Newbie About To Buy A Lexus Needs Advice

EZZ · June 13, 2005

Hi guys I currently have a Toyota Avensis and am just about to make a big leap and spend nearly £9000 on a Lexus IS200 SE :D .

After a conversation with my dad I was left a bit worried. He said they were expensive to service, if the Battery was to ever go flat it would lock up the car and I would have to get out a Lexus engineer out. As dads go on he said they are all computerised and even the services need to be done by a special computer etc.. My happy excited face turned to one of worry and filled my mind with doubts and thinking it will cost me a fortune in the long run .

Can some one put my mind at rest. I know Lexus’s are great cars and great cars are not cheep to maintain. Any advice, pearls of wisdom, websites etc will be greatly appreciated.

Fidgits · June 13, 2005

erm....

does your Dad worry about the bogeyman under the bed too?

Sorry - uncalled for...

well, its no more 'computerised' than any other modern car - yes if the Battery goes flat - you will have to insert the long shiney thing into the shiney hole, just like in t'ole days...

and unless you leave the lights on (unlikey due to buzzer) the Battery is unlikely to die, and Lexus is pretty reliable...

javadude · June 13, 2005

Some services are cheap, about £100, others like the 40k and 60k are heavy (£600 for the 60k). Mines 5 1/2 years old and the battery's still ok so dunno bout that one.

Claire G · June 13, 2005

Hi there,

I have a 99 GS and am planning to keep it a long time, so am not worried about it having a full Lexus service history. I've found a good independant garage who service my car at a fraction of the price of Lexus. I tend to buy the parts from Lexus and get my mechanic to do his stuff as it's the labour costs that tend to bump up the bill.

Yeah, it's bound to be a bit more expensive than your Avensis, but you get what you pay for and there are ways to lessen the expense. With the IS you're about to buy, just check they've changed the cambelt as that tends to be the biggie.

As for the car locking up if the Battery goes flat, with no disrespect to your dad, that's not true. It's the same as with any other car, it's a pain in the bum, but you won't need a Lexus engineer out.

Go for it and enjoy the ride!!

Mr Morse · June 13, 2005

Considering that the IS is loosely based on the Avensis you should be fairly familiar with reliability already and all the parts come from Toyota anyway.

A decent Battery should last 5-6 years, unless you are a bass junkie running some big ICE.

The biggest gripe about the IS seems to be the quality (or lack of it) of the alloys. It's not uncommon for these to last less than a year before becoming pitted and marked.

MartinC · June 13, 2005

Apart from Ford and Vauxhall I don't think there are many cheap cars out there (that you would want own) that have cheap servicing. Even my missus MG ZR was just over £200 for its first service :duh:

naturally with any higher end car the servicing will be a tad more, but with the increase in gready main dealers for regular cars the gap is closing.

You can get a discount by going gold on this site, or I opted for the 2 year service package and you save a bit with that

andy emmett · June 13, 2005

Hi guys I currently have a Toyota Avensis and am just about to make a big leap and spend nearly £9000 on a Lexus IS200 SE :D .

lol I have just bought an is 200 and owned an x reg avensis, i would say my avensis was as quiete as the lexus, the little things like moving the seat is tedious after the wife has driven it with it being electric as opposed to pull the handle and slide back

And getting used to the engine tones it seems to be revving higher than it is I guess this is due to the six cylinders.

And the biggie out of these getting used to rear wheel drive, mine stepped out the other day and caught me by surprise so should be fun in the winter.

Overall a lovely car although I only get to drive it twice per week with wifey holding the keys but hey stops me from abusing it

Sanman · June 14, 2005

I think most of the doubts you have are unfounded. I owned a 1999 IS200 SE for just over two years (now a proud owner of a GS300 SE) and never experienced any problems with it at all. The only costs were routine servicing and these were generally cheaper than my previous VW Passat service bills.

Make sure you take your time to find a good example with full history, there are plenty around and buying from a Lexus dealer gives you the added benefit of a 1 year warranty, guaranteed history etc.

Cheers,

Sandeep

EZZ · June 14, 2005

You guys are great. I’m extremely grateful you for some valuable information. I will be buying an IS200 very soon :D .

Just another question whilst I’m at it: some of the cars I have seen have done 54k-58k and very soon the 60k service will need to be done what kinda cost am I looking at? If I take it to Lexus dealer will they give me a breakdown of what they would do and cost for free? Or should I avoid cars near this mileage or look for one that’s had the 60k service done?

My apologies if I’m asking typical Lexus newbie questions.

Thanks in advance.

Ezz

Sanman · June 14, 2005

I think 60k service is quite a big one (spark plugs changed etc) so it may be pricey so it does pay to shop around at different dealers. Also sign up for Gold membership and you'll be able to save between 10% and 15% on the service cost.

When i purchased my IS, it had 67k on the clock and the Lexus dealer did the 70k service before i picked it up. If you are looking to buy a car with 58k on the clock and it's from a Lexus dealer they usually service it before delivery.

If you are buying from a non-Lexus garage you could always use the impending service cost as a bargaining tool.

Cheers,

Sandeep