skelly

Yes, it had occurred to me to go straight to an IS F. Unfortunately they seem to be holding their value extremely well. Even 2008 examples are fetching upwards of £22,000. But then they did cost around £50,000 to buy. Unlike the IS 350 which had a retail value in Japan of around £24,000 when new. The problem seems to be the import duties and agents fees. Actually, I had to do a 30 mile round trip this afternoon involving both motorway and country B roads. And I rediscovered how really fast the 250 is, with excellent roadholding, effortless motorway cruising and very impressive acceleration with the transmission in manual, the power button on and maximum revs used. The only disappointing aspect is the lifeless steering, but you can make allowances for that.

Yes, what you say is perfectly logical and correct. In the real world a GS 430 would be more than adequate in performance terms and you would soon come to live with the less precise steering and less agile handling. And at 6K a real bargain. And from my own investigations into importing IS 350s they are not cheap. A good second-hand example would probably set you back at least 17 - 18k, when all the import costs and duties are added. I had actually considered the Infinity and might look at it again when it's time to change. Meantime, to be honest, the 250 is a joy to drive alone, fast and agile, and very economical. I'm averaging 36 mpg. As they say, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Hello I have just joined having recently bought a 2007 IS 250 automatic. A great car and fully lives up to its reputation. However, as always, there is that yearning for just a little bit more power. I have been pondering on the possibility of buying an IS 350, which alas is not officially important to the UK. Has anyone any experience of importing one of these cars or buying them on the grey market here ? Any advice would be very welcome.