![]() 11/29/2019 at 07:56 • Filed to: None | ![]() | ![]() |
So despite living most of it’s life at seaside and not being serviced for 40,000 miles, the MR2 passed its MOT with flying colours much to my surprise. Thus I feel like this is the best time to cash in since us Brits love convertibles whatever the weather. The question is what to replace it with?
My biggest gripe with the MR2 was the chronic lack of torque which made London driving a nightmare. So yeah a torque filled V6 with an electric motor seems appropriate while I save up for something more exciting. Problem is that due to diesel worship and badge snobbery they didn’t really catch on here let alone to the level they did stateside. As a result I can’t really get an opinion on whether or not they are trustworthy over 100k miles. Man if only I had access to a wide array of knowledgeable yanks who love a bit of Lexus...
![]() 11/29/2019 at 08:44 |
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When I searched for my GS350, I specifically avoided the hybrids. They were actually less expensive than the GS350 and (especially the) GS460. I couldn’t find anything specific that went wrong with them, but I didn’t want anything that had any additional complication as I was searching at a pricepoint that would put the car around 100k. On a Lexus with the 2GR or 1UR that’s really nothing, but I wasn’t sure how well the hybrid would hold up over time.
![]() 11/29/2019 at 08:44 |
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I can’t speak to the hybrids specifically, but Lexus’s reputation (in the US/Japan, at least) is very well deserved. They are generally bulletproof and while you may give up a wee bit of “road feel” or “soul” or whatever else the Germans have been selling us for the past 5-6 decades since we took their rocket scientists away and made them go sit in the corner for 10 minutes for doing that Blitz thing, you will gain a lot of peace of mind. Since they share almost all their major bits with Toyota’s, finding independent service shouldn’t be a big issue.
In the US, that translates into INSANE resale values, and no good deals. Hopefully across the pond it’s a little more reasonable, given Lexus’s lack of promotion/acceptance there.
![]() 11/29/2019 at 08:50 |
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I found the 4 -cyl hybrids to be outstanding, specifically in dai ly city and lower speed driving.
I’m personally not into the V6 hybrids. They make a great first impression during test drives but living with the bump up to required premium fuel (compared to 4-cyl hybrids) and disappointing real world highway fuel economy compared to the naturally aspirated V6 versions of the same car made me feel as if the V6 hybrids were compromised instead of offering the compromise they appear to on paper.
![]() 11/29/2019 at 09:59 |
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I’m not knowledgeable about Lexii but the same advice for buying used hybrids applies. Those are about the age where you might start seeing failure of hybrid components, and most of those are NOT user serviceable.
![]() 11/29/2019 at 11:19 |
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My vote is ‘Yay’... but you have to do all the usual checks that you would with any used car... like check the history, check for evidence that it had been in an undisclosed crash or flood, inspect/test drive it yourself,
stuff like that.
![]() 11/29/2019 at 15:59 |
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I had a 2006 RX400h (Toyota Harrier) V6 and it went very well to 160K miles when a kid ran into it and destroyed it. I never even changed the brake pads as they just didn’t wear due to regenerative braking. The hybrid system never gave me a lick of trouble. The only problem I had was a front wheel bearing, and I do recall getting a recall on the hybrid controller, but that was replaced early on at no charge. I fully expected to drive it to 250K miles. Who knows, maybe the teen did me a favor, but I don’t necessarily think so.