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There is just no comparison to anything else except a Rolls. It’s not just the quality of the materials and the exquisite workmanship. Or the elegance and sophistication of the designs. As one lives with these cars, it’s the intelligence of the designers, the thoughtfulness and total luxury of every interaction. Every sight, touch, smell, sound.
Every other car I have ever had let me feel that if I drove a little harder, I could get there a few seconds earlier. The Continental, on the other hand, is already a great place to be. Sit back, enjoy the journey. Experience a sense of well being.
But when power and speed are desired, the W12 has soooo much immediate torque, even at say 40 mph. Give it encouragement and there is not a push you into the seat acceleration. It swooshes forward as though the hand of God is taking you towards an even better place. Rated to 205 mph. Just does not make sense that this is possible in such a heavy car.
But the downside. A vehicle this complicated is getting old at 30,000 miles. 5 years and it’s time to get out of the car. There will be a growing list of concerns. Even if you can easily afford the maintenance and repairs, there is the constant concern of what might happen next. And as an example, a set of air shocks, very nice ones, are about $18,000 installed.
The Lexus has none of that. Sure it’s nothing like as luxurious, as powerful, as stately. But there are no worries. Get in and go. Still a lot of fun too. But in a digital way. Not the old world analog softness.
But the price of admission is two and a half times that of our LCs. But will never bark through a tunnel!
There is just no comparison to anything else except a Rolls. It’s not just the quality of the materials and the exquisite workmanship. Or the elegance and sophistication of the designs. As one lives with these cars, it’s the intelligence of the designers, the thoughtfulness and total luxury of every interaction. Every sight, touch, smell, sound.
Every other car I have ever had let me feel that if I drove a little harder, I could get there a few seconds earlier. The Continental, on the other hand, is already a great place to be. Sit back, enjoy the journey. Experience a sense of well being.
But when power and speed are desired, the W12 has soooo much immediate torque, even at say 40 mph. Give it encouragement and there is not a push you into the seat acceleration. It swooshes forward as though the hand of God is taking you towards an even better place. Rated to 205 mph. Just does not make sense that this is possible in such a heavy car.
But the downside. A vehicle this complicated is getting old at 30,000 miles. 5 years and it’s time to get out of the car. There will be a growing list of concerns. Even if you can easily afford the maintenance and repairs, there is the constant concern of what might happen next. And as an example, a set of air shocks, very nice ones, are about $18,000 installed.
The Lexus has none of that. Sure it’s nothing like as luxurious, as powerful, as stately. But there are no worries. Get in and go. Still a lot of fun too. But in a digital way. Not the old world analog softness.
But the price of admission is two and a half times that of our LCs. But will never bark through a tunnel!
Thanks for sharing your story. See, though, a "good" Lexus IMO possesses what you touched on and what I've highlighted in bold. Just not quite on a $200k+ level, obviously. When I first got my LS I loved it, loved that I bought it but thought it was a tad sedate. Cut to a month later after a few thousand miles driving around and taking trips and I was obsessed, for all of those reasons you say. Lexus does sweat the details, at least in their top models. But yes, obviously, a Bentley or Rolls is a nicer car.
I've sat in an LC and while I wish it had wood, you can definitely tell they sweat the details with the materials and luxury.
And yeah, lol I wouldn't want the maintenance bill on a Rolls or Bentley either, even if I could afford those cars.
Your LC should be as reliable as a Camry, that's what's so great about Lexus cars. Just set it and forget it.
Have had so many vehicles with (essentially) Toyota motors. A Land Cruiser, three Tundras, Tacoma, Lotus Evora, Lotus Elise, 4Runner, probably something else. Never one problem.
Have had so many vehicles with (essentially) Toyota motors. A Land Cruiser, three Tundras, Tacoma, Lotus Evora, Lotus Elise, 4Runner, probably something else. Never one problem.
And the LC!
Yup. I see several LCs around here and drool.
We are looking to upgrade to a lightly used LX570 in the next year or two. I like the looks and engine of an Escalade better, but a Land Cruiser/LX are literally the most overbuilt production vehicles available. Just look at the undercarriage of one. You just can't go wrong with Toyota/Lexus.
We kept our Land Cruiser 6 weeks. It was great! But too great. Just too nice to use that great chassis to even half its capacity.
Then I stumbled across a Tundra TRD PRO, access cab, Inferno orange just like I wanted. “Is that for sale?” Took a bloodbath to trade so soon, but was in a fun vehicle. That white SUV was super nice but looked so common, and like somebody’s wife picked it for him.
We kept our Land Cruiser 6 weeks. It was great! But too great. Just too nice to use that great chassis to even half its capacity.
Then I stumbled across a Tundra TRD PRO, access cab, Inferno orange just like I wanted. “Is that for sale?” Took a bloodbath to trade so soon, but was in a fun vehicle. That white SUV was super nice but looked so common, and like somebody’s wife picked it for him.
Lol, that's a big part of the appeal to me. It's literally engineered to last 25 years in the worst conditions. I'm not taking a $90,000 vehicle (when new) hardcore off roading. But it's nice to know there's pretty much nothing it can't tackle.
We are looking to upgrade to a lightly used LX570 in the next year or two. I like the looks and engine of an Escalade better, but a Land Cruiser/LX are literally the most overbuilt production vehicles available. Just look at the undercarriage of one. You just can't go wrong with Toyota/Lexus.
Congrats again on the purchase!
Agreed.
My 1997 40th Anniversary Land Barge is at 400k miles and still going strong. In 1996, 50K for an SUV seemed like a lot, but paint, glass and leather interior still look great. It's truly the "John Deere" of utility vehicles. Just need to repack the Birfields every 100K, keep the fluids and filters clean and then just put gas in it and drive it to Alaska if you want. Also, now, in 2019, people are clamoring for these timeless styling, well built, simple, low tech, reliable vehicles; so value is trending up. At this point, I don't see why I would ever part with it. My neighbor has had at least 5 new cars in that time. Nearly all vehicles depreciate (especially when you factor in inflation) but it is true that some have a much lower total cost of ownership than others. Historically, Toyotas and Lexi have certainly been at the top of the value scale. I bought a new 1979 WS6 TransAm just out of High School, and while a fun car at the time, its durability was no where near the quality or value of the modern ToyLex competitors.
I cant imagine anyone regretting the purchase of an LX570. Nor can I imagine anyone getting rid of one, unless its to upgrade to a newer one. I heard somewhere that they wont be making the LX570 much longer, so that may add to their resale value, but again, who cares, if you are buying it for keeps for the rest of your time on this earth.
I don't mean to sound like a ToyLex fan boy, its just that the historical long term value of their high end vehicles is pretty awesome. I hope it stays that way. I certainly can't say the same for other global brands like, say, Apple.
AM Rapide S if money was not factor. Rare, killer looks, V12.
Nice unless you have to sit in the back seat, it's so tight that the rear window lowers when you open the rear door to lessen the chance of hitting your head on the glass.
That's awesome. Other than the sound, how does the LC compare? Luxury wise, build quality wise?
To me the dash area of a LC needs many improvements. Everything is so compact it's hard to read anything with just a glance, especially the hybrid. Handling is good, but outward vision is worse than my 20 year old Boxster. Build quality seems good on the early builds,
My dentist owns one of these and I think it's the pinnacle of kitty cruisers-the 2007 XJR
I bought a 1999 XJR & loved it, my wifes favorite car ever. I drove a few of the 2005 models which were much lighter but it was obvious they had cut many corners with them. LIked the next gen even less due to the styling & size. I used to drive the President of Jaguar.
I don't mean to sound like a ToyLex fan boy, its just that the historical long term value of their high end vehicles is pretty awesome. I hope it stays that way. I certainly can't say the same for other global brands like, say, Apple.
That's just a fact. That's not fanboy talk in the least.
07-29-19, 06:02 PM
