After 9 Months of Ownership
#1
Rookie
Thread Starter
After 9 Months of Ownership
After owning my LC for ~9 months here are my impressions and observations so far. I will try keep it brief and simple so that others can jump in with their opinions.
Overall driving experience I feel that this is one of the strongest assets of this car. The ability to place the car where you need it is excellent, up to a point. Get closer to 9/10ths of its limits and physics takes over due to the weight of the car. The seats are some of the best seats I have ever sat in and the overall experience is very solid. The exhaust notes are intoxicating even if it may suffer a bit from the old adage of its bark being greater than its bite.
Selectable driving modes Could be better and is somewhat limited in its diversity. Most of the settings are just binary with either normal or sport as a setting. The most perceivable changes are for the drivetrain (engine and trans) with a slight steering change in sport+. The suspension adjustments are not that noticeable unless on very rough roads or pushing the car past its adhesion limits.
Pure performance/speed Many of you that own an LC know and have openly stated on this forum that the car is so much more than just its numbers. While I agree with commentary, there is no hiding that the LC is just slow when compared to other cars in real world pulls. Dont get me wrong it is still amazing to drive but anyone that says its fast is either trying to justify their purchase or does not have prior experience with other performance/modified cars.
Quality The look and feel of most of the interior parts projects a level a quality that I would expect from a car in this class. Unfortunately, there are build/quality issues that I would not expect. However, these could just be due to an early build for a first-year car. Only time will tell. These range from internal rattling to brake squeaks to fuel pump recall to a lag in the navigation screens, and other small issues.
Looks Dont get me started on this one. I tend to be someone that enjoys being a wall flower and not front and center on the stage. I prefer to be home with the family rather than being out with friends. This car has definitely brought more attention to us than we feel comfortable with. For example, we have had other drivers stop in the middle of the road to take a picture of the car. Countless number of drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and even employees that were on the clock stop what they are doing to take pictures of the car. We had three occasions where folks that were driving trying to take a video of the car and precede to drive around the car to get all sides of it in their video, one almost hit us. We even had a group of folks, 5 people, standing around the car looking at it when we got back from a dinner out.
With all of that said, would I buy the LC again if I needed to replace my current one or would I look for something different? As things stand today, I would be inclined to replace my LC with another LC without any hesitation. Does that mean the LC is the best car out there, No. Does that mean that the LC is the right car for you, maybe. Does that mean that the LC is a fun and engaging car to drive that puts a smile on my face, for me that answer is YES.
Overall driving experience I feel that this is one of the strongest assets of this car. The ability to place the car where you need it is excellent, up to a point. Get closer to 9/10ths of its limits and physics takes over due to the weight of the car. The seats are some of the best seats I have ever sat in and the overall experience is very solid. The exhaust notes are intoxicating even if it may suffer a bit from the old adage of its bark being greater than its bite.
Selectable driving modes Could be better and is somewhat limited in its diversity. Most of the settings are just binary with either normal or sport as a setting. The most perceivable changes are for the drivetrain (engine and trans) with a slight steering change in sport+. The suspension adjustments are not that noticeable unless on very rough roads or pushing the car past its adhesion limits.
Pure performance/speed Many of you that own an LC know and have openly stated on this forum that the car is so much more than just its numbers. While I agree with commentary, there is no hiding that the LC is just slow when compared to other cars in real world pulls. Dont get me wrong it is still amazing to drive but anyone that says its fast is either trying to justify their purchase or does not have prior experience with other performance/modified cars.
Quality The look and feel of most of the interior parts projects a level a quality that I would expect from a car in this class. Unfortunately, there are build/quality issues that I would not expect. However, these could just be due to an early build for a first-year car. Only time will tell. These range from internal rattling to brake squeaks to fuel pump recall to a lag in the navigation screens, and other small issues.
Looks Dont get me started on this one. I tend to be someone that enjoys being a wall flower and not front and center on the stage. I prefer to be home with the family rather than being out with friends. This car has definitely brought more attention to us than we feel comfortable with. For example, we have had other drivers stop in the middle of the road to take a picture of the car. Countless number of drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and even employees that were on the clock stop what they are doing to take pictures of the car. We had three occasions where folks that were driving trying to take a video of the car and precede to drive around the car to get all sides of it in their video, one almost hit us. We even had a group of folks, 5 people, standing around the car looking at it when we got back from a dinner out.
With all of that said, would I buy the LC again if I needed to replace my current one or would I look for something different? As things stand today, I would be inclined to replace my LC with another LC without any hesitation. Does that mean the LC is the best car out there, No. Does that mean that the LC is the right car for you, maybe. Does that mean that the LC is a fun and engaging car to drive that puts a smile on my face, for me that answer is YES.
The following 4 users liked this post by missedapex:
#3
Thanks for the great review Missedapex. I am in the market for a new toy and having a hard time picking one, one min I want the LC500, and seconds later the C7 Z06 is looking good for the same money. I am also
looking to get a used R8 again for about the same money, so your write up helps a lot. So you mean if you have to do it over again, you will still buy the LC500 knowing what you know now. Thanks again.
looking to get a used R8 again for about the same money, so your write up helps a lot. So you mean if you have to do it over again, you will still buy the LC500 knowing what you know now. Thanks again.
#4
Rookie
Thread Starter
Thanks for the great review Missedapex. I am in the market for a new toy and having a hard time picking one, one min I want the LC500, and seconds later the C7 Z06 is looking good for the same money. I am also
looking to get a used R8 again for about the same money, so your write up helps a lot. So you mean if you have to do it over again, you will still buy the LC500 knowing what you know now. Thanks again.
looking to get a used R8 again for about the same money, so your write up helps a lot. So you mean if you have to do it over again, you will still buy the LC500 knowing what you know now. Thanks again.
#5
Former Sponsor
Great Review. Its always nice to see an owner be honest about his experience positive and negative, and still say they would do it all over again. It is wild that it attracts so much attention though!
#6
Awesome review. Where in CA are you located? South or North?
-Josh
-Josh
__________________
Your #1 Dealer for Aftermarket Performance Products
Orange County, CA
Email: info@merakiautoworks.com
Text/Call: 213 394 2886
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Your #1 Dealer for Aftermarket Performance Products
Orange County, CA
Email: info@merakiautoworks.com
Text/Call: 213 394 2886
Website: www.MerakiAutoworks.com
#8
Driver
Great Review!
I agree: The bark (and look) are stronger than its bite. The car simply feels sluggish compared to what I would expect for a marketed 4-something 0-60 time. I would be curious to hear if anyone has ever reproduced the advertised numbers.
It's a beautiful car, however, and luckily I don't do many stoplight races or track days. (Zero of each, zero planned for the future.)
On a side note, I am not sure if I would personally consider this a competitor to an R8 or a Z06. Those are in a completely different league in terms of off the line performance. But that is only my opinion.
I agree: The bark (and look) are stronger than its bite. The car simply feels sluggish compared to what I would expect for a marketed 4-something 0-60 time. I would be curious to hear if anyone has ever reproduced the advertised numbers.
It's a beautiful car, however, and luckily I don't do many stoplight races or track days. (Zero of each, zero planned for the future.)
On a side note, I am not sure if I would personally consider this a competitor to an R8 or a Z06. Those are in a completely different league in terms of off the line performance. But that is only my opinion.
#9
Pole Position
Overall driving experience – I feel that this is one of the strongest assets of this car. The ability to place the car where you need it is excellent, up to a point. Get closer to 9/10ths of its limits and physics takes over due to the weight of the car. The seats are some of the best seats I have ever sat in and the overall experience is very solid. The exhaust notes are intoxicating even if it may suffer a bit from the old adage of its bark being greater than its bite.
Selectable driving modes – Could be better and is somewhat limited in its diversity. Most of the settings are just binary with either normal or sport as a setting. The most perceivable changes are for the drivetrain (engine and trans) with a slight steering change in sport+. The suspension adjustments are not that noticeable unless on very rough roads or pushing the car past its adhesion limits.
Pure performance/speed – Many of you that own an LC know and have openly stated on this forum that the car is so much more than just its numbers. While I agree with commentary, there is no hiding that the LC is just slow when compared to other cars in real world pulls. Don’t get me wrong it is still amazing to drive but anyone that says its fast is either trying to justify their purchase or does not have prior experience with other performance/modified cars.
Quality – The look and feel of most of the interior parts projects a level a quality that I would expect from a car in this class. Unfortunately, there are build/quality issues that I would not expect. However, these could just be due to an early build for a first-year car. Only time will tell. These range from internal rattling to brake squeaks to fuel pump recall to a lag in the navigation screens, and other small issues.
Looks – Don’t get me started on this one. I tend to be someone that enjoys being a wall flower and not front and center on the stage. I prefer to be home with the family rather than being out with friends. This car has definitely brought more attention to us than we feel comfortable with. For example, we have had other drivers stop in the middle of the road to take a picture of the car. Countless number of drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and even employees that were on the clock stop what they are doing to take pictures of the car. We had three occasions where folks that were driving trying to take a video of the car and precede to drive around the car to get all sides of it in their video, one almost hit us. We even had a group of folks, 5 people, standing around the car looking at it when we got back from a dinner out.
With all of that said, would I buy the LC again if I needed to replace my current one or would I look for something different? As things stand today, I would be inclined to replace my LC with another LC without any hesitation. Does that mean the LC is the best car out there, No. Does that mean that the LC is the right car for you, maybe. Does that mean that the LC is a fun and engaging car to drive that puts a smile on my face, for me that answer is YES.
#10
Yes, I would still buy the LC. The Z06 is nice and pulls much harder than the LC but I found myself not feeling as comfortable and relaxed after long drives (I was a passenger) with the Z06. I have not been in a R8 so I cant provide any feedback there. From my perspective I see the Z06 and the R8 in a different class of cars from the LC. They are more pure sports cars while the LC is more of a GT with a slight bias towards a softer luxury profile.
#11
Rookie
Thread Starter
Thank you so much for the insight. I was going to ask you about your experience with other performance "fun" car. To me buying a toy is not limited to a sports car or gt car, I just want a fun car. To me, they are all fun car but built quality and reliability is most important.
#12
Zeitaku:
I have seen the "bedding in the brakes" posts but do not recall seeing anything that addresses your statement. Would you care to expound on this? This brake squeal issue is one of the things that makes me a little apprehensive about acquiring an LC 500.
The few LC500 owners that I have read complaining about the squeal simply do not understand how to brake properly with these type of pads nor were they informed on brake in period with high performance calipers, pads and rotors.
#13
Pole Position
The brake pads andbrake rotor are extremely hot at this point and sitting on one point will imprint the pad material onto the surface unevenly. This can cause vibration and uneven braking. You may notice that your brakes will start fading, and sometimes smoke, after the 6th or 7th pass. This fade will stabilize and will gradually recess once your brakes have cooled down to normal operating temperatures. Drive carefully as your brakes may feel softer for the next few minutes. Try not to come to a complete stop and find a stretch of road where you can coast for 5-10 minutes, preferably without using your brakes. After the break-in procedure, there may be a light blue tint on your brake rotors as well as a gray film deposit. The blue tint shows that your rotor has reached the appropriate temperature during the bedding process, and the gray film is some of the pad transfer material.
Hope this helps.
The following 4 users liked this post by Zeitaku:
#14
Driver School Candidate
#15