of course I have been paying attention, I just didn’t realize the correction would be this quick. My car value already dropped 8% in 3 months: my rational behind the decision to go with a more rare Lexus model was that I might experience less depreciation over the next few years. I originally wanted a gs-f but those were marked up significantly (possibly due to the Doug Demuro and Chris Harris videos). In retrospect, perhaps a vehicle such as rhe LX570 would have been a better choice. While it might not be as rare, the demand for this type of car is much greater. Jumping ship now might not make sense, however.

 

It depends on your region, supply of cars, condition, mileage, asking price etc. Lots of factors. An owner can price a car on what he/she feels is appropriate. There is nothing stopping it. There are GSFs in my area that are much cheaper than some RCF of the same year since there are so many factors. There is no way to generalize it. All depends on different factors. I believe, you are overthinking it. I doubt review has anything to do with it. Doug DeMuro had a pretty unflattering review of the GSF and he scored it only 55 (compared to 62 for the RCF).

 

Which is odd because it seemed like he liked the GSF more than the RCF. I’m always confused by Demuro, Clarkson, Chris Harris, and Jason Camisa who hate on the RCF but then go around and say “hey the GSF is pretty cool”…I mean they are different cars but their opinions on both cars who share a great deal of DNA is polarizing. I guess I have to drive a GSF to see what the fuss is all about 🤣.

 

Not to go off topic. His score was higher for RCF. But then again, he did not like the LFA other than the sound much either, It is all subjective and not objective. His criticism in RCF was focused around the F brand overall. Also, RCF gets compared to M4 while the GSF does not so compared to the F80/F30, RCF was much heavier, which was a non issue for GSF since despite being 100 lbs heavier and bigger, it compared well against an m550i. I have driven a GSF years ago before I got my RCF. It feels much bigger and relatively softer, but you gain all of that additional practicality due to the 1 foot longer length. Also, GSF comes standard with a TVD so it helps with the long length wheelbase as well.

 

Gigitty…


Yeah I was often confused how reviews for both cars (one sister fatter than the other lol) was so tilted and polarizing. But you bring up some good points and some flaws in the car reviewing process.

 

I take car reviewers very lightly. They show up drive the car for a few days and then give you an opinion. They don't own the cars. They don't factor in lots of parts of ownership like reliability. They loved this Alfa Romeo a few years ago and it got glowing reviews. Every video I watched it broke or had a check engine light on, or some other issue. I am sure it is fun to drive for a few days, but the problem with buying an Alfa is then you own it.

 

Yeah, I never understood those either. The subjective opinions say one thing, but then you look at the facts, it points some things that get ignored. For example, RCF received a lot of "flack" for having a chassis that was "frankenstein" while completely ignoring it was done to build a more rigid platform that Lexus did not have available while also having a long hood/shoirt tail. It was also to be used later for racing homologation. Even the base RCXXX chassis was 50% more rigid than the IS/GS platform. Then RCF has had more rigidity added to it with the rear subframe, underbody, front apron braces etc. The standard TVD does make the GSF feel like a shorter car than it actually is.

 

demuro has a big platform and a huge following. The Lexus F community is relatively small, and a if the cars are being criticized by influencers it could (and I think did in our case) affect values. Look at the cult following of cars such as the clown shoe (m coupe) or 1M. Those cars were loved by the influencers. I drove both and the rcf is a better car hands down. Also, the criticism of the F badge is stupid. Lexus didn’t and won’t create this sort of a cult brand such as BMW M. This is why I actually like the F ideology better - they only make cars when it makes sense for them and not just to make huge sums of money

 

You're also comparing what you paid retail to trade in value. You might be able to sell yours for close to what you paid, but that can be a hassle.

None of us really know when the rug is going to be pulled, so it's all a gamble. Anticipation might by why trade in offers are already cooling off. My dealership keeps sending me "offers" for my 2015 in the low $30s, even though listings with similar mileage are all in the 42-45k range. That's a pretty big spread. It's also funny since that's about what I paid for mine in 2019 with 50k less miles on it.

 

Yep. Black book value is always close to wholesale value. It is meant to factor in dealership profits so they would pay the seller a lot less so that they could condition it and sell it for a few grand more. That is why, selling private is the best way to get the best return especially at or above the bluebook value.

 

I pretty much stick to edmunds reviews because they seem more honest than most. Here's what they say in the overview of the rcf

Vehicle overview

As high-performance coupes go, the 2018 Lexus RC F is not among the best. The main issue with the Lexus RC F is its hefty curb weight: It's hundreds of pounds heavier than its competitors, which keeps it from being as energetic or agile. It just doesn't feel like the performance machine you might expect from its looks and the sweet-sounding 5.0-liter V8 firing away behind that Lexus grille.

But if all you want is a boldly styled luxury coupe with a big V8 engine, the RC F could be pretty appealing. That's especially true this year since it now comes with an adaptive suspension that should provide a smoother ride quality than previous RC Fs. Ultimately, though, there are a lot of excellent ways to spend your money at this price point, and no matter how you view it, the RC F remains an imperfect choice.

The bolded part above is why I bought mine.

 

A lot of that is media propaganda I cannot relate to. For one, it was only F80/F30 M3/M4 was a few hundred pounds lighter as the C63S and RS5 were both heavier, but due the chassis/suspension of the RCF it actually much closer in real life especially with good tires. Now, the new G series M3/M4 are much heavier than the previous F-series. The RCF TE with better tires vs M2 Nurburgring lap time was a good indicator when the M2 was 450 lbs lighter than the RCF TE. Yet, the RCF was on its tail the whole time until M2 had to let them pass.

 

Exactly. It's unclear to me why is there so much bias. I also see it in other arenas: In watches, the Grand Seiko is a far superior watch to Rolex, but almost everyone blindly goes with the Rolex. I am a musician, and Yamaha produces some of the best pianos in the world (their hand built line), but 99% of pianists will go with the German/American Steinway. Is it better? Absolutely not.

 

Actually I paid 64 and at that time (April), driveway offered me 62.5. Now 5K less. that is significant. Yet, the market still does not reflect this value drop - prices remain high mostly. I think that in a few months we will see a big drop in retail pricing as opposed to just black book and trade in values.

 

Yeah but...Barry's friend is psychopath behind the wheel.....LOL