They don’t make them like they used to.

Modern cars are efficient, full of useful technology like autonomous driving, safer than ever, and breathtakingly fast. But they will rattle your ears off even in a $150k(!) Porsche 911, annoy you with auto engine start-stop, and hide common functions like adjusting air vents in touchscreen menus while you scratch your piano black interior every time you touch anything in your car.

Modern cars are largely not built to last anymore. Why invest in longevity when so many people lease a new car every 2-3 years, or purchase and sell within 5 years? EVs are even worse in this respect; their underlying platforms are evolving so rapidly at the hardware level right now that they are equivalent to laptops that you upgrade every few years. Now we do have two EVs (an Audi Q6 e-tron and IONIQ 5) that serve very practical purposes, but they are both leases and I largely consider them fleeting appliances. When their leases are up, they’ll be replaced with whatever has the most compelling specs - maybe a BMW iX3.

But I also own a 24 Lexus LC500. And oh boy do I love it. It’s truly shocking that this car still exists today, though sadly its time may be finally coming to an end. Given that only 14k LCs have been sold globally since its launch in 2017, I suppose that’s not terribly surprising.

The LC has a naturally aspirated 5.0L V8 engine making 471 horsepower, is still built in Japan (at the same factory that made the LFA) to the exacting standards that made Lexus famous back in the day, has a luxurious interior with the perfect combination of tactile buttons and a modern touchscreen, and makes you feel things when you push it to redline over and over again. Have I mentioned it doesn’t rattle like a 992.2? It’s the perfect antidote to a bad mood.

This is a modern car built to last, and I plan to own, maintain and drive it for as long as feasibly possible. Perhaps it’ll be the best condition highest mileage LC one day. Meanwhile, it’s always fun to bump into other LC owners as it’s really quite a rare car to spot on the road.