Offerd

[glenn-250]

hi guys,i've been looking for a 250 sport/ sel manual preferably. just been offerd a 55 plate,sel with 28k. but it's an auto, can anybody offer any, for & against on the boxes,and which is better on fuel, is it true the auto is a lower tax bracket,and which model/gear box is the more desirable,and any thing i should be looking for.any info would be apprieciated. thanks in advance

[pobrown]

Yes, the Auto is in a lower tax bracket than the Manual. The Auto is £245 per year. The Manual is about £425.

The Auto is really smooth and I love driving mine. I get about 27mpg driving around town and 40mpg on motorway runs.

[mraines]

I always thought I would want a manual but after being given w/e test drives of both cars the auto was the one to choose.

I found on the manual (with more than just one IS250) the clutch take up didn't feel right and 1st gear selection wasn't easy.

I bought an auto and no regrets at all especially with a lower tax band.

Get out there and try both before you buy.

Thanks.

[lexynik]

thats the first i have heard of autos being cheaper to tax then manuals ! - does anyone know the logic behind this difference please

[iandlm]

Yes, the Auto is in a lower tax bracket than the Manual. The Auto is £245 per year. The Manual is about £425.

Actually, that's not true for a car on a 55 plate as the road tax is the same as for the auto as it will also be in group K.

The rule for Group K is something like "Includes cars emitting over 225g/km and first registered between 1 March 2001 and 23 March 2006", which a IS250 on a 55 plate falls in to.

This is why I went for a IS250 manual which was registered in Dec 2005, and I pay £245 in road tax.

Check on the Direct Gov site or The AA or something for more detail.

[scudney]

hope i dont confuse you even more,well the autos are slightly slower and also tend to use a bit more fuel,having said that although i personally refer manuals,i have owned and driven an auto and they are pretty good.

[F.A.]

hope i dont confuse you even more,well the autos are slightly slower and also tend to use a bit more fuel,having said that although i personally refer manuals,i have owned and driven an auto and they are pretty good.

The auto is about 0.3 secs slower to 0-60 than the manual, which i doubt you would notice on everyday driving but the auto is better on fuel. I think the book state around 3mpg better than the manual.

Go for the auto. Its a completely different car :winky:.

[pobrown]

Actually, that's not true for a car on a 55 plate as the road tax is the same as for the auto as it will also be in group K.

The rule for Group K is something like "Includes cars emitting over 225g/km and first registered between 1 March 2001 and 23 March 2006", which a IS250 on a 55 plate falls in to.

Ah yes, I forgot about that, which I shouldn't have done as my mum has an SC430 which was registered on 1st March 2006 and so is £245 to tax instead of over £400. It means a '55' reg or very early '06' reg manual IS250 would be cheaper to tax.

[Ro1]

I've been driving an IS250 auto for four years and I absolutely love it. I would highly recommend it. You can always put the car into semi-manual mode if you feel like you want that little bit of extra control on windy country roads. If you buy the auto, you will not regret it.

[iandlm]

Actually, that's not true for a car on a 55 plate as the road tax is the same as for the auto as it will also be in group K.

The rule for Group K is something like "Includes cars emitting over 225g/km and first registered between 1 March 2001 and 23 March 2006", which a IS250 on a 55 plate falls in to.

Ah yes, I forgot about that, which I shouldn't have done as my mum has an SC430 which was registered on 1st March 2006 and so is £245 to tax instead of over £400. It means a '55' reg or very early '06' reg manual IS250 would be cheaper to tax.

No worries.

I have to say it took me an age to work out these rules when it came to getting mine.

They are very good at making these really complicated so you don't know just how much you will end up paying in tax, until you get the reminder through the door, and then it's too late to find you've read the rules wrongly :-)

[glenn-250]

thanks for your replys , car should be ready to view mid week, i think it's sept 05. which should be the lower tax bracket, with the auto is there any buttons on the steering wheel for gear changes [ like on the lexus 300 cross sport] or it just the stick on the 250. is there any bad points other than the rattely dash to look out for,

[mraines]

thanks for your replys , car should be ready to view mid week, i think it's sept 05. which should be the lower tax bracket, with the auto is there any buttons on the steering wheel for gear changes [ like on the lexus 300 cross sport] or it just the stick on the 250. is there any bad points other than the rattely dash to look out for,

With the auto you can select the S setting and then use the two paddle shifters behind the steering wheel or the stick to change gear.

I think you need to get out and look/drive one if you are coming up with such basic questions.

The alloys are notorious for blistering is the main issue.