Driving Me Mad!

[grandunion]

Hello LOC, a newbie here looking for some quality advice. I am looking to get the GF a car ''Not a new one'' and im banging my head against a wall deciding on which model.. We went to our local Lexus dealer & she really liked the is250c, we test drove the ct200 which i felt was a lot better than a lot of the Press give credit for. We both like the idea of being Eco if possible so would consider the CT,RX or GS. We already have a couple of cars as there are 3 drivers in the family. My main stumbling block is that i dont have a great deal of knowledge about what problems individual models have. The car will be used by my GF for commuting into London (not CC Zone) 3 -4 times a week with a round trip of around 50 miles per day. What is paramount is that it has to be very comfy, with good soundproofing as she will be constantly on the phone (legally) as it will be like a mobile office for her for probably 3 hours everyday. With all your input i'm hoping that you could steer me in the right direction. Being a bloke, i like the idea of a GS450h or IS250, however i think deep down she would like the IS250c as its a bit more Elegant. I live fairly close to a very well known Car Supermarket in West London who has various models available for well below Dealer Price, but would i be shooting myself in the foot by going down that route with a possible expensive repair bill? i could get a 2009 IS250 with about 50k on the clock for about 10k or a GS450H for about 13k with 70k. Whereas if i go down the route of a dealer it will be considerably more, although i'm sure i would get a minimum 12mth Warranty from a Lexus Dealer.. There are various options for us but would appreciate a little honest advice.. I am aware that if we went down the IS250c route it would be well into the 20k mark, but this will be a long term purchase, equally it would be our first ''Prestige'' car we have had, hence trying not to make a ricket with my research. So come on dont hold back, if its a better option to do it on the cheap in the short-term with a possible expensive repair bill then so be it, but point and steer as much as you like. Cheers James

[noby76]

though I dont own any of the Lex you interested in, every car has its problems be it electrics or mechanical but some manufacturers are worser than others so you cant escape bumping into an issue at some point in a cars lifespan. an IS is geared for a more sporty drive where as a GS is for more luxury so it really depends on your initial budget and running cost. I think a hybrid will not be cheap if anything fails but then again Lexuses hardly go wrong anyway (if maintained). the GS450h will be more powerful than the IS250 being a 3.5 litre so if performance is really your thing the GS will hold its own but am guessing the 250 will hold its own aswell. the GS450h will be more refined than the 250. so if you not worried about 0-62 times or top speed but want something nice to cruise in then IS250 will do the job but if you want something which can keep an M5 in sighte the GS450h can and will also return good MPG...Its your call really!!