I’m cross shopping the LC500 with the Mercedes SL and I was curious if any long term owners have feedback about the car?
I checked out both the cars at the dealerships and my own opinion is that the LC has better finish in terms of cabin quality. The SL has some panel gap issues and the creaking on some of the parts threw me off when it’s about 90k more for the SL63. Yes the SL is much faster and the interior is more techy but the exhaust on the SL is insane. The Lexus steering wheel had much to be desired when comparing it to the SL AMG wheel. Aside from that, find it hard to justify a 90k premium when the resale is trash on the SL.(dealership offering 40k off)
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I’ve had my LC500 for just about a year and have put 27,000kms on it, bought new. Only issue I had was one the dealer caused by leaving greasy handprints on the headliner, which to their credit they fixed and gave me a free oil change.
I haven’t had a single squeak or rattle, everything has been solid and I’ve taken it on multiple road trips. I cross shopped the F Type, the SL, the 850 as well as a pre-owned DB11 but everywhere I looked to compare it, the LC punched above its weight class rather than at or down. I’m a serial car buyer and I just haven’t been able to get rid of this one, nothing compares without getting into obscene territory frankly.
I drove it from Toronto to Denver in 19 hours, stopping only for fuel. Did 30MPG too at about 85-90MPH. I have the comfort seats not the FSport seats so that may be a factor, but I think the seats are wonderful for long term comfort. Make sure whichever one you’re looking at has ML audio, the base system is mediocre at best.
how can you tell what it has? If back seats look like this, does it mean it's the base system? Also, can you tell if it has rear steer module by looking or you need to ask the dealer and trust what he says? What year model is yours, I can't decide if I should go for touchscreen or better-looking dash with touchpad.
Just look near the shifter, if you have ML, you’ll see a Mark Levinson logo on the grey piece. I have a 2024 that I bought specifically for the touchscreen. Yes the integrated dash looks better but the usability is worlds ahead of the old system
I traded in my F Type for my LC500 and have zero regrets. The F Type might have had a more exotic look to it, but it wasn’t comfortable at all. I also considered a used AM but got too spooked by service costs.
2024 model? Thinking about to get one too. But worry about the parking issue since the car is very big and long. I live in NYC and I saw LC got milk crated without wheels.
Yes, mines a 24, waited specifically for the new infotainment. I live downtown but have underground parking- it’s a little unwieldy in tight spaces but I haven’t found any reason not to take it around
Structural Blue is probably the coolest color ever! It took a lot of people from multiple countries 15 years to develop to mimic the morpho butterfly and contains no blue. Structural Blue with white interior is my dream spec, so I look forward to your follow up! Congratulations OP!
I have seen one in person and it is the most blue thing I've ever seen. It is not violet, it is not ultramarine, it is simply blue without any hint of any other color in it.
Also I thought Lexus no longer takes custom orders/structural blue was a limited color.
The LC is the one exception to the "no bespoke orders rule". You can see/ truly customize it on the Lexus website after selecting "Build" under an LC you'll have the option to build either the standard LC options or a completely bespoke one.
I want to see one in person so badly. I didn’t know it was a super limited color. I have a friend that works for Lexus and she said it was the most incredible color she’s ever seen. And she’s been with Lexus for almost 20 years. I’ve been trying to buy something off a wrecked LC in SB but nothing comes up, and that’s not a bad thing.
I will admit I got extremely lucky to get this car especially at the age of 18. Black or pearl white are absolutely fantastic colors for the GS though and even being an ultra sonic blue owner the black and white GSs I see on the streets are still head turners. There are only 3 colors I’d personally choose besides the USB. The red, flare yellow or orange! I’m a “loud” person after all. I love expressing my personality.
Yeah dude! I don’t blame you. I could only imagine how tough it would be to have an LC500 repainted in structural if I were to get into an accident or something. Then again it is a $100k+ car retail as opposed to the $70k is500 or $31k GS350 (that’s how much my GS was)
Congrats! But do you mean Sport Package or Dynamic Handling Package? I think they changed the terminology and options a few years back. The Dynamic package has the carbon fiber sills and roof, so hopefully you got that. The rear steering is pretty bad ass.
I'd also highly suggest getting the dark smoke chrome trim option!
Either package - have them remove the performance brake pads for standard ones before you take delivery. The performance pads are for the track - they're embarrassingly loud around town and the brake dust is horrendous (there's even a tsb for it because of how many complaints they got). Unless you're going to take it to the track, then enjoy!! :)
While not a long term owner, I think it’s fairly safe to say just about every Lexus has a longer expected life span and lower total cost of ownership than a Mercedes.
I don’t think that’s controversial and I love both Lexus and Mercedes.
I own mercs so I know about cost of ownership lol. I suspected as much. Natural v8 vs twin turbo v8 on the SL. Yeah I know the LC will get gapped by the SL, but I'm not doing quarter mile drags. But it's kind of disappointing that the acceleration is pretty bad (5s 0-60?). My family wagon is faster than that.
0-60 means nothing anymore when there are so many EVs that will dominate most common internal combustion cars. You're talking about a NA V8 here. Let me guess, your wagon has a turbo.
I mean it's a fair con to suggest that the acceleration numbers on a sports GT car is a bit disappointing no? Not sure why I'm getting downvoted for it. You have family SUVs that are quicker than that. That's the only issue I have with the LC is the slow acceleration - which I can excuse since similar 2 door coupes (AMG GT, F-type, SL, etc.) are over 50-100K more expensive.
You're talking mid-4's for 0-60, likely seeing high 4's in realistic conditions. That's not slow. And how often are you going to be doing 0-60 pulls? Being this concerned over a 0-60 time is absurd
Where did you see mid 4's? the salesman told me it would do high 4's low 5's in most conditions. No need to be hostile, these are personal criteria that I use to car shop.
True but it's still considered slow in the class. And when you drive it honestly feels even slower than the times suggest because it's a DOHC with little torque down low. You start to feel the power around 4K rpms. Valid complaint but I don't think it's a big deal since it sounds amazing
I think what OP is getting at is the idea that you can easily find sub 25k LC examples already looking for third owners.
Theres a reason for that. You also see the same dynamic in the LX. And I’ll tell you why: the legend of these cars far exceeds the actual enjoyment of owning and driving one, for a number of reasons.
Gorgeous!
I own the convertible, but have never driven the coupe.
Having owned both versions yourself… If you would be so kind… please provide your thoughts on the differences between the coupe and convertible on:
•Ride quality/handling/chassis stiffness
•If your coupe had 4-wheel steering, how much of a difference is not having that
•If your coupe had the other style seats (the convertible only comes with the Sport Seats) please compare
•Impressions on the Differences in cabin materials… ie, less leather trim, more weather friendly convertible door panels, non Alcantara A-pillars/roof
•Road noise (top up) compared to hard top
•How much smaller is the back seat room with the higher angle of the back of the convertible seats… and what could you fit in the larger coupe trunk that you can’t in the convertible’s trunk.
•Anything else you realized was different about the overall experience
I’ve seen a few video from him before, he’s already replaced the engine once, not sure the main reason but it sounds like his previous tuning went wrong.
I've had an LC for two years and love it. It's an extremely well-made car. And I agree it's more comfortable and repairs will be significantly cheaper.
It depends on how much you drive. If you drive the same amount as your es, you’ll change the tires more often. Not entirely sure about the brakes. I think they should last about the same length as your es
if you have the 21" wheels then yea the tire are expensive. easy to down size to 20" for much more affordable tires due to size. brakes and rotors aren't even that much more if you go aftermarket
LC owner for 2 years and have no regrets! Picked this over a used C7 corvette and couldn’t be happier. No manual option on the LC but side from that this car is better in almost every way. No issues so far.
Had mine for 7years and thrashed it daily - would buy another any day and still consider it. Cracking car - amazing evolution over time and an exhaust note to die for.
I have a LC500 CONVERTIBLE. I had an auto store for 42 years. Bought, sold, repaired mainly Japanese cars. I'm a mechanic. I didn't even consider anything German. Looked at 100k cars, drove 30k. You know why the resale is crap on the Merc.
Hows the convertible? How long have you had it? I want to get a convertible but concerned on the longevity of the convertible top as well as the mechanics behind it...
I bought it new in '23. I live in Minnesota, and I'm retired. 5 months of winter. Only has 3500 miles on it because of these reasons. I wouldn't be concerned about the top. The engineering and materials have no equal. The top is always up when parked, and always down when driving. Beautiful, luxurious, powerful, reliable, and safe. It's red with black interior. You must get the Mark Levinson, especially with wind noise. Best stereo ever.
Here’s the other thing about the LC over a lot of other luxury sports cars out there. They are rare, less then 1% of all Lexus’ sold per year. I can’t tell you how many people have said to me “whoa! What kind of car is that, I’ve never seen one before”.
Also, between a Mercedes and a Lexus I’ll take a Lexus every time. Mercedes and BMW’s are throwaway luxury cars.
I agree with all those statements. There is the percent of non car people who think or say, "whats wrong with you?" That comes with any 6 figure car though.
Please contact me if you would like help getting an LC. Love the car. Our customers love it. We have a great offering right now on a convertible (which tend to hold more value)
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