car hence having an XKR before. Prior to that I had a Z4M and that was rabid all of the time and it got a little tiring. 

[B1RMA]

The later cars have the AVS (active variable suspension) which is something I particularly like. If you are trying the 2018 car try it for yourself in normal mode it is very comfortable but if you switch it to Sport+ you can feel the car stiffen up significantly. The adjustment to this is on the round dial on the centre console. You can also get a Torque Vectoring Diff which again is down to personal choice, but I like it as an option. And don't worry about all these complex devices because it's a Lexus, I would avoid such things on my previous cars because I just knew it would cost a fortune to maintain or repair but no such worries with a Lexus (so far) Big service was just under £500 interim about £300 the comprehensive warranty is about £400 a year (I may have got some figures out but not by much) Compared the my last two AMG's and my Porsche the RCF is as cheap as chips to run

[hockeyedwards]

34 minutes ago, Drssg said:

What are the annual non petrol related costs?

This is straight off Lexus website, I'm currently using a service plan and extended warranty '241' and have to say the monthly cost is very forgiving!

[hockeyedwards]

32 minutes ago, Drssg said:

I have been scanning auto trader

I would also recommend going through Lexus Used Cars online as not all cars get put on autotrader 🙂 If you do find a car and it is a little older, would also recommend running it through the forum, sometimes you find the previous owner on here or little snitbits that dealers would otherwise not relay to you. Hope you find one 😉

[JonP]

6 minutes ago, hockeyedwards said:

 

Plus brakes and tyres..  getting new front brake pads and discs in a couple of days time. 

[hockeyedwards]

1 hour ago, JonP said:

new front brake pads and discs in a couple of days time

I hope not directly from Lexus.. £££ 😕

[JonP]

1 minute ago, hockeyedwards said:

I hope not directly from Lexus.. £££ 😕

Actually yes, decent discount from the dealer...

[Drssg]

Out of interest how much are the discs and pads ? I remember paying 500

for my rear pads only on xkr pads and discs I think 2k 

[JonP]

supply and fit front pads and discs - 800

[Drssg]

That’s very reasonable. I guess a supersprint exhaust is worth adding ? 

 

I would be looking at a 2016 car around the 30k mark so I guess those optional extras would not be applicable to me just the carbon pack which I know is a long shot 

[V8ORBUST]

4 hours ago, hockeyedwards said:

I would also recommend going through Lexus Used Cars online as not all cars get put on autotrader 🙂 If you do find a car and it is a little older, would also recommend running it through the forum, sometimes you find the previous owner on here or little snitbits that dealers would otherwise not relay to you. Hope you find one 😉

Great bit of advice. Mine was only advertised on the Lexus used car website.

[V8ORBUST]

6 minutes ago, Drssg said:

That’s very reasonable. I guess a supersprint exhaust is worth adding ? 

 

I would be looking at a 2016 car around the 30k mark so I guess those optional extras would not be applicable to me just the carbon pack which I know is a long shot 

I maybe wrong, but a moon roof and radar cruise, emergency braking assist and blis might be options....  I think the latter were part of a pack. Apologies if I'm wrong.

[JonP]

3 minutes ago, V8ORBUST said:

I maybe wrong, but a moon roof and radar cruise, emergency braking assist and blis might be options....  I think the latter were part of a pack. Apologies if I'm wrong.

 

12 minutes ago, Drssg said:

That’s very reasonable. I guess a supersprint exhaust is worth adding ? 

 

I would be looking at a 2016 car around the 30k mark so I guess those optional extras would not be applicable to me just the carbon pack which I know is a long shot 

Mine is a standard Carbon edition - no sunroof.

That said, given the number of 06:00 starts I do, I'm sticking with the standard exhaust. Otherwise I might be rather unpopular with the neighbours....

[V8ORBUST]

22 minutes ago, JonP said:

 

Mine is a standard Carbon edition - no sunroof.

That said, given the number of 06:00 starts I do, I'm sticking with the standard exhaust. Otherwise I might be rather unpopular with the neighbours....

If you got the Quicksilver, cant comment on others, just stick it in D and the exhaust hushes right up, so not too much of an issue. My neighbour had an R8 V10, now that was a different kettle of fish, my windows used to shake on cold starts, but I didnt care 😂

[The Bodyman]

8 hours ago, Drssg said:

Hi Jonathon 

Thanks for your reply. What made you swap from the f type r ? I have been looking at one of those too. The obvious choice is an m4 competition but it is quite common and I already have a e87 130i LE as a daily driver and I think two BMW’s would be overkill 

I am based in Kent and unfortunately even to test drive an rcf, well there is nothing close to me within 40 miles 

 

I few reasons why I got out of the F type.

Main one was. I've done the F type now. Had a few Jags and wanted something different this time plus It was losing money. It wasn't new when I bought it and in under 12 months it lost over £16000. Not as exclusive as they were. Loads on the roads now of all engine sizes. Another thing. I found after about 30 mins of driving I got a numb bum.It must of been the seats because I don't get that with the RCF. The wife wasn't keen.To uncomfortable and hard to get in and out of she said. Now. She loves the Lexus so loads of brownie points.😍 I few other bits like the plastics trims started to fade. 

I'm in Oxfordshire. If you wanted a good look at one your more then welcome.

Jonathan             

[hockeyedwards]

2 hours ago, JonP said:

supply and fit front pads and discs - 800

I guess it depends on previous car experience and everyone has their own definition of 'reasonable' - mine is very, very low haha! Also depends on how comfortable you may be with your working on cars, I bought my EBC pads for just over £100 and fitted them myself, that's my idea of reasonable 😛 and I will probs do the same for the discs when required.

[JonP]

1 minute ago, hockeyedwards said:

I guess it depends on previous car experience and everyone has their own definition of 'reasonable' - mine is very, very low haha! Also depends on how comfortable you may be with your working on cars, I bought my EBC pads for just over £100 and fitted them myself, that's my idea of reasonable 😛 and I will probs do the same for the discs when required.

I used to do that sort of thing myself, however as I'm currently in-line for a new knee, DIY brake repairs is way down my list of things to do....

[hockeyedwards]

1 minute ago, JonP said:

I used to do that sort of thing myself, however as I'm currently in-line for a new knee, DIY brake repairs is way down my list of things to do....

Fair point 😉 best of luck with the knee (I'm a physiotherapist), do your exercises haha! 😛

[JonP]

25 minutes ago, hockeyedwards said:

Fair point 😉 best of luck with the knee (I'm a physiotherapist), do your exercises haha! 😛

So everyone, and I mean everyone, has been telling me...