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I need honest opinions on the LC500. I now own a C-7 Corvette. Beautiful car. I am 62 and I'm beginning to have minor back issues when I drive long distance in my vette. I am thinking of trading for a luxury/muscle car. The LC500 is the only car to me that matches what I'm looking for. My wife drives a ES350 LEXUS and the car is so comfortable on trips. So, can anyone tell me if the LC500 is comfortable on long trips? What is your overall opinion of the LC500? Is it like my Vette and hard to get in and out of? All thoughts are appreciated, this is a tough call for me.
 

RAL

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I would encourage you to listen to the myriad of reviews of the LC 500. Many reviewers characterize it as a 'grand tourer' which seems to be what you want. Of course, the proof is in the pudding, so avail yourself the pleasure of a test drive!
 

krew

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So, can anyone tell me if the LC500 is comfortable on long trips? What is your overall opinion of the LC500?

The LC is absolutely wonderful for long trips, I would say that's the primary purpose of the car. Like @RAL said, I would read up and watch all the reviews of the car, and definitely go and try it out for yourself.
 
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The LC is absolutely wonderful for long trips, I would say that's the primary purpose of the car. Like @RAL said, I would read up and watch all the reviews of the car, and definitely go and try it out for yourself.
My local dealership only has 1 LC500 on site. It's not the color, inside or out, that I would want. I don't want to waste the dealerships time asking for a test drive on a car that I'm not going to buy. That's why I'm asking on line. Thank you for your response. Yes, I'm being picky and patient. I now drive a beautiful C-7 Grand Sport Corvette, however, long trips in that car is out of the question.
 

krew

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My local dealership only has 1 LC500 on site. It's not the color, inside or out, that I would want. I don't want to waste the dealerships time asking for a test drive on a car that I'm not going to buy.

I'm sure the dealership won't mind you test driving the car they have, and it will definitely help with your decision. They could then help you locate the car you want at another dealer and have it transported. 🙂
 
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I just got back to Cincinnati from a western clients road trip which ended up in LA. I have a 2018 LC500. I do not know anything about the LC500h.

The LC500 can easily cover 800 to 1000 miles a day and has a range that is slightly north of 400 fun and stress free miles. It's a little harder to get in and out of than an SUV, but once you are in, wow. Im 6'3" 245 lbs and it fits me like a glove. One of my associates is a bit larger and he complained a little trip up to Chicago, that he couldn't get comfortable. But hey, he owns a Dodge Caravan.

People are complaining about the tech, but I have no issues with the track pad. Since it has run flats, I carry a tire plug kit, fix-a-flat, and 12V Air Compressor in the trunk. If you source those items properly, they can be placed in the trunk battery compartment (away from the positive battery terminal).

My Performance package has 21" wheels, carbon fiber roof, rear wheel steering, Torsen Diff and deployable rear trunk spoiler (and some other stuff). You will get a better ride if you get the 20" wheels (like on the base model) because the sidewalls will be thicker. But on most roads, this isn't an issue for me. Having said that, my next set of tires might not be run flats.

The carbon fiber roof gives you some additional headroom that is consumed by the sunshade on the glass roof models. I did most of the trip in ECO mode. And in ECO mode the rear spoiler will not deploy at any speed. Deploying the rear spoiler will cost you about 2 MPG regardless of valve timing / drive mode.

I've never owned a vette. Certainly with the LC, you will need to get comfortable with having people around your car every time you pull over at a rest stop. Be prepared to either be a ****, or answer a lot of questions. I don't really mind as long as its about the car and not me. The LC, and the people in Japan that created it, deserve all the admiration this car gets.

I stopped by Jim Faulk Lexus in Beverly Hills for an oil change and talked to them about some abnormal inside tread wear on the right rear tire. It was in fact, out of whack and required adjustment at 15k miles. So if you get rear wheel steering, you will like the way it works, especially in a U turn, but you should probably have the alignment checked every 10k or so.

After an oil change, double check their work by looking everything over and checking the dipstick oil level. Mine was not at the top mark on the stick and since the oil level sensor is at the rear of the block, it sent me a warning about oil level when it was being valet'ed while exiting a steep parking garage. Topping off the oil after service stopped that alert.

The brakes are ferocious. If you don't like brake noise from time to time, you can have the dealer fit passenger car brake pads. Personally, I just backup at 20 MPH periodically and stab the brakes, which clears any glaze and makes 'em quiet again. Tom's in Japan makes some LC pads that reportedly put out less break dust.

The factory wheels are gorgeous, but keeping the barrels clean, with the Lexus LC performance brake pads, is a continuous cleaning issue. All in all, the LC is not on performance par with your vette, but the way it puts power down is remarkable, and at 94 HP per liter, it doesn't need 20 heat exchangers. So one would expect it to last a long time with minimal service / repair, which is usually the reason why people invest in Lexus in the first place. Just get to a dealer and drive one. (not talking about the hybrid).

Make sure you try out some of the Auto Drive stuff. These features really translate to enhanced safety while reducing fatigue. Don't install a clamp on the steering wheel to defeat the "Put Hands on Steering Wheel" alert. It doesn't want to drive by itself, those features are just there to help.

I ordered mine in Aug 2018 and it was delivered via enclosed trailer to my driveway in early October 2018 with 14 Mount Fuji (I presume) test track miles on it. Look over and understand the options very carefully. It's never a good idea, in my view, to spend that much money and not get exactly what you want.
 
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I don't work for Lexus, so I cant say for sure. But it seems they will do whatever long-term thing they can to try and make you a customer for life. So I wouldn't be surprised that if you took a test drive at a dealer in 'Lanta and didn't buy there that they would mind at all. All the dealers I've visited coast to coast didn't care where I bought mine. They were just happy that I owned one. Even in Beverly Hills. Guess it's a Lexus family thing.
 
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I don't work for Lexus, so I cant say for sure. But it seems they will do whatever long-term thing they can to try and make you a customer for life. So I wouldn't be surprised that if you took a test drive at a dealer in 'Lanta and didn't buy there that they would mind at all. All the dealers I've visited coast to coast didn't care where I bought mine. They were just happy that I owned one. Even in Beverly Hills. Guess it's a Lexus family thing.
That's true. My wife bought a Lexus 2 years ago and we have been amazed at the fantastic customer service they have given us AFTER the sale. Top class. Honestly that's one reason I was looking at the LS500 and the LC500. Great cars being backed up by great service and people.
 

mikeavelli

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Thank you for the comments. I think I will drive to Atlanta (200 miles) and test drive one. Thanks again !

Let me know how to help, I'm in Atlanta. I've driven the LC extensively and it gives me grins the longer I drive it. It is far more useable to live in than a Vette and the backseat can hold adults for short trips. The trunk is rather small. Ingress and exgress is very easy compared to the vette.

I think you will fall in love with it.
 
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Let me know how to help, I'm in Atlanta. I've driven the LC extensively and it gives me grins the longer I drive it. It is far more useable to live in than a Vette and the backseat can hold adults for short trips. The trunk is rather small. Ingress and exgress is very easy compared to the vette.

I think you will fall in love with it.
Thanks. I have been a Corvette nut all my life. I have owned 4 in my lifetime. My family is in complete shock that I would consider anything other than a vette, however, at this stage of my life (62 AND RETIRED) I want the best of both worlds....sporty look AND luxury ride. I will always love corvettes......always, but I believe I owe it to myself to test drive the LC500. The interior is just incredible.
 
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I want to thank everyone for the comments. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to respond. I will now wait to find the color match that I like and test drive it. This forum has been extremely helpful.
 
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I test drove the LC500. I liked it. The salesperson told me it would not be comfortable on long trips. That was a deal killer. Trunk is small also. I also test drove the LS500. They now come with run flats and it did not have a good ride. I really liked the LC500, however, I want a comfortable ride for long trips.
 

flexus

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I test drove the LC500. I liked it. The salesperson told me it would not be comfortable on long trips. That was a deal killer. Trunk is small also. I also test drove the LS500. They now come with run flats and it did not have a good ride. I really liked the LC500, however, I want a comfortable ride for long trips.
Very odd recomendation from dealer. The car is marketed as drivers car. No luxury grandtouring shouldn't be bad for long distance. Even in Japan where people never use car for long distance travelling LC is marketed for long trips. My neighbour in Japan has LC and RX and he said he uses RX for city and everyday tasks and LC for whenever he needs to drive comfortably.
 
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Very odd recomendation from dealer. The car is marketed as drivers car. No luxury grandtouring shouldn't be bad for long distance. Even in Japan where people never use car for long distance travelling LC is marketed for long trips. My neighbour in Japan has LC and RX and he said he uses RX for city and everyday tasks and LC for whenever he needs to drive comfortably.
Salesman also stated that Lexus put run flats on LS500 to save gas by not having a spare tire. I kid you not. My wife and I laughed when he said that. We knew better than that.
 
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Im surprised to hear that a salesman would tell you that a car designed specifically for Grand Touring (GT) use isn't comfortable to drive. Im sure the Lexus engineers will be disappointed to read that. Yes, the trunk is kinda small. But enough space for two small roll-aboards for weekend trips, etc. On my coast to coast trips, I usually stop every two nights or so at something like a W-Hotels Loft so that I have access to a coin operated laundry. Or you can have any decent hotel wash your stuff for a fee.

Having said that;

I will be replacing my Run Flats (when they are worn out) with conventional Michelin Pilot Super Sports or Pirelli P Zero's. Run flats are simply conventional tires with some extra support structures in the sidewalls so that if they go flat they can go 50 miles or so to a tire service point. They are noisy and ride worse than a conventional tubeless, in my experience. For a person who doesn't like to get their hands dirty, they are probably a good idea. Thats not me. They were originally developed for armored cars and military vehicles and have been with us for a long time. If you hit something and hurt the sidewall, Im not sure if Run Flats would help you at all. It depends.

What I do on the LC:

If I get a TPMS sensor alert. I stop. Immediately. To avoid any damage to the tire's sidewall.

The two tire pressure monitor alerts I have gotten, so far, were because of a nail and a screw in the tread. I used a mushroom style plug and injector that I picked up on amazon and fixed them on the spot without dismounting the tire. Dealers etc, will tell you that they won't plug them because of liability. Probably because they cannot know for sure how far you drove it that way. They will however, be happy to order and install two new tires. Here is the kit I carry in the LC's little 5 sq ft trunk.


And how to use it. Easy peasy.


If I ever hit something and rip out the sidewall, It will be flatbed to a tire center and 3 days in a hotel, waiting on 2 new tires to arrive. Two tires because the tire dealer will insist on doing the whole axle.

They call the method I use a temporary repair, but all consumables, especially tires, are temporary. In my view anyway.

The real savior in this no spare tire deal, is a working tire pressure monitoring system.
 

flexus

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Salesman also stated that Lexus put run flats on LS500 to save gas by not having a spare tire. I kid you not. My wife and I laughed when he said that. We knew better than that.
Spare tire is relic from ancient times. It is something you don't really need. I have never broken a tire and if I do so I a
call my insurance company to bring me towing truck and temporary rental car.
 

Ian Schmidt

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I've had one flat tire in the 25 years I've been driving regularly - it's definitely not like back in the bad old days of bias-ply tires when failures were relatively common.
 
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I've had one flat tire in the 25 years I've been driving regularly - it's definitely not like back in the bad old days of bias-ply tires when failures were relatively common.
Has Lexus given any indication that they might increase the trunk space of the LC500 for the 2020 model?
 
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Has Lexus given any indication that they might increase the trunk space of the LC500 for the 2020 model?
I seriously doubt it. I don't really see how they could, without significantly changing the appearance / design of the vehicle or turning it into a 2 seater. A fold down rear seat design could be helpful at times but would be pretty difficult for them to implement. Anyway, which spare would you carry? A front 8.5", a rear 9.5" or both? One of those thin donut types wouldn't be advisable with a Torsen Limited Slip Diff anyway. Anyway, for now, a tire plug kit and cig lighter powered air compressor take up very little space (in battery compartment) and are often easier to execute than a spare tire to get you out of a tight spot. They say tire plugs are temporary. Fair enough. Tires, themselves, are temporary, consumable components. In my view, this is the role of the TPMS to keep tabs on this. It is unlikely that any tire you need to replace would be in stock on a road trip anyway and would have to be ordered, leaving you down for a couple days best case. Fortune favors the prepared. In the very unlikely event you destroy a sidewall, just flatbed it, because that would essentially be a collision event and will require alignment et. al. At least thats my 2 cents worth. My experience was that I couldn't abide the noise and ride that the factory run flat tires gave. And they, (combined with a pothole) bent the inside of the right rear rim ($2700). So I sprung for the conventional sidewall Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber. Im now 100% happy with the ride, road noise and handling. If I want to haul stuff, (other than myself and a couple of travel bags) I just grab the keys to the '97 FJ80 Land Barge on my way out the door. Anyway Ian is right in that flats are a very rare occurrence these days. when I had the factory run flats, I had 2 back to back nail / screw events, but that was my fault for taking it onto a construction site several weeks in a row where fasteners were strewn about in the gravel. I don't do that anymore. Now I park on pavement and just walk a bit. Lesson learned.
 
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