I got the Performance Package, so I wasn't expecting any Aniline leather to start with. Come to think of it, not sure what my GS F seats are made of...not Aniline...but not sure if Nuluxe or leather. I've had Aniline in a ES, NX, GX, LX before...really soft...but tend to stain from blue jeans in lighter colors...and show wear. Whatever I have now, they are pretty comfortable and durable so far. Although I tend to not wear blue jeans on my Toasted Caramel interior just in case

 

^^^^GSF seats are leather




Lou

 

any leather cleaner will take any blue marks from jeans right off the leather. I'm far from a 'detailing' type but can remove such marks from my white leather interior in a few seconds.

 

Yeah, the best thing I've found is "Bickmore Bick 4" leather conditioner. Western Boot stores around here carry it. It certainly did help get a lot of the blue off.

 

Even Meguiar's was very effective in taking any transfer off the Alpine leather on my '08 IS F.

I actually think lighter leathers might be better in that regard long-term. I feel like the creasing on the black leather in my '11 shows up way worse than it did on the Alpine.

 

In January I located an 18 LC fully loaded inc perf pkg. This car had no marks at all, 6,900 miles and a six year Lexus full protection plan. $30 k below sticker. They have dropped in price more post covid but I’m very happy with my decision. Came with a new set of tires and wheels plus the OE tires and wheels.

Initially used TrueCar and searched nation wide for 18s and 19s. You will find many LCs. Seeing this number of LCs helps you make the right choice in the end. I then happened to look at EBay for LCs and found a few and one stuck out. It was owned by someone as focused on detail like I am. His reason for selling made perfect sense. I happened to be going to the city this person was in the following week and scheduled a time to see the car. I bought it on the spot. After reviewing 50-60 LCs on True Car I knew this was the one.

When it’s a used car at this cost look nationwide and be prepared to travel to see it before buying. And be prepared to fly home if it’s not right. Every used car is different.

Im in Illinois and I found out buying from a private party has a huge advantage from a sales tax perspective. $6,000 lower sales taxes if purchased from a private party vs dealer purchase on a $100,000 car. Illinois limits sales taxes on any vehicle purchased from a private party at $1,500.

 

In Arizona:

Sales tax on an LC bought from a dealer about 8.9%
Sales tax on an LC bought from Private Party is $0.

 

wow, that's crazy about sales tax... a HUGE disadvantage for dealers.

 

A used car in Texas will cost $90 to $95 for title and license, plus 6.25% sales tax of the purchase price. If you purchased the car in a private sale, you may be taxed on the purchase price or the “standard presumptive value” (SPV) of the car, whichever is higher.

 

Here in NJ it doesn't matter because you get taxed the moment you register the car. Of course, you are free to write any value you want for the purchase price but they will flag you if they think you lowballed them.

What a great story! I have been searching for a while on Autotrader, Cargurus, Truecar, and Ebay. Seems like there was a spike of great ones just before September hit then nothing. Another thing to note is that private sales are usually more difficult since buyers have to figure out their own financing. Very few people have cash for a used LC. I do think another benefit of dealers is that if you trade a car in, then you only pay sales tax on the difference between the car values. That's a benefit for dealers, even online ones like Carvana and GroovyCar.

 

i have yet to see one offered for $60K.

 

As I see it, these cars will lose money in the short term. There isn't much room for people shopping for $100k+ sport coupes and even less for convertibles especially when you start getting into this price category, you have many other car options to choose from. You factor in COVID and it's a recipe for disaster.

If you're trying to buy this car on the cheap, you're in a great position. If you're trying to flip this car for a profit, it's not happening in the short term. Now, if you buy this car and hang onto it for 10, 15, 20 years, then I think you may have a money maker on your hand. Now, I'm not talking about it going for $500k but I think it will be sought after many years down the road. If you look at many of the desirable cars now on BaT, auctions, etc, many of these desirable cars were extremely UNdesirable when new. Getting someone to buy a Supra Turbo when new took an act of good. Same goes for S2000, E30 M3, 911 RS America, and the list goes on. But with people realizing that car manufacturers are not making these kind of driver cars anymore, people are required to look back in time for that engaged driving that many of these manufacturers are not offering today. There are some exceptions such as the Type R and GT4/Spyder among others but they're few and far between.

The way I see it, people are not currently valuing the very unique styling of the LC500 and convertible, the NA 5L V8, and the Lexus reliability. That's why they're selling at discounts. I mean even the LFA was a tough sell. 15 to 20 years down the road when a NA 5L V8 is no longer available with this unique styling, it will be sought after.

So maybe buy your cars in the cheap. Tuck them away in your garages and drive them to cars and coffee, take the long winding road to wherever you're going, drive them on a road trip to Las Vegas and in time, I think more and more people will lift them up as the holy grail just like the Supra Turbo, S2000, MR2 Turbo, E30 M3, RS America, etc.

 

One of the main reasons I am still putting the LC as a priority over the far faster and better equipped E63 AMG is the potential collector value when V8s are a memory and my kide decides to sell Dads car...I think that in 15 years, an LC will be worth more than the AMG.

 

$35K vs $30K? Its iconic beauty and aural delight will surely hold value, but it is not rare enough. Most all LC 500's will remain well kept in garages in 15 years.many with low miles. Too much supply, not enough demand.

 

Wow, hey you are prescient, you know the production figures for the Lexus over the next few years...and what the demand will be in 15 years.....for either...

I guess I have to buy both then. Thanks dude your crystal ball just cost me $130K.