serbarry

So you assume that I am a stupid who likes Lina's comments because they have no basis or substance to them. According to you I am a superficial and dumb person who likes reading his comments which according to you have no basis. In every single comments Lina's wrote, he gave solid reasons and detailed information. Your reply is always irritated, upset, bothered because his comments are negative about the ES or Lexus in general. I haven't read a single reply with solid basis so my question is again the same: why do you care about his comments? As explained above if you think that your car is wonderful it doesn't mean that it is for everyone and I really find it childish to be upset because one person, and only one in this forum, doesn't congratulate you for your amazing car and instead criticizes it. Can't you really accept that one person doesn't like it? Ok so accept my congratulations and forget about Lina's: I still think that ES is wonderful and I am not joking: I find it very attractive from the exterior but the interior I can't tell you because I saw it only once in Paris in 2018 as said above. Anyway I remember that I was impressed and sent pictures to my friends saying that maybe when I will retire I could buy one. Each time I went to Lexus Cork I always had a look at the ES parked there because especially after Lina's comments, I always hoped to be able to see the interior and understand why Lina's comments are so negative. Unfortunately all ES were locked. So my only memories of the interior are back to 2018 when, I must remind you, my comparison was my Prius. And when back in 2004 I was lucky enough to have a brand new Prius as loan for a week from the local dealer in Italy, everyone of my friends was astonished by the interior of the Prius, the materials quality, the ultra comfortable seats and especially the touch MFD with the image of the battery charging and discharging and changing colour and the flows describing the HSD system. If I am not wrong at that time, the Prius was the first ever car on the market with a touch MFD and for sure with that colourful screen. Unfortunately all my friends told me that it had a wonderful interior design but it was ugly outside and that for that price they would have bought a Mini (which was very popular and trendy in 2004 in Italy). And you know what? I could not care less about my friends' opinions nor I was offended or bothered by their opinions. And I said to myself that if one day I would find an affordable second hand Prius I would have bought it (I could not afford brand new). And indeed I moved to Ireland in 2007 and in 2010, when my 1994 Civic coupé died, (so please pay attention: my comparison with the Prius was my 1994 Civic coupé), I found a 2004 Prius and my dream came true. In 12 wonderful years of ownership I have loved it every single day and still now I think it was my best car ever, even better than the GS which, in nearly 2 years of ownership, has already costed me 2,800 euros for servicing and repairs. Now I ask you: do you agree with me that my 2004 Prius was an amazing car with a wonderful interior? You don't? I am sorry but you are WRONG!!!! Because you have not owned a Prius for 12 years and therefore, you can't judge my Prius because as you said only the owners can judge their cars. The same as according to you Lina's can't judge the ES because he doesn't own it, but, if he had a positive opinion about the ES, it would not matter if he doesn't own one because you would be the happiest child in the world because one more person likes your toy. PS this forum is just so boring when you can only congratulate each other for the cars you bought and insult someone who criticises them.

Well I can tell you that Italians generally buy Mercedes, Audi and BMW because they have some kind of prestige and status and they like to show off. The average Italian still believes that these German brands are the best in the world and they don't care about their reliability. Unfortunately in Italy Lexus has a very little network of dealers mainly located in the centre - north of the country. I think there's no any Lexus dealer below Rome going south.

I remember seeing an ES for the first time at the Paris cars exhibition in October 2018 and I thought that it was wonderful. I took a lot of photos and sent to my friends saying that maybe when I would retire I could own one. It was the third Lexus I sat inside after an RX in 2001 (do you remember that RX in 2001 pure petrol?) And the 2016 RX450H of my father-in-law which I have seen several times. We can affirm that I had neither clue nor knowledge about Lexus models. Even though I knew the CT which I liked very much, the RX400H, the LS600H and the MK3 GS450H which I felt in love since I saw it for the first time even though I don't remember when. Anyway all these models I barely knew because of reading or watching reviews, seeing them at the dealer, at the traffic lights, parked somewhere, ect. My knowledge was still superficial not because I didn't own one, but because if I didn't go deep in checking interior details, materials quality, doors, leather of the seats, dashboard buttons, noise proofing (is it called like this?), etc. When I discovered the LOC 3 years ago and I introduced myself saying that I was looking for a MK3 GS450H, I still had a superficial knowledge of this model. The only things I knew were that it had the same hybrid system as my Prius, the same MFD (actually identical) as my Prius, that it was 3.5cc and therefore very fast and powerful, that I loved the exterior and interior design. Little by little I read all the topics in the GS450H of this forum and my knowledge increased: I learnt of the different trims and specs, I learnt of the tiny boot which I didn't know (and spoilt by the huge boot of my Prius I had some doubts about buying it). Each time I read the comments of Lina's I learnt something about Lexus but not only from him. I often found him too harsh in his judgements but I appreciated that he was straightforward. And when I read his comments about the ES, not only in this discussion as he had already expressed his views in other discussions, I was really surprised because for me the ES was wonderful since I saw it in Paris. But remember that my comparison was my Prius, so of course the ES was another planet. If you today put me in front of my GS and an ES parked together, I am sure I would not be able to tell you the difference in details of the interior, doors, materials quality, noise proofing, dashboard buttons, leather, etc. And I am sure that I would find the ES a much better car than mine and when Lina's would disagree with me, I would ask him to show me the 2 cars parked in details and go deep in spotting the differences and why the ES is cheap. As for MPG I must admit that I have been misled by what owners of the GS said about the average MPG they can get with their GS. Probably I still have to learn how to drive my GS to get the best MPG and it's disappointing after driving a Prius for 12 years. And yet I didn't blame the owners here in the forum for giving me false and too optimistic MPG figures.

I completely disagree with you as I do enjoy Lina's comments. As I said in the discussion about the LBX I really still don't understand why people here can't have different opinions without getting offended and inviting that person to leave the Loc because nobody wants to read his comments. Well I am interested in Lina's comments because enrich the forum and make topics interesting. What is the purpose of the Loc? Pleasing and congratulating each other for the wonderful cars we own? And after? In the discussion about the LBX another member disagreed with me when I said that I saw ladies struggling to park their SUV and that if they are unable to park them, they should not buy them. The other member said that this happens with any car and not only SUV. I disagree, we have different opinions, no problem. If Lina's said that my GS is rubbish I would ask him why and I would like to know why he thinks so. I would not be offended because it's only his opinion but I would be very curious to know the arguments which support his opinions. And if his arguments are solid and I understand what he means and therefore why he thinks that my car is rubbish, I would tell him that I still love my car because it's perfect for my needs, it's a huge improvement compared to my previous Prius and yes I understand your point, but for me it's not rubbish, it's actually amazing. When I had the Prius, nobody liked it, everyone told me that it was ugly, slow, without any pleasure of driving, etc. I never cared about their opinions nor I was offended because they were looking for something in a car that didn't matter to me. One told me that the Mini he owned was a much better looking car than my Prius: faster, more enjoyable to drive, with a better handling and trendy. I replied that without offence all this was rubbish for me: I didn't need a faster car, I didn't care (at that time) about joy to drive, I didn't care about better handling as most of the time on my itineraries the speed limit was 50 km/h and especially I didn't need people to admire my car because it was trendy and actually when everyone considered my Prius ugly, for me was nice, not beautiful but nice. And unlike the Mini, my Prius was extremely reliable and this is what matters to me above all the aspects. I asked him if he could travel from Cork to Dublin (270 Kms) in the Mini with 5 people, 2 huge suitcases, 5 trolleys (hand luggage) and 2 rucksacks in the boot, because I had already done it with the Prius. I asked him if he could carry a 2 seater sofa bed in the Mini because I had already done it with my Prius. I asked him if he could carry 6 bags of 40 litres each of compost for gardening in the boot of the Mini because I had already done it with my Prius. No? You can't do all these things? Well for me your Mini is useless! This is to say that everyone has different needs and priorities for a car and when Lina's says that your ES is a rebadged Toyota, you should not care, because for you it is wonderful and suits your needs. But the fact that you find your ES wonderful doesn't mean that it's wonderful for everyone. Lina's finds the ES a rebadged Toyota but why you care about his opinions? Is he your dear friend? Your relative? Someone whose opinion is important to you? You can't expect everyone to find the ES wonderful like you do and I don't think that you should ask Lina's to leave this forum for what he said about the ES. I give you another example: each time I talk to my wife about cars she tells me that I wasted my money buying such a useless and unpractical car like the GS: with a tiny boot that I can't fit anything and we always need her Hyundai when we drive to Dublin and fly; with an exaggerated huge engine that I won't need because in my itineraries the speed limit is mostly 50km/h; with a huge fuel consumption compared to the Prius and to her Hyundai; too long and wide that I can't find a parking space; too expensive to maintain for servicing and motor tax; too expensive to fix: I have spent 2,100 euros in the last 4 months for rear shock absorbers, exhaust system and AFS sensor and with the sensor I literally threw away money by going to the dealer. Well my wife is right in every single point raised: they are all objectively negative aspects of my GS. But I love my car. I love looking at it. I love driving it. And there was no other car I desired more when I was looking to replace the Prius. The following 4 nights after buying it I could not manage to sleep much because I was too excited 😊. And I am sorry that my wife doesn't like it because it's my wife and her opinion counts for me. It's not just someone in the Loc giving a bad opinion as Lina's did for your ES.

Maybe it happened to me to see only ladies struggling with SUV. Honestly I don't see which other vehicles are the same size as SUV or if you mean saloons as long as SUV yes maybe but I never saw anyone struggling to park a saloon.

Why wouldn't you be allowed an opinion? For me it's just this trend or fashion of buying only SUV and crossovers and consequently the disappearance of saloons in the range of models of some manufacturers. You would agree with me that parking a city car is a lot easier than a longer and wider SUV and consequently only a small number of drivers have difficulty in parking a city car compared to the number of drivers having difficulty in parking a SUV and as SUV are nowadays so common and spread it happens more often to see a driver struggling to park one.

I don't understand why being upset about Lina's opinion. He never said that you are idiots. He has a different opinion than you about the latest Lexus models. I don't know if he's right but I think that different opinions and views in a forum make the forum more interesting. I think he's right saying that nowadays new cars are too expensive and if customers didn't buy them, cars manufacturers would be obliged to reduce the price. This is a simple law of the market. For me the LBX is a pretty car, seems well built and maybe could do good sales. Would I buy new? Not at all! It's not worth that money for me but I don't think that someone else who buys it is an idiot. Probably for him it is worth that money or maybe he doesn't care because he has a lot of money to spend. But I have never bought a brand new car, too expensive and not worth. I have always bought second hand cars. Unlike Linas, I don't hate SUV as type of car itself, but what I do hate is the fashion of buying only SUV and crossovers and consequently the trend of cars manufacturers of making only SUV and crossovers. My wife has a 2018 Hyundai i30 fastback saloon with only 32,000 Kms bought from new. Since the second mileage service in 2020 the local Hyundai dealer where we bought it has called her twice a year until last May asking her to trade in her i30 for a newer model promising a very good trade in value. They stopped calling her when bothered, she told them that she is not interested in SUV and crossovers and as Hyundai doesn't have a single saloon in its range anymore she won't change the i30. Actually if the dealer could offer the brand new Elantra my wife would consider swapping her car. I personally hate waiting minutes in the car park of a shopping centre that a lady in her 30s, 40s or 50s is struggling to park her NX, X3, Q3, etc. Why do they buy a SUV if they are not able to park it? Do they really need it?

My first ever experience with Lexus Cork has not been positive: even though I had booked the mileage service 2 months in advance and I had made clear that I needed a loan car, the day before the service, I made several phone calls and sent 2 emails to get the number plate of the loan car in order to transfer my insurance. The person who was supposed to take care of me was not there or was busy and even though the receptionist promised that he would call me back, he never did. They just ignored me. I was really disappointed: you can't charge 800 euros for a major service and ignore the customer for a simple thing as the loan car. When I showed up at the dealer to drop my car, magically the loan car was available but I refused it as I didn't want to pay 15 euros a day for their insurance. So I asked my wife to collect me from the dealer and to drop me the day after to collect my car. A few days after a lady from the dealer called me asking if I was happy with the service received and politely but firmly I explained to her how I had been ignored and consequently disappointed. I must admit that the following 2 experiences with Lexus Cork have been positive. They made sure long in advance that the loan car would be available even if in one of these 2 occasions they messed up with the model and gave me the wrong number plate. Fortunately I had not yet transferred my insurance when they advised me so there was no issue. Overall apart from the first time, everything was fine after.

Still a lot cheaper than in Ireland. I would not complain.

I suppose the B class you had, had a smaller engine than the IS this mat explain some increase but probably not £ 170. As well the IS has a smaller engine than my GS. My suggestion is to get various quotes from different insurers when the time comes for renewal and see which one is the best one.

The insurance is very expensive for the new young drivers. I pay around 500 euros comprehensive but I am 52 and over 30 years driving without any accident.

It is too expensive even if the roads are better than in UK and I think it is unfair that there are cars like my previous 2004 Prius which pay more than a brand new 2023 RX450H. I paid 8,250 euros for my GS and I pay more for the motor tax than someone who can afford a brand new LS500H.

I pay 790 euros motor tax per year and I am lucky because my car was registered in 2008. If it had been registered in 2006 or 2007 I would have paid 1,809 euros. A 2008 LS600H pays 1,250 euros. With my previous 2004 Prius V2 1.5cc I used to pay 413 euros but the same Prius 2008 onwards only paid 160 euros, same engine, same emissions, same everything. It just doesn't make sense.

I wish I could pay only £ 180 per year.

Sorry for this late reply. Yes for sure they are not inexpensive as I paid 1,200 euros for the rear ones only.

I agree with Len: I have a leaking valve in one of the tyres of my car and the TPMS tells me when I need to inflate the tyre before it is completely flat.

Lucky you that you can already retire at 58.

+ 1

You are right but my trusted mechanic told me to go to Lexus. I don't know if he did not want to do the job or if he was unable to do it. Anyway yes I could have looked around and try to find another garage but it would have taken me more time and not sure where to go for it. I know on ebay is a lot cheaper but was not sure about the compatibility with my car. After all It is outrageous what Lexus charges for labour and part, I could have probably looked around. I will try to do differently next time.

I am in Ireland and I will pay 600 euros. I know it's a huge amount for such a small part but if I am not wrong about 300-350 is the labour only.

I am having the AFS sensor replaced tomorrow by the dealer. I know I could have saved a lot if I had bought it on eBay but I wasn't sure about what to buy and eventually for peace of mind I have decided to go to the dealer.

The same in Cork.

I will wait until September to replace the tyres.

I think Brexit has nothing to do with it: I don't think that even within the EU, an authority of a member state can force a citizen of another state to pay a fine issued in its territory. In other words Germans getting fines in Spain or France or another EU country are not forced to pay them and I don't even think that they receive any fine by post back to their homes in Germany and the same applies, I think, to citizens of other EU countries.

Booked my car with the Lexus dealer to replace the AFS sensor on 5th July (the earliest available date). In April I replaced the rear shocks. I hope nothing else needed for some time.