First_Lexus

Petrol is down to £1.61 in Reading (Calcot). I’m told Costco will be opening a filling station at their Reading store, which should put some pressure on the bandits around here…

No, all private owners - the business owner is the one who will switch in Q1 next year. To be clear, their reason for change was cost. Other factors were secondary. I certainly wouldn’t describe any of them - having changed - as ‘evangelists’ for EVs. Perhaps that’s the difference?

Interesting. I know four people who own EVs (and one who will own one Q1 next year) as well as one who switched and has since switched back due to range and charging inconvenience (although that was with a Jaguar iPace which most websites say is rubbish!). I can say with certainty that all of them switched entirely because of cost…and the fact they were due to change and wanted to ‘future proof’ their vehicle for travel into cities/large towns. Not one of them has ever mentioned either environmental concerns or the driving experience. I would add that none of them are what I’d call ‘petrol heads’ or even people who like driving. They just want to get from point a to point b as painlessly as possible (as most of us do). Personally I found the EV driving experience fun at first - the acceleration is hilarious - but then pretty much the same as any other.

What really irritates me, is that when the energy ‘price cap’ was first announced the idea was for it to balance protection for consumers with protection for energy companies. As far as I can see it isn’t balancing anything any more - the only consideration is protecting energy companies. Given the number that went out of business over the last 12-18 months, I do (sort of) understand that…but then again, it’s less of a ‘cap’ now and feels like more of a ‘target.’

I found this quite interesting. A bit of a shame he drifted into ‘evangelical’ language towards the end, but even so. Having driven an EV in the past week (Hyundai IONIC5) I’m not sure I agree that I prefer it. It’s different, it made me smile when pulling away, but I was glad to get back into my RX. Whether that was down to the quality, the size or the fuel used I really don’t know!

** Takes a deep breath ** - Inflation - Energy prices - the Government - the Opposition - all other political parties and politicians - Nicola Sturgeon - Wasps - Hosepipe bans - France - Moles (the little beggars who dig up my garden) - customer service (or the lack of it these days) That’ll do for now. I’ve turned into a grumpy old man…

Properly diluted it will be fine - my car has a professionally applied ceramic coat, so a weak APC spray should act to loosen dirt, that was my thinking. ^^ I was wondering about a garage with a jet wash, but can’t find one nearby. Bit of a pain! ^^ That I did not know, will investigate! Thanks all. I do only wash the car about once a month, but it seems so big to rinse with a watering can at both ends of the process. Ho hum. At least it’ll keep me fit I suppose!

I live in the Thames Water area, with a hosepipe ban in force from today. The prospect of washing a car as big as the RX without use of my pressure washer isn’t something I’m looking forward to! I’m thinking the best option may be to use an APC as a first stage, rinsed off with a watering can, then washed as normal after that. Does anybody have any other ideas?

Thanks. I don’t understand the tax implications - fortunately I don’t need to - but he only wants an EV. They’ll have another new hybrid as well as a couple of other cars to use, so an EV makes sense all round.

He runs his own business. From a tax perspective only an EV will deliver what is needed.

Thanks @Shahpor I think he’d looked at the EV6 and wasn’t that impressed, which is why he chose to drive the Hyundai instead. Personally I much prefer the design of the Hyundai. TBH the cancellation of the RZ is a pain, but he’s decided to get something on a two year lease and will plan to come back to it (hopefully). With a budget that could go to £100k the Korean offerings were always going to be the value option - and we were mightily impressed with the car for the price. Ultimately he’ll need to decide what he can live with for a period as well as what he can actually get for March when his current lease ends. That’s why he’s willing to look at lots of quite different options.

I said in an earlier post that the delay to the RZ meant my family member was having to cancel and buy something else, as September is just too late. A proper look and test drives of the Korean offerings today was very revealing. They’re very nice cars. Nice but not great. The lack of a rear wiper on the Hyundai IONIC5 is ridiculous, but the drive is very good. But here’s the thing. We’re spoiled by owning a Lexus - or in my relative’s case, a Range Rover. The dealers today were laughable. Chaotic, with booked test drives unavailable (although they did make it happen) but my favourite was being referred to a ‘finance manager’ who couldn’t have been less interested; “…I can’t help you, you just need to get a quote online” because she was too busy speaking to a friend while eating Pringles! In a dealership, with members of the public around. Really! I’m pretty sure Hyundai UK would have been mortified…well, you’d hope so. Sorry to say, but the quality just isn’t there. It’s not bad, but it really is a significant step down from Lexus or other premium brands. The dealer ambience was Aldi rather than Waitrose - and not in a positive way. It was a real eye opener. I personally couldn’t drop to a KIA or a Hyundai based on today, as the quality of finish and service would be too much of a compromise. Onto Volvo and the C40 Recharge next. I’m pretty sure that will be the winner, with the Mercedes being too small in the rear seats and Tesla having ‘image’ problems now, along with poor quality based on what we’ve seen. Look at a used example with 20-30k miles and it’s really not good…

I said a while ago that my family member had ordered an RZ with expected delivery before March 2023 ordered June 2022. That’s going to be cancelled. Lexus have contacted today to say earliest availability for an RZ will now be September 2023! Very odd. Seems like an own goal as potential owners are now being pushed to other brands. Madness. Not what you expect from a ‘premium’ brand. Very much behind the curve here as others have mentioned. Likely we will buy a Huyndai / KIA / Volvo instead.

Blue Peter had the petrol cost issue sorted in the 1970s…😆

There’s a Costco in Reading where I’m a member…but it doesn’t have a fuel filling station…😕 Meanwhile, petrol in Calcot (Reading) is down to £1.66.9 at both BP and Sainsbury.

I can only agree with other posts. Bought new RX in Nov 2021 - my third new Lexus - and it’s been faultless.

^^ Have to be honest, even in a non-EV I tend to set my cruise control on the motorway to 70mph (so about 65mph in reality) and do find it a far more relaxing experience than dashing about. That might be my age showing and the RX experience…mind you, I was never a fast driver at any age! If any members are ever behind a white RX that always observes the speed limit then that’ll be me! Where there are groups of lorries I can then - as you say - go faster for a short period in order to get around them quickly and safely.

The Skoda Enyaq too, albeit the familiar issue for me with an EV is demonstrated by the Skoda range calculator. Fine in the Summer in city driving, but change that to Winter and what they call ‘highway’ (assume motorway) and you lose so much range… With the RZ starting with less range in the first place, it could really struggle against the competition given the price. Feels like a niche choice for those who want luxury and exclusivity without having to drive longer distances.

Indeed, the other fairly unique factor (in my lifetime, anyway) are current part-ex prices. I lost ‘only’ £5k on my NX over four years from new based on the value Lexus Swindon gave me for it. When they retailed it, they were asking the same as it cost me when new (based on the discount I got then) and it sold quickly!! Crazy… With the RX discount, the various loyalty bonuses and the part-ex, I ended up with a ‘deposit’ of well over 50% of the price of my new RX. Even so, I’m aware that was quite a lot to borrow, but low interest rates and the flexibility to settle at any point made the decision easy for me to make. And I do love my RX…it’s a special thing.

Went through exactly this about a year ago. The used ones are generally high priced and the PCP deal for used is nowhere near as attractive (think it was 6.9% vs 1.9% when I bought in November). Add to that the deposit contribution which you get with new but not used (£2k when I bought last year) and the Lexus loyalty bonus (£1k) added to a five figure discount…if you can still get these types of deals and you’re comfortable with the PCP monthly amount and final payment then at the moment new seems to make a lot more sense to me. Values of the previous generations give me comfort on depreciation levels too, with a new RX due shortly.

I had Mesa Red on my previous NX. It’s a fabulous colour when clean and in the sunshine - very sparkly! Congratulations on the RX. You’ll love it.

Hideously off-topic, but…😆

I’ve been using Lexus Swindon since 2017 and they’ve never been anything other than exceptional. Used Aylesbury Honda for a good few years prior to that, also excellent. I’ve owned my 2004 MINI Cooper from new, and all the MINI dealers I have used over the years - apart from one poor experience in Milton Keynes in 2005/6 - have also been very good indeed. The only dealers I’ve ever found to be poor were Volkswagen when I had a couple of Polos and later a Tiguan. They were all hopeless (Keith Garages in Aylesbury and Citygate Chalfont and Watford). Either I’ve been very lucky or you’ve been very unlucky!

Agree. At delivery in November 2021 my brand new RX was about £150 per month cheaper than a pre-order on an equivalent spec NX using the 1.9% Lexus PCP. I wasn’t looking for an RX - I’d actually decided to keep my previous NX 300h - but the deal was almost impossible to turn down. Reading the above posts I’m pleased I bought the RX. I hate tech at the best of times, and certainly don’t understand most of it - and at least the RX screen and options were familiar to me after two successive NXs. It all seems to work faultlessly too!

Many years (and two subsequent house moves) ago, I lived in a village in Bucks. Nice place to live, quiet, not much traffic. Over a few days, and without warning, the local authority painted a whole load of road markings everywhere, including in residential streets. They were ugly - although hardly the end of the world - but more importantly they seemed totally unnecessary. They were things like white lines around the kerbs and driveways, 30mph on the roads (even though there were already perfectly serviceable signs for the speed limit). Nobody understood why they’d done it, so I enquired. “Safety” was the answer, so I asked for the evidence. They didn’t have any - no surveys had been done, nothing. I was actually concerned at the cost of the works as they seemed unnecessary, and managed to get it on the agenda at the public Council meeting. It turned out the works had been (essentially) done on the whim of one local councillor based on a discussion with one local resident! He hadn’t followed the correct rules in terms of sign-off for the spend, and he was admonished (on the record) for his actions. Fair to say I wasn’t on his Christmas card list… Even so, what really happened as a result? Nothing. The markings remained, the Councillor also stayed in post and was re-elected! It didn’t even make the local newspaper (and I tried to get them interested). I know we were talking about less than £3k but that wasn’t (and isn’t) the point. I wonder how many other local councils are doing similar, and people generally just can’t be bothered to dig and challenge. I’ve dealt with local Government a few times over the years and have always found it to be incompetent and wholly unsatisfactory. But where is the opportunity for change? In most areas local election turnouts are low and people vote (mainly) on national issues. In many ways we’ve only got ourselves to blame.