pacemaker

am i correct in thinking that Lexus did the same thing when launching the original IS? that is OVERPRICING it? im glad i didnt wait for the new model as although the previous one i owned was loved and cherished and still sadly missed i couldnt afford a new one maybe they'll change thier minds as they did before and nock £3000 off the price the IS has always been the choice of potential BMW owners but sold because it was the same price as a 318 not a 325 i for one will be waiting for the price to fall.....again

great laugh!! all thats missing is a baby seat and a 'daniel and vicky(pollard)' windscreen sticker :D oh yeh and burberry seat covers chav on dude!

having moved from an IS200 to a new c class after over 3 loyal years heres my opinions on the change if anyone is considering one first off i'd like to point out that i was and still am a loyal lexus supporter and wont have a bad word said about my old lex it remains the car that i have owned the longest, in fact only its age forced the change. i am also still in the process of describing my new purchase as a 'stop over' untill the new model lex arrives :D . anyway i arrived at the merc after taking alot into cosideration , but a big one was price, already posted on this one, was down to a4, merc, jag,and of course new bmw. in the end though with sport pack, auto, leather,mp, etc at under £21500 merc 180 k was clear winner, by about £5500 less than bmw performance is actually improved over lex despite its diminutive 1.8 engine the supercharger makes up for it and in real terms feels alot faster than lex another plus is fuel consumption being up 10 mpg on town driving! comfort is on a par, sports suspension on merc makes it alot firmer than standard car and improves handling which i think has edge on lex car is 100mm longer and this shows in rear legroom overall so far then things looking goodand a good alternative to lex, miss sunroof and heated seats though look of new is is growing on me and really wish it was out earlier to test drive merc has got an image prob though, had road rage incident after 3 days old which was more down to envy than anything, never had that with lex as seems to more appreciated . also will see if merc holds up to lex reliability, threads on merc forum suggest it wont but as mine is facelift model im hoping the bugs have been cured dealer also not a patch on lex customer service but waaaay better than audi ok thats it for now will let you all know when it goes wrong on me and give you all a 'told you so' oppertunity

i actually like the exterior its the dash i'm not sold on! looks to toyota like reminds me of a garish getto blaster

my brain is in meltdown you say it gives your speed , does that mean it acts as a speedo? does it tell you when a 30mph limit is coming up etc? or canstantly remind you your doing over 70?

i agree but unless i'm reading everything wrong it now seems alot of money for something that dosnt have satnav tomtom/pda's only warn of cameras don't give speed etc? dosnt look like there is an all in wonder box of tricks yet! some sort of tomtom origin b2 offspring would be interesting :D

yeh np thanks

help i've tied myself up in knots researching this topic originally was going to buy road angel or snooper for gatso and laser then read laser was a waste of time (bummer as alot of vans around here) so thougth if that the case then combining satnav with gps and some softeware called checkpoint for camera detection which apparently is free off net and must be better than paying what i think is a rather expensive subscription ok some questions does roadangel tell you what speed limit you are approaching or in? will tomtom/pda do same, or just camera locations? is laser detection really a waste of time and money? can you get an extension aerial for tomtom or pda allowing them to be located away from the screen,ie in console? any other comments welcome

mmm just sold my IS and ordered a new merc been having second thoughts about not waiting for new model if this is it then i'm feeling better already about my choice :)

18 months ago i fitted quanan sensors to my 200 and did a guide for the workshop which i think went down quite well i now wish to fit a new set to another vehicle and wonder if there is anything out there any better, not that the quanan wernt good but would prefer a 4 sensor model also has anyone tried the Electromagnetic type?

cheers col i'll still be around though i've owned a merc c sport before prior to a bmw which was horrible my memories of the old merc are very favourable but thought the current model a bit soft merc have addressed this with the sport pack adding lowered suspension , sport seats, big alloys leather etc which i think has made a huge difference to both appearance and handling. i'm gonna mis that 6 pot sound though :D

i actually like the colour, plus the extras (which i know are now standard) good point col 'why change if milage is so low' like to keepup to date or when you do change boy does it cost! trouble is still like the car but been made an offer i cant refuse so will be ordering merc in the morning, will keep for two years then hopefully back to new Is assuming lexus dont make the same cockups bmw made in styling any thoughts as to what you reckon new model will cost? i'm estimating £25000 for se with new engine and more for deisel

cheers col but too high milage mines 3 yr old and only done 18000

ok i know i said im buying a new merc probably but nothing like edging your bets if i really cant parted with a lex this is what id like must be imac and low milage anyone?

as matter of interest here are the prices i have got for cars i'm not interested in faster models, or deisels, all cars must look good and have following spec metalic, auto, cruise ,parking,17" wheels, half leather,centre armrest volvo s40 2.4(has to be to get auto) ....£23,153 jag 2.0 sport......................................£23,740 audi a4 2.0 sport................................£25,265 merc 180 avantguarde sport...............£23,420 bmw(new model) 2.0 se.....................£25,590 bmw is 2 months order with absolutely NO discount merc can be had fo £22,000 (and dealer will do number transfer) anybody with ideas of discounts on other models? also as you can see merc is looking favourite but is there a reason? dealer says replacement at least 2 years away is he right? cheers

volvo is nice looking car but,snobby i know, not as special as the big three/four

thanks col knew youd be the first to answer :D as youve prob read from another thread cost of bmw will be alot more due to new model and no discount would you still go for it if it was £5000 more?

and before all of you shout new Is.. its too far of and i cant wait also another new one would be a waste as id want the repalcement when it came out! here's the choices merc c class , new bmw 3 series, new auid a4, audo sportback, jag x type,saab 93,volvo v50 private buy so residuals a big factor thoughts?

i agree with you Kazdul lexus still grabs attention and is a car to be proud of driving i wish the new IS was not as far away but the present deal i have on the table is a good one and the extra wait would mean extra depreciation plus i cant see the new IS being less than £25000 i had the original a4 which wasnt bad and a merc sport which was alot better, big mistake was changing for a bmw which i hated and only kept for 6 months before the Lex which i must admit is best car ive owned for 3 years, longest ever!

thanks colin pity the new is is a year off prob end up with a merc now going to miss it

i agree that compared to german cars Lexus is extreemly good value but still think Audi has pricing wrong! i'm in the market at moment for .. c 180 avangarde sport/ a4 2.0 s line/ bmw 318 sport(new 320) believe it or not merc is best value £24000 (offer at moment of free upgrade brings it down to £22800) current 3 series £25800 but prob a disount new 3 series £26200 no chance of a discount new a4 £25200 all autos/met paint/leather/nice wheels/cruise so merc wins but is the oldest, by the way 22800 is retail a further discount of 1800 is on the table for cash sale which bearing in mind i wouldnt get a penny off bmw makes it a whopping £5200 cheaper!!! in audis defence it is more reasonable with its deisel engines which command an extra 1500 or so compared to mercs 3000

i make no bones at disliking audi its not their cars that are bad its their pricing which annoys me( plus their stupid advertising) come on cars costing > £25000 without rear electric windows? they baost about competative pricing , but thats cos they come with only the bear essantials! i'm in the market to replace my IS200 so am doing the internet rounds when i came across audis 'competitor comparism check' link and what a laugh i've had no matter what i put them up against a list pops up showing whats lacking on the audis spec sheet compared to thier competitor plus the cost of adding it and when you do you see how expensive they really are maybe ive been spoilt with my Lex but i expect an armrest ,electric windows, cruise control,cd player as standard aswell as decent wheels a fully speced a4 comes in at £30000 with a 1.8t engine!!! at least BMW now has decent kit as does mercedes who maybe have took a leaf out of lexus' book and all three have a decent grille wonder how many sales that will cost audi ok rant over

cheers guys for prompt reply hes ringing later so trying to get price ready what car dosnt allow for auto and parkers for milage thinking now of £12500 as mate £13000 otherwise sound about right?

mate wants to buy my car want good price but dont want to rip him off what would be a good compromise for us both 2001(2002 model year) 51 reg IS 200 SE AUTO strathcorne blue 18000 miles rear parking sensors and boot spoiler immaculate condition with full service history cheers

oops really boobed with title of this post was meant to be about what cars are driven the worst by their owners and fact that they seem to attract same type of people....sorry another example i came accross today is older model civics, trully a blue rinse car breaked every time a car came towards it...arghh