FrzingNuts

Hi all, probably a long shot, but I need to let go of my '67 reg sonic red LC500 Sport+ (6,500 miles, tan interior) as I need space for 5 people and am in need of an interesting saloon. My wife is not allowing any of the usual German options (M5, E63S, C63 etc) so I thought I might side step. Even if not selling immediately, I'd be interested to hear. Especially if you'd like to swap with an LC500 as I'm guessing it will take me a while to sell the LC.

Thanks Colin, I feel quite short changed about the lack of these features on our cars now!

Is it still a Lexus system? If so, can we hope to eventually get the same. If not, any technical reason why not?

Hi all, it appears that over on the american forums, people are saying there is a software update for $199 which updates the LC (and other 2017+ Lexus model) infotainment software to enable Apple Car Play. Apparently officially released in May 2019. Anyone had this update in the UK?

Mine is not a daily driver but it is probably the best made, most complete car I've ever owned. I've owned a total of around 35 performance vehicles over the years. Yes it has flaws but the sensory response I get from it is second to none. Could it do with being quicker? Yes it could. Could the infotainment be better and more intuitive? Yes it could. Could it do with 360 panoramic cameras? Yes it could. None of those seem to bother me and it is the first car in years I am considering keeping for longer than a year or two. PS. Having got Miracast to work with my android phone is a bonus (Huawei mate 20 pro) as I could not get bluetooth media working on it at all. Haven't been to the dealer for updates but I suspect they must have one for the satnav system.

Mine has been driven a fair bit the last 10 days. Around 500 miles. i can't stop myself. Unlike other cars I've owned, I don't really care if it racks up the miles. It feels like a keeper.

Hi all again. I picked up my sonic red LC500 this week (just over 2k miles). It is a Sport+ with the tan interior. I had test driven this vehicle previously but now that I have a few hundred miles in the driving seat, I thought I'd post this up. Looks - The sonic red colour is stunning and has real depth when seen in sunlight. It does pick up surface scratches easily but I am going to detail it and have a ceramic coating applied mainly to make it easier to clean. Up close, the car has some very interesting angles and it reminds me of various different cars (LFA, Nissan GT-R). It looks a lot more impressive in person rather than in photos. Interior - By far the best put together and highest quality interior compared to any car I have had (including high end Porsche vehicles). I mentioned this in another post but at first glance on autotrader, I was put off the tan interior. Having seen it up close, it is apparent you get nice subtle changes in shading and the contrast between alcantara and leather is lovely. The entire thing feels way more expensive than it is (£150k+ territory of car). No rattles/creaks at all but I recognise it is still fairly new. I don't imagine it will age badly if kept well taken care of. The dash is well laid out and I actually like the trackpad with haptic feedback. You do have to get used to it prior to attempting changes while driving though. Ride quality - Mine has the 21s with Bridgestone runflats. In comfort mode it is quite supple on almost all types of road exept pot holes with sudden drop-offs. There, it still feels a bit choppy and out of curiosity, I'd like to see what an LC500 with 20s (and non-runflats) rides like as I think this will transform the car considerably in terms of comfort. When in Sport and Sport+, it stiffens up nicely but it isn't overdamped and I find that a huge bonus for normal road driving. I would never take it on a track but I imagine it is a little softly damped even in Sport+ mode. I haven't found a way to decouple the drive modes in terms of the individual settings yet and I'm not sure if you can do that - e.g. set it in Sport+ but with a comfort suspension setting? Handling - Very pleasantly surprised at how capable it is dynamically. When approaching the limit in sweeping bends and sharp cornering, you really do feel the rear wheel steering assist and LSD at work and it isn't off-putting. It is always controllable and doesn't require lots of opposite lock unless you are really being silly. Even then, I can feel the combination of TC/LSD working so I don't think it is ever fully off. The steering is as direct as I'd expect suiting a luxury GT feel but precise and not vague. I don't know if it is meant to weight differently in different modes but I don't find the steering weight very different between normal, sport and sport+. Engine/exhaust/gearbox - Probably one of the best features of this car. The 5L V8 is a masterpiece. I can see it getting better over time as it gets broken in and it will become even more free-revving. I love the requirement to rev it to the top of the rpm range to access the majority of power/torque. It really suits the car and I think this is why it is so controllable. The sound is phenomenal both inside and out of the cabin or with windows down. I have had several people commenting already and I've only had the car 2 days! I have owned many V8s (NA and forced induction variants) in the past and this feels the best engineered and the sound department at Lexus have done a stellar job with the cabin noise, exhaust downshift crackles/pops without it being ASBO ridiculous. The 10-speed auto is great with fast shifts when needed and lots of comfort and smoothness when not. A couple of times I have noticed it "thump" itself into a lower gear when pootling around town but I checked with the dealer and there are no gearbox software updates for it at this time. Fuel economy on motorways is actually surprising at between 35-40mpg. Overall, I think it is a great all-round GT/luxury sports coupe. All the dynamic components feel well put together and don't intimidate or frustrate the driver. I think it would be a great car to learn car handling in. It feels so well made and makes one feel special when inside. I know there are a ton of cars out there at similar price-points with much more performance. I don't think many of them can match this car's interior quality, handling dynamics, engine feel and looks. Reliability remains to be seen but I can't see any reason it won't be to similar Lexus standards. I am very glad I didn't go for an AMG GTS in the end. I think the latter would have bored me in 5 minutes. With the LC500, I feel I can easily get a few years interesting usage from it and the fact that my kids fit in it (and they love it) is a bonus.

I wouldn't be getting the Lexus dealer to detail my car or apply a ceramic coating. I have a detailer whom I have used for years to do this and he normally keeps a car for 3-5 days (depending on the amount of machine polishing required). I have had G-techniq and cQuartz ceramic coatings applied before in various cars. In my experience cQuartz was far longer lasting (2+ years) even without applying the recommended reload every 4th wash. One I have not tried yet which is recommended is Siramik. And yes agree, its normally about £700-1000 for this sort of detail and ceramic coat.

The dealer I am buying from has to be commended. I emailed him about this just now and he's replied almost immediately, reassuring me that they won't be doing any traditional smart repair. They lightly machine polish and apply heat in order to allow the top layer clearcoat (of the 5 layer paint process) to self heal. To be honest if it isn't a major cosmetic issue, I'm leaving well alone as I wouldn't even trust a bodyshop with it. Thinking of getting my detailer do a swirl correction and then apply a ceramic coating as I want this paint to last. Any others with experience on ceramic coatings on Lexus paint? I have had Cquartz on several cars and found it great and long lasting. Don't want to make things worse on an unfamiliar brand to me though.

Just did a bit of reading about this and the ultrasonic blue Lexus colour seems to have this 5-layer process: http://blog.lexus.co.uk/lexus-paintwork-look-good/ I read elsewhere that recent Lexus models and other paints undergo this process so I can see how it is difficult to replicate with traditional 2/3 layer bodyshop resprays.

Nice, thanks Wendle. Will do this.

Rayaans, apologies, I totally missed your post. Very helpful thanks. The sonic red car I looked at had a notable aroud 3cm scratch near the top of the driver's side door. To me, it looked polishable with a rotary polisher but the dealer mentioned a "smart repair" potentially to be done to it. I strongly declined that and suggested they try to polish it and go from there. The only other solution would be a bodyshop respray but I am worried about colour matching. Slightly surprising that cars of this age have to be written off due to repainting a bumper? Competent bodyshops charge £10-15k for full resprays (e.g. precision porsche), so it would be good to understand the rationale behind writing off for such a job.

Thanks Malcolm, very helpful. Looking forward to this.

Thanks Malcolm. I think mine is a Sep '17 car, which is probably why it needed the recall. So in terms of servicing, can I ask a favour? If you have the service booklet/manual handy, does it detail the schedule? Is the 12 month service a full or intermediate type? Did the v8 LC500 need a 1000-mile run-in service? I was told by the salesperson that this isn't the case.

Hi all again. Having driven the v8 LC500, I put a deposit down this morning. I am hugely impressed with it. So much more special than any 911 I've had. The v8 sound is superb and it is really well damped despite the 21s. The car I am going for is Sonic red with the tan interior. It looked even better in the flesh than in pictures. It had Bridgestone tyres and I asked the salesperson if they were runflats but he said they are not? I thought they were standard in all LC500s? The car is a 67 with just over 2k miles and has had the fuel pump recall performed. There is an option to prepay for the next service/services (after the one it is about to have) and it seems they are saying all services are a standard £595? Is this correct? Is there anything else I should be asking for in terms of routine stuff pre-collection ?

Thanks guys. Colin, I didn't know the 20in wheels had runflats, thanks for that. I do like the 20in wheel design. Malcolm, great combination. I'd love a red one with black interior but almost all of the ones for sale currently have the beige leather interior. Its something I have never gone for before, but I have to say it feels quite luxurious and seems to go with the sonic red. In the absence of a red or white car with black interior, I may just go with beige leather. I usually stick Michelin PSS on every car I own and carry a tyre puncture/conti comfort kit around. The only runflats I have experience of are on Nissan GT-Rs which were Dunlop SP Sport Maxx and were the stiffest things on earth. I think I am permanently scarred by how inappropriately harsh the ride was with those. Switching to Michelin PSS totally transformed the car. What tyres do LC500s come with as I've seen some with Michelins and some with Bridgestones. Jules, stunning car! Those 21s really suit the white paint colour. Nemesis, I haven't seen the clove interior. The choices on the LC500 do seem limited though.

Hi all, great forum. I have a fairly rich car history (ranging from a number of 911s, to Mitsubishi Evos, Nissan GT-Rs, Nobles and even some american muscle cars (Challenger Hellcat)). I am now looking for something reliable and fun which preferably will fit 2 children in the back. I love good-sounding, unmuted V8s (not necessarily NA versions). I'm not a race car driver but I do appreciate car dynamics and reasonably skilled. The LC500 has caught my eye and I am going to see and drive one next Saturday. It is a '67 with around 2k miles (ex-demo/dealership MD-owned I suspect). I usually go for grey/black cars with black/dark interior but the LC is sonic red with the beige leather interior. Initially I thought the whole thing is a bit shouty but it has grown on me although not sure what it will be like to live with. Are there more favourable/resalable colour combinations? Also all the cars seem to have the nasty 21in wheels, especially if in sports+ trim. I may end up swapping those out especially if on runflats, which I detest. I usually don't finance cars but the dealer seems to have a reasonable PCP deal on a £72k Sport+ with ML and HUD with 3.9% APR, 10k miles a year and roughly £750 a month payments with a £15k deposit, and a GFV of around £36k after 3 years. Not sure if this is good or if others have had better? Anyone managed to get any service packages or deposit contributions in? What are people's thoughts on depreciation? I tend to swap cars around every 1-2 years so I'll be hit with this either way I imagine. I have no experience on how Lexus performance models depreciate but hoping given only 250 coming to the UK, it will not be disastrous. Any other advice would be appreciated. The other car I was looking at was an AMG GT S - I know this is only a 2-seater, but I do like the looks. I have a bad feeling that it will spend most of its time in rubbish Merc dealers getting fixed though and I really can't be bothered with that.