Buying An Is250

[xx396]

I have just about set my heart on buying a used IS250 but have a couple of concerns. I'd really not want to spend much more than £11k so am limited to the very basic model. There is a 55 near me for 10k, just a manual box with 30000 miles which seems reasonable. I've been driving an auto box for the last 3 yrs and do like it but think I could go back. The road tax doesn't seem like it will go completely stupid for 2 years at least and even that decision looks in doubt so doesn't bother me too much. I'm a bit concerned for the lack of parking sensors as the car looks a bit of a beast and I have sort of got used to them on my current car. I saw another for 12k which was an automatic and had sat nav listed but didn't mention parking sensors. Is it possible to have sat nav and parking sensors as separate extras as I thought you'd get the whole multimedia kit? I also assumed SE according to Parkers meant it had everything but keep seeing them without. It might be nice to have some basic beeping sensors without what is probably overkill for me with a big screen for the camera and overpriced sat nav which I don't really want and the whole lot is probably beyond my budget. So shall I go for the car at 10k, how do people find parking it? And what of buying cars out of warranty. I must admit its never really crossed my mind before. I always buy cars 3 yrs old and just fork out for repairs but some of the stories about several thousands worth of warranty repairs in the first years are pretty scary! Especially for something as supposedly reliable as Lexus. Are extended warranties worth the paper they're written on?!

[simon k]

hi,

have a look on e-bay there a a few is 250 se one with 19,000 miles and the other 43,000 miles 2006 cars so will have another years warranty left on them both selling for £10.950

[giorgoXXI]

Regarding the parking sensors, you can have the multimedia pack without the parking sensors. In this case you get the visual image (camera and graphic), but no beeping. Parking sensors are standard on the SE-L and Sport models. I think parking sensors can be added as an accessory by your dealer for less than £500 so don't let that influence too much your decision. I got both the sensors and the camera in mine, and without them it would be really hard to park the car (you should have one or the other), because of the tiny rear windscreen.

As for the warranty, the only problem you might face with the 250 is the rattling noises in the cabin which is not uncommon across the IS range. Other than that it should be very reliable.