Would you buy a LFA?
11-19-09 | 07:23 PM
#61
Racer
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,789
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From: so. cal
I may agree that Ferrari has been able to get away with charging home prices for their cars....which are very sweet btw but I do not believe their cars are superior to Lexus. They perform much better than anything Lexus has made to date but superior, no way. I've been inside several Ferrari and i don't feel their interiors are better nor the build quality. In fact, imo Lexus is better. Now that the LFA is nearly here, the performance equalizer is born. History and pedigree...smedibee. Ferrari's are no where near as reliable and drivable as a Lexus. Now we will have a reliable, drivable supercar built from the history of Toyota racing and Lexus luxury.
No car is worth 400K to me but if a Ferrari can command that price, so can a Lexus supercar.
I do believe Lexus should have started out cheaper though but too much money was spent developing this car. Plus, many people believe that if something is cheaper, it ain't worth nothing. Psychology is also at play here.
No car is worth 400K to me but if a Ferrari can command that price, so can a Lexus supercar.
I do believe Lexus should have started out cheaper though but too much money was spent developing this car. Plus, many people believe that if something is cheaper, it ain't worth nothing. Psychology is also at play here.
11-19-09 | 07:33 PM
#62
F is for Fraud
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,174
Likes: 0
From: Québec
I may agree that Ferrari has been able to get away with charging home prices for their cars....which are very sweet btw but I do not believe their cars are superior to Lexus. They perform much better than anything Lexus has made to date but superior, no way. I've been inside several Ferrari and i don't feel their interiors are better nor the build quality. In fact, imo Lexus is better. Now that the LFA is nearly here, the performance equalizer is born. History and pedigree...smedibee. Ferrari's are no where near as reliable and drivable as a Lexus. Now we will have a reliable, drivable supercar built from the history of Toyota racing and Lexus luxury.
No car is worth 400K to me but if a Ferrari can command that price, so can a Lexus supercar.
I do believe Lexus should have started out cheaper though but too much money was spent developing this car. Plus, many people believe that if something is cheaper, it ain't worth nothing. Psychology is also at play here.
No car is worth 400K to me but if a Ferrari can command that price, so can a Lexus supercar.
I do believe Lexus should have started out cheaper though but too much money was spent developing this car. Plus, many people believe that if something is cheaper, it ain't worth nothing. Psychology is also at play here.
11-19-09 | 07:44 PM
#63
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 22,608
Likes: 102
From: Waiting for next track day
I fail to see what is of better quality than an interior made from the finest Italian leather, hand-stiched by an artisan in Maranello. There's something very special about owning a Ferrari, and that's a feeling I guarantee you will not get by driving the LFA, or any other car for that matter. It may not perform as well, or be as reliable, or as cheap to maintain... but believe me, when you get behind a wheel of a car with a Prancing Horse on it, you can literally feel the heritage coursing through your veins and the attention to detail that you don't get in any other car, regardless of price.
11-19-09 | 07:51 PM
#64
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 22,608
Likes: 102
From: Waiting for next track day
11-19-09 | 08:13 PM
#65
I fail to see what is of better quality than an interior made from the finest Italian leather, hand-stiched by an artisan in Maranello. There's something very special about owning a Ferrari, and that's a feeling I guarantee you will not get by driving the LFA, or any other car for that matter. It may not perform as well, or be as reliable, or as cheap to maintain... but believe me, when you get behind a wheel of a car with a Prancing Horse on it, you can literally feel the heritage coursing through your veins and the attention to detail that you don't get in any other car, regardless of price.
The point is the LFA should be on par with the Ferrari in every way....and should be comparably priced.
11-19-09 | 08:39 PM
#66
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,906
Likes: 5
From: NJ
The funny thing is its easy to say "would you buy" one of these cars but the REALITY is they ALLOW you to buy them. Not everyone with money can just buy these cars. Its a selection process and if you are LUCKY enough to be chosen (for whatever reasons), then you get to PURCHASE.
For instance if you are "new" to buying Ferraris, they will make you buy used ones to "prove" yourself until its time to buy a new one. From what I've heard about the Lexus process, its similar in they will talk to prospective owners to see how the vehicle will be used. They don't want garage queens. They want to car used and visible. Lexus is hand selecting buyers as this is a SUBSTANTIAL investment for the company. Dave and some others have given us some additional insight (thanks) to this process.
There are only a few vehicles sold in 500 units, the LFA is truly a rare vehicle. The 599 and Murchialagos' are/have been sold in the thousands of units. Its almost apples to oranges and Lexus knows this.
In "other world" yes I would buy a LFA in a heartbeat as my passion is for Lexus before most other brands. Its a dream car for the Lexus enthusiast. Clearly ALL are fully aware it wont have the cache or prestige of the status quo, Ferrari, Lambo, Aston etc. No crap. I've read completely dismissing remarks on exotic forums just for it being a "Lexus" or "Toyota". There are many though that see it for what its worth.
The funny thing is in observations there are those (most everyone) *****ing about the price over and over and over who are simply not even close to being a buyer. Then there are those that simply post "yeah I'm on the list and hopefully it happens" and that is pretty much it.
For instance if you are "new" to buying Ferraris, they will make you buy used ones to "prove" yourself until its time to buy a new one. From what I've heard about the Lexus process, its similar in they will talk to prospective owners to see how the vehicle will be used. They don't want garage queens. They want to car used and visible. Lexus is hand selecting buyers as this is a SUBSTANTIAL investment for the company. Dave and some others have given us some additional insight (thanks) to this process.
There are only a few vehicles sold in 500 units, the LFA is truly a rare vehicle. The 599 and Murchialagos' are/have been sold in the thousands of units. Its almost apples to oranges and Lexus knows this.
In "other world" yes I would buy a LFA in a heartbeat as my passion is for Lexus before most other brands. Its a dream car for the Lexus enthusiast. Clearly ALL are fully aware it wont have the cache or prestige of the status quo, Ferrari, Lambo, Aston etc. No crap. I've read completely dismissing remarks on exotic forums just for it being a "Lexus" or "Toyota". There are many though that see it for what its worth.
The funny thing is in observations there are those (most everyone) *****ing about the price over and over and over who are simply not even close to being a buyer. Then there are those that simply post "yeah I'm on the list and hopefully it happens" and that is pretty much it.
11-19-09 | 09:25 PM
#67
Lexus Champion
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,727
Likes: 2
From: N/A
Anecdotal evidence but from what I've seen in my neighborhood there's surprisingly a lot of truth to this. The median house in our "sub" neighborhood (basically the wealtheist portion of a relatively wealthy neighborhood) costs about $2.5 million, so one can imagine what the median net worth of these people is.
A good 40% of them have a toyota camry or honda accord as a daily driver. Another 30% have some mundane Ford pickup truck, again as a daily driver.
A good number of these people have lamborghinis and ferraris stashed in their garages for "fun time". The remaining 30% have audis, lexus, bmw, mercedes for daily drivers.
In the "less" wealthier area where the median house costs $1 million and the median income is more like $200,000 / year, about 80% have audis, lexus, bmw, mercedes as daily drivers and many of them buy audis, lexus, bmw, mercedes for their sons/daughters as well (entry level ones). And virtually none of them have any sort of supercar.
A good 40% of them have a toyota camry or honda accord as a daily driver. Another 30% have some mundane Ford pickup truck, again as a daily driver.
A good number of these people have lamborghinis and ferraris stashed in their garages for "fun time". The remaining 30% have audis, lexus, bmw, mercedes for daily drivers.
In the "less" wealthier area where the median house costs $1 million and the median income is more like $200,000 / year, about 80% have audis, lexus, bmw, mercedes as daily drivers and many of them buy audis, lexus, bmw, mercedes for their sons/daughters as well (entry level ones). And virtually none of them have any sort of supercar.
11-19-09 | 10:03 PM
#68
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,075
Likes: 0
From: CA
There are many people worth under $25 million who buy 200k+ cars. Why couldn't someone with $5 million buy a 250k Ferrari?
JUst because the median is $25 million doesn't mean you can't afford a 200k+ car with less money.
btw that number is probably skewed because people with 25+ million buy several of those cars.
11-19-09 | 10:05 PM
#69
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,075
Likes: 0
From: CA
On the subject, If I just had 400k to spend on one supercar, no the LF-A like many people state is just too expensive. Maybe if it had 650+ hp and could outperform cars like the 458 italia, but I doubt it could. As soon as I have 250-300k to spend on a car I'm getting a 458 italia.
11-19-09 | 10:06 PM
#70
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,075
Likes: 0
From: CA
This is an extremely difficult question to answer, given that most people, even those who have the necessary funds, would never be able to purchase one new (like myself). Let's imagine for a moment that everyone has equal access to this vehicle and that if you want one, they can order it for you: my answer would be yes... but I would have to have a lot of disposable income.
Yes, the LFA is a lot of car for the money, given that features found in the CCX that I ordered are present in the LFA but at a lower price. Granted, we can't really say anything about it for now, but in my opinion the LFA will lack the gut-wrench, visceral experience most people want from high-performance supercars. One of the reasons I ordered the CCX is because one wrong move and you're in the ditch. The LFA will have far too many nannies to my liking... but one thing is almost 100% sure, the LFA will be miles ahead of the Koenigsegg in terms of reliability.
For about half the price you can get a new R8 V10 around here, which has the same, on-paper, performance numbers. We'll have to wait and see, though, how the LFA performs in everyday, real-life situations.
Like I said, I would probably buy the LFA but only if I had lots of disposable income. It doesn't make my shortlist, even if it were widely available. Probably just because I can't bring myself to support a brand that has very little sporting legacy, making a $375,000 USD car, that is very limited in terms of availability (to top it all off). I'd rather buy an F430 Scuderia.
Yes, the LFA is a lot of car for the money, given that features found in the CCX that I ordered are present in the LFA but at a lower price. Granted, we can't really say anything about it for now, but in my opinion the LFA will lack the gut-wrench, visceral experience most people want from high-performance supercars. One of the reasons I ordered the CCX is because one wrong move and you're in the ditch. The LFA will have far too many nannies to my liking... but one thing is almost 100% sure, the LFA will be miles ahead of the Koenigsegg in terms of reliability.
For about half the price you can get a new R8 V10 around here, which has the same, on-paper, performance numbers. We'll have to wait and see, though, how the LFA performs in everyday, real-life situations.
Like I said, I would probably buy the LFA but only if I had lots of disposable income. It doesn't make my shortlist, even if it were widely available. Probably just because I can't bring myself to support a brand that has very little sporting legacy, making a $375,000 USD car, that is very limited in terms of availability (to top it all off). I'd rather buy an F430 Scuderia.
CCX? Isn't that like a million bucks?
btw what do you do for a living?
11-19-09 | 10:32 PM
#71
Lexus Champion
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 3,370
Likes: 0
From: NY
On the subject, If I just had 400k to spend on one supercar, no the LF-A like many people state is just too expensive. Maybe if it had 650+ hp and could outperform cars like the 458 italia, but I doubt it could. As soon as I have 250-300k to spend on a car I'm getting a 458 italia.
I fail to see what is of better quality than an interior made from the finest Italian leather, hand-stiched by an artisan in Maranello. There's something very special about owning a Ferrari, and that's a feeling I guarantee you will not get by driving the LFA, or any other car for that matter. It may not perform as well, or be as reliable, or as cheap to maintain... but believe me, when you get behind a wheel of a car with a Prancing Horse on it, you can literally feel the heritage coursing through your veins and the attention to detail that you don't get in any other car, regardless of price.
11-19-09 | 11:41 PM
#72
Guest
Posts: n/a
When the car first debuted, there was a 2 years waiting list. Good luck trying to get a Scuderia!!!
11-20-09 | 08:37 AM
#74
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 19,951
Likes: 171
i would expect (and demand) that the LFA is built way way better than other egzotics such as Ferrari.
11-20-09 | 09:03 AM
#75
find me a car that has a 65% CF chassis, these mechanical specifications, and this exclusivity for 200k. Not even the Ferrari 599/612 have CF chassis and they are close to the LFA price, and thats why they weigh 800 lbs more.