UKPulse

Around 36mpg - car does mostly long trips, e.g. a Horhsam to Havant commute every other week.

I'm with you on the look of the RX facelift that's coming. Looks like something out of Battlestar Galactica to me! Still enjoying wafting about in the current 450h as it's only 2yrs old, hopefully Lexus will have a whole new model for consideration by the time this one's up for replacement.

Unfortunately I don't have access to mine, but many thanks for the confirmation

Hi there, I am trying to find out the dimensions of a 2003 IS300. The length is easy, but I'm not sure if the width quoted of 1725mm (67.9in) includes the wing mirrors or not. I.e. is it 'wing mirror tip to wing mirror tip' or is it 'door handle to door handle'? Unfortunately I no longer have my brochure which I think used to have a diagram of the car dimensions (and would have shown if the width included the mirrors). It's all to do with the car fitting through a rather 'narrow' garage door!

...and the Soarer of course, but then I would say that Looking at the CT - can't say rear visibility is going to be that great.

Talk about a tight fit! Good job they lent her the demonstrator... Think I'll have to attach something to the back wall of the garage, like one of those camping roll mats.

It came to about 4% off in the end. Was told that it may arrive as soon as 6 weeks, as there was one of the spec she wanted in the supply line that they were able to reserve. Had it been a factory order they said she'd be looking at 20 weeks potentially :o

Well, shopped around and got a dealer that was prepared to negotiate. Got offered a good package including freebies as well, so she's done the deal! Now just the 8 weeks or so of waiting... then I can be ferried around in luxury :D Being back in a Lexus showroom (not the bunch who stitched me up all those years ago I hasten to add), and driving their cars again after so long has reminded me what nice machines these are B)

Many thanks for all the replies. She does have her heart set on the Lexus, and while she's looked at the X5 and does think it's a very nice car - at 4857mm long (compared to the 4780mm of the Lexus) it won't quite fit in the garage while the Lexus should do, just. Actually, could extend the garage with the money saved on say an X5 3.0d The Merc is out as her sister has one, so there's a bit of sibling rivalry plus it doesn't seem as comfy as the X5 or Lexus. I did mention Land Rover/Range Rover to her and all I got was a funny look I was surprised the dealer won't offer anything off the price, but as you say - time to try another dealer, although they're a bit scarce in the south east (maybe that's what the dealer is relying on). Useful to know that the target should be around what the brokers are offering. Did have a look online for GAP insurance, and can get Return To Invoice or Vehicle Replacement for around £410 for 3 years, which doesn't seem too bad. I'd guess the Lexus own GAP insurance is going to be more than double that. Sounds like it is going to be a very expensive car to own from new, so maybe a 2nd hand one wouldn't be out of the question. Did a quick search on the Lexus site for 'approved used' and there are a few SE-L's about... trick is it has to be red with a cream interior (women!!)

My other half is looking to buy a new RX450h SE-L, and with metallic paint as the only option she wants, the price looks to be around £53K. First thing the salesman said is that she can forget about any sort of discount, but if they're feeling generous they might chuck in free GAP insurance and possibly some sort of deal on servicing for 3 years. Sounded a bit harsh seeing as on-line brokers will do the exact same car for about £3,500 - £3,800 less, and one of the biggest brokers even arranges the deal through your local Lexus dealer!? What's also a bit worrying is that if you opt to finance the car on a lease-purchase, the Guaranteed Future Value after three years (based on 10,000 miles a year) is just £19.7K... that sounds to me like the car is going to depreciate over £33K in three years, or around 63%. Is that right? The salesman was talking all about Lexus exclusivity and strong prices, but he obviously didn't mention any figures - the ones I got are off the Lexus finance calculator. Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely car, but it sounds like the dealer is playing tough plus the car is going to be very expensive to run, all things considered

Any Lexus dealership is only as good as its staff. I have long been a staunch defender of my local Lexus dealer and the cars in general. Needless to say the dealership has changed hands, most of the sales and service staff are new and as a result, the whole Lexus experience has taken a slide. Whoever said there's no loyalty any more was spot on.

Ok it's NINE WEEKS and I still don't have the car back! Last Saturday (Jan 28th) I complained to my local Lexus dealer about this. To take this long to fix my car, to attempt to return it to me in such a poor state and to fail to keep me informed of progress is totally unacceptable. As the repairer recommended by the Lexus dealer they fall way short of the level of service I'd expect, so it's looking like they'll soon be named & shamed over in the Gold Forums. :tsktsk: Courtesy car? The repairers only offer Ford Ka's as courtesy vehicles and there is no way on earth I'm driving one of those!! Have been using the Soarer plus I have the use of a company Audi A3 (which I have to say apart from poor build quality and rubbish dealerships, ain't a bad car to drive).

Gimme a 'ghay' auto any day :winky: ...most roads round here are permanently clogged with traffic, speed cameras and old biddies just pootling along!

Update - my car has now been at the repairers for almost NINE WEEKS. My confidence that the car will be returned to me in perfect condition is dwindling with each passing day. Given that they are supposed to be the official repairer for Lexus, I'll now have to refer the matter back to my local Lexus dealer to see what can be done.

There is no way that all the dealerships for any given car manufacturer (with the possible exception of some really exotic make with one dealership!) ... can get it right all the time. There are always going to be odd ocassions when they drop the ball or do something wrong. I tend to judge them firstly on how often such mistakes occur, and in my experience Lexus make far fewer mistakes and give better service than dealerships for most other makes, and secondly, how quickly and how well they deal with mistakes when inevitably they do occur. Trust me, I have had a lot of dealings with BMW, Mercedes and Audi dealerships and they all pale into comparison compared with my local Lexus dealer. Audi in particular have exhibited such an utter lack of customer care that it almost beggars belief! What someone said earlier about your relationship with a dealer being a two-way thing is very true. Invest a little time and effort in them, and show them a little respect and they will hopefully respond in kind :D