Gas prices are high, and that has lots of folks making knee-jerk car decisions. I’m an enginerd, so I don’t do “knee jerk” (unless I find a holy grail, of course); I’m the kind of person who likes to run the numbers. So let’s dig into whether my wife (and I; we’re a unit, you see) should trade in her excellent 2017 Lexus RX350 for a vehicle that most car reviewers don’t like — a Lexus RZ450E.
The last-gen Lexus RX is a car that, I have to admit, I used to find a bit boring. But then, as part of a “One Car Challenge” in which my city paid my wife and me to drive only a single vehicle for a month, I started driving the Lexus, and I began to realize that a vehicle that fulfills its intended function this well is worthy of respect.
Here’s what I wrote after I drove my wife’s car for a few weeks:
The leather seats are comfortable and feel durable — they’re heated, cooled, and power-adjustable with memory function. They’re excellent seats in an excellent cabin in a car that floats quietly like a magic carpet…
It’s an excellent car, and Lexus should be commended for building something that perfectly aligns with what [my wife] and so many other consumers are looking for: The ultimate no-bullshit luxury SUV. That’s what the Lexus RX350 is. You buy it, you’re comfortable, you’re confident, you’re safe, you rarely have to worry about significant mechanical issues, the dealership will give you a great service experience (my girlfriend actually enjoys going to the Lexus dealer, which says a lot about what Lexus is doing right), and the car just demonstrates its competence every time you’re behind the wheel. It fades into the background, and lets you live a life where cars are not at the forefront.
I wrote that review two years ago, and to this day I maintain that her car is excellent. The only major issue we have had are the front brake rotors, which are hideously warped after being changed only two years ago. But that’s not the car’s fault, that’s the fault of whoever did the repair. [Checks notes; oh crap, that was me using Advance Auto Parts components!].
Anyway, we find ourselves deciding whether or not we want to trade in this magnificent machine, not because gas prices are high, but because my wife, Elise (not her real name), likes the idea of going electric after driving around my i3, and she would like something newer.
In The Eyes Of Many, The Lexus RX Is The Hero, The RZ Is The Zero
If you read reviews of the fourth-gen Lexus RX, you’ll see a lot of journalists singing the car’s praises, just as I did. But if you read reviews of the Lexus RZ — Lexus’ first electric vehicle — you’ll see the opposite. People deride it. And the reason, primarily, is the range, which sits below 200 miles for the RZ450E on 20″ wheels. In the winter, 150 might even be a stretch.
This may have you a bit confused. David, why would Elise ever think about trading a universally beloved SUV for a universally loathed one that, by the way, is actually a bit smaller?
Well, hear me out.
An EV Might Be The Cheapest Way To Upgrade To A Newer Car
Rather than fearing the Lexus RZ’s range limitations, I think my wife and I can actually take advantage of them. Specifically, I think we can leverage the RZ’s dramatic drop in resale value — something that seems rather common for modern EVs sold in the U.S. — in our favor, especially considering our lifestyle that works well with even a mediocre-range EV.
Check out the two depreciation curves above from Car Edge. The first is that of an RZ, the second is that of an RX350. Despite being nine years old, Elise’s $50,000, nine year-old Lexus’ value is somehow not that far off the value of a $60,000, three-year old Lexus RZ — largely because the RX’s curve not only lacks that initial steep drop, but also features a shallower slope over the span of 10 years.
She’s been offered over $20,000 for her car, while Lexus RZs are trading all day for between $27,000 and $30,000:
Being able to trade a 2017 gas SUV for a certified pre-owned 2023 electric SUV (with a six-year, unlimited-mile warranty) from the same brand without having to pay even $10,000 is pretty remarkable. And yes, the RX is a bit bigger inside, but it’s not that much bigger.
Still, $10 grand is nothing to scoff at, and it’s worth analyzing whether it’s worth it. The goal with the RZ is twofold: 1. My wife wants a new car. Some of that has to do with her car’s lack of modern infotainment (it has only basic Bluetooth capabilities with no CarPlay or Android Auto), and some of that may have to do with the car just feeling old for aesthetic or other reasons. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure I fully understand the desire for a newer car if that desire isn’t based on specific features, but I also buy a new junker every few years, so who am I to judge? The second reason we’re considering the RZ is that we have a Level 2 charger at home, and she’s a stay-at-home mom with no commute, so we’d like to avoid having to spend money on gas and maintenance.
So let’s just dig into those two reasons and see if the RZ makes sense.
The RZ: A Huge Step Up In Modernity For Shockingly Little Money
Viewed through the eyes of a Lexus fan for whom range isn’t a huge concern, the RZ seems like an amazing proposition. Here’s a look at the Lexus RX’s cabin:
And here’s the RZ’s:
The RX’s cabin was developed for the 2016 model year, and I have to hand it to Lexus — it still looks nice, and its standard “PRNDL” shifter works well while offering no discernible disadvantage over the RZ’s rather large dial+button shifter. As for features, the RX has Adaptive Cruise Control, Heated and Cooled Seats, Lane Departure Alert, a nice 12.3-inch color display, but a fairly primitive infotainment system that allows for Bluetooth connectivity to a phone, and a super basic backup camera. Here’s a look at the vehicle’s infotainment screen:
Meanwhile, the Lexus RZ features a lot more active safety features that annoy the everliving bejesus out of both my wife and me (constantly beeping and booping all over the place), but crucially, it has a great 360-degree camera and a 14-inch infotainment screen that comes equipped with Apple CarPlay.
Now, this might lead you to say: “Well, why not just get the RX detailed and upgrade the infotainment system?” That’s a good point, and after talking with our resident infotainment nerd, Thomas, I learned that there is a kit that would upgrade the RX to have Apple Carplay:
$600 to bring a nine-year-old car into modernity? Seems like a good deal, because powertrain-wise, the Lexus’s V6 and eight-speed automatic seem modern enough for a gas, non-hybrid car.
What’s more, this would fix my wife’s biggest complaint with her RX, without adding all the fussiness of the RZ’s infotainment system. From my RZ review:
And in many ways, the RZ feels just like an electric version of her RX. The ride quality is exceptional, the cabin is quiet as a confessional, the seats are cushy, every surface feels high-quality, front visibility is great, the seating position is high enough, acceleration is decent — it hits all the high spots a traditional Lexus driver would want. But sadly, I think the infotainment system falls short.
Notice how there are only a few physical buttons — two climate control temperature dials, a volume dial, a couple of defrost buttons, a park assist button, and a camera button. For conservative, well-heeled (and usually older) Lexus buyers, this just seems like a misstep. Which 30 year old is buying this Lexus RZ whose technology is years behind the likes of Lucid, Tesla, Hyundai, and others? Nobody. This car is being purchased by people who drive Toyotas and other Lexuses; they want the vehicle to be luxurious, reliable, and simple to use. Maybe I’m wrong and Lexus has customer clinic data that disagrees with me, but it seems to me that the last thing a Lexus owner want is to have to deal with all the controls being on a touchscreen, a shifter that require a how-to video, and a bunch of beeping and booping electronic nannies.
What About The RZ’s Running-Cost Savings?
Now let’s talk about the money side of things. To trade Elise’s $20,000 RX for, say, a typical 2023 RZ, would cost us $9000. But is it worth it? Ignoring all the emotions of it all, will we recoup these $9000 in savings somehow?
Let’s assume Elise drives 8,000 miles a year, which is a bit lower than average, but makes sense for the suburban lifestyle we’re living here outside of LA. Her RX, realistically, gets about 20 MPG around town, and with fuel at $5.50 a gallon and climbing, that means we’re spending $2,200 a year on fuel.
Meanwhile, energy prices sit around 25c per kWh, and the RZ can easily manage 3 miles per kWh. Again, assuming 8,000 miles per year, that’s 2666.67 kWh, which cost $666.67, for a savings of $1,533 annually in fuel costs.
Add maintenance to the gas car, factor in increased tire wear for the RZ (on 18-inch wheels), and factor in the RZ’s higher insurance costs and registration costs, and we’re probably saving about $1000 a year at least. If we own the car for nine years like we have her RX, then yeah, we basically make up the cost of buying the RZ, and all the while my wife enjoys a new car that has integrated CarPlay, a nice overhead 360-degree camera, drives incredibly smoothly, and is theoretically helping the environment a bit.
Of course, then there’s the resale side of the equation, and that’s where the business case for the RZ falls flat. It may save us money in terms of operating costs, but if in nine years Elise wants another car, that RZ is likely to be a fairly weak trade-in. In fact, I’d venture to say that, by 2035, her 18-year-old 2017 Lexus RX350 will likely be worth more than the 12-year-old RZ. How much more? I’m not sure. The longer we keep the RZ, the less that matters, because both vehicles will eventually be worth so little that the delta will be negligible. But my point is: Buying the RZ to save money may sound smart with high gas prices right now, but in reality, the numbers aren’t going to work out.
Still, Elise could significantly upgrade her daily driver to something she’ll probably enjoy driving more each day, and it’s basically going to be a negligible expense in the end, if any. And that alone has me convinced this is probably the right move, as I suspected it would be when the two of us went on a romantic birthday drive to wine country a few years ago. From that review:
In a year or two, I bet these will dip into the $20,000 range. And Elise’s 2017 RX only has 42,000 miles on it; she should be able to trade that thing in for $20 grand at least:
All in, she’d pay probably less than $10,000 to upgrade from a 2017 to a 2023, she’d save money on running costs, and she’d finally have Apple Carplay and other modern tech. As someone who has a place to plug in at home, and who regularly commutes only a few miles a day, she just doesn’t need a gas car. The Lexus will be perfect for her; she became a fan after our Solvang trip (she didn’t find the bings and boops and nannies too bad), and assuming she enjoys driving it (I drove the whole trip) and the car keeps depreciating, why the heck not?
We’ll have to make sure the RZ’s size works for her, but the range shouldn’t be a concern, and I have no doubt she’ll be delighted driving electric all day, as I myself find it to be a lot more relaxing than commuting in an ICE car.
So we’re probably going to pull the trigger, though maybe we should do so soon, because if fuel prices keep rising, maybe RZs will actually appreciate a bit.
For that price the range seems cromulent. New? That’s throwing money away.
Is this just a bZ-equivalent?
Replacing my dying Matrix with wife’s hybrid, and getting her one of these OR the RZ300 (used, of course) would be going from 22mpg (on Premium) to infinity-ish (if I pull the lever on solar panels).
I’ll need a charger at home if we get one. Probably should get that first.
You’d might be surprised just how far a 110V outlet can take you. A friend of mine has had a Kona EV for almost 4 years and after getting a quote to install a 240 outlet never pulled the trigger. The 12 hours per night the car’s parked in the garage gets it 40 miles of range, and their commute is 50 miles round trip 3 days a week so there’s plenty of time in between to top it off.
And if needed you can always unplug the dryer to plug the car in, assuming the dryer’s garage-adjacent.
That is the plan, as the dryer is at the entrance to the garage from the house. Shouldn’t take much to move the unused plug (we use a gas dryer) to the garage, no circuit breaker changes. Electrician buddy says it’s a few hundred (labor, plus another few hundred for the parts), though I haven’t asked him lately.
My dryer is in the basement, how long do those cords get?
As long as you want. Head down to your hardware store or Home Depot, buy the appropriate Nema male & female plugs, some heavy gauge SJOOW cable, (# 8 or #10?) screw it together and you’re good to go!
I just built some heavy duty 10 gauge ‘extension cords’ to run 4800w heaters off the dryer and stove plug at our jobsite.
Screw that, just string along a few of those hangers your dry cleaning comes back on, job done.
Put together a couple suicide cables while you’re there too. Kidding!
My dad made himself a cable like that to plug in his RV when he visited us. Worked great. Still in the laundry room, even though Dad’s been gone a while. Not sure what to do with it now. Maybe I’ll try Buy Nothinging it.
Sorry about your dad. They’re handy! I also built one once so a friend could hook up their welder in the kitchen.
Keep in mind that a dryer plug isn’t meant to be unplugged regularly. Even the expensive ones degrade with lots of cycles. Much safer to turn the box into a junction box and hardwire a charger.
I charge at campsites a few times a summer on trips. The 50 amp plugs at a lot of sites are very loose and can’t charge at more than 15 amps or so without getting warm to the touch. The once I encountered a shiny new plug and could charge at 32 amps was nice. Home is hardwired for 48 amps.
There are smart plugs that allow two appliances to share the same plug. I have a NeoCharge that has worked well for about 3 years.
Good idea rather than swapping plugs.
I’m no expert, but this is typical of any situation where an electrical connection sees daily abuse by the general public. I doubt every camper is turning off every load in their RV and flipping the breaker before yanking the 30A plug. The hookups are bound to experience arcing that erodes the plug contacts.
Ignoring that there are smart contactors that let you share an outlet safely- A homeowner would have to be an animal who yanks the plug during a dryer cycle to abuse their equipment in the same way.
Have I mentioned that I miss the old David Tracy articles?
Having no need for Bluetooth, Android Auto, or Car Play, I looked for an older Lexus interior photo that showed more the kind of dashboards I would look for in a used vehicle.
I had to go all the way back to 1998!
https://media.ed.edmunds-media.com/lexus/lx-470/1998/oem/1998_lexus_lx-470_4dr-suv_base_i_oem_1_500.jpg
And not all the 1998 models were that clean. Even this one from The Autopian showing a 1998 Lexus had too much screen for me.
https://images-stag.jazelc.com/uploads/theautopian-m2en/1999_Lexus_RX_300_09.jpg
I guess that’s why we still have our 2003 GMC Envoy SLT.
https://imagescdn.dealercarsearch.com/Media/23249/21090281/638496715345745779.jpg
What do you mean the old David Tracy articles? You mean the ones from last week in which I built the greatest Jeep of all time from scratch?
I enjoyed that one, but it was a little light on the rust. 🙂
Actually it’s pretty cool that you’re building it using all E-Bay parts.
It would really be nice to show a running total of how much you’ve spent so far on E-Bay at the end of each article update. I’m sure this thing won’t end up being cheap.
Thanks for the personal reply. I appreciate this site.
I think I saw somewhere that David was going to do an article on the total cost of his build.
Or maybe that was another commenter.
Just do it. The range is a non-issue given the use case. The instant torque when it’s needed is perfect for suburban driving. And it’ll not need all the little maintenance things the ICE car will as it ages. Drive with a gentle foot and even the tires won’t be as big of an issue.
There’s rarely a good financial case for upgrading from an older working car. But your wife wants a newer car with modern features, likes EVs, and probably wants a change from her trusty RX. Reasonable and relatable! It sounds like this is within your family’s budget, so go for it!
As long as you’re buying this car.. knowing you can’t fast charge it more than 1 to 2 times a day, unlike every other modern EV, and that works for you? then yes.. make the jump if the rest of the interior is fine.
I hate the steering wheel control pads on these higher trim Lexus products that make me look at the HUD to see what the button i’m trying to press does at that exact moment.
for that reason. I liked the RZ300 more with more conventional steering wheel controls.
but ultimately.. the garbage DC Fast charging made me walk away from owning one of these. It’s more limiting than the 50KW charge rate of the Chevy Bolt.
I would sit on your hands for now, unless you can find a deal on a 2026 RZ that does not have the charging issues of the first gen.
Totally forgot about that limitation. Yikes! No wonder those first gen Toyota EV’s are so cheap. Glorified city cars. Which is fine if that’s the use case.
First gen rz will continue to fall. For not much more you can get a brand new bz or solterra. All the first gens have similar sore points. Toyota fixed most of them well enough in the second gens. But if you really have to have a deal now you can get first gen solterra with less then 15k mi for under $20k. Still a new one is maybe $33k with a lot of improvements. Not to mention if you are financing it new has lower rates. So could be less of a price delta with a alot less headaches along with longer usable warranty.
Both cars appear to have crisp clear screens. I think I know where you live now. I can come over and engisneer at you!
If the Jeep Widow doesn’t drive more than 50 miles a day, just get a RAV4 plug-in. Costs less than the RZ, you’ve got the added range of gas when you need it and the efficient EV miles most of the time.
Barring that, consider something besides the Lexus.
A used RAV4 would definitely be a downgrade in interior quality compared to their current Lexus, and a new one is wayyy more expensive. And a Lexus PHEV goes for $10k+ higher used than the Lexus EV, so the economics don’t really work out.
A bz is a good $10k less then then a rav4 plugin and probably a more comparable. Solterra is the real sleeper deal. Premium new going for about $33k to $35k. About $1k more then a new bz but has the big battery AWD leatherish interior.
IIRC ENHRN is a Lexus-only person, as is her prerogative to be.
Are you suggesting a lifelong Lexus fan who wants something newer would find a Rav4 acceptable?
I’m the car person in our house, so when it comes to buying a new car, obviously my fixation on steering feel, handling and being able to drift around a bit should be completely ignored by anyone else.
My wife got fed up of the constant noise and tiny boot of her Suzuki Swift Sport after nearly a decade, so she bought herself a Lexus UX. She’s happy.
I’m happy that it’s never going to be my fault, unlike the time I went to look at a £600 Mitsubishi with a friend and he called two years later to complain that the ABS had broken.
Have you considered a Solterra? There are 2023 Solterras with leather seats for about the value of her current car. You could get essentially the same car without paying anything out of pocket.
My acquaintances who work for Subaru call those the “SoTerrible”. One of the dealerships had two of their master techs take early retirement rather than work on them anymore, apparently out of both frustration and warranty work pay scales.
The number of people in these comments who think a diehard Lexus fan looking for an upgrade is going to want a Subaru or Toyota …
Consider the Venza. You’re still within the Toyota orbit so everything will be familiar and it has updated tech. It’s a hybrid and will double the RX’s MPG. You’ll also very likely be able to get better resale value from the hybrid than the RZ.
David,
Timing may be of the essence, as the value of my 2023 ID.4 Pro has climbed $2,000 in two months (and is expected to climb some more according to Carmax’s value tracker).
So now my car’s depreciation is mostly-atrocious, as opposed to disastrously-atrocious, LOL….
Is it the camera lens, the angle, or is the RX’s driver’s space as cramped on knees as it looks. I feel like I’d have to cross my legs like a kid trying to hold in their piss sitting in that. Most cars today are pretty bad in that regard, particularly when factoring their large footprints, but the RX looks absurdly so.
I wonder if the difference in prices would be even closer next year.
I have a tall, beefy friend who picked the RX specifically for the room in the drivers seat.
OK, so that’s probably the lens and angle of the photo making it look so restricted, though for me it’s a matter of knee room. I think that’s a less common complaint in regards to space, but I had some decent injuries to my knees when I got hit by a car while riding a bike when I was a teenager (that’s not a complaint, universe—I figured they’d be so much worse at this point!) and they get uncomfortable if I can’t “man spread” a bit, which the Hummer H1 center consoles everyone seems to have adopted and the Atlantic Wall bunker doors don’t leave enough room for even in quite large cars. I actually find my GR86 to be roomier in that regard than a lot of large vehicles (though it took a day or two to figure out the best seat position thanks to the stupid start button location).
If the price is right, not a bad idea! But also worth looking at other used EV options as well.
Also, make sure you look at where to put a home charger. Home charging is how people with EVs can save, public charging is great… but it’s usually more expensive.
…it says in the article they already have a home charger.
Is this Lexus pretty much the only EV? Is there a hybrid that would meet her in town needs that might hold its value? Plug in hybrids are hard to find but it would suit her. I am just not familiar with Lexus but having driven the same luxury brand for eight years, I understand wanting the familiarity of your brand.
I know it’s a pretty different car than the RZ, and I certainly like the look of the contrasting colors on the RZ interior – but for the sake of comparison it may be worth cross-shopping outside of Lexus. I’ve seen low mileage Blazer EVs around be for the same price you’re showing for the RZ. You lose Carplay but gain 100 miles of range, so there’s that. And it should be a good size to fit the family comfortably.
There seems to be more used ones around, so I’ve seen the BlazEVs undercutting the EVquinoxes despite being substantially more expensive when new.
A Lexus superfan isn’t going to like driving a Chevy.
I’m just surprised that you’re paying 25c per kWh near LA, when I’m paying SoCal Edison nearly 31c per kWh out here near Riverside. Well, I would be paying them if I didn’t have solar.
EVs qualify for a different off peak rate, I’m at 26cents in LA with SCE. I can’t figure out LADWP rates, so I gave up.
I know CA is a special place, but hot damn those electric rates are something else. $0.07 / kWh is my off-peak rate here in NC, maybe a penny or two more after tacking on other riders. IIRC a family member in Atlanta was getting some special off-peak EV charging rate of like $0.03 / kWh, almost free at that point.
But Duke is eliminating net metering for the grid-tied solar folks like myself, so starting next year any excess net power generated each month is only going to be credited to me at around $0.03 / kWh, and they’re about doubling my minimum bill price for having a grid-tie system… so that sucks. Probably adds some extra incentive to go fully EV to reduce or eliminate months with excess production. Coupled with the extra EV registration fee, they’re not making it easy to move into the future here…
So, is $0.07 / kWh your entire rate, or is that just for the generation? The nearly $0.31 / kWh rate that I mentioned is the sum of four values:
The “fixed recovery” is paying for the decommissioning of the San Onofre nuclear power plant (SONGS).
I just pay around $22-23 per month for my grid connection because (on a yearly basis) I generate more electricity than I use. Until recently, I was paying that fee with surplus generation credit, but the PUC allowed them to change the rules on that and force us to pay actual cash, despite the 20 year contract that I have with SoCal Edison. They would just LOVE to eliminate the Net Energy Metering 1.0 arrangement in which I get full retail credit for surplus generation, but that’s enshrined in the contract. New consumer solar installations in California are on NEM 3.0, in which they get wholesale credit for surplus generation.
Interesting, did a bit of math and my other riders add up to an extra $0.02/kWh approximately, on top of the $14 base grid connection fee.
Duke got ride of net metering credits for new NM customers back in ‘23 but existing users like myself can stay on through this year… next year we get a bridge NM rate where we get credits at the wholesale rate for excess production, still better than the standard deal for new customers that also forces them onto a less favorable ToU rate plan with higher overall rates (peak rate is lower but we have a whole house battery which ensures we almost never have any on-peak usage). Also can’t complain that they credit me $45 / month for the privilege of controlling my powerwalls a couple times a month, usually on peak when they’d already be doing some work anyway.
“…People deride it. And the reason, primarily, is the range, which sits below 200 miles for the RZ450E on 20″ wheels. In the winter, 150 might even be a stretch.”
You may have noticed over the past few years:
Winter in LA means you don’t get to sit by the pool every day. You might be able to swim in a heated pool only 3-5 days a week.
That’s not going to affect your EV range at all.
And if your family is putting only 8000 miles per year on your main car – as I did when I lived there – you’re not taking it on major road trips.
Palm Springs is 110 miles away.
Santa Barbara is 94 miles away.
San Diego is 120 miles away.
And they have electricity there too.
Get her the EV Lexus.
And leave the maintenance to the Lexus dealer using Lexus parts.
Yep. Especially in California chargers are everywhere. Looks like Lexus will even throw in a NACS adaptor so you can use the Tesla network as well. Might mean taking a few more breaks, but definitely easy to road trip if needed.
Third this, if temps are above freezing, we generally don’t notice a significant impact to range, which means good to go 364.5 days a year in southern California. I’d also be curious how many times the RX has been taken more than 200 miles from home in its 9 years if it only has ~1/3 the miles of my same year Bolt.
And if they do end up taking a serious road trip, David has access to press loaners.
Sorry, low range EV owner here, and the range on the RZ is too limited, especially with how highways characterize LA driving. The first time she sees her charge dropping fast with every mile, the anxiety will creep in. You couldn’t pay me to experience that with a young child and the stresses that come with normal parenting.
EV’s are great, but in certain circumstances and with a greater useable range than the RZ offers. This will be traded back in after a few months, like most of them.
A. She has experience driving David’s low range i3
B. There are chargers all over LA.
C. Sounds like she doesn’t range far from home.
Fewer people commute by the freeways than you think – We know how to actively avoid them and when is the wrong time to attempt to cross the 405.
Elise (Not her real name) knows what she’s doing.
California “winter” might actually help the range because A/C use will be minimal. If find spring and fall to return the best range for my Bolt when temps are between 50 and 70F.
I’m only like 2 sentences in but “I don’t do knee jerk” is not how I would describe you, David. Nor would most of your Michigan neighbors :).
I’m just amazed at the boldness of explaining how his wife enjoys the vehicle and his girlfriend enjoys going to the dealership in the same paragraph.
Beginning of the very next paragraph:
I think 96Z26may have been employing what we in the biz call a joke, A Barth.
Two years is a long time to have a girlfriend AND a wife!
Do it. Whatever you may need for an extended road trip can be covered by a rental. And the cost of that rental can be more than covered by the savings of the EV
And chances are David could just get some press car to review, and not even need to rent for a road trip.
And probably special bargain affiliate pricing on rentals through Galpin if a press car falls through.
Speaking of, are Mach-Es coming off lease yet? And they have a Volvo place, what about XC40 Recharges?
I’d much rather have a Volvo EV than a Lexus one. Hybrid would probably flip the opposite way. Plug-in hybrid would probably flip back to Volvo.
Mach-Es have been off lease for a while, and they’re pretty good for what they are. Not as luxurious as the Lexus, though, and the rear doors are fairly small due to the roof shape. I was briefly considering one back when they came out and found that – much like the Jaguar I-Pace – the rear doors are not made for median-sized or larger adults, so wouldn’t fit my use case.
I suspect Elise is a Toyota / Lexus only buyer.
She enjoys visiting the Lexus dealer which means Lexus is doing their job well.
The 360 degree camera is a nice thing to have and you won’t get it by upgrading the nav & entertainment system on the current car. 2017 still sounds new to me but that’s 9 years. As others have said, basically, is this the car she wants?
Another consideration that you don’t have to answer: do you two plan to have another kid? Will it baby x 2?
You’re trying to rationalize this because it’s not a Jeep.
If she’s going to keep this long-term: you can count those gas/ev savings for more than a year at a time. You’ll recoup a $10k delta of $1500/y in only 7 years. It certainly sounds like she’s the type of person to be perfectly content to keep driving her new car for fewer than 7 years to make that math work.
Not to mention: a 10year newer car will give her something more robust/reliable and with updated safety for both her and your kid.
Maybe I’m wrong but it seems like safety peaked in the mid 2010’s has anything new came out that mattered? Maybe AEB but that’s not a guarantee either.
Run the numbers all you want but it ultimately comes down to an emotional decision. If youse guys want it enough, you’ll pull the trigger and find a way to justify it logically. This is, by no means, a judgment. That’s how I’ve purchased all of my cars.
That said, I’m curious what your plan is for going further afield? With the RZ’s limited range and the i3’s size, what’s your plan for road trips?
As I recall, David has unlimited Jeeps, at least one of which almost runs most of the time.
Two words. Press car.
That is a lot of words to say “my wife wants this car”.
Happy wife. Happy life.
As someone with a very logical and analytical brain I sometimes have to find objective reasons for my wife’s desires to makes sense in order for us to both be at peace with the decision.
Nah, just roll with it. A few years ago my wife declared a simple sentence:
“I want a Challenger”
She ordered it from the factory exactly in the combos she wanted, and pressed the order button herself at the dealer.
I smile on the sidelines, thank the car gods it’s not a SUV, and cough up dough.
Life is good.