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Sorry to drag an old thread up and i dont know if you got sorted or not but this looks like it could be ideal for you situation:- http://www.justkenwood.co.uk/speakers01/kfcwps1200f.asp Rob.

I thought i did well with 1 minor, well done! Is the A1 test the restricted 33bhp one or the full fat one? what you thinking of buying?

Thanks again for all the interest guys, Basically I have came to the lexus by building a short list of the points which i liked most about the cars i have previously owned, this and along with the opinions of others. What I have learned is that I did enjoy the comfort and luxury offered by the S60 and was never really disappointed by the performance, then I found the BMW and loved the way it handled which I think was mainly down to the rear wheel drive. What the ST brought to the party was performance and toys, with this I got used to auto wiper/xenon lights and keyless entry. So its fairly oblivious why I am here knocking on lexus’ door, they are offering me a car with comfort, toys, keyless entry, rearwheel drive and a 2.5 V6. I know there is always going to be compromises but these all need to be weighed and balanced, I know its not going to be as fast as the ST but its still not a slow car and that doesn’t worry me as iv got a sports bike for when the speed bug bites and there is virually no car on the planet that can stick with that. I know its not quite as big and comfy as the S60 but I didn’t really need the space and TBH im not doing those mileages any more so ultimate comfort isn’t a deciding factor and the IS culd never be described and rough could it? I know there are cars that exist that would fill every ounce of my ideal criteria but at the moment they are out of my reach and a sensible financial line has to be drawn. From what I have read and understood from your posts, if I acquired myself a nice IS250SE with auto box and a decent set of wheels I would be a fairly happy bunny. With regard to the rearwheel drive, are empty industrial estates on wet Sunday afternoons fair game if you know what I mean, I used to enjoy sliding the bmw about from time to time. Cheers again, Rob

Cheers for the reply's guys, I dont want another bmw, the experience with the 1'er has put me off them for good if not a very long time, i was disappointed with the build quality and all the creaks and rattles and when the ecu went pop 6 months out of warranty and they wanted £1400 to sort it the relationship was over. Everytime i get in a golf there is an undying sense of utter boredom, i just dont think i could like with the German-ness of it all, far to plain and functional to ever give any pleasure from being in there. From owning the ST i am used to a car which is group 17 insurance, band F tax and gets low 20's mpg if your lucky, the idea of the plushness of the lexus just reminds me of the volvo days( a car which i really liked) and the performance which isnt anywhere near that of the ST is still ok for a larger car, which along with group 14 insurance and the idea of 30mpg is something i could live with. Like previously mentioned, maby i am just worried that i got over excited about the idea of paddle shift on a 20min test drive just to find it a gimmick in the long run, but equally i dont want to buy the manual just to find it the 2nd rate option, tax dont really bother me as its only £2 a week difference if you break it down? Saying all that there is a pristine 330bhp ST just come on the market which is swaying me the other way again, dread to think of the insurance tho and at 27 its still a major consideration.

Hi all, first post and looking for a guiding hand... Just a brief background, this happened http://www.focusstoc.com/forums/St-dead-t36868.html so hopefully i will be getting some money fairly soon to buy myself a new motor. TBH the IS250 has always previously slipped unnoticed under my radar until recently. I took a pair out(auto & man) for some test drives at the weekend and was suitably impressed, so, a few questions, iv driven the manual and the automatic and basically i have never even considered getting an auto until now. Is this the way to go? From reading this forum it seems to me like the auto is the the one to get and the manual was a bit of an after thought, is this the case? Do you ever get bored driving the auto? basically im just a bit concerned that im thinking about it as iv only ever thought of autos on mercs and mobility cars and i think im just looking for some reassurance on the matter. my shopping list was: another ST, civic Type R, saab 9-3, IsS250 and after the weekends test drives its now between the IS and the ST, yes i know they are different types of cars but i like them both. My previous cars include: S60 D5, BMW 120i, Focus ST and im currently driving around in a Jag X-type(no no no) Any advice and pointers on what are the best value specs and options to look out for from you guys more than welcome. Rob.