Looks like the IS250 is my 'bogey' car

[RNUK]

So 2 years ago, my first IS250 went bang (Blew a head gasket) at about 98k. 16 hours after I picked it up following an engine replacement, someone pulled out into the side of me and wrote it off. 

Today, after having a service and MOT last week (MOT Advisory of front suspension arms need replacing!), the car has developed a rattle like a bag of spanners (89k on the clock). Ran it round to my local garage and they show me the front pulley (Main one with the three bolts in that you can see when looking front on) running back and forth like crazy. He's advised me to take it home and leave it there until my appointment next Wednesday...

Prior to my 250's, I had my old IS200 for 8 years and the only time it went to a garage outside of MOT and servicing was to replace the radiator that rotted at about 160k.

Looks like 250's are just going to be unlucky cars for me. 

[jackcramerr]

Not implying anything, do you buy the cheaper ones? 

 

[RNUK]

No, not at all. Both have been SE-Ls, both with lower than average milage and full (Mostly dealer) history and both paid about what they were worth.

[Linas.P]

You might be unlucky, but in the other hand mine had higher then average miles and lower than average price - however I have picked it up based on condition and not what the paper or odometer said. Everything sales guy said added-up, he said car is priced low because of the miles and cosmetic condition, but it was driven mainly on motorway and in good shape. 

I looked to the car and indeed - it was sandblasted with stone chips indicating motorway driving and services were done kind of on the high miles ~12-14k miles. Makes sense motorway driven car, many easy miles, stone chips indicating the same, but when I drove it - run very smooth. Over 5 years now and 60k extra miles, car never hand any major problem. The only real fault was A/C compressor... that is all. At 182k miles replaced anti-roll bar links, failed MOT because of silly rubber seal which have tiny hole in it.

Generally, I am surprised when people go after very low mile cars - either they sat on drive way (not good) or had hard city life (even worse), short journeys, start stop traffic on broken roads, speed bumps etc. Low miles doesn't make good cars, you still need to check condition carefully. I would pick-up hyper mile motorway car any day over ultra low miles city car, but in either case condition is what matters, not the miles themselves.