Possibly A New Owner!

[DomInKent]

Hi guys!

Having looked at the competition - C-Class, 3 Series etc I'm seriously considering an IS as an alternative based on the fact it seems to represent excellent value for money.

I'm currently in an Abarth 500 which is a horror to live with on a daily basis, particularly now my main mileage is motorway - around 10k a year - with a long 320 mile round trip once a fortnight. So basically I need something bigger, comfy and reasonably economical - the Abarth will do about 50mpg on the motorway - where it really matters about MPG.

Done a lot of reading, read a lot of reviews and am now torn between the 220D and 250. What should I go for given the above?

If I'll see 40+ on the Motorway from the 250 - it's a serious, and preferable option, I'm no fan of Diesels, but needs must with that fortnightly trip.

What other things should I look out for. I want leather, that's non negotiable and have a budget of around £8500-10k. Due to the miles I'll be putting on, I want a car with no more than 40k and no older than a 2008 really and I know that's easily achievable with that budget. If I get on with it I will probably run it for another 30k before changing. But what about the other stuff like Satnav - is it worth it?

There are plenty out there I know but where to start?

Thank you in advance!

[is200 Newbie]

250 definitely but it wont return the mileage you are looking for - kit is all there on the SE-L model

It depends what you want from the car ... comfort from a car that wont get lost in the sea of BMW or Mercs in a car park these days. The 250 is something different.

Low miler with a service history.....- I myself would look for a car with average mileage for the year as it shows its been driven and not pootled around in back and forward on a school run or shopping run for its life as I don't think that can do a car like this any good but that's just my opinion. High milers on these should not worry you but there are obvious wear and tear issues as with all cars.

Parts for these are not too expensive if you are willing to do the work yourself. Most work can be done by any owner willing to get their hands a bit dirty/oily- if you are going to rely on dealer then you will need a big wallet.

[ahmedali44]

If ur gonna do motorway miles then is220d would suit u manual 6 speed giving 45+mpg Get se l with loads of extras @ very nice to drive on motorway look for low miles @ history.for 10k u would b able to pick a 10 plate privately

[ahmedali44]

Iav got 06 plate done 500 miles for less then £60.10 plate got more extra then mine like Bluetooth Sat nav ,reverse camera etc good luck

[DomInKent]

Went and looked at a really nice non-nav IS250 SE today 57 with only 29k. Nicer than I expected but I have a niggling douby about it's economy. Tank average of 26.1mpg on the computer and Average of 27.1mpg on the odo - albeit not reset so not sure how/where driven previously ...

[is200 Newbie]

That works out to be an average of 4k per year

Has it got a full service history? - Others on the forum can correct me but it would need to be up to date not with the mileage but with the years service according to the service record. Although its a low miler, the fluids will deteriorate and the rubber on the belts will do so also - best to get it checked out first if not buying from a Lexus dealer. Also get the exhaust thoroughly checked as it during its life probably would not have had a good run to get it hot to burn off moisture judging by the mileage.

Calipers are another part to check if its not been used all that much - they can and do seize. If its been sat for a while then theres a greater chance of this.

Also ask the previous owner - if you can - why such low mileage.

[DomInKent]

Thanks, it's at an indy dealer and has full Lexus SH. It really nice condition, dark grey with light grey leather. Definitely pondering it.

At that mileage I can put plenty on and not worry, slightly older than I wanted (08) but not much.

Just that MPG worry. Hmm :-\

[is200 Newbie]

Ask your nearest Lexus dealer for its history or ask the indie garage to see the registration to see where it was registered and then find the nearest dealer to the initial registered address and give them a call to ask about the cars history.

Although I am pretty sure the initial garage it was bought from is stamped in the service books.

[DomInKent]

Top tip! I'll do that.

[jamesm182]

Collected my 57 plate is250 SE-L from stoke last week and on the drive back to bournemouth averaged 38 mpg with the cruise set about 75. Not bad from a 2.5 v6 auto in my opinion! Plus the Se-L is excellent with all the toys plus the multimedia system!

[DomInKent]

38MPG at 75mph? That's not bad at all. I'm a bit of an old man and quite happy to pootle along at 65-70 on that long fortnightly trip.

40mpg sounds feasible to me on a run? I do very little 'town' driving and could live with 35 ish around town. I had a V6 MKII TT before the Abarth, so I'm well used to big-engined cars that give cr*ppy MPG - even that used to nudge 40mpg on a run and 30+ round town.

Hmmm, now I'm really torn between a 250 and a 220 ... Read a lot about the 220D and seems I could be asking for trouble if I end up with a 'bad one' (Do correct me if that's not the case!)

[bobbyc]

I have a IS250 SE and on a motorway run I sit at 38mpg and can't get it higher. Round town you will look at between 24 - 27 and mixed driving will be about 30mpg.

As people have mentioned it really depends on what your main driver is for purchasing the car. I do not think you will get above 38 mpg on a motorway in a IS 250 but you should easily get this on a IS220d. However you will need to weight this up with the fact in general the IS250 is more reilable and is less likely to break or need to be repaired.

The IS250 is generally bomb proof however there can be issues (as mentioned before) and you really need to keep them serviced to get the best from them.

IMHO the IS250 is the better bet if you can live with the MPG.

[jamesm182]

38MPG at 75mph? That's not bad at all. I'm a bit of an old man and quite happy to pootle along at 65-70 on that long fortnightly trip.

40mpg sounds feasible to me on a run? I do very little 'town' driving and could live with 35 ish around town. I had a V6 MKII TT before the Abarth, so I'm well used to big-engined cars that give cr*ppy MPG - even that used to nudge 40mpg on a run and 30+ round town.

Hmmm, now I'm really torn between a 250 and a 220 ... Read a lot about the 220D and seems I could be asking for trouble if I end up with a 'bad one' (Do correct me if that's not the case!)

I reckon 40mpg would be easily attainable at a steady 65-70. One of my friends also has an IS250 and reckons he saw 42mpg on a long run although this was at a steady 55-60 mph. Mixed driving so far I'm getting around the low 30's although I imagine this will drop to the high 20's with just town driving. It's not a car that feels like it needs to be driven hard so I think that helps.

When it comes to diesels as others have said it may well be worth it for big mileage but as with all diesels (any brand not just Lexus) there seems to be far more issues with them these days that their petrol counterparts. I would agree with Bobby that so long as you can live with the slight dip in MPG, the IS250 is likely to be better and more reliable in the long run! :)

[DomInKent]

*Rubs chins* Going to look at a nice black 250 SE with Nav later today. 08 plate Auto with 43k - dealer wants a little bit too much money for it IMHO (£9500) but we'll see how keen he is to sell it when I get there eh?

What lunatic in their right mind would buy a V6 petrol engine these days ...

[jamesm182]

*Rubs chins* Going to look at a nice black 250 SE with Nav later today. 08 plate Auto with 43k - dealer wants a little bit too much money for it IMHO (£9500) but we'll see how keen he is to sell it when I get there eh?

What lunatic in their right mind would buy a V6 petrol engine these days ...

Price doesn't sound too bad to be honest, maybe a little strong for just the SE. Took me ages to find a decent example for around that money although I was hunting an SE-L with multimedia system. Mine's a 57 plate SE-L multimedia auto with 43k and got it for just under 10k. That was from a Lexus dealer too (Stoke) so got the 12 month approved Lexus warranty with it which is nice for peace of mind. I think SE models are normally significantly cheaper but it's probably the nav that's pushing the price up a little!

[DomInKent]

Is the Nav worth it in your opinion? My main reason for wanting a car with it is that IMHO it makes the interior of the car a bit nicer. The non-nav versions aren't particularly attractive to look at - but it's not a deal breaker.

Leather on the other hand is a must!

[jamesm182]

Is the Nav worth it in your opinion? My main reason for wanting a car with it is that IMHO it makes the interior of the car a bit nicer. The non-nav versions aren't particularly attractive to look at - but it's not a deal breaker.

Leather on the other hand is a must!

Definitely a must I would say. As you said it makes the interior look a hell of a lot nicer. Plus on the multimedia system on the SE-L it includes the Mark Levinson audio system and the reverse camera. I've found the sat nav pretty good too, especially since I got the dealer to throw in the latest upgrade disc. It even has lane guidance and traffic info.

I was keen to get the SE-L too for the memory seats/steering wheel/mirrors and the xenons also. As both me and the Wife drive it, I've been able to program each key to a memory position and it detects who is getting in and adjusts the position of the seats, steering wheel and mirrors accordingly. A fantastic feature that saves so much time when you get in! Plus I can't actually fit in after the Wife has been driving!

[DomInKent]

LOL :)

Oh well, let's see how it pans out this afternoon and what sort of deal I can negotiate!

[jamesm182]

Yes let us know how you get on! Fingers crossed you will be a Lexus owner soon! :)

Have you got a link to the car you're looking at by the way? (Just being nosey!)

[normski2]

I've had both cars and I would definitely say go for the 250 Auto. That's just my personal opinion.

One limit of the nav is it does not have full postcode recognition until you get to a 09 facelift model. Not sure if upgrade nav discs will allow this retrospectively on the earlier models.

The rear blind on the SEL is great in the summer or even at night with folk who have stupid headlight syndrome!!

[jamesm182]

I've had both cars and I would definitely say go for the 250 Auto. That's just my personal opinion.

One limit of the nav is it does not have full postcode recognition until you get to a 09 facelift model. Not sure if upgrade nav discs will allow this retrospectively on the earlier models.

The rear blind on the SEL is great in the summer or even at night with folk who have stupid headlight syndrome!!

I've just updated my pre facelift to the 13-14 year maps. I don't think it has full postcode but I will have to double check. Not found this to me a problem yet though. The update has definitely allowed the input of destination whilst moving though!

Also, don't forget the auto dimming mirror also helps with the dazzling lights at night! B)

[DomInKent]

Just back from having a look, lovely car but dealer disinterested and gave silly part ex value so I won't be buying that one.

Car on forecourt for £500 less than AutoTrader so he's obviously been stuck with it for a while. Idiot.

Buying cars is such a pleasure isn't it? ...

[jamesm182]

That's a shame. Dealers should be striving to deliver exceptional customer service if they wants us to part with our cash.

I'm sure you will find another soon but worth a look anyway! :)

I actually find buying cars quite stressful to be honest from a logistical point of view. I love the actual driving away in the new car bit it's just the bit before I don't like!

[DomInKent]

True, that's the trouble with looking for something a bit different - they're few and far between. I've more or less exhausted the ones that could be classed as 'local' now and will need to look further afield.

[jamesm182]

When I was looking for my SE-L, there were only around 25 in the country matching the criteria I put into Auto Trader and then some were still not suitable. I ended up driving over 200 miles each way for mine but I think it was well worth it to get the right car!