When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Just Took Delivery of a 2021 LC 500 Inspiration Series Convertible
Yesterday I ended up trading my 2018 Lexus LC 500 coupe (Nightfall Mica w caramel) for a 2021 Inspiration series convertible. I got the car from Jim Falk Lexus in Beverly Hills and it is the one described in the thread started by 355F1 on his order for the same car. It was actually originally a gift by the dealer owner to his wife but she didn’t like the color and it had 34 miles on it when I bought it. I had previously purchased my 2020 RFC Track Edition from the same dealership and my salesperson and the GSM contacted me and said they would give me a “good deal” on the car if I was interested in it. Well it took about an hour and and half on negotiation on the purchase price as well as the valuation of my trade in, during which I also looked at a white w red interior LC 500 convertible and also considered just waiting a year or 2 to pick up a used LC convertible. But we finally came to an agreement I was happy with. I have attached a video of them moving the car off the showroom floor after I purchased it. I’ve driven the car about 60 miles over the past 24 hours and it’s not only very beautiful but also an engineering marvel. Of course it turns so many heads everywhere I have gone. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Well I tried to attach the video but kept getting an upload error. It’s 24 seconds long and shot on an I Phone 11 Pro Max. Any help here would be appreciated as I am new to this forum. Thanks.
Last edited by Kingdom08; 08-31-20 at 03:01 AM.
Reason: Added Photos
Driving Impressions: I have only driven the LC 500 Inspiration series convertible 60 miles so far. Here are my general observations as compared to the 2018 LC coupe which I traded in. The convertible is heavier but honestly not very noticeably so except from a dead start (zero to 30 mph stuff). But it isn't any different than driving the car with a passenger, some luggage, or a full tank of gas versus empty tank. Of course weight makes a difference in terms of initial acceleration but honestly from say a 70 mph roll I don't notice any difference at all. And there are compensating factors such as the incredible styling, the incredible sound of the engine/exhaust, the open air feel and a driving experience that appeals to all your senses. There might be some calibration changes to the 10 speed tranny and suspension but it hards to tell whether the differences are due to the car being a convertible or a 2021 versus my former 2018 Lexus coupe. My feeling is that you don't buy a car like this to have the quickest accelerating vehicle on the road. There are other options if thats your primary concern. For my personal needs and tastes the LC convertible has very usable power and plenty of it for LA driving conditions. If I want something quicker I can jump into my RFC Track Edition which is noticeably quicker and if I need a usable back seat and better overall balance in terms of handling and ease of driving then the GSF is perfect. I have owned over 100 cars in my life including a myriad of 60s and early 70s American muscle cars, Ferrari 360 Modena, Porsche 911, Acura NSX, BMW M3s, Mercedes AMG E55, S55, Audi A 8 and the list goes on. I was the project manager on the GMC Syclone and have one of those with 45K original miles. I got my first Lexus on 1996 (LS 400) and have had 20 different ones over the years and have put over 200K miles on some of them without any issues. The build quality and durability of Lexus is second to none. And they also do well in terms of safety. I am so impressed with Lexus efforts in the sporty segment and absolutely love my GSF and RCF Track Edition and now my Inspiration series convertible. The Lexus level of quality and attention to detail from a design, engineering and execution standpoint surpass all the other brands I have had experience with. When I worked for General Motors from the mid 80s through early 90s I used to complain about how our products had lost their "soul" and senior management would always say "You are a really smart guy but you have too much of a negative attitude about our products". The GMC Syclone and Typhoon were my idea and my goal was to try to show senior management how to put some "soul" back into our products. Lexus has clearly moved in the direction of trying to put some "soul" into their product line up and there the new LC convertible does an incredible job in that department.
I honestly have never been a convertible fanatic. The last convertible I owned was a 1973 Chevy Caprice Classic convertible and I hopped up it's 454 engine and it ran low 11's with drag slicks and was a beast on the street. The LC convertible in my opinion is a true marvel of engineering and design. One of the complaints about convertibles (especially with women) is how the wind blows and messes up one's hair. The air deflector included really helps with blowback air circulation and with the windows up but top down there is minimal disruption to hair and make up and you can have an audible conversation. And the climate concierge works so well. I went to dinner in Beverly Hills last night with a date and she was totally blown away by how little having the top down affected her hair. lol . and she loved the car so much! And she has been in my RCF, GSF and prior LC coupe previously. In fact I recently helped her find a nice used Lexus NX for her personal car.
Beautiful!! Please post more pics!! I am getting super excited for mine!!!!
Please tell us what you paid. That dude there told me they were asking $50k over for the used one, and I’m trying to figure out if I’m gonna flip mine if the market allows it. (People are still paying $20k+ over MSRP for new Corvettes)
CONGRATS!!!!!
looking forward to hearing about the driving characteristics, too!!!
During our negotiations the dealer came down $15K from their original $50K over sticker price and also finally came up $5K in terms of my trade in valuation. I balked at paying the $50K over sticker and looked at a white with red interior LC convertible and they said they would let me have that for $20K over sticker but I just didn't like the color combo as much and they could tell I wasn't as excited about that car as I was about the Inspiration series car. So I told them I would rather just wait a year or two and pick up something used later unless they could give me a better deal on the Inspiration car. Anyway, that's where we ended up. They had a second Inspiration convertible that was already sold at $75K over sticker and had been moved to their basement to prep for delivery. I just really love the structural blue exterior color which is very similar to the blue mica of my 2019 GSF. I often wished my 2018 LC 500 coupe (Nightfall Mica) was the same color as my GSF. The white interior on the Inspiration convertible is simply stunning. The blue and white simply pop so nicely, even if the white my be a little harder to keep clean than a darker color. Lexus of Cerritos (which is where I got my 2018 LC coupe from) has a white LC convertible and my salesperson there told me they want $30K over MSRP for that. Lexus of Tustin (where I previously bought 2 Lexus RX 450H's from) has a red LC convertible and they want $30K over list for that one. So I figured from a financial standpoint it would be better to pay $35K for an Inspiration edition than $20K to $30K over for a regular LC convertible, Here are some more pics and I'll try to figure out how to upload the video.
During our negotiations the dealer came down $15K from their original $50K over sticker price and also finally came up $5K in terms of my trade in valuation. I balked at paying the $50K over sticker and looked at a white with red interior LC convertible and they said they would let me have that for $20K over sticker but I just didn't like the color combo as much and they could tell I wasn't as excited about that car as I was about the Inspiration series car. So I told them I would rather just wait a year or two and pick up something used later unless they could give me a better deal on the Inspiration car. Anyway, that's where we ended up. They had a second Inspiration convertible that was already sold at $75K over sticker and had been moved to their basement to prep for delivery. I just really love the structural blue exterior color which is very similar to the blue mica of my 2019 GSF. I often wished my 2018 LC 500 coupe (Nightfall Mica) was the same color as my GSF. The white interior on the Inspiration convertible is simply stunning. The blue and white simply pop so nicely, even if the white my be a little harder to keep clean than a darker color. Lexus of Cerritos (which is where I got my 2018 LC coupe from) has a white LC convertible and my salesperson there told me they want $30K over MSRP for that. Lexus of Tustin (where I previously bought 2 Lexus RX 450H's from) has a red LC convertible and they want $30K over list for that one. So I figured from a financial standpoint it would be better to pay $35K for an Inspiration edition than $20K to $30K over for a regular LC convertible, Here are some more pics and I'll try to figure out how to upload the video.
Thank you for all of the info!!! I appreciate it!!!
Dude....your car is so gorgeous!!!!! I am getting so excited for mine!!!!
Are you doing any PPF? There seems to be controversy on if it plays well with the color refraction of the Structural BLue.
Driving Impressions: I have only driven the LC 500 Inspiration series convertible 60 miles so far. Here are my general observations as compared to the 2018 LC coupe which I traded in. The convertible is heavier but honestly not very noticeably so except from a dead start (zero to 30 mph stuff). But it isn't any different than driving the car with a passenger, some luggage, or a full tank of gas versus empty tank. Of course weight makes a difference in terms of initial acceleration but honestly from say a 70 mph roll I don't notice any difference at all. And there are compensating factors such as the incredible styling, the incredible sound of the engine/exhaust, the open air feel and a driving experience that appeals to all your senses. There might be some calibration changes to the 10 speed tranny and suspension but it hards to tell whether the differences are due to the car being a convertible or a 2021 versus my former 2018 Lexus coupe. My feeling is that you don't buy a car like this to have the quickest accelerating vehicle on the road. There are other options if thats your primary concern. For my personal needs and tastes the LC convertible has very usable power and plenty of it for LA driving conditions. If I want something quicker I can jump into my RFC Track Edition which is noticeably quicker and if I need a usable back seat and better overall balance in terms of handling and ease of driving then the GSF is perfect. I have owned over 100 cars in my life including a myriad of 60s and early 70s American muscle cars, Ferrari 360 Modena, Porsche 911, Acura NSX, BMW M3s, Mercedes AMG E55, S55, Audi A 8 and the list goes on. I was the project manager on the GMC Syclone and have one of those with 45K original miles. I got my first Lexus on 1996 (LS 400) and have had 20 different ones over the years and have put over 200K miles on some of them without any issues. The build quality and durability of Lexus is second to none. And they also do well in terms of safety. I am so impressed with Lexus efforts in the sporty segment and absolutely love my GSF and RCF Track Edition and now my Inspiration series convertible. The Lexus level of quality and attention to detail from a design, engineering and execution standpoint surpass all the other brands I have had experience with. When I worked for General Motors from the mid 80s through early 90s I used to complain about how our products had lost their "soul" and senior management would always say "You are a really smart guy but you have too much of a negative attitude about our products". The GMC Syclone and Typhoon were my idea and my goal was to try to show senior management how to put some "soul" back into our products. Lexus has clearly moved in the direction of trying to put some "soul" into their product line up and there the new LC convertible does an incredible job in that department.
I honestly have never been a convertible fanatic. The last convertible I owned was a 1973 Chevy Caprice Classic convertible and I hopped up it's 454 engine and it ran low 11's with drag slicks and was a beast on the street. The LC convertible in my opinion is a true marvel of engineering and design. One of the complaints about convertibles (especially with women) is how the wind blows and messes up one's hair. The air deflector included really helps with blowback air circulation and with the windows up but top down there is minimal disruption to hair and make up and you can have an audible conversation. And the climate concierge works so well. I went to dinner in Beverly Hills last night with a date and she was totally blown away by how little having the top down affected her hair. lol . and she loved the car so much! And she has been in my RCF, GSF and prior LC coupe previously. In fact I recently helped her find a nice used Lexus NX for her personal car.
DRGibbons: On what basis are you stating this? 355F! has an amazing deal on his order and I haven't seen anyone coe close to a deal like this. At least in the Los Angeles area you can't get any LC convertible at close to MSRP. Admittedly the roiling is all speculation based on a relatively small number of units. In the US we have fairly efficient markets so so all information is readily available. None of us has a crystal ball as to where prices are headed in the future. There is a lot of uncertainty for sure. We each pay what something is worth to us and all of us have different motives and criteria for the amount we will pay for something. Just my opinion.
08-31-20, 02:29 AM
Just Took Delivery of a 2021 LC 500 Inspiration Series Convertible
