My Lexus. To Keep It Or Not To Keep It, That Is The Question...

[SpokesT]

Reasons Not to Keep It (in no particular order)

1. Fuel prices

2. Road tax increases looming in big way

3. I am skint

4. I am doing less than 6k miles p/a in it

Reasons to Keep It

1. I love it

2. Whatever replaced it would not be as good by a long stretch with what I could afford to buy

3. Value has fallen through the floor after paying £9k for it 11.5 months ago (52 plater with under 38k miles now)

4. I am doing less than 6k miles p/a in it

PLEASE HELP ME I AM IN A QUANDARY AND YES I AM SHOUTING!!!

[T7RY B]

KEEP IT You know you will be gutted a week after you let it go.

[maneesh]

Sell it and buy an Aristo or a Supra.

[SpokesT]

>KEEP IT You know you will be gutted a week after you let it go. <

You sound just like my mrs.

She reckons as it's paid for, and makes me smile just from looking at it let alone driving it, I should keep it.

I'm trying to do the sensible family man thing and making my head rule my heart but I am struggling...

Damn that b@$tard Gordon Brown and his stupid ideas, my monthly budget is such that £430 a year just to park outside will be beyond my reach without some major cut backs elsewhere (Tesco Value foodstuffs here we come...!)

[maneesh]

Do you get it serviced at Lexus? If so, you will save money each year by getting it looked after at an independent garage.

[SpokesT]

Do you get it serviced at Lexus? If so, you will save money each year by getting it looked after at an independent garage.

It's due a service (yikes!) and I was going to take it to my trusted man under the arches, if he says he has changed a washer then you can bet your life he has changed it etc.

People go on about the 40k service like it's the Holy Grail. What should I be getting done over and above fluids and filters I wonder...??? And when is the cambelt likely to need changing? These are all the sort of thing that is leaving me with a sinking feeling as I work out my ever rising household monthly outgoings.

[T7RY B]

>KEEP IT You know you will be gutted a week after you let it go. <

You sound just like my mrs.

She reckons as it's paid for, and makes me smile just from looking at it let alone driving it, I should keep it.

I'm trying to do the sensible family man thing and making my head rule my heart but I am struggling...

Damn that b@$tard Gordon Brown and his stupid ideas, my monthly budget is such that £430 a year just to park outside will be beyond my reach without some major cut backs elsewhere (Tesco Value foodstuffs here we come...!)

Stop the wife "squandering" money on Gas,electric, food etc. ALL that uneccesary stuff.

[Rory]

Sell and get a 2000/1 X and save half your Tax money

[Rabster]

the new tax bill is still under discussion and apparently there is a high chance it might not go ahead dont hold me to this just wot i heard from PC plod lol

i am undergoing the same decision sell or not 2 sell hmmm

[janet]

We have just been through the same exercise and decided to KEEP our lex, it is paid for and when you look at the real additional costs she's worth it.

We had a look at a Suzki Swift Sport (don't laugh) and they are really impressive for the money.....but not a lex and the hidden costs of changing if you are not buying and selling private made the payback on the deal about 2 years....nah just been to France, up to York yesterday etc etc...she stays on the drive !!

[Ian M]

I agree – I considered whether the 300 was getting too expensive to run as fuel is now far more expensive than when I bought it just 15 months ago and the road tax hike is looming. But, since my mileage isn’t all that high I’ve decided to stick with the Lexus ‘cos it’s just a brilliant car. Late yesterday evening, I came home form Buxton and on quite peak district roads, the Lexus was just such a pleasure to drive – great acceleration for rapid overtakes, good handling on fast A roads, very comfortable, decent stereo etc.

Before anybody mentions it, yes, I do know the A515 and A52 are now 50 limits all the way so a 1.0 Micra would have been perfectly capable of doing the trip as defined by Her Majesty’s legal boys…….

My Lexus stays. If I really want to cut the cost of motoring, the sensible plan would be to cycle to work.

[The Transporter]

If otherwise the car is in good condition, it puts a smile on your face, it suits all of your day to day needs and your Mrs likes it, then keep it..

Yes fuel prices have increased, but 6k a year is pretty low mileage, Yes tax has increased but break the increase down to cost per week.... Others know that the tax will be high and this will show when you sell it... Then consider what else you would get for the money... Diesels are good but they are also very fragile these days, they have lots of electronic gizmos and are highly stressed.. The IS is a pretty laid back lazy engine with a good tough gearbox... So my theory is that what you save in fuel over the Lex, you will pay in increased maintainance and spares on something like a Golf.

My 05 IS has done 24k, I love it to bits..I dont usually get enthusiastic over cars, but I shall keep it until the wheels fall off because to replace it with a car that is cheaper to run would actually cost me money both short and long term.

[H13 BBO]

Mine stays , so wifey says her Rav4 stays to !

[Steve_D]

Major service with cambelt change is 20K away at 60,000 miles, the 40k shouldnt be much more than an oil change & check over - I love my IS200 & defo wouldnt sell it even with the higher tax & fuel costs, if you plan right get a SORN then get your years road tax just before the tax hike, my year is up just before it kicks in, dont give in to the greedy beggars!

[Rich OB]

I was thinking about selling my Lexus, only to buy a 300 or newer 200 LE spec, but when the new tax rates came in i realised it would be a dumb move, mine is an SE registered 31st Jan 2001, so i'm still in the older tax bracket so makes sense to keep it. Petrol is a ridiculous price i agree, which seems to go up & down & up & up by the day, but since i changed jobs and so therefore not travelling from Essex to London everyday, the car only covers about 4k per year, most of it done by the other half, but then i spend lots of money repairing the scuffs and dings from supermarket car parks that the silly moo puts in it, everytime she goes out!

But anyway bottom line is i'll be keeping mine, unless i come across a windfall, as i believe to replace it i would have to spend a lot more than my Lex is currently worth, compared to how much it feels its worth everytime i drive it! :D

[doog442]

the squeeze is getting tighter...my electric and water bills have just gone up stupid amounts,luckily the mortgage was fixed last year..this in addition to the poss new tax and fuel issues has certainly made think about binning the motor..

however..two months ago i decided to start cycling to work (which was previously unthinkable for me) , 7 miles each way, must be saving £50 a month in fuel, decided that will offset the tax / fuel rises so will keep the Lex..getting fit in the process and shedding a bit of weight so cant be bad :winky:

[Rabster]

now there is a thought i could get a bike and cycle to my warehouse hmmmm

i think it would kill me lol

[WylieCoyote]

I'd be pretty confident in saying that a good 50% of the people on these forums have pondered the exact same question over the past 12 months - myself included. It's a no win situation though - the value of cars like this has just crashed completely - noone wants to be on first name terms with the petrol station employees. Fact of the matter is, just how much less would a new car cost? You'd lose a fortune on the Lex and in a new car you'd have to pay the repayments and you'd still have to pay petrol - maybe not as much but it wouldn't be free, and then add on depreciation. Also consider what car you'd have to drive - chances are it wouldn't be anywhere near as nice as the Lex.

[LennyLexus]

if its paid for keep it, you do very little mileage, probably gonna cost ya 3 grand a year...

or sell it, consider alternative means of transport and buy the lex back when your financial situation is better and the price has dropped even more;)

[SpokesT]

OK OK OK you guys win, you drive a hard bargain but make all the right points to convince me :D

SEXY LEXY IS STAYING!!!!

I am going to ride my motorbike to work, possibly even cycle now and then, it's not far, and the saving will pay for the increased running costs.

Shall we have a party to celebrate?

[doog442]

OK OK OK you guys win, you drive a hard bargain but make all the right points to convince me :D

SEXY LEXY IS STAYING!!!!

I am going to ride my motorbike to work, possibly even cycle now and then, it's not far, and the saving will pay for the increased running costs.

Shall we have a party to celebrate?

next thing we will be posting pics of our pedal cycles :) "Here's my Lex...and here's my daily transport"

[SpokesT]

Just a thought, we'd better not declare any interest in cycling, if Gordon Brown has spies on here he'll be taxing pushbikes next!

[Jack300]

Here's the maths based on my 300 and my wifes Almera 1.8 - both autos.

Lex does 26mpg, Almera does 31.4 mpg. If you work it out the lex will use 230 gallons to do the 6k miles whereas the Almera will use 190 - 40 gallon difference.

At £5.18 per gallon (£1.14/ltr) owning the lex will cost you about £207 more per year than a 1.8 Almera. So, is the Lex worth an extra £207 per year over and above ANOther car?

If you have to ask the question then you should sell it.

Good luck

jack

[maneesh]

Here's the maths based on my 300 and my wifes Almera 1.8 - both autos.

Lex does 26mpg, Almera does 31.4 mpg. If you work it out the lex will use 230 gallons to do the 6k miles whereas the Almera will use 190 - 40 gallon difference.

At £5.18 per gallon (£1.14/ltr) owning the lex will cost you about £207 more per year than a 1.8 Almera. So, is the Lex worth an extra £207 per year over and above ANOther car?

If you have to ask the question then you should sell it.

Good luck

Jack

Not quite that simple as the difference in fuel costs. If only!

Factor in the higher depreciation of the IS300, higher insurance costs, higher road tax,higher maintainance and parts costs (especially unexpected repairs), tyres, brakes, and it's not just an extra 200 quid compared to driving something a bit more ordinary??

[funkey]

I'm nearly having a breakdown trying to win the tug of war in my head over this to-be or not-to-be question!!

Answer is to do the math and my sums are telling me to draw the line if/when petrol reaches £1.73 per litre. Doing 1200miles/month will cost £357@26mpg and factoring in the other ownership costs will make my IS as expensive to own as the costs of paying off the popular not-lexus diesel alternative (taking in depreciation, fuel, servicing, TAX and TYRES(!!) too).

I love my car so it's a shame there are no alternative evironmentally friendly fuels to replace petrol but I'm determined to keep it until it is verging on crazy to continue.

I wonder how those of us who bought 350Z's and Boxsters are holding up with this co2 nonsense