Alex34

Does Lexus finance allow you to sell your car to a third party at the end of the term whilst paying off the balloon? Example: if the GFV is £15K and another trader offers you £18K, can the other trader pay off Lexus Finance direct and pay you the balance?

Definitely agree with the difference between the CT and IS. The biggest thing for me though was the CT's small cabin space and tiny boot, despite being a hatch. It's smaller inside than the focus was.

My old car was a 1.6 diesel Ford Focus. I bought it out right as a pre-reg in 2015 after my BMW was written off. The reason I went with the Focus was because I was about to change locations at work and was going to be doing 18K miles a year for a few years. I wanted something I could do 100K miles in and was cheap and cheerful. 4 years in the input shaft bearings in the gearbox went, which Ford paid for most of the repair but it never drove the same after. Then loads of little silly cosmetic things started going and finally a couple weeks ago the head gasket blew. The car never overheated the entire time I had it and didn't even overheat on the day I had it recovered. It just all of a sudden started bogging out and spewing white smoke from the exhaust. I didn't want to go down a rabbit hole with cost of possible repairs to the head and pistons so I scrapped it for £1K. The repairs were going to run me at least £2K with changing the waterpump and timing belt which made sense to do. If there was damage to the head and pistons then it would have to be an engine rebuild or scrapped so I decided not to take the risk. The car was only worth about £4K at the time with the mileage it had. That's why I was going to buy a car this year anyway but in the later part of the year. I did get 88K miles out of it, however, my first and last Ford purchase. I think the Lexus Scrappage scheme is for older cars. Thanks for the advice by the way.

My brother who lives in Miami still has his 2008 IS250 with 130K miles that he keeps as a spare car. Says he will never get rid of it unless it dies. It's just so difficult to choose. Should I be thrifty or should I get what I want, especially if I may keep it long term? I even considered just getting a 69 plate CT200h and not spend a lot. After test driving one though I realised the error in my thinking. It's quite small in terms of interior space and witn a very small boot. I started out looking at cars from £16K - £20K and now I'm up to £35K! I probably wouldn't have considered the new F-Sport but the discount and low APR is tempting. The 69 plate is more my style in terms of colour scheme though. Both are Premium Pack too.

My deposit is £5K for both cars, sorry. I've never done PCP before so I always look at it as purchasing the car outright. However, I think PCP will give me more flexibility in case I don't want to keep it or something else happens. Will have a look at the deals you mentioned though, thanks. One of the main reasons I'm considering keeping it is that there will be no more IS300h after this year. Don't know if I would consider any other Lexus models after this. I'm also a bit old school and try to get as much as I can out of a car (maybe a bad thing). So many people treat cars as a direct debit nowadays or like a subscription. Changing cars every 2 to 3 years and never really owning it. I've never done that so maybe I'm just looking at it the wrong way?

As the IS300h is no longer available in the UK after 2020 I started looking at some later models instead. Came across a 69 plate F-Sport, silver with red leather that they won't take less than £27,400 for. Comes with new rubber mats and boot liner. 9K miles on the ODO and super clean. Thinking PCP for 48 months on 4.9% and more than likely pay it off in the end with a £11.5K balloon. Sales manager then threw a spanner in the works. Offered me a brand new F-Sport in red with black leather. £35K at 1.9% on PCP, 42 months with a balloon at the end of £15.4K The monthly payments for the 69 plate is £301 and for the new one it is £403. If I decide to keep the car at the end, I will have almost the entire amount saved up for the 69 plate (based on money I put away every month for "car payments / saving up for new car") but will have to finance a portion of the balloon if I go with the new F-Sport. Difficult to decide when thinking in the long term. Either car I could realistically keep for 10yrs... 6 or 7 years quite easily. I do about 10K miles a year. Ideally I would have wanted to be as close to £300 a month as possible and have it paid off in 3yrs but my car dying and being scrapped has taken that ideal away from me. The two options seem to be balanced in comparison when you weigh up the differences in age, condition, and cost funding. The 69 plate will probably be paid off in 4yrs but will always be a year and a half older with 9K more miles and previously used. Whilst the new car would be financed for probably 5 years in total but will be newer with one owner and 9K miles less. A down side to both though is that ridiculous luxury road tax charge to vehicles with original list price over £40K. So an added £1280. What do you guys and gals think?

Thanks. The last service was carried out in Sept but they've pretty much had the car back shortly after. There was 20 miles difference between the last service and when I went to see the car on Saturday.

Thanks for the advice! The one I would consider buying doesn't have any rust on the callipers. I was only asking for reference. I was actually thinking of offering them £19500 as well. I can also ask them to throw in the rubber floormat set, boot liner and a full tank of petrol instead, if they find that option easier. I was planning on purchasing the rubber floormats and boot liner anyway. They've already offered to carry out an MOT and fill in any stone chips with a full valet. I will also ask that a vehicle health check be carried out detailing condition and wear of the brake pads and disks along and tyre wear. Although I didn't see any excessive brake wear or tyre wear. It was what was to be expected with 18K miles. I just want the full condition of the car to be documented. I should hear back from them Monday, I will let you guys know how it goes.

Thanks for all the info. There are a few things I am using to negotiate but they probably will only come off the list price by £200. It's priced at £19800 and is the Advance model with heated and vented seats. The brake rust I mentioned is on the calipers, not the disks. It's on the car I won't be choosing but was asking if it was a common thing with these cars for reference. The level of rust was quite concerning. The car I'm likely to choose doesn't have any rust on the calipers.

My car died a couple of weeks ago and I have been struggling to get a Lexus dealer to allow me a viewing during lockdown. However, I managed to twist some arms with my key worker status and the backing of my very large employer. So I had the opportunity to view two very similar 67 plate IS300h today. They were pretty much exact match spec and 1K miles difference ODO. Priced very similar as well. Anyway, one was better than the other but the interior wear was similar on both. All seats except the driver's were flawless. Both driver's seats had some wear, especially the side profile near the door. Is there anything Lexus can do to rejuvenate the leather and remove any discolouration and scuff marks? It's a cream coloured leather. The front brake calipers of the less desirable one were very rusty. Is this a normal thing with the IS300h? Wish I'd taken a picture of it. Lastly, is there anything I should look out for with a 67 plate at 18K miles? Is there anything I should try to get the dealer to replace or throw in with the deal? Thanks in advance.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Seems like some of the dealers are starting to become more flexible and I seem to now be getting somewhere with viewings. Fingers crossed I may find something soon.

Looking to see who actually has made "Click & Collect" purchases of new or used Lexus and how did you find the experience? 1. Did the cars turn out to be exactly what was described to you before collection? 2. Were you satisfied with your decision to buy? 3. If there were any issues upon collection, what were they and how did the dealer address them? 4. What car did you purchase and from what dealer. Your participation and input will be very helpful and appreciated. Thanks in advance.

So I decided a week or so ago to wait the lock down out but it looks like it's going to stretch into summer now. Found a couple IS at the Reading dealer and have requested info etc. The ones at Reading fit what I was looking for a bit more and pricing seems better. Have any of you had any experience with Lexus Reading? Are they better or worse than Lexus Milton Keynes? I've been told they are directly under Lexus / Toyota UK, is this true and if so is it a pro or a con? Thanks in advance.

I've checked with other Lexus dealers and they are all operating the same way. Tried to haggle on pricing due to me taking a unforeseen risk but they hardly budge from their prices. They offer small things like 12 month MOT and so forth but will only offer to take a couple hundred pounds off the asking price.

Thanks for the input guys. You all have been really helpful. I will keep speaking with MK Lexus and see how it goes.

Sounds like you guys made out ok with your purchase and that's good. Looks like I just have to man up and make a decision. Sucks this happened in the winter as it's really the only thing making me seriously consider purchasing a car this way.

I tried to work something out but most they say they can do is not activate the finance until I go to pick up the car to make sure I am happy with it. But no test drive first and I can only look at the one car I have paid the deposit on. So I will still have to make my decision based on pictures and video. They also won't let me just walk up and have a look around the forecourt.

Yes, dealing with Milton Keynes. They will be my local for everything once I purchase and would rather purchase from them as well. The guy I was dealing with has been fantastic but it's more of me being comfortable with purchasing a car in that manner. I like to have options and be able to manoeuvre a bit in terms of maybe upping my initial budget if i cannot find what I'm looking for initially. I like to see, smell and feel what's available on the market and there is really no flexibility with these current lockdown terms. Click and collect maybe fine for purchasing a new car but for purchasing a used one? I find it difficult. You are putting a lot of trust into car salesmen and subjectivness. Car sales are classed as non-essential but if your car dies having it fixed is essential? What if it cannot be fixed? So I can go to the dealer to have my car fixed but if it is irreparable I cannot look on the forecourt of that same dealer to purchase a replacement? Mad.

So my current car blew a head gasket beginning of this week and I am completely over it. However, no repairs can be down until a few weeks due to availability etc. I'm a key worker and cannot work from home. I have sporadic access to another car and I own a motorcycle. It is winter though so riding a motorcycle isn't the best option. Before the gasket failure, my plan was to buy a Lexus approved used CT200h or an IS300h in March so I was kind of prepared to purchase another anyway. However, I just found out yesterday after speaking with a Lexus dealer that I cannot come in to view any vehicle or do any test drives. I can only make a purchase over the phone then come and collect it. I will then have 14 days to return the car if I don't like it. I've spoken with the sales reps extensively about a couple of cars and they have sent over personalised videos of the cars so that I can make a decision. I'm still finding it very difficult feeling comfortable with purchasing a car this way... especially a used car. I know it comes with 12 month warranty and I can purchase the additional 2 yrs but I feel almost like I'm buying a cat in a bag if I do. The purchase will be partly financed so there is that added headache of having to return it within the 14 days if I don't like it. So I'm struggling to make a decision at the moment. If we weren't currently in winter I would wait until lockdown was over to start looking but we are at least a month away from lockdown easing and are likely to have it extended until March. Have any of you guys purchased your Lexus during lockdown via a dealer or does anyone on here work for a Lexus dealer and could offer some further advice?

Thanks for the advice guys! Sorry for the late reply. With covid and the strains it's put on the work place, I have barely had any time for myself. I haven't purchased a new car yet but will be doing so this year and it will more than likely be a CT. The plan is to purchase towards the end of Autumn or if my current car breaks before then. I use my motorcycle mostly in the summer months so make sense to wait until the Autumn. The plan was to use Lexus Milton Keynes for the purchase and will now definitely go for an extended warranty.

Hello all! Just joined, planning on getting a CT200h next year and wanted to know if there are any common faults or problems with this model as well as if there is anything in particular I should look out for when purchasing? This will not be my first Lexus but it will be my first hybrid. I previously had an IS300 US version and an Altezza RS200 JDM version. Any help will be greatly appreciated.