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Get a Lexus LC 500 Now for a Great Price
By Brett Foote

Used Lexus LC examples are selling for way below sticker price, creating an enticing opportunity for potential buyers.

Johnhav430

I drove it at the event which is now almost a year ago, and it was super nice. But unfortunately based on the sticker I saw on the window, it would need to shed 30k to be in the ballpark.

edit just looked online to get an idea of what we are talking about. Basically, a car that listed for $102k, is going for about $80-$82k, with maybe 5k miles. If this thing were $25k in another 8 years, I'd get it for fun.

edit 2 this is what I like to look at, the chassis, and it does seem serious. As I recall the steering was light but the interior to me was on par with what people would expect from a Lexus

https://www.lexus.com/models/LC/specifications

RNM GS3

Its way overpriced just like the LS.

Where is the damn LC-F already?

The new M850i and M8 are only going to make the LC sales more difficult.

coolsaber

So do we call it the spiritual successor to the SC lineup?

Bob04

Gorgeous, but overpriced.

Kira X

iTrader: (24)

It’s definitely the successor to the first generation SC. They just changed the name.

arentz07

It's overpriced, yet the 8-series with which it competes starts almost $20k higher (without options).

In fact, let's take this opportunity to understand the competitive landscape.

Lexus LC 500: $92,300
BMW M850i: $112,895
Porsche 911 Carrera S: $113,300
Mercedes-Benz SL450: $90,145
Mercedes-Benz SL550: $114,545

I suppose you could also argue the E-class coupe is a possible alternative, and it's a good one at $74,695 for the AMG E53. It's not nearly as low to the ground or flashy, but it's certainly a sporty luxury coupe.

So I'd say for what you get, the LC's pricing is not bad. A steal? No. However, I'd say it's a lot easier to say the BMW and Mercedes corollaries are overpriced than the Lexus.

kwr

Would look much better if it didn’t have a grille like the 1st gen SC. The grille is too large and the “check marks” underneath the headlights don’t help.

Freds430

Autotrader across the country has 22 under $75,000 with the lowest price $71,995. When they hit low $50's I could be very interested.

RNM GS3

The M850i is in a completely different league in terms of performance compared to LC500.
Its also a BMW and can command those prices because it has existing buyers that have owned performance coupes like M3, M4, 650i, M6 etc. Lexus has no such client base.

LC500 should base at 78k and top out at $95k

arentz07

And, there it is. "Performance."

A lot of the time, when comparing cars, horsepower and 0-60 times are weighted disproportionately to other qualities of the cars, such as build quality, interior materials, quietness, and the list goes on. Does the 8-series's interior measure up to the LC's even if it were in a different, lower-performance trim? Unfortunately for us, the M850i is the only version of the 8-series currently for sale, but I doubt it will be the base model forever. Surely an 840i will come along to provide an entry-level 8-series to shoppers. If that car existed, it would ostensibly compete with the LC.

Let's use another BMW model, the 7-series, to guess what its price might be. The 2020 740i will cost $87,445 to start (and is rear-wheel drive). The 750i xDrive Luxury (no rear-wheel drive variant of the 50i is available) stickers for $103,645. Let's be a little generous here and assume the cost of the "M" upgrades on the M850i are somewhere in the ballpark of the cost of the M Sport package on the 750i (which starts at $105,650). So, if an 840i RWD Luxury were to exist, it would probably cost $94,690, if we naively use the 7-series's price deltas. In fact, the difference in pricing structure shouldn't be all that much between the two model lines, since they share engines and transmissions. With the turbocharged inline-six, it would likely offer similar straight-line performance to the LC with its 5.0-liter, perhaps even a bit slower due to its weight (I'd estimate it'd weigh somewhere between 4100 and 4200 pounds in the base configuration, and a slightly-lighter 540i took 4.7 seconds to reach 60 MPH).

So, if performance between the LC 500 and the 8-series was identical, which would I choose? I'd choose the slightly less-expensive, more uniquely-styled, and interior-quality superlative LC. It wouldn't even be a tough decision. Oh, and the Lexus probably won't break - I mean, that engine has been in multiple cars over the last decade, the first of which is known to be quite reliable. Besides, doesn't BMW realize that enthusiasts don't want a lot of the things it's giving them? Exhibit A of this type of issue is digitally-enhanced engine sound. Why do that when you already have a V8? It sounds good on its own. Lexus cared enough to create an analog way of capturing the sound and piping it into the cabin. They don't do this on all their vehicles, but where it counts - the LC, their halo car of sorts - they did.

I'm sure some people value the performance numbers more than attention to detail and quality, so, they'll get exactly what they paid for the in the BMW.

coolsaber

I agree to this, as if you can get away with selling what essentially was the next generation 6 series for higher thanks to adding 200 to the series line, power to ya!

Johnhav430

Nobody should ever question a 992. first of all, without even googling, I doubt one is available at 113k. I've not been through the ordering process (the only Porsche I have ever purchased new was off the lot), but if one were to order at that price, it's risky for the dealership.

When I was at the 991 launch, the RWD S' were $141k, already. How many years ago was that? Maybe 7?

What I found when driving the RC-F and LC500 back to back, is that one had the fit and finish that I would expect of Lexus (the latter), the other, did not. And neither are "true" sports cars.

This much I find interesting about cars. They don't follow the convention that exists for houses. Buy a smaller house, in a better location. What makes more sense to me is if you were thinking about the LC500, and find all its German counterparts even more expensive, why settle for a Lexus? Why not spend your 80k wisely, and get the German car that is 80k? I'm not positive, but you probably cannot buy a new loaded M3/M4 for that, but I'm pretty sure you can get one brand new. Since when is 80k not a lot of money lol

Johnhav430

I pretty much agree with you until the last statement.

Attention to detail. German cars' brake pads sweep nearly all of the brake rotor surface. On Japanese cars? Seems like 65%. I never noticed it myself until I did my rear brakes on the LS430. I was aghast when the orange rust started. The forum agreed that's the case, then, I started leering at every Japanese car in parking lots, grocery, gym, and they're all the same. That's not attention to detail lol So if a Japanese mfg. said 15.x" rotors, and a German mfg. said 15.x" rotors, zinc coated, which is better? I would say the one who uses the entire surface area is the one who has an attention to detail. I get that most don't care, but that's detail.

arentz07

Right, and I don't mean to dismiss the BMW outright. I haven't personally encountered any issues with brake rotors on my cars over the years, 3 of which have been either Toyota or Lexus, but I haven't held onto any of them for more than 4 years...

Let's face it, you couldn't go wrong picking up with the 8 or the LC new. They're both awesome and have decades of engineering experience behind them.