Well yeah that’s why I specifically said the Performance version lol. Also, I can only imagine the cost of replacing the lithium ion batteries down the line though. Haha

 

yeah, that's one of my concerns as well.

i was planning on keeping the lexus for another two years-ish. so, for around eight years, but now i'll be forced into buying another car prematurely. i still really keep gravitating toward the volvo s60 t6 inscription. i think that sedan looks really classy in that trim both in and out and the t6's performance is pretty respectable. the only problem would be long-term reliability, which i'm sure i could mitigate with an extended warranty.

 

I was also oddly drawn toward the Mazda Miata hardtop, the RF I believe it's called. Which has its plastic-y interior and lack of accoutrements, but for some reason the exterior styling is gorgeous and it would be a pretty simple buy with what the insurance company is giving me. I don't have kids and the back seat of my IS was never used. I rarely took more than one passenger at a time, but I can't help but feel like the Miata might be too small in some situations rarely. I could always borrow someone else's car/truck within family in order to transport larger items.

Another strange draw is the brand new Mazda 3 sedan in its top trim. The interior is gorgeous as is the exterior and it might just be rare enough for me to get away with being unique even though it's just a Mazda.

Are these foolish moves coming from a Lexus and then going to a Mazda? I'm thinking about reliability and I was looking at Lexus' and Acura's lineup just now and really there is nothing there that is remotely attractive save for the LC500 as I mentioned previously. I already have an Acura ILX A-Spec that I had purchased new in 2017, but I purchased it specifically for my aging mother who drives it. I only maintain the car, and I really dislike the way it drives, although what they've done with the latest facelift looks pretty decent. I looked at the CT200h which I've always thought was a good-looking hatch, but I can't get over the extremely slow acceleration times even though I also know that that car would be perfectly reliable.

I think that I'd want to buy Mazda over Genesis at this point only because Mazda is more established.

The BMW 2 series in convertible form is the best looking between the coupe and the convertible, but the convertible top is something to keep in mind as I'd never use it down, or very rarely so. I mean, I never even opened the sunroof in the Lexus that was just totaled. I just happen to like the soft-top convertible more.

There's always the option to buy another IS, CPO-ed or not and just add an extended warranty onto it, but with Lexus going to introduce the new model IS in just a few years I think it'd be lame to be making payments on a car, even if for two years, only to step into the next gen IS.

The rest of the Lexus lineup doesn't interest me. The RC is bulky and the front is awkwardly styled, the NX and UX are okay, but they aren't winning any beauty contests. The RX is entirely too large for my needs. The new ES is nice, but it's larger than I'd like it to be. All of these cars would be really reliable, though, and long-term reliability is a huge for me as I've only owned three cars in my life (I'm 35 and previously lived in NYC where a car wasn't needed). Anyhow, I first owned an A4 which was in the shop all the damn time, although everything was covered under warranty and they provided me with loaners, it was a pain. Next I bought a 2008 IS 250 with the luxury package and it was great until I decided to step into the third-generation IS and purchase a 2014 IS 250 F-Sport with all the goodies that I could add on to that particular trim. I modified that car slightly and to my taste as shown in the picture above.

Anyhow, on to Acura - nothing really stands out. The MDX is in need of a remodel, the RDX is a considerable choice, although it just doesn't seem special enough, that, and again, I don't haul anyone but myself around usually. It's sort of a commuter vehicle for me to get to work and back (Fallbrook to Temecula, Temecula to Fallbrook). That said, the RDX is a much more handsome vehicle than the Lexus NX in my opinion. Even the Mazda CX-5 is a much nicer vehicle than the Lexus NX, particularly with regard to the interior.

I researched Teslas and Teslas the way I would want them spec-ed are expensive. Over 50k, and had my IS paid off. I'm not too excited to start making payments again and want to try to get into something CPO-ed or something with lower payments, e.g., the Mazda 3 that I mentioned earlier or even the Miata RF. There is the CT200h, which can be picked up relatively inexpensively CPO-ed with low mileage and they will last forever.

I dunno -- any other suggestions on reliable models from luxury marques or premium (Mazda) marques?

 

My wife has the Volvo XC60 and we love it. No issues in the first 18 months. I had an S60 T6 loaner when we brought it in for state inspection and that car was fantastic. If you go Volvo, Steingold’s offers extended warranties cheaper than any other dealer.

I tried a fully loaded Mazda 3 a few years ago after multiple luxury cars. I could feel the difference right away and wound up getting rid of that car halfway through a 3 year lease. It was also a lemon (more dealer visits than months I had it) but my dissatisfaction preceded my reliability issues.

Every car show I go to leaves me continually impressed by the Genesis G70. The back seat is too small for me with a teenage son, but go sit in one as rear seat space doesn’t seem to be a requirement for you. The BMW M240 drives like magic and I hear good things about the new 3 series.

Finally, I agree with you on Acura. I have an 07 TSX 6 speed that I refuse to part with and has become our 4th car for 2 drivers. That generation of Acura was magic and the new ones leave me sad when I get a loaner. The RDX is the best of the bunch, so hopefully the sedans move that way soon.

Good luck with your hunt.

 

Thank you for your input. My sister has a 2017 Mazda 3 GT and I really couldn't drive that car on a daily basis, but apparently the brand new Mazda 3 that recently was released has been brought quite a bit upscale. Maybe, however, it's just in the availability of interior refinement or something. Perhaps the drive is pretty much the same. I would have to test drive the car.

The Volvo is enticing, it really is, but my car was paid off and I'm not really looking to finance 30k agaaaain and then have payments agaaaaainnnn and yes, perhaps it will be worth it, but I just don't know about that supercharged and turbocharged engine. It would make me nervous as I typically keep my cars for around 8 years or so.

 

Oh, and the G70 is gorgeous, I just don't want a Genesis. haha. I know that is terrible rationale, but that marque is pretty much brand new and it just doesn't hold the same level of prestige or recognition that other established premium and luxury marques do.

 

The battery concern is overblown. It comes with an 8 year, 120k mile warranty but the battery itself is rated at ~300k miles. I save about $2.5k of gas costs per year so in 10 years, I could probably buy two batteries with the savings.

I have friends with the Kia Stinger and they all love it. Another great car you can get on the cheap is a used S3. Audi reliability has gotten better over the years and the S3 is so common enough where independent mechanics know how to service them. Just a thought.

 

Have you thought of buying the car back from Geico and doing an engine swap? There's an ISF engine and transmission for sale in the Marketplace.

 

Also consider you got hydro locked because there is random flash floods in your area. Perhaps you need a higher car such as a crossover. I really like the Cx5 turbo in that case. Also, most EVs are flood proof as their battery and motors are sealed.

 

If you like the look of the LC 500, and are open to a used car, you may want to take look at the Jaguar XK and XKR cars in the 2007-2015 era (the X-150 aluminum body cars, not the earlier X-100 steel body).
Sleek and sexy, both coupes and convertibles.
Sure, lots of people will joke about reliability, but that’s an old story with older models.
The X-150’s were developed under Ford ownership, and many components are shared with Ford and Lincoln models.
The 2007-2009 cars were 4.2 liter, both N/A (in the XK at 300 hp), and supercharged (in the XKR at 420 hp). The 4.2.L engine is virtually bullet-proof, some owners are over 200k miles with normal maintenance (not that you’d want to buy one at that mileage).
The later models (2010-2015) have a 5.0L engine, both N/A (385 hp) and supercharged (510 hp). Water pumps have been the main issue on them, but not all owners have had an issue.
You’ll find prices vary by year, and because of depreciation there are many bargains (my 2007 XK convertible’s original price was $86500, I bought it 6 years ago for $30000, and today you could find the same car for well under $20000).
I only drive mine in the summer, but some folks drive them all year.
Just tossing another idea out there.

 

Just a heads up, if you like the Volvo try the T5. In the city it feels quicker than the T6 due to the torque peak being at lower rpm and the engine is less complex. We were initially leaning towards the T6 but went for a T5 after our test drives showed no appreciable difference in performance. The calculus might be different if you drive at higher speeds.

 

What about buying the car back from insurance and just having a used engine installed?
I know it's not a desired outcome...but, you would have you own car back, and probably a few bucks in your pocket.
I'm trying to look at it from a win win perspective.

 

this is a major concern of mine as well because i changed schools (i'm a teacher) and the school that i work at is prone to flash flooding if it rains even moderately. some people park on higher ground at a starbucks and then wait for another a colleague to pick them up in an SUV/truck.

i went to the lexus dealership today to take everything out of the car and then i had a look around the dealership. i decided that the ux is super ugly so i ruled that i out, but i saw the nx and it's not a terrible looking vehicle. i also looked at stock IS300/200t f-sports and they aren't as generic as i thought they'd be as i hadn't seen a stock IS in a while (or i just hadn't noticed). that's another option.

the third option is the new acura rdx. i stopped at the acura dealership and only looked at the rdx because the rest of their lineup sucks. the rdx is nice, i mean, it's nicer looking than the nx i think, but i think i would still get the nx over the rdx. i dunno, tough call between those two. in any case, IS trumps both the nx and the rdx.

okay, so my big issue is how reliable has that turbo i4 been that lexus has been using? has it been okay? i haven't really seen any complaints here, but the turbo is relatively new. if i purchase say a cpo 2017-2018 is300 f-sport with the turbo i4, i can't deal with the reliability of a ****ty engine. maybe i'll start a poll on here asking how reliable that engine has been.

 

they offered that to me, but it's just more cost effective to buy another car that hasn't been damaged because of the destruction of a lot of the computer components on the car as well.

 

I've seen the UX on the road and I think it looks nice.
But it has a look that's "different"...which tends to put vehicles into a 'love it' or 'hate it' camp.
I haven't seen the interior, but I can't imagine it being horrendous.

My buy back suggestion was based on the engine only being damaged, but if water got inside the vehicle, that's a different story.
The computers under the hood are well protected, so I doubt they actually got wet...but I can appreciate if they want to replace them to be on the safe side.
As for the computer inside the car and trunk, the water level would have to be pretty high for them to get damaged...there's no computers on the floor, for this very reason.
Even the amp that's on the floor of the trunk isn't really at the lowest point of the vehicle, and also consider how high the water would have to be to get into the trunk.