Few would deny that the Lexus LC 500 is one of the most beautiful cars currently on sale, but most probably think it’s best used for special occasions or on weekends. However, the owner of a 2019 LC 500 in the United States begs to disagree, proving that this doesn’t have to be the case or at least not all the time.
Since 2019, Matt Pridemore has been daily driving his LC 500 and in 2024, it will cross the 200,000-mile (~322,000 km) mark, having already passed 150,000 miles (241,000 km) in March this year. He took delivery of the car in late 2019 and it took him just over a year to clock up the first 100,000 miles (160,000 km) in the Lexus, a staggering figure for a vehicle like this.
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In a post made to the Lexus LC 500 Club page on Facebook, Pridemore says that he hasn’t experienced any unexpected issues with the car since he took ownership, stating that it is “mechanically very sound.” Given that most models made by Lexus and Toyota models are notoriously reliable, it shouldn’t come as a shock that the Japanese luxury grand tourer has performed so well over the past four years.
The owner’s only complaint seems to be with the car’s propensity to get stone chips across the front end. To solve this issue, he recently spent $6,000 to have it wrapped in a beautiful shade of matte grey that doesn’t just make the car look even cooler but will also help to protect the paint.
We suspect that Pridemore’s biggest expense with running the LC 500 as a daily driver has been fuel. The car’s 5.0-liter naturally aspirated sounds spectacular, but it’s not as efficient as some forced induction alternatives from rival carmakers.
The EPA rates it at 19 MPG over the combined cycle and estimates an annual fuel bill of $3,450 based on the car being driven 15,000 miles (24,000 km) each year, roughly 45% on highways and 55% in cities. With this LC 500 traveling almost 50,000 miles (80,000 km) annually, it would cost over $12,000 on fuel costs each year.
