Should I Go For It?

[whiteman]

:duh: Over the last few weeks I have being thinking of buying a newer car. I have being down to the dealers and had a look and I fancy a 250 but there are many diesels in there at silly prices due to them being crap on economy and other reasons so I don't want one.

I'm getting to like the 250 more and more but what is the average MPG on one of these?

I know the one I want must have leather but not the light coloured tan one. must have at least 17 inch wheels but there is some nice 18's in the show room...sweet. not bothered about MM.

My other chioce is a Mercedes SLK 320 kompressor, I really like it.

Then there is my old IS, only done 64k and still like it but the old fuel economy is not good, putting £70 in a week just to go to work.

Any advice please ???? :duh:

[Parthiban]

You won't be disappointed by the IS250, it's a great car - whenever I've had one it's always averaged around 28mpg and that's me driving mainly around town................as long as you get SE spec or above, you'll have leather, 17" alloys and everything else you really need. An auto with MM is a very nice place to be indeed :)

If SLK320, are you talking about the 1st gen SLK? If so I wouldn't pick that as it's ancient in terms of mechanicals and technology, remember the SLK was launched before the mk1 IS

[bernie_the_bolt]

Don't buy a manual cos you'll be hit by road tax cos the emissions are 231g/km which basically puts you in the £400 per annum bracket from next year.

Go for an SE-L or Sport Auto with MM. If you get an SE-L change to 18" wheels, it looks soooo much better in my opinion!

I get 30mpg out of my manual Sport on a mixed run (70% motorway).

[whiteman]

You won't be disappointed by the IS250, it's a great car - whenever I've had one it's always averaged around 28mpg and that's me driving mainly around town................as long as you get SE spec or above, you'll have leather, 17" alloys and everything else you really need. An auto with MM is a very nice place to be indeed :)

If SLK320, are you talking about the 1st gen SLK? If so I wouldn't pick that as it's ancient in terms of mechanicals and technology, remember the SLK was launched before the mk1 IS

Not the 1st gen it is on an 05 plate, still not 100% on buying a merc tho

[whiteman]

Don't buy a manual cos you'll be hit by road tax cos the emissions are 231g/km which basically puts you in the £400 per annum bracket from next year.

Go for an SE-L or Sport Auto with MM. If you get an SE-L change to 18" wheels, it looks soooo much better in my opinion!

I get 30mpg out of my manual Sport on a mixed run (70% motorway).

30MPG not as good as I expected, as for the road tax why is an auto cheaper?

[High Rise Drifter]

After the shoddy reception I had when I went into the Merc dealership, coupled with the JD Power and Euro Ncap ratings for the IS, I'm buying an IS250SEL MM and I won't regret it.

[bernie_the_bolt]

Don't buy a manual cos you'll be hit by road tax cos the emissions are 231g/km which basically puts you in the £400 per annum bracket from next year.

Go for an SE-L or Sport Auto with MM. If you get an SE-L change to 18" wheels, it looks soooo much better in my opinion!

I get 30mpg out of my manual Sport on a mixed run (70% motorway).

30MPG not as good as I expected, as for the road tax why is an auto cheaper?

Auto is 214g/km so in a different tax banding.

30 mpg is quite good for a 2.5 litre engine. On the motorway, if you cruise at 70 you'll get 38-40 mpg.

[Parthiban]

Oh, you're talking about an SLK350 then? That's a completely different machine, that is a very nice car indeed! Although that'll be in the higher tax banding too I think so wouldn't matter between that and the manual IS250. The SLK's an auto though isn't it?

The auto's still the one to go for, lower emissions, better fuel economy and it is a very nice box.

Buying a Merc isn't that bad, but my dad's 05 CLS already has stuff going wrong with it.........whereas the IS has been bulletproof (touchwood!)

[whiteman]

Oh, you're talking about an SLK350 then? That's a completely different machine, that is a very nice car indeed! Although that'll be in the higher tax banding too I think so wouldn't matter between that and the manual IS250. The SLK's an auto though isn't it?

The auto's still the one to go for, lower emissions, better fuel economy and it is a very nice box.

Buying a Merc isn't that bad, but my dad's 05 CLS already has stuff going wrong with it.........whereas the IS has been bulletproof (touchwood!)

I have managed to play in a 250 next saturday all day, I requested a manual box. Also I will going on a run about 250 round trip so that should give me an idea how good it is.

you think I should try the auto instead??

As for the merc it is a nice car and the colour is nice but I think I may get bored after the novelty has worn off but as for my IS I have never got bored with it, that is having owned for over 4yrs..

[Parthiban]

you think I should try the auto instead??

As for the merc it is a nice car and the colour is nice but I think I may get bored after the novelty has worn off but as for my IS I have never got bored with it, that is having owned for over 4yrs..

I'd try the auto and the manual if you're unsure, perhaps ask to have a quick 20 minute drive in both beforehand, and then take the one you prefer for the whole day you have booked.

For me it's a no brainer and would be the auto everytime, Lexus gearboxes are like Merc gearboxes in my view, don't touch the manuals as the autos are just so damn good! But then my IS200 is an auto too so I am a little biased, definitely have to try both out :)

Yeah I know the feeling, I've had my IS for almost 6 years now, and I still don't really ever think I want I to change it just yet..........

[Wallace]

If leather is top of your shopping list, then it has to be the SE or SE-L model, the Sport has Cellensia (sort of suede). We get about 30 mph around the town, 35 on a good run. The £400 tax is a kick in the teeth from Mr Browns gang of muggers! But its only money. Try as many models as poss, we took a year before deciding on a petrol Sport, didnt like the diesel or the auto, but there are many happy owners of those models in the club. 18" alloys on the lowered suspension look better than the 17s' INHO. And of course Mesa Red is the dogs ******** :winky:

[GaryC]

:duh: Over the last few weeks I have being thinking of buying a newer car. I have being down to the dealers and had a look and I fancy a 250 but there are many diesels in there at silly prices due to them being crap on economy and other reasons so I don't want one.

I'm getting to like the 250 more and more but what is the average MPG on one of these?

I know the one I want must have leather but not the light coloured tan one. must have at least 17 inch wheels but there is some nice 18's in the show room...sweet. not bothered about MM.

My other chioce is a Mercedes SLK 320 kompressor, I really like it.

Then there is my old IS, only done 64k and still like it but the old fuel economy is not good, putting £70 in a week just to go to work.

Any advice please ???? :duh:

Just go out and get one !

I've just taken my new car around Cornwall and Devon. The car was brilliant.

The first leg of our journey was Manchester to Bristol and it did 42 mpg !!!

The whole trip average was 33.9 mpg over the 1100 miles we did.

We stopped off in loads of places with steep hilly climbs so that brought the average mpg down a bit.

The car is a joy to drive, quiet, refined, quick.

In Torquay we were parked just up the road from the famous Gleneagles Hotel (the one that inspired Fawlty Towers).

We walked back from visiting the hotel and when I got back to my car a bloke ran over and said "Can I ask you about your car. It's lovely."

I spent ten minutes showing him all the features and he was that impressed said he was going to buy one !

This car is a hard act to follow and it will severely limit my choice of next car as it has to have the reversing camera - I can't live without that feature.

It's a fabulous motor.

[Jezzer]

I've had an IS250 SE Auto with MM for about a month now and love it. The Mark Levinson is excellent. I have the Oakham beige leather which for me, with no kids or anyone to make the car dirty, is fine.

MPG wise - it's averaging about 29MPG over 800 miles; I did a lot of motorway driving one week and that tank averaged about 32MPG so pretty good for a 2.5 auto. The auto does keep the engine at low revs for a lot of the time so i guess that helps.

And the other thing is that the car looks superb when just washed in the sunshine (I've have Cardoxton).

[whiteman]

thanks for all the replies and it helps loads,,,, going back to road tax why is an auto cheaper than a manual when they have the same engine?????

As for colour I have royal saphire at the moment and think it is beautiful so I looked at a dark blue one at the dealers and like dthat too also like the messa red...

One thing I have noticed at the dealers is the diesels are up to 8k cheaper than petrol models same year and mileage...

I was not going to change my present IS but I have got itchy fingers and want to get one asap. Not going to rush it tho as there are so many different colours and spec etc to choose from..

Would like a sport model tho..

keep the info coming and thanks again.... :D

[dgman]

thanks for all the replies and it helps loads,,,, going back to road tax why is an auto cheaper than a manual when they have the same engine?????

As for colour I have royal saphire at the moment and think it is beautiful so I looked at a dark blue one at the dealers and like dthat too also like the messa red...

One thing I have noticed at the dealers is the diesels are up to 8k cheaper than petrol models same year and mileage...

I was not going to change my present IS but I have got itchy fingers and want to get one asap. Not going to rush it tho as there are so many different colours and spec etc to choose from..

Would like a sport model tho..

keep the info coming and thanks again.... :D

as btb says above the manual emits more co2 than the auto thus putting it in a higher tax banding.ithink i would go with the auto as the biting point on the manuals clutch is very high,and leaves you with an aching leg.with a higher tax band the manual may prove tricky to sell on.

[Steve]

the auto is so much better imo.. smooth and lovely to drive

[GWilso]

Having driven both Manual and auto 250s as courtesy cars I strongly recommend you at least test the Auto box before you make your mind up it's impressive I never thought I could bring myself to own an auto but it really is good.

Good Luck

[GaryC]

Would like a sport model tho..

Are you sure you need the Sport model ? After the last two cars being the Sport versions I prefer the more compliant ride of the normal suspension.

You can throw the car round corners no problem (not that you'd want to do that) and don't get the hard ride.

I once bought a GS300 Sport and it was a mistake for me as the ride was far too hard. Things may have changed now but I regretted not getting the standard GS300 back then. My dealer stuck a spoiler on my IS250 so it looks sporty anyway without the firmer ride of course.

[whiteman]

B) Well looks like I will have to opt for an auto for the day and seehow it goes, never really fancied an auto but we shall see..

[GaryC]

B) Well looks like I will have to opt for an auto for the day and seehow it goes, never really fancied an auto but we shall see..

You won't regret getting the auto. You can use the manual shift anyway on the gearstick and the paddles.