Lexus GS F: PH Carpool
How reliability and a £20,000 discount got this PHer into his V8 luxobarge
Car: Lexus GS F
Owned since: November 2016
Previously owned: Ford Anglia, Ford Cortina, Vauxhall Viva, Sunbeam Alpine, Ford Capris x2, Volkswagen Derby, Talbot Horizon, Renault 21, Ford Escort, XR2, Cavalier SRI, several Mercedes, Lexus IS250, Lexus IS F
"My previous car, a Lexus IS F, was getting a bit old and the hard ride on our rubbish roads was becoming a pain, so I was looking around for a replacement. I really wanted a newer IS F with the upgraded suspension but the newest available was three years old and a ridiculous price. I also wanted a car I could keep for up to 10 years. The German alternatives weren't really in the game because of the problems that they experience, and American cars aren't really built well enough, so the only candidates were a GS F or an XF R.
"The original plan was to keep the IS F for another couple of years and then buy a used GS F. Then I found out that Lexus had only sold about 50, so the chances of me having much of a choice of cars and colours in two years time started to look remote.
"I'd seen this car on the local Lexus dealers forecourt in the spring and had a good look round it, but had to dismiss it because no amount of man maths would make it affordable. Then in the summer it came down by £10,000 and I thought "another £10,000 off that and it might be possible". Lo and behold another £10,000 came off by the end of October so the man maths started to work and after a short negotiation it was mine. Eight months old and with only 300-odd miles on the clock, to all intents a new super saloon at a massive discount. Nobody seems to want to buy these cars and I can't understand why. They're easily comparable in real world performance to the C63s, RS6s, M5s and so on, with Lexus that quality means they'll be reliable. I suppose the problem is the badge; Lexus ownership just doesn't have the bragging rights of a Merc/BMW/Audi, but I've never been that impressed by labels - build quality and engineering does it for me. The Germans might be slightly quicker round a track but I bet they'll spend more time being fixed than mine."
"Nothing, it's a Lexus."
Things I love:
"The colour and the rarity. Nobody has a clue what it really is. Really easy to drive slowly on our crowded roads but when asked it will pile on the speed at a frightening rate. The ride is much better than my old IS F and the V8 soundtrack is wonderful- it barks when you fire it up. Plenty of toys, superb seats, good handling for such a big car and of course the power! Journalists have criticised the gearbox response on a track, but in the real world it's fine, it just does the job it's required to."
Things I hate:
"The indicator stalk - it has an electronic latching mechanism rather than the mechanical one on previous cars and sometimes it doesn't cancel after turning a corner so you tap the stalk to cancel it and then the other indicator comes on, making you look like a numpty. The electronic speed nanny - I've turned it off, got fed up with the constant beeping."
"None so far apart from an excess on a broken windscreen, which took three weeks to get fixed because Lexus didn't have any in the country. To their credit, once I'd shared my 'disappointment' with Lexus Customer Services, they organised a loan car for me to use until the new screen was fitted."
Where I've been:
"Mostly local trips over the winter apart from a weekend jaunt to Yorkshire and back. The car made this such an easy journey. I'll be trying to take it further afield this summer."
What next?
"What indeed? With the way it's going to depreciate, I'll need to keep this until I'm too old to drive it. Then it'll probably be something more appropriate, such as an electric or a hybrid, or perhaps not..."
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