Dave79

I never mentioned the ceiling, I've specifically discussed depreciation rates and those suggest a lower floor for the BMW, given that over 3 years the LC is depreciating much more slowly. The rate of depreciation reduces as you approach the floor, which strongly suggests that the floor for the LC is higher than that of the M850i. It'd be nice to understand the basis on which you disagree.

My post was mostly about used cars! £50k is still a long way off the ground based on the values that big BMW GTs - especially ones that aren't M cars (and the M850i is not) - usually fall to, and the BMW is currently depreciating much faster than the LC. That 3 year old M850i is £20k less than a similar 3 year old Approved Used V8 LC despite starting at the same price, and costs the same as a 5 year old LC with similar miles-per-year. If depreciation is a curve, "it's lost a ton of value at 3 years old" means it's more likely to keep doing so, not less likely. Cars don't rapidly lose value for 3 years and then suddenly stop because they've hit the floor, the depreciation rate will reduce as they approach it. So a 3 year old M850i that's lost £40k+ has depreciated at a higher rate than a 5 year old LC that's lost the same, and is likely to continue doing so. There are also more reasons for the M850i to keep depreciating than the LC: over-supply, a proper M version above it, and higher running costs/worse reliability/worse warranty.

I don't agree with your logic. Why would a 3 year old BMW be closer to the bottom of its depreciation curve than an 5 year old LC? This LC with the less desirable hybrid, dodgy black wheels, an extra 2 years and 25k on the clock is up for nearly the same price as that M850i. Big, expensive BMW GTs tend to have fairly horrific depreciation, especially faux-M cars like the M850i. Anything that's shed £50k in 3 years without racking up too many miles is losing value at a rate of knots. Even the older, high mile LCs are still around the £50k mark - and they're over 5 years old now. Supply/demand probably works in the LC's favour too. BMW have already shifted more of the M850i alone than Lexus have all variants of the LC, and the M850i has the proper M8 overshadowing it for desirability. (If you want to laugh at depreciation, the cheapest M8 on Pistonheads is £71k at 3 years old - list price on those is nudging £140k!) Your money's going to be much safer in a new LC than a new M850i, and like-for-like used (age/mileage) you'll probably lose less on the LC, albeit that you'll spend more to get into one.

I know I'm biased but numbers aside, I can't think of a single meaningful way that the BMW is better. The LC is much better looking, better sounding, will be more reliable, and the LC will hold its value much better. If you're talking about the M850i rather than the full fat M8, that thing depreciates so fast you'll get a nosebleed. 3 years old, 13k miles, and a ~50%/£50k haircut. I reckon it's a long way from being done setting fire to your money if you buy it, 2-3 years it'll probably be £30k. Sod that! I guess the BMW might be better if you want straight line bragging rights and the "right" badge to impress people in a pub. Haven't driven one but plenty of reviews have said that from inside even the proper M8 is just like any other BMW, and from the outside it looks like a flattened 4 series. At these prices you're buying with your heart rather than your head of course, whether you buy the LC or the BMW, and the BMW just doesn't seem special enough to me. The LC obviously did 😁 If the BMW appeals to your heart then go for it.

After a week of anticipation I picked her up today. A lovely experience, as I'm sure many others have found with Lexus. They'd fitted a full new set of tyres and gave me a full tank of fuel, with the car in a side room whilst we wrapped up the handover. The noise of startup with a wall just behind was something special! Slight stress on the way home as I got directed through a very narrow town and didn't quite know how wide the back end was yet. Other than that it was a lovely drive back and I spent the whole 90 minutes grinning. No chance to take glamour shots other than the one from the collection area so the car park of the local Asda on a cloudy Saturday afternoon will have to do. A big, yellow V8 that looks as good as the LC500 certainly gets you noticed.

Looks like I need to update the thread title already. Lovely car, it was parked right outside the doors as I arrived and looked stunning even in the cloudy conditions. The drive lived up to my hopes and the sound was plenty good enough, to put it lightly. Especially so when pressing on in Sport+ mode. We were even photographed by some car-spotting teenagers on the test drive 😊 It had been traded in against a Black Inspiration so the previous owner was obviously a big fan. Couldn't negotiate any money off as a customer at another dealer in the group was apparently also keen, but the price was reasonable so I now have an initial deposit down. Should be picking it up next weekend as the dealer isn't local to me; the drive back will be fun. I will definitely need to recalibrate my right foot to 470bhp!

Thanks, and yes, I'm planning on servicing it through my local dealer for the foreseeable. Funnily enough the most recent MOTs for the one I'm looking at mentioned tyre wear on the inside edge. I've already confirmed that it will get a full alignment check, and from the tread depths I was given the current tyres (Potenzas) must be relatively new. Couldn't see any outstanding recalls on the gov.uk checker either so we should be fine on that front. Good to hear, from what I've heard of them the LC isn't quite up to the GT's sound but it's rather lovely in its own way. It certainly feels like it ticks the right boxes.

Hi all, New to the forum and potentially new to Lexus, although I currently have a Toyota. I'm off for a test drive in an Approved Used LC500 tomorrow, an early Sport+ with ML & HUD so all the options ticked. Any advice on things to watch out for/ask about? I've previously owned a 4.7 Maserati Gran Turismo and the LC seems to be very similar (near identical size/weight/power), albeit with considerably better build and reliability, and I've seen/heard favourable comparisons to Aston Martin. That would definitely be what I'm looking for. Long shot I know, have any of you owned/driven the GT and LC to share their experience? Thanks in advance 🙂