High Mileage 220D

[pauljevon]

I currently have a is250 se (2006), and with the rising running costs I'm looking to change. I love everything about my Lexus, apart from the running costs, so I've decided to look at a 220d. What are your thoughts?

I have seen a 2010 fully loaded 220d with full Lexus service history. The car has 106,000 on the clock. I drive about 12-14,000 miles a year generally to and from work.

Should I go for it, or not? Comments appreciated

[normski2]

Personally, and I'm going to stick my neck out here, I would stick with the 250. I've had both cars and rate the 250 much higher than the 220. Please read as many posts about the 220 as you can. There are many here on this forum. Of concern to you should be the mileage (come back to that in a mo), the quite large disparity of mpg's achieved by the diesel, somewhat notchy gearbox, and quite odd gearing ratios.
No doubt you have seen posts relating to the Head Gasket on the diesel. Lexus have indicated an extended warranty to 110,000 miles. Assuming you have FLSH you have 4000 miles of worry free motoring.....then you are very much on your own. If it goes you could be looking at a bill of £6000 or so. You would, I think, almost certainly have to consider a Lexus extended warranty. That will be some £600 pa I think. That in itself may be enough for you to reconsider the comparative running costs.
At annual mileage of 12000 I don't think you are doing enough miles per year either. You are getting into that area where you may start to soot up the engine. This engine needs to get good and hot with each use. Bear in mind the cost of diesel over petrol. The 250 gives me about 29 around town and the diesel used to give me 37-39. However there are many diesel drivers out there who only get 32 mpg around town.
You don't clarify if you have the manual or the auto. I know some of the manual's are £460 road tax. The auto's are £250/270 pa.

Please drive as many diesels as you can. Be well aware what you are changing to. Hand on heart I would not change my 250 for a 220. The only bit I miss about the 220 is getting 54 mpg on an extended run ( B'mth to Aberdeen ) that was by all accounts quite exceptional.....maybe I was lucky with my model. I should add....my head gasket went at 106,000 and I had a new engine fitted under the extended warranty offered by Lexus. My son has the car now ( he is doing 25000 miles pa) and it is going really well. Drove it last
weekend as a matter of fact.

There you go... That's my six penneth!!
Hope it helps.

[darkoracle]

I've never driven/owned a Lexus diesel, and after reading the many posts on this forum I think it unlikely that I ever will.

There is not the great advantage to many diesel engines these days. It's not as though the fuel costs are that much cheaper - gone are the days when diesel cost less than petrol at the pumps.

I do have a Landrover diesel and it is very reliable (thus far), so I do know about fuel costs and economies of scale.

If your idea in going for diesel is to save running costs - you may be disappointed.

If your thinking reliability - you may also be disappointed.

I agree with the above - check everything out very carefully before taking this on.

[Postman]

Hi there. We bought a IS220d just under a month ago. 2007 SEL with MM. Nice car to sit in etc as you no doubt already know. What has really surprised me is the fuel consumption coupled to the lack of performance. Around town the best I can hope for is 28-29mpg, whilst a longer run returns 34ish. I also run a BMW 535d and on the same runs in town the mpg is similar and on the longer runs the Bm returns just over 40mpg. I know we haven't had it very long and I am still going through a cleaning process with additives etc but TBH I am very disappointed with the mpg. If it were a rocketship I could forgive it but it isn't.

Keep your 250 would be my advice.

[koppatroppa2002]

Hi all, I just got myself a is220d two weeks ago and its a lovely car with many gizmos a nice place to be in also as you all mite know already but...but in town the computer shows me @22-23mpg and motorway (as above I read) can't snatch 35mpg so dunno whats wrong!?!? I heard could be the 5th injector (whatever that means//sounds like a supernatural power tool or so) or DPF and i just ordered myself some BG244 along with AR6400D as I read on forum it'll help / not sure but give it a try! ! ..anyway bottom line is you'll never do with diesel engine what you used to do with petrol one and talking about figures, you'll end up probably in same spot. Plus a diesel car really needs time..and love, if u wanna be loved back. Thats my thoughts anyway so far about it.I believe about myself as a perfectionist and I like to have everything under control so I feel a bit not in my skin in last two weeks. :-d

Ps: this is my first diesel car ever so ...

[blackcts]

I think the 2010 220d with 106k would be an excellent car, the 2010 model would have the modified engine - so the headgasket wouldnt be a problem and it would also qualify for the lower tax (i think its £140 per annum). Any real problems (which I doubt there would be with that newer engine) would have been ironed out, especially as the car has been looked after by lexus all its life. The newer engine is slightly more economical and theres no doubting if its a healthy one it will be easier on fuel than your IS250.

What I will say with 106k is a fair bit of driving and you may find that wear and tear items may need replacing like shocks which are expensive on all IS models.

If I had to change my 220 for another current model IS - I would seek out the later IS200d - less powerful at 150bhp, but apparently the 6th gear is much more useable, the tax is much cheaper, decent go and no real reliability issues to speak of. Such a nice all round car!

[Silver Arrow]

Normski is right….the IS220d is a very compromised car - you buy a Lexus for refinement and comfort, and whilst the IS220d is OK from a comfort perspective, it really isn't from a refinement perspective. If you buy a diesel, then you will for 2 main reasons - economy and performance. On those 2 counts, there are just so many better alternatives.

I always say that you should buy a car from a maker for what they do best - in Lexus's case it's Petrol/Hybrid Auto's.