Hungry Horace

Thanks for such a comprehensive reply. I don't actually own a 250 yet but I am looking for one so will try to find a later model that has the newer parts unless of course I can come across an absolute bargain. Thanks again.

As title suggests has anyone done this. I can't seem to find much in the search and what I have found out is states the IS250 is direct injection and can't be done. However this company says it can do direct injection. http://www.vialle.nl/producten/lpi.html?L=1

I have decided to go for the 250 for a number of reasons. Head gasket issue, ideally wanted an auto, and the fact the fuel economy isn't the greatest on the diesel albeit better than the 250. Can someone tell me what potential problems to look out for on a 250. Also my other concern is this E10 EU fuel nonsense. Lexus states that pre 2008 cars can't use this fuel. If the model I bought was pre 2008 is there a way to make the engine compatible i.e an ECU flash or some other thing or would I be required to put additive in every tank (if this is an option) much like the old days when unleaded fuel was introduced. Cheers

Right after much consideration I have decided to steer clear of the 220 and get a 250. I would be a fool to ignore the advice on here and the way I see it the extra the fuel may cost would soon be swallowed if I got the HG issue. Seeing as the car will mainly be used two or three times a month travelling from Germany to the UK I should get reasonable mpg from it. Can someone tell me the sort of range I can expect from a full tank cruising on the motorway.

When I first started asking questions on here about the IS220 I had no real idea the head gasket was such an issue. How widespread is it, as I have looked on Toyota forums and they seem to suffer as well. Is it a case of every 220 will get this issue it's just a matter of when or is it really a lottery. Would love to know the percentage of cars that get the HG issue. Also were the later IS fitted with the updated parts so don't suffer or was this never the case.

Thanks for all the replies. Think I will test drive a 250 and 220. Question about the 220. Has anyone had the head gasket issue and had to pay to get it repaired rather than under warranty, if so what figure are you looking at for all the upgraded parts and repair. Cheers

I posted in an earlier thread about buying a 220D and then spent the evening browsing this forum regarding the known issues with the 220. The one I found to buy is a 2006 with 121,000km and has been fully serviced. However from reading the threads on here a FSH is no guarantee the HG won't go. So I looked into the IS250 which I haven't found a bad word about. The only issue for me is MPG. I live in Germany but travel to the UK 2 or 3 times a month so I figured the 220 would be the best bet given the mileage I would do and the fact diesel is cheaper on the continent, however a lot of people on here are saying the 220 is pretty rubbish on fuel for a diesel. So after my long winded build up my question would be is the MPG on the 250 auto worse than the 220 but not significantly or am I really better off with a 220 and just hope the HG issue doesn't rear it's head. What are the real MPG people are getting on long runs with both cars. When not driving to and fro from Germany to UK the car won't get a lot of use. Any comments appreciated.

Hi everyone Been thinking about getting a 220D for a while and I have just found one I really like. It's a 2006 fully loaded and a good price. I have done a fair bit of research about them but quite a few things have conflicting answers so I thought I would post a few of my questions here to see if I can get some definitive answers. 1. Does it have a cambelt. 2. Are the gear boxes reliable, some things I read say they are not. 3. Is the 220D reliable in general, some other forums have said it's the worst of the bunch. 4. Is the engine the D4D that is in Toyotas. 5. I have seen in a few ads that engines have been replaced, is this unusual, what sort of mileage should I expect from it. 6. I have read the gearing is very long and 6th is pretty much unusable, is this true and does it affect the driving much. These are my main questions, if anyone can answer them I would appreciate it. Thank you