Get rid or keep?

Author
Discussion

AlphaRomeo

Original Poster:

41 posts

144 months

Tuesday 15th September 2020
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I recently bought a Lexus IS300h Executive Edition (~£15k with extended warranty and service plan).

The problem is that I hate it.

Before I bought it, I did test drive a few other serious options (330d, A4 3.0TDi, Q50h). The 330d was the best but Lexus reliability etc won the day.

My job has me doing quite long motorway miles (25k per year) so a hybrid really doesn’t make sense. I didn’t know they were that bad on the motorway. The CVT is annoying, the car feels like it has half the horsepower it actually does and the lack of response at roundabout etc takes some getting used to.

Dealer is asking £1k to get out of it. Hard to swallow a £1k loss in a week but it feels like the right solution to me and I’ll almost certainly do that.

Had anyone else had this experience with the IS300h or any other hybrid? Will it grow on me or always be this annoying?

All that said, the interior is nice and I like the look of the car generally.

stevemcs

8,593 posts

92 months

Tuesday 15th September 2020
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If you hate it i'd say 1k to get out of it sounds ideal.

CrgT16

1,926 posts

107 months

Tuesday 15th September 2020
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Buyers remorse... you already hate it, with time you will also resent it and will have lost more than 1k in depreciation.

Drive what you like so I would get rid now... but £1k is £1k.

Pericoloso

44,044 posts

162 months

Tuesday 15th September 2020
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What he ^^^^ said , could have been lot worse.

MOBB

3,575 posts

126 months

Tuesday 15th September 2020
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1k to get out? Bite their hand off!!!

StuntmanMike

11,671 posts

150 months

Tuesday 15th September 2020
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You hate it after a week when it’s all shiny and new to you.

Yeah, spend the grand and eff it off.

anonymous-user

53 months

Tuesday 15th September 2020
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When does the £1k loss return agreement expire?

The questions I would be asking are, you must have liked something to buy it in the first place and secondly do you think what you initially liked will outweigh the negatives you are finding now?

Judging by your reaction, I suspect not and and the loss is initially hard to stomach but probably the least costly outcome.

So what are going to do with cash in the bank and no car? Rush out and buy another one?

I got into a similar position but the car was right but just not the example I bought, I ended up renting something for a while to avoid having to buy something. Did buy another example of the same car, totally different to the dog that was the first one.

Maybe get a £1k shed as a stop gap before looking again.

Ron99

1,985 posts

80 months

Tuesday 15th September 2020
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It sounds like you need to cut your losses and move on.

In the past I've taken a few hits from cars that turned out to be not as suitable as I first thought, sometimes getting rid within a few months.

limpsfield

5,871 posts

252 months

Tuesday 15th September 2020
quotequote all
StuntmanMike said:
You hate it after a week when it’s all shiny and new to you.

Yeah, spend the grand and eff it off.
I would agree with this. If you try and stick it out for a year say, you will be down more than a grand. And have a year of hating your car. Write off the cost and move on.

Good luck.

Krikkit

26,500 posts

180 months

Tuesday 15th September 2020
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Why didn't you test it before you bought it? I agree that £1k is probably not too bad to get shut of it.

anonymous-user

53 months

Tuesday 15th September 2020
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The question is what would you replace it with? You've tested the others. I personally wouldnt buy a newer used BMW as the quality is a bit hit and miss. The A4 doesnt seem to be a better solution and I think the Q50 will have horrific depreciation.

I suppose theres the C class which is good and maybe your namesake the Alfa Giulia? Volvo S60?

Fastdruid

8,623 posts

151 months

Tuesday 15th September 2020
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Personally I would get rid. If you hate it already its not going to improve. Well except maybe by stockholm syndrome.

Algarve

2,102 posts

80 months

Tuesday 15th September 2020
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If you hate the car I wouldn't even think twice about it - only losing a grand is a bargain.

Would you really consider doing 25k+ miles a year in a car you hate just rather than losing a grand? Get rid and use the £14k to find a car you like!

GregK2

1,651 posts

145 months

Tuesday 15th September 2020
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As above, use your get out of jail free card.
I looked at these but reading CVT puts me right off. I've only been in a handful of cars with one but they were horrid.

AlphaRomeo

Original Poster:

41 posts

144 months

Tuesday 15th September 2020
quotequote all
This thread has certainly helped clarify my thoughts. Fortunately I’ve got a backup shed.

I did have a brief test drive of the IS300h and my main observation was that the interior was nice... The CVT felt crap from the start but I thought I could live with that and the rest seemed okay.

I thought the Lexus was a bit different and I do like the look of the car but I couldn’t recommend it.

I loved the 330d and started looking into comoaraisons with the 335d and xdrive vs non-xdrive etc but my wife had an X3 and that has been a bit of a moneypit (which perhaps explains why I was drawn to the Lexus)

AlphaRomeo

Original Poster:

41 posts

144 months

Tuesday 15th September 2020
quotequote all
Argleton said:
The question is what would you replace it with? You've tested the others. I personally wouldnt buy a newer used BMW as the quality is a bit hit and miss. The A4 doesnt seem to be a better solution and I think the Q50 will have horrific depreciation.

I suppose theres the C class which is good and maybe your namesake the Alfa Giulia? Volvo S60?
This will probably be the subject of my next thread!

I should say, I very nearly put a deposit on a Q50h after a short solo test drive (due to COVID). That was a novelty and let me get a feel for the car on my own. I was put off but some rather negative reviews online and also when discovering the Infiniti were pulling out of the UK. I also saw the mpg figure and thought they were pretty poor but I honestly don’t think they’d have been any worse than the Lexus.

Back to the drawing board...

Chubbyross

4,537 posts

84 months

Tuesday 15th September 2020
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£1k is a great deal to bail. I lost £5k in eight weeks once but it was worth it for what I went to. Take the offer and don’t look back.

xjay1337

15,966 posts

117 months

Tuesday 15th September 2020
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Lexus has an exchange policy?

30 DAY, 1,000 Mile, Exchange Policy - Any vehicle purchased from a Lexus Centre with Lexus Select Approved Pre-Owned status may be exchanged for another vehicle at the same Centre. Subject to the T&C.

Is there another Lexus Model you'd swap for?


If not, take the £1000 loss as a lesson to not have a longer test drive hehe

Whistle

1,393 posts

132 months

Tuesday 15th September 2020
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Take a look at the 530e if it’s a company car.
I have put 25k on mine in just over a year and it took a while but it’s sort of grown on me.
Driven carefully mpg is fantastic. Driven hard I get about 30 mpg


Sheepshanks

32,530 posts

118 months

Tuesday 15th September 2020
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AlphaRomeo said:
Had anyone else had this experience with the IS300h or any other hybrid?
Mate of mine, who isn't really a car person, got an RX450h on lease. He uses it like you do - quite a few miles and often long motorway trips.

I don't think it occured to him the hybrid doesn't help on those trips and fueling a 3.5 litre petrol V6 in a chunky body is never going to produce decent MPG. He came out of a 520d BMW - he knew the MPG would be worse, but he didn't realise it would be as bad as it is.