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Comparing Is 200 To Another Car


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Hi just bought a 2007 jag xjr wow this car is fast but the strange thing is I like my Lexus better and it's 13years old plus the build quality on the Lexus is far superior has anyone had a similar experience

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I think that would probably be a no a that is quite a big step up. Any reason why you didn't go for an ISF?

My IS200 is 10 years old now but I wouldn't swap it for anything else at the moment unless I came into some money. Where else could you buy a car as reliable and individual and luxurious as that for around 4 grand? And I am not a fan of the mark II IS so wouldn't bother with one of those.

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Hi spoke to a few people who have ISF's and they say the ride is hard I like the idea of comfort but lots of power which the xjr has I just love the look of the mark one is 200 I bought it now but it's going up for sale and I will go back to my Lexus

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Hi spoke to a few people who have ISF's and they say the ride is hard I like the idea of comfort but lots of power which the xjr has I just love the look of the mark one is 200 I bought it now but it's going up for sale and I will go back to my Lexus

You can always change how it rides. My IS has Meister R coil overs and is far more comfortable (and better handling) than standard and soaks up the potholes and bumps far better. I think once you have had a Lexus it is hard to go anywhere else!

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FWIW I just bought a Mercedes C Class Estate as i needed the space. I was offered a paltry sum as a trade in despite a Full Lexus History and being in excellent condition. My wife decided to use the Lexus and she returned her lease car, a Juke. She LOVES the Lexus.Thought the merc was nice until i drove the Sprortcross again the other night, it is a way better car! Build quality is far superior and comfort is streets ahead. Only problem with Lexus is that it drinks like George Best, especially as it has a bike rack on it mostly these days. If only Lexus did an estate car! I keep bees and sometimes need to move hives around the place.Suspect an RX may be in the offing in a couple of years.

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I guess for me part of the appeal is how different they are and how few you see out there. In the 5 years of owning my IS200 I have only ever seen 1 other with the same paint and wheel colour combination and pretty much every time I drive it I can see people looking at it (even more so now it has the coilovers and spacers on). I think sometimes we can get too hung up on MPG costs. Pretty much everyone I work with spends more on smoking and drinking that I spend running and insuring and uprating my car and I get a lot more pleasure from it.....

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I have several people ask me to sell them my Lexus the reason I liked the jag over the ISF is I find them a little bland inside just like the new jag I love the dash in the IS and the jag has loads of switches like the IS but on the outside ISF looks the part without a doubt we live and learn

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When I didn't have an IS, I kept looking at them and saying to myself why did I sell mine. I have one now and really can't think of a reason why I would sell it. When the IS was launched Lexus made it to compete with the 3 series but that would have been the E36 and BMW launched the E46 which does have superior interior quality plastics and the fit and finish is excellent (owned 3 of these). But the IS beats them hands down on the kit count. Comfort means more to me and the IS is a quality product. I like my toys and the IS has plenty more importantly they are reliable.

I also have an E38 7 series and you cannot compare the 2 cars in the same way you couldn't compare the XJR and the IS. The starting point is different. For example the 7 series cost double the price of the IS when new and they are not competing in the same market which is still the case when second hand except the BMW and Jaguar become better value for money as the depreciation is worse for these cars even more so as the cars get older.

Its just a shame that Lexus did not do the IS250 with a proper gearbox instead of the CVT nonsense. Apologies to the IS250 owners.

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A good point about starting points but don't you find it strange that the difference in initial start cost that the is200 stacks up to cars costing three times more when new don't get me wrong my xj is a great car but I find the quality is not up to the Lexus In my view and I have been a mechanic for 35years

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I agree that the quality of the IS can not be disputed. My point was to do with what are you comparing between cars. For example the quality of the materials in my 7 is of a much higher standard than the IS, the 7 is quieter, a more refined long distance cruiser and I hate to say this more economical than the IS. But I love the IS.

The IS250 which came after the IS200 interms of quality is a step up from the IS200. I love the look of this car and the interior quality fit and finish is exceptional just a shame it isn't more economical and Lexus didn't make a 2 litre petrol.

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I think for a comparison you have to look at what the competition would have been at the time. 10 to 15 year old BMW's, Mercs and Audi's from that era are 10 a penny and most haven't lasted as well. But for me it's that they are different and not so many around, I love this fact it is ultra reliable with every extra you sensibly need for the age, the way it looks (even more so for me after adding coil overs and spacers), there isn't another one that looks like mine that I have seen, how many people can say that.

I will keep mine for another 5 years until the ISF gets to an affordable price, but I can't see beyond staying with Lexus at the moment.

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I agree with you Andy. BMW's, Audi's, Merc's all the European cars of that age are far and few on the roads, whereas the IS has lasted better and has huge following. As you rightly say also has every sensible option you could need that some modern cars still have as extra's.

Love the look of your car, I have a big soft spot for red IS, used to have one like yours, but the better half didn't.

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Thanks Ash. I have had it slightly raised as it was a bit too low for all the traffic calming where I live and with the spacers which I think really improve it. I have kept with the standard wheels to maintain the original look. I am lucky that my other half loves it and when she drove it for the first time a month ago started looking for a black one for herself! Mine has only done 64k so just about fully run in and ready for the next 64k!

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Mines a 52 plate with 72k on the clock. I drove an X5 thinking it would be the bees knees but it was ******* in comparison and it was nice getting back into my own car. Chalk and cheese I know but I didn't expect the big Beemer to feel like I was driving a truck!

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I was recently looking at swapping my Lexus IS200, 51 plate for a Mercedes CLK230 supercharged of the same year, i know these can suffer badly with rust but the person assured me that it only had one small patch by an arch. Well after driving a lot of miles, the car had rust on every arch as well as the cills, but it was when i got into the car that i realised how nice my Lexus was, the wood looked so cheap and shiny, like plastic... some of the things inside didn't work and there were gaps everywhere, you'd close a panel in the centre console and you could slide pound coins through them.

Then i took it for a drive and it felt like it had been smoking 200 bensons a day for 50 years...

Considering this car was like £40K or more new, it was shocking and i could not wait to get out and back into my Lexus, it felt like bloody heaven ;-)

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Mercedes around that time were shocking as in they went through some cost saving and did use cheap materials. My uncle had a S500 on a X plate and you would could see some cheap plastics on that. Only BMW and Audi upped their game interms of materials fit and finish. However the new C Class is a game changer, beautifully built and quality materials. To me I love Lexus but I think they've taken their eye off the ball.

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Have to agree with you Ashar on that. I prefer the exclusivity and reliability of the Lexus but the Merc C series would definitely be my second choice. And i think their sporty hatch looks a lot better than the CT. As I cant afford to buy new (and not sure I would spend that sort of money on a car anyway) there is nothing to touch the 200 for price and reliability and looks. but if i did have money it might be a hard choice to make!

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Just saw a bumper sticker on a merc saying lifes to short to drive a lexus which makes no sense to me. So is it not short enough thst its gonna be in the garage 25% of the time and will suck your bank account dry

this is A C class i believe and the car isnt even old

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I think the Lexus has always been seen as "an old man's" car, boring and reliable, which of course we all know it isn't and an awful lot more than that! I would imagine a shock absorber for a new IS300H wouldn't be far short of that price, but as you say less likely to be needed. And of course Jeremy Clarkson drives a Merc, so enough said!

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Tony and Andy you've hit the nail on the head. Lexus are seen as an old mans car as Clarkson doesn't drive one and they will out last anything European.

However, Lexus to me are not the same company they were when they first came on the market. The first LS made the European brands sit up and take notice about quality, luxury and refinement. I now feel that Lexus has lost that bit of magic they had. The new C class is what the first gen IS was when it arrived.

I am tempted to look at the 2nd gen IS as to me it is a stunning looking car and beautiful built. But do I want a 2.5 litre engine?

I drove the new IS and hated the gearbox. Love the look of the car but there are some silly gimmicks in the car like the heating controls and why isn't there a 2 litre petrol?

When I have some spare cash I might get an IS300 Sportcross, but don't tell the wife....ha ha.

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Have to be honest and say the MkII does nothing for me and with the MkIII being automatic I will be looking after my MkI for many years to come. Not a fan of automatics or cruise control I like to drive not be driven.

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Tony and Andy you've hit the nail on the head. Lexus are seen as an old mans car as Clarkson doesn't drive one and they will out last anything European.

However, Lexus to me are not the same company they were when they first came on the market. The first LS made the European brands sit up and take notice about quality, luxury and refinement. I now feel that Lexus has lost that bit of magic they had. The new C class is what the first gen IS was when it arrived.

I am tempted to look at the 2nd gen IS as to me it is a stunning looking car and beautiful built. But do I want a 2.5 litre engine?

I drove the new IS and hated the gearbox. Love the look of the car but there are some silly gimmicks in the car like the heating controls and why isn't there a 2 litre petrol?

When I have some spare cash I might get an IS300 Sportcross, but don't tell the wife....ha ha.

Do you question having a 2.5 because its to big or too small? Just curious
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