saracen

Drivethedeal.com are currently offering an IS250 SE-L with Auto, Multimedia and Metallic for £30848.20 saving £1336.80 on list. The cars come from a UK dealer and have the standard three year warranty etc. Has anyone used them before or had any experience with them?

On Saturday I went for my test drive with BMW, a 325i M Sport. The guy who took me out was very good, offered me coffee before and after the drive. Took time to go over the car and its features. It was a real revelation after my initial experience with the dealer. Test drive took around 50 minutes, got a real good feel for the car, it did great to drive BUT I won't buy one, why? There are too many on the road, I hate the iDrive system, and it's too expensive when compared to the Lexus, how long is that options list! While in the dealers I did notice that on the side of every desk was a laminated note detailing how to deal with customers coming into the showroom: Greet customers within two minutes of entering the showroom Offer them coffee/tea Offer them the opportunity of a test drive Answer phones within 5 rings Take customers details and follow them up I guess BMW drivers will soon know what it feels like to visit a Lexus dealership. At the end of it I rang Lexus and managed to go for a drive in an IS250 SE-L with Multimedia. It was great to drive the two back to back. My personal opinion, the Lexus beats it hands down, mostly because it is great value for money, more technologically advanced, interior quality has no equal, it's a great car to drive and it will not be as common as the BMW.

Hmmm not sure mate, the website says Memory function on the SE but the brochure says memory function is only on the SE-L.

Just popped into Lexus Coventry and they have the new Lexus brouchures with official price list. Brochure looks like the GS brochure. Has anyone else seen them?

I hope you don't think I spend my entire time in the newsagents but the new IS is featured on the cover of What Car? The headline reads "New Baby Lexus, Classy and clever - don't buy a 3 series until you've read this". Inside is a four page review. I had to buy the mag as it was sealed, normally I would just read the articles that interest me! As for the new style of brochure I'm not that struck either. I preferred the style that accompanied the old IS with people sipping cappuccinos in the south of France. I don't think any car manufacturer's brochure is going to sell their cars especially when they include comments like "...to push the boundaries of sophisticated, intelligent luxury." At the end of the day it is things like how the car makes you feel and how well it drives that make people decide to buy a car.

There is also an article on the Autocar website giving a review of the IS250 SE. Not sure whether a fuller article appears in this weeks magazine. Link here All in all it's a good review: "the Lexus is beautiful to behold, well equipped and has an interior and a level of build quality to die for" Just out of interest how many people will be picking up a new car on the 19th of November?

UPDATE OK, the story to date: After relaying the whole sorry episode to a friend, they suggested that I contact BMW UK Customer Service. He reckoned by doing so they would be on the phone kissing my @ss and asking how they can restore my faith in the BMW brand. Email sent Monday, automated response promises reply within 48 hours. Wednesday late evening, no response, send another email saying where is promised response. Receive another automated response promising reply within 48 hours. Finally Thursday get a phone call from customer service apologising profusely, saying they are in contact with the dealer and will give me a call when they have a satisfactory answer. Next the dealer manager rings apologising and that he will get someone to deal with me personally and they will ring back to organise the test drive. I asked about the reason for no call back, he claims my phone number was taken down incorrectly. I tell him I would accept this had I not given my number to not one but two different people at the concerend dealership. For two people to get the number wrong is just inept. He says he will investigate further. Then BMW GB contact me to say that the dealer will be contacting me to arrange the test drive.I explain that the dealer has already been in touch. Then the dealer rings back to organise a day. The dealership confirmed that I could take two vehicles (330 diesel and 325 petrol) for an extended test drive. The test drive can't happen til 5th November because I am away but I will keep you posted.

THe other half told me that I received a brouchure with details of the new IS yesterday. No prices in there. Can't tell you anymore as the brochure is at home and I'm not back till Sunday night. Has anyone else been sent one of these?

Thanks guys for some great comments. It would appear that it is not just me who has experienced bad service. Martin C - your 16th Lexus!! You change your car more often than some people change their underwear!!!

Hmm now I think about it, most times I've been to the dealers I have been dressed in jeans and t-shirts but that is because I have visited over the weekend. But who wears a suit on their day off?? Having said that I visited a BMW dealer in another part of the country while out of the office one day, was dressed in a suit and pretty much got the same treatment. Plus the dealer I dealt with the other day was over the phone so they wouldn't have a clue what I looked like. I guess the other thing I should mention is that I am black and mid thirties, but I would like to think that in this day and age this should not make a difference. Maybe my thinking is naive. Regardless of all that, I am a credible potential purchaser which they would only know if they actually took two minutes to find out. Their loss is Lexus' gain!

It is that time again, my car is almost three years old and I'm due to change it in March 2006. So with that in mind I'm doing the rounds of all the car dealers. My shortlist this year is Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi, Saab and of course Lexus. Three years ago I visited: BMW - dreadful customer service, waited 20 minutes, totally ignored and in the end I left. Audi - Walked in, had a good look at the car and walked out. Just wasn't that struck by the A4. Jag - the dealer didn't have a brochure for the X-type but gave me a brochure for the XK convertible (eh?) M.Benz - nice guy in the dealership but they didn't have a brochure or price list at the moment but he would send me one. A week later I had a phone call asking if I had given anymore consideration about the car. I explained I was still waiting for the brochure and price list, I received an apology and a promise that it would be put in the post. Three years on and I am still waiting. Lexus - never considered them before nevertheless I got exemplary service, the woman who I dealt with all through the sale was fantastic. Walked in to the dealer and was asked if she could help. We declined but just had a look around. Fifteen minutes later she came back and said "I could tell you loads about the car but the best way is for you to drive it". I agreed and went for a 30 minute test drive and I was smitten! Got back to the dealer and she said, don't make a decision yet but take the car for a day and then let us know what you think. Which I did the following week. Picked up a new demo car on 1st March with 80 miles on the clock! Drove the car, returned it and ordered one there an then! Move forward three years: BMW - Rang BMW to arrange a test drive, told all sales staff were in a short meeting and I would get a call back. Five hours later no call so I rang back, explained I was waiting for a call, no apology but put straight through to a sales guy. We have a brief chat, he takes my details and says he will look in the test drive diary and give me a call back. That was five days ago. M.Benz - went to the dealer, had a chat with a guy. I thought I would take a brochure and price list and guess what? They have run out of price lists! Deja vu or what!!! How do they expect to sell cars this way? He did say that all the prices are on the MB web site. And guess what, they are not. Saab - very friendly guy, easy going, knowledgeable and not pushy. I was more impressed with the 9-3 convertible but if I was going to go down that route I would really want a hard top convertible. So they are a maybe. Audi - slimy sales guy took me for a 20 minute drive. Nice car but lacked that certain something plus the model will change next year so that put me off. Lexus - actually went to look at an SC430. Told the guy that I had ordered an IS250 with another dealer. He then spent 30 minutes telling me how fantastic the car was as he had been to Monaco to see it. He told me to wait till I see the car before making any kind of decision. Which he didn't have to do as I had already told him I had a deposit with another dealer. It looks like Lexus will get my business again... Just a quick post script, with info on the web and what I received from various dealers to kit up either an Audi A4 2.0 FSI or BMW 325i M Sport to the same level as an IS250 SE-L with Multimedia and auto would cost as follows Lexus £32,220 BMW £38,175 Audi £38,350 The base price for the Lexus is more than the other two but even then you get a lot more for your money. Roll on March 1st and one shiny new IS250 sitting on my drive. Sorry about the length of the post but had to get a lot off my chest :tsktsk:

Looks totally amazing - roll on 1st March when I will be getting mine. Now where should they put that in the UK to get the best press coverage? On the front of Buckingham Palace gets my vote...

Oh yes I will be sure to put some pics on when I get the car. It will be an '06 but you won't be able to tell as I will have a private plate on the car, which I bought to disguise the age of the SC!

Well it had to happen, I've made my mind up and realised that I wouldn't be able to find a suitable SC430 that I was 100% happy with and so will be picking up a new IS 250 SE-L on March 1st next year. Thanks guys for all the help and advice. I guess in the end the head won over the heart!

Many apologies if this has been submitted previous but I did a search and couldn't find anything. There is a new website where you can get info on the IS and request a brochure and/or test drive of the new IS, www.lexusis.co.uk Our friends across the pond have a similar site, and predictably it is a lot better, www.thenewis.com

"I pity the fool that adds an image of me in his post!" said Mr T earlier today! :D

Jason are you having trouble uploading your phone pictures to the site?

THe US site says that all upgrade packages have Bi-Xenon headlights. If you compare the US packages to the UK there is a strong correlation. The US Premium package is the same as the SE and the US Luxury Package is the same as the SE-L. I can't see why the US would get Bi-Xenon headlights and the UK only get HID headlights. I also don't understand why in the US they can have certain standalone factory fitted options such as the much discussed 18" alloys or just the Sat Nav and Bluetooth (i.e. without the fancy Mark Levinson stereo).

Also can anyone tell me if the UK cars will be Bi-Xenon? And what are Bi-Xenon headlamps? Are they not just the same as HID headlamps?

Why have both the US and Japan sites got great IS sections? When is Lexus GB gonna pull its finger out? The car is out in a month!

Upload those pics and upload them NOW! The more I see of the new IS the more I am convinced that this will be my new car come March 1st. Last weekend I went to look at an SC430 and the guy at the Lexus dealer said "if I were you I would wait til you have seen the new IS before you make a decision. The new IS will blow everything around it out the water." He also made specific comment about both the build quality and finish.

Had a look at the Japanese site - very slick and some of the images are great. But yes too bad there is a lot of Japanese on there (which is understandable!!!). I'm sure that Lexus will update it's site closer to the launch of the IS as they did with the launch of both the GS and RX400h.

Tailpipe can you let me know how much your dealer charged you to upgrade to 18" rims. The dealer I have placed my deposit with is saying that it can't be done...

Have you heard anything about the IS350 coming to the UK? Apparently it is, but no one knows when. In the meantime, I've ordered an IS250 S-EL automatic in Canterbury Blue with beige leather, SatNav, Sunroof and 18" wheels. Arrives November 19th too. Can't wait. :D ← You've ordered the whole shooting match haven't you! I bet November 19th can't come soon enough.

I have put a desposit down for a new IS but have not specced it up until I actually drive the car. I had a call from the dealer yesterday to say that they had just come back from the launch at Monaco (Oooh!) and that they had driven the car and it was nothing less than stunning. (But they would say that wouldn't they!) They get a demo car in November and I have booked a one hour test drive with them for the 20th November. I will of course post appropriate comments.