dashfield

Thanks guys for your replies, they are much appreciated. I know that the IS200 will be very different performance wise to the 330d, but i was expecting that. Obviously when you dropping from an £11k car down to a £4k car, there will be some compromises. It all sounds good and i really fancy one, but i have to say that i'm a bit concerned with the fuel consumption. I had a BMW 325i before the 330d and i was only getting low-mid 20s out of that, which is why i switched to the 330d. Admittedly i only get about 30mpg on average out of the 330d, but i wouldn't want to drop much below 30 in my next car. I was secretly hoping that you guys would tell me the mpg wasn't that bad so that i could justify the purchase, but i guess not. Tricky one.

Hey guys, As the title suggests, i'm new to this forum. This may not be a great way to introduce myself, but i currently drive a 2003 BMW 330d auto, which i enjoy, but my wife is expecting our first in June, so i'm selling the BMW to get our finances in order before the baby arrives, which will leave me with about £4k to spend on a car. I've always liked the IS200 and looked into getting one before - they're a great looking car and i've always been led to believe that Lexus's are very reliable (unless you tell me otherwise!). But the thing that has always put me off is the lack of choice around the engine - according to Parkers, give or take a few minor variables, the main choice seems to be a 2 ltr engine that is not especially fast (0-60 9.2s) and is quite thirsty (28mpg). My question is whether the other points about the car are good enough that i should ignore the engine and go for it anyway? My driving is about 70% town/traffic and 30% A roads /motorways, so bearing in mind i'll be trying to keep the running costs fairly low when the baby arrives, is this a car i should consider? Instead of getting all my info from facts and figures, i wanted to see what you thought as owners. Any help is appreciated.