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Considering you only drive about 6k km (3700 miles) in one year, AWD is not a big factor so long as you have a good set of winters for our Canadian climate (if you do drive in winter).
With that said, I owned the RC F and multiple Lexus vehicles with the 3.5L V6 (or similar iterations of it) and well, based on your criteria/requirements, this is a no-brainer, get the RC F It has a certain panache the regular RC does not have and passers-by notice (if you care).
It's V8 sound is intoxicating and its chassis is further stiffened while the upgraded suspension and Brembo brakes complete the package to near-track level performance. Despite this, ride is still acceptably compliant and the body rigidity is incredibly stiff with not a single rattle I had.
Final points, the V8 is a dying breed making this more desirable than the ubiquitous V6 in the RC 300/350 IMO. As for oil changes, I serviced the RC F once at Toyota (Oil change) for convenience though the few $ saved was welcomed.
Thank you for your input and information. Contemplating buying car few years ago knowing sooner or later my rough shifting Acura CVT transmission was on it's way out.. Had my eye on IS models looking really nice and sporty in fact they have 2019 model at local Dodge dealership for $40,000 about same price for RC F i be buying used and few years older. The interior is alike with RC 300 350 AWD but again sedan styling not appealing to me, thanks for suggestions.
While eyeballing and drooling when the infiniti Q60 3.0 twin turbo red sport came out was 100% convinced i would pick one up when time came. After doing some research the reliability with Nissan isn't good. Cousin had Altima brand new and terrible money pit. Although Infiniti isn't an Altima the reliability rating is subject of discussing unlike Lexus. More i compare the body style coupes RC vs Q60 i changed my mind seeing how unattractive the red sport is despite its 400 hp twin turbo engine. Again lack of availability used with the first year production of the Q60 in 2017 and the buyers market quickly scooped up any out there. Although seen one Q60 under $39,000 2017 with 33.500 miles not bad less then older used Rc F but comparably not close with styling even performance.
Have to agree AWD isn't a factor when it's snowing the city streets are plowed and snow is removed within 24 hours very quickly. Then it's only wet salt on the street that may need to worry preserving the body panels from rusting out more quickly. Warnings on the news often states best stay off the roads when few odd winter storms come in, not big deal for me. Also RC F has stability control with rear wheels not making it fish tail unlike older RWD cars in the past. Realistically there is no need for me to have AWD how many storms do i drive in a month maybe one if that. Snow tires are a must so my plan is best to purchase RC F closer in late March earlier April when those winters need to be swapped for summer tires. All my Acura cars had winter OEM wheels with Chinese or Korean tires, with after market Enkei wheels and Continental DW summers.
That's another con purchasing RC 300 or 350 both equipped with all season tires. Would feel better wanting to purchase new winter tires and summer tires. RC 350 forces my cost of ownership up $2500 just for replacement for summer tires while RC F has them as OEM. Only need to do winter wheels and tires respect for both models anyway which equal cost on those set. So my cost goes up if i purchase Rc 350 because i prefer summer tires vs all seasons. If the price difference is $10,000 or 12K more for RCF makes it less attractive to buy 350 because the additional cost of summer tires with about $8, 000 - 10, 000 difference for me. vs the RCF.
Driven the Mustang 5.0 GT 2018 cheaper in cost with respect to RCF and same cost as RC 350 AWD. Although the 10 speed transmission was not as smooth or refined as Lexus RC F 8 speed both cars felt great and equal only the cheap brakes on Mustang GT premium addition needed to be upgraded to Brembo 6 pistons in the front, more cost and bigger summer tires and after market wheels needed to be added. Reliability on Mustang is a joke even the body panels can't line up correctly seen one on dealers floor terrible. Yet when it works or if works the drive in the GT fun and surprisingly comfortable looked good digital cluster options beats the Lexus to be sure.
Driven Camaro almost made the purchase V6 engine perfect colour and layout price. Surprisingly they stopped making the digital cluster from years past with the motor sliding over as the Lexus RC have now on 300 and 350 models. Maybe it broke down or less reliable one knock about the RC 300 and 350 may have issues with in the future.. At least the RC F has two gauges one Speedometer other digital one breaks down and sooner or later screen will stop working, you can still know how fast your going smart move on Lexus.
Everyone always compares BMW with the RC lineup and performance often the Germans win but as for a reliable car Lexus will save from further maintenance cost but how much. Who really knows, let's say $5000 in five years of ownership, versus lexus of minimal maybe $1000 if things go wrong for same time period.
Audi forget about it V8 looks strong but reliability it's a joke owned VW passat terrible car and cost and ridiculous parts to repair or replace. Almost want to own C43 thinking it may be more reliable which is crazy to think about knowing Benz are joke with regards to reliability.
Who knows what's in store for Lexus with there future. Toyota gave BMW to make there boxer 86 car. Hooking up with Mazda to come up with there next gen engines fuel economical engines skyactive-x.
The LS 2018 already has turbo V6 unlike the RC or IS models currently use, with 10 speed auto transmission. Looks to me Lexus will eliminate the V8 with regards to RCF only using it exclusively for LC model. To own V8 in future you got to go up in price with super car status otherwise settle for 4 cylinder turbos or V6 skyactive-X turbo to compete with 2021 Acura TLX with V6 turbo design.
Love the rumble of the engine of V8 if i'm lucky enough to own it i would eliminate the secondary cats add pass through high flow resonators to eliminate noise at highway speeds borla mufflers catback setup.
Nissan is nothing like what they used to be. Before Renault swooped in when Nissan went broke in 1999, they were building cars just as excellent as Toyota.
Interesting how you made a comment re Ford Mustang build quality but did not mention the Camaro. I am sure GM's quality is still worse.
Lexus still does have its fair share of minor issues as noted here and there on this forum, such as the power steering racks on the 3IS. Still one of the most solid cars you can buy, but goes to show that no specific car model is perfect.
BMW, ah BMW. all this misinformed talk about the Germans. If you stick to a BMW with an inline 6 engine, especially the older naturally aspirated ones, you're actually likely to be seated into quite a reliable car. Back when I used to frequent the BMW forums there were at least 3-4 owners that I knew of with e90 3 series models (2007-2011 328i) with over 300k miles on the original engine, still running after doing only routine maintenance.There are plastic bits everywhere which will eventually fail, and some of the engineering is just too complicated, but fundmentally BMW's ZF gearbox and inline 6 engine blocks are as solid as they can be.
Interesting how you made a comment re Ford Mustang build quality but did not mention the Camaro. I am sure GM's quality is still worse.
Having driven a Camaro SS convertible not long ago, I can speak to that a little. While the convertible soft-top itself was noisy, I found the rest of the interior to be quite nice. All the touch points were solid/quality pieces, and the trick air vents are included in that assessment. The seats had a decent quality of leather too, certainly preferable to the oddly-hard leather in the base seats of the Jaguar XF.
Overall, I very much enjoyed it. I think I'd only do a Camaro, especially a convertible, and especially an SS with all that power going to the rear, if I had another car for bad weather days.
If you are open to BMWs - M4 is way superior to RCF in every way except for engine/exhaust sound. You also will have many more options to choose from on used market since M4 sells in much larger #s.
The S55 Engine is incredible and you can safely make over 100hp with flash ECU tune stock. Plenty of aftermarket support which RCF doesn’t have.
Yeah this. Seems like it checks all of the boxes and outperforms the cars you are considering. You could get a base model for a little more (if you can get it for MSRP) and it would be new.
If you are open to BMWs - M4 is way superior to RCF in every way except for engine/exhaust sound. You also will have many more options to choose from on used market since M4 sells in much larger #s.
The S55 Engine is incredible and you can safely make over 100hp with flash ECU tune stock. Plenty of aftermarket support which RCF doesn’t have.
Thanks again from the responses but the supra isn't in the budget visually don't like it that much compared to RC styling.
M4 pricey, even in my market , with warranty long gone, don't like the body style, very simple compared to RC shape and curves. Feel i be fixing it rather then modding it money pit.
Have M4 blue 2018 with 11,000 miles going for under 40,000 cdn slight accident bumper hood which could be repaired easily. https://tdrpmimages.azureedge.net/ph...b.jpg-1024x786
Newbie here looking to purchase a used 2015 Lexus RC but not sure what models.
Test driven them all 300 AWD 350 AWD and RC F can't make up my mind.
Like the aggressive appearance of RC F and the V8 engine only problem finding the rare availability in the interior colour and fair price point. Driving one at a dealership week later they jacked up the cost 3 000 even after i told them clearly it had accident that wasn't reported, so i'm dealing with clearly greedy crazy people. One dealer at Lexus didn't want to talk to see me because all sales reps were leaving for the day even though it wasn't closing time found that very special and smug. Even though they had one entire family in office discussing they had more important things on there mind making dinner plans with the wife and locking up the place so none will come in after the family left. Couldn't spare 5 minutes on car in the showroom that is customer service at Lexus...
RC 350 AWD makes sense as everyday driver similar to Acura brand i came from previously.
Rc 300 AWD is similar although higher in hp and weight power to weight ratio same as my 3.0 Liter V6 weighing in at 3200 lbs 188 ft/lbs @ 200hp.
Driving front drive auto TL with 258 hp and 233 ft/lbs of torque with lighter weight making it seem quick compared to the 350 AWD RC.
Gas mileage isn't a problem since i drive 3700 miles per year although mostly city driving at average rate of 18 mph giving me 14mpg on average in eco or standard mode in the RC F.
Difference between the 350 AWD and RC F with fuel consumption maybe 5 mpg not big deal.
Found the sales of RC model lines were the most highest in 2015 in the months April - Aug so i tend to assume there maybe some available be it 60 month leases coming to the end or just warranty issues being to the end giving vehicle more incentive to sell before it runs out of the 6 year powertrain warranty.
Anyone help me decide which is best for my driving habits. Feel if i go with RC 350 AWD having 6 speed transmission and V6 engine will i feel regret not being able to find a RC F with 50 000 miles.
Mechanics have said V8 is more pain to work on and time consuming then 3.5 V6. Although feel if the transmission ever dies on 350 AWD or RC F, solenoids give out as my acura, from all the reving previous owners have done aggressive throttle response driving, needing less work to change out the V8 8 speed RC F then V6 AWD 6 speed with it's drivetrain.
Any thoughts?
Price point can be significant to sway my purchase habits going with 300 AWD at deep wholesale discount. Knowing it's the same 3.5 V6 engine that 350 has with ECU mods and exhaust tweaks it can increase the torque and horsepower to equal the 350 AWD. Only question how much more money do i need to spend before i equal the cost of purchase of 350 AWD?
Thoughts on how many older V8 Lexus are driving out there on the street or are selling? Very rare to see them everyone says Toyota reliability is best, beating the euro trash Benz and BMW's but at what cost. When the inevitable happens **** breaks sooner or later will it be feasible to fix it or trash the car entirely? Looking to keep the RC for long time so repairs are factor. That is why i was moved to Acura side with no regrets from some forums telling me Lexus dealerships will rape you for parts. So i stayed clear considering back when a Solara and SC which i stayed away knowing the cost of repairs and parts saved myself lot money and time at the garage.
Just looking how RC needing to change the cheap oil paper filter is dumb as i never seen before on engine that should last wasn't a good design. Big pain to jack up the entire car doing maintenance myself. On my Acura just turned the passenger tire reached under to get the oil filter out no problems oil pan slid underneath to oil bolt off. Don't get me started with RC transmission oil maintenance and fill bolt...
Question: We all know how stealerships works from Acura to Lexus they are all the same. Does parts from Toyota like oil filter cross lines with Lexus? Seeing many parts from Honda often were compatible with Acura from my experiences. Is this also with Lexus and Toyota dealerships better then Lexus with regards to maintenance parts such fluids etc..
I have a RC300 RWD. Live in South Carolina so don't need AWD. Around town I get 28-30 mpg, on "highway" - 35+. It is an 8 speed automatic. I find on the highway I get better gas mileage without the cruise control (I do love the adaptive cc) since the "highways" around here have some small hills. With the CC on, once the car sees the slight uphill it downshifts so it can easily maintain the set speed. There is one feature that I dislike on the car. Lexus (and Toyota) decided that if album art (picture of the record album shown on the usb or radio screen) was selected, once the car is taken out of park the art is replaced by a generic picture of a usb drive. The logic is the art is distracting to the driver - but a map with changing roads, rotating, colors, signs, speed limits, etc. is not distracting. The NHTSA a couple of years ago ASKED (not required) car manufactures to replace the album art once the car is out of park. I think Toyota/Lexus was the only manufacturer that did it. I've had "foreign cars" for the last 40 years (mostly Nissan/Lexus) with the exception of a Mustang two years ago. I was spoiled by the foreign car service provided. I had an issue with my Mustang A/C, took the dealer. After the repair, I could not get any air on the feet. Took the car back, service manager said he didn't know how to fix it but he would give me the phone number of Ford's Customer Line so I could file a complaint. Ford's reply was to take the car to another dealer (75 miles away vs. 25). Ford refused to force the first dealer to fix it. I traded it in the next day for the RC. One may pay a little more for Lexus' service (but their prices and maintenance recommendations have been reduced in the last couple of years) but then the service department will kiss your ... Well worth it.
I have a RC300 RWD. Live in South Carolina so don't need AWD. Around town I get 28-30 mpg, on "highway" - 35+. It is an 8 speed automatic. I find on the highway I get better gas mileage without the cruise control (I do love the adaptive cc) since the "highways" around here have some small hills. With the CC on, once the car sees the slight uphill it downshifts so it can easily maintain the set speed. There is one feature that I dislike on the car. Lexus (and Toyota) decided that if album art (picture of the record album shown on the usb or radio screen) was selected, once the car is taken out of park the art is replaced by a generic picture of a usb drive. The logic is the art is distracting to the driver - but a map with changing roads, rotating, colors, signs, speed limits, etc. is not distracting. The NHTSA a couple of years ago ASKED (not required) car manufactures to replace the album art once the car is out of park. I think Toyota/Lexus was the only manufacturer that did it. I've had "foreign cars" for the last 40 years (mostly Nissan/Lexus) with the exception of a Mustang two years ago. I was spoiled by the foreign car service provided. I had an issue with my Mustang A/C, took the dealer. After the repair, I could not get any air on the feet. Took the car back, service manager said he didn't know how to fix it but he would give me the phone number of Ford's Customer Line so I could file a complaint. Ford's reply was to take the car to another dealer (75 miles away vs. 25). Ford refused to force the first dealer to fix it. I traded it in the next day for the RC. One may pay a little more for Lexus' service (but their prices and maintenance recommendations have been reduced in the last couple of years) but then the service department will kiss your ... Well worth it.
That is incredible gas mileage for a RC 300 RWD. I know it's got the turbo four-cylinder and 8-speed, but over in IS world, I have never heard of anyone getting those numbers - and the IS is a lighter vehicle. OP, I would not expect to get those numbers if I were you.
The album art issue doesn't affect me in my IS. Album art always shows up just fine.
Think i found alternative, at the same dealership no less, buying my previous Acura from.
2016 Honda coupe touring V6 V-tech 37, 000 miles at cheaper price then any Lexus 350 AWD yet feels quicker with FWD. Yet the styling is all to similar to my old car leather seats, body styling, only inch bigger wheelbase and height compared to the Lexus. Funny how the Honda not changed from my old Acura coupe only the technology is upgraded.
Gives me bluetooth unlike 2015 Lexus models not available, drivers side mirror camera, lane signal safety beeps sort of annoying, wireless charging for phone,. 278 hp with 252 ft/ibs at power to weight ratio of 128 w/kg versus 350 AWD at 129 w/kg same type of transmission 6 speed, and wheel size.
Any suggestions better then the Lexus 350 although do know not in same category as Rc F.
Think i found alternative, at the same dealership no less, buying my previous Acura from.
2016 Honda coupe touring V6 V-tech 37, 000 miles at cheaper price then any Lexus 350 AWD yet feels quicker with FWD. Yet the styling is all to similar to my old car leather seats, body styling, only inch bigger wheelbase and height compared to the Lexus. Funny how the Honda not changed from my old Acura coupe only the technology is upgraded.
Gives me bluetooth unlike 2015 Lexus models not available, drivers side mirror camera, lane signal safety beeps sort of annoying, wireless charging for phone,. 278 hp with 252 ft/ibs at power to weight ratio of 128 w/kg versus 350 AWD at 129 w/kg same type of transmission 6 speed, and wheel size.
Any suggestions better then the Lexus 350 although do know not in same category as Rc F.
It depends on what you want. I've never viewed any Honda product as having the same panache as a Lexus, especially where noise and vibration is concerned. Build quality in Hondas is up there though, and above Toyota in some specific models.
I guess it depends on:
Do you want a luxury-branded vehicle?
Do you care about handling balance (i.e., the Accord is a FWD-based car)
If you found the Accord more enjoyable to drive, I'd love to say I am surprised but automotive journalists just won't shut up about how good it is. So I am not surprised.
01-06-20, 07:37 PM
It has a certain panache the regular RC does not have and passers-by notice (if you care).
