737Driver

I'm going to be in the market for a new (used) car this fall, I drive sometimes up to 500 miles per week, so the fuel economy is a big plus. I'm coming from a GS 350 F sport and I know it's gonna be a totally different car… Hopefully totally cheaper to operate.
They seem to hold their value really well, that or dealers are very proud of what they have. They seem to run $15-$25,000 for a later model F-Sport with relatively low mileage. I'd like to keep it well under $20,000, and at the same time buy a car that will reliably last me another 100,000 miles without major issues.
I would love to hear opinions from owners on model years to get, or years to avoid, what options to look out for etc.… I'm a pretty spirited driver, so I would prefer the F sport, and I am partial to good headlights, so I think Xenon's are a necessity also. I don't know what specific option packages include those. I don't know about specific options things like navigation, stereo upgrades etc. I also don't know much about head gasket issues, are there certain years or mileage ranges where this tends to occur more? Finally, are those of you who have these cars happy with your purchase? Should I be looking at something else… The last 150,000 miles in my GS 350 have completely sold me on the Lexus brand. Most reliable car I've ever owned.
Thanks!

Clutchless

Have you driven a CT? You do know it has a Prius engine etc and that although the F-Sport handles quite well, it is still pretty slow, especially coming from a GS 350.
If you don't already know this, you can join the Lexus Drivers Site and enter the VIN of any vehicle to see its dealer service history. It is a more detailed account than CarFax etc.
It also lets you see the build sheet of a car and its options. I will leave it to others who have more recent CT experience to answer you other questions. I did like my CT F-Sport as a commuter car but my wife said she wanted a more comfortable ride that sat higher as we drove to work together so it was traded for the HS.
​​​​​​https://www.lexus.com/My-Lexus/account/create-account

737Driver

@Clutchless Yes I drove one briefly. I know the power and experience will be vastly my different than my GS, but I'm after something as reliable as my GS but with much better fuel economy. I only get 24 on my bi-weekly commute of 260 miles, so it adds up. Premium too!
I like the sportiness of the hatchback look the CT has, but my family doesn't do we shall see.
I'd love to find one with the F-Sport and LED headlight spec in white, grey or red.
Does every car have the head gasket issue or is it just a more common problem?

Clutchless

I don't know about the head gasket issue. I got rid of mine years ago with very low mileage.
Try searching head gasket on this forum. Also do some searching on the Prius Chat forum as it has the same engine.

TobiasSing

This car never came with "xenon" head lights. There was a rare option with LED low beams, but it was nothing special. Not like today's standards. I wouldn't worry about it, the halogen head lights can take a h11 LED bulb nicely. The f-sport models are most likely to have the upgraded navigation/stereo, though you can always tell which option it has just by looking at the interior hardware. The headgasket issue is hit or miss, though apparently, it was more common in the pre-facelift version. Everything I know though, I know from looking online. All things considered, I went for a 2016 f-sport. Note that the f-sport is not any faster or quicker than the base model, but the f-sport has stiffer suspension. As for pricing, last I knew, car prices were all very high, and so what you are looking for in the CT would not be found for under $20k.

737Driver

@TobiasSing
Thanks for the info. I'll stop driving myself crazy with looking for the LED headlights, I bet only 1% of them have it, and I'm glad to hear they can be retrofitted easily. I do a lot of driving through the desert at night so good headlights are important.
I'll focus on an F-Sport with navigation and perforated leather seats instead. How is the stereo on the 10 speaker systems?
i realize that about the F-Sport, it's mostly an appearance package with a modest suspension upgrade. Same as my GS.
Overall, are you happy with the car? Any issue with cruising at 90mph as far as power is concerned? I know acceleration is underwhelming, but I'm looking to save $2,500 per year on fuel costs over my GS.

TobiasSing

I personally went from an old IS300 needing premium gas at 20 mpg to the CT hybrid with regular gas and over 40mpg. So even though gas prices have gone up, my cost per mile is half. So that's great. Even though the CT gas tank is small, it fills up really fast at the pump compared to the IS. And honestly, when the CT is in sport mode, it's perfectly comparable to the IS300 in quickness. I got my CT sight unseen, I bought it online from the next state over without even so much as having looked at one in person (it was 2020) and I've been very satisfied with the "leap of faith". My 2016 was $20k with 29k miles, but that was before all the prices went up.

The LED low beam stock head lights are not worth the output. It was more of a novelty at the time than an actual performance upgrade. For desert driving, I'd just go with some off-road lights LED lol. Or, retrofit in a bixenon or biled projector and have extra high beams. Can't retrofit or upgrade the stock LED headlight. And since they are impossible to find, I wouldn't worry about it.

The sound system is okay. I liked the one I had on the IS better, but it was aftermarket. The premium CT sound system is plenty enough for me to not have to spend any extra time or money or effort replacing it. Mine has the regular leather seats. Keep in mind though, the CT was the cheapest Lexus ever sold, so I would be careful to expect GS-level quality and comfort. Though, it's still very nice as a Prius alternative. I'm very happy with the f-sport. I got exactly what I wanted, and it turned out to be exactly what I wanted.

737Driver

@TobiasSing Thanks for the write up. I know it's not going to be a GS but I'm sick of filling it with premium twice a week lol.
I'm glad you are happy with it, I think you sold me! Time to start looking!!

TobiasSing

Definitely look! Especially if you're already sick with the current situation and have driven a CT already. I love also how the CT has allowed me to just completely chill out when driving. It's just all around so much better and nicer now. Of course, 10 years had passed between buying the two cars, so the CT just fits way better with who I am today, while still being unique and rare enough to feel personal even stock without doing anything to it. It's great.

Clutchless

If you get a CT, it is an easy upgrade to use H9 headlight bulbs instead of the H11 bulbs The modifications to make it work are not difficult. They work better than trying to shove an LED bulb into that housing as its reflectivity is not designed for the shape of an LED's output.
H9 bulbs are much brighter although they burn out faster, maybe after a year. Google H11 to H9 conversion and you will find much information on how to do it. I have it in my HS250h and had them in my old CT but forgot and left them in when I traded it. I used the Bulb Zilla harness to make the swap easier and there are Philips H9 bulbs on Amazon for about $9 each.
https://www.aspireautoaccessories.co...tput-bulb-kits

JapanBuick

I would look for a 2014+ as it is a facelift car and the 1.8L engine had some important revisions that I believe were related to a faulty piston ring design in previous engines, causing premature oil consumption and perhaps it was related to the head gasket issue (I am not sure).

I was able to verify that my 2014 car had the revised engine components by checking the part numbers based on the VIN. I would carefully assume that all facelifts cars also received the updated engine parts, but I would verify this prior to purchase if you are looking at a 2014. If you find a 2015+ you should be totally fine. Production numbers indicate 2014 had the most cars, though, so you will always find the earlier cars in greater numbers for sale as opposed to the very few that were produced after 2015. Check wikipedia for production numbers if you are curious about this.

The regular car (non F sport) feels fantastic around corners and since it is only an appearance pkg (and apparently a minor suspension revision which I am unfamiliar with), I would not feel too opposed to a regular car if you find a great deal on one, but the F Sport cars seem easy enough to find if that is what you prefer.

Mine has the premium pkg which I would suggest with the nice upgrades you get, including the nice nav screen, which is still very useful even today (not so much for the nav purposes, but for music, and at least having the map up on the display is handy when you're looking for a street, etc.).... if you have an iPhone, connecting it into the USB is nice because the car simply thinks it is an iPod, and you have full controls over your music and even album art on the screen. I use this daily.

I have had mine for probably close to a year and I have really, really loved the CT. It's extremely practical and efficient and I've averaged around 40-42 mpg depending on how heavy my foot is. Even if I am driving it very "spiritedly" I still eke out 38 mpg. I have been very happy with my CT. I fit an entire Billy Bookcase from Ikea in the back with the seats all folded down, and the front passenger seat tilted all the way back.

I changed my headlight bulbs to the higher performance silver star ultra and they perform pretty well. I am considering some LED's at some point, when I get around to doing it.

Clutchless

There was the F Sport appearance package. Which only looked like an F Sport.

There was also the F Sport suspension package which had lower stiffer (usually blue) springs, lower stiffer shocks, stiffer front and rear anti-sway bars (mine were blue) and lateral dampers which were sort of strut towers for the front and rear chassis with shock absorbers in the middle to absorb vibrations.
You can visibly see that one with the suspension package is lower and usually has different wheels.

FYI the Lexus Drivers Site I linked above will also provide you with the build sheet for any car when you enter the VIN so you can check if it really has the F Sport suspension.

737Driver

@Clutchless @JapanBuick
Thank you for the write-up's and for providing such valuable information. I'm starting the process to look for one, I see no reason to not get the nav and perforated seats. I do prefer the F-Sport package look, but I'm going it focus on the other accessories and finding a really clean one. Preferably a '16 or '17.
I have to chuckle at the F-Sport, with its 10 second 0-60 times. But it does look aggressive! Lol

Clutchless

10 seconds 0-60 was fast 50 years ago!
​​​​​​https://www.zeroto60times.com/

Lexmex

Am on my second CT because the last one got totaled (not my fault) over a year and half ago, but both times I wanted a 15-17 (wish I could have gotten my hands on the overseas ones that were 18+), but for the reasons mentioned above because they had the change in design for one (although 14 has that), but had all engine upgrades at that point. Both times, I went over the maintenance record with a fine tooth comb. Though both had an accident, it was not an issue after close inspection. Both mine were base models, but I really was not looking at the F-Sport per se.

BTW, not sure about anyone else here but running the new Mobil 1 0W20 Hybrid Oil, I switched from Extended Performance and had been running Advanced Fuel Economy before that, but will see how it goes.