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Thanks johnatg. Does that mean that if I decide to upgrade to wider alloys, it's still within manufacturers specifications? I'm assuming yes as those 18" wheels were upgrade options. Anyone can comment on the ride experience with thinner tyres? Is it noticeably bumpier and/or noisier? My alloys could do with a refurbishment but I am wondering whether I might as well consider upgrading them to 18" ones but not sure if that will be a good move or not. I'm guessing added road grip would be the main benefit in trading off comfort?

gji25, how comes your rear tyres are 255 width? I thought they were 245 standard specs for the rear ones on an IS 250? Questions for everyone... What are the speed and load ratings of your tyres vs the manufacturer recommended / specified ones? I currently have on my IS 250 the Continental tyres with 91Y radial tubeless on the fronts and 99Y extra load radial tubeless on the rears. Is that within the manufacturer recommended specs?

Guys, do you know where I can get hold of those clear plastic stickers that I assume are for protection against stone chips on the rear wheel arches of the Lexus IS? One of mine seems to be partially peeled off in two places, and dirt is getting trapped in the gaps between the body paintwork and the inside of the clear sticker itself. Tried to find it online but not having much luck... maybe I'm using the wrong search terms?

I agree. Audi's seem to be all the rage now and they are great cars but, IMO, they are over-rated and over-priced for what you get. Same with Mercedes and as for BMW's I am avoiding them because of the types of younger egomaniacs and passive-aggressive drivers they seem to attract. Had BMW's in the past myself, and they are good drives but like the Audi's they are over-rated for what they are. Having experienced the Lexus for a full hour today, I'd say give me a fully-loaded Lexus any day. It's how cars should be built.

The air cooling feature is a comfort thing and I'm not sure if it works better when you also have aircon on, but I would think so. It's a pleasant, gentle fan-like experience. It's definitely not ice cold or anything like that and takes a moment or two to take effect, presumably as it takes a bit of time to change the air in the seat and penetrate through the layers? The seats are amazingly comfortable. This is a real driver's car for cruising long distances, especially with the amazing sound system playing your favourite tracks. Feels like a sofa on wheels. I also love the sound of the door as it closes... very solid latch closure noise. I'm really looking forward to driving it for a few hours tomorrow. If the weather is good, I will take it to a jetwash and hose it down before I take it home. Maybe I'm jumping the gun a bit but I can already imagine that my next car will be a much higher spec Lexus! :-)

I left a deposit with them and had paperwork all signed. Will settle in cash tomorrow (my choice). Was going to do a bank transfer but at weekends I'm not convinced it'll clear in time, and I want to settle everything before the working week starts anyway. The car is an SE Multimedia edition, not the SE-L I'd been keen on but the differences are such that I can live with it especially given the deal I got it for. So it doesn't have parking sensors, which I would've liked having pranged the back of my 2004 current car. But it has the touchscreen sat nav, reversing camera, Mark Levinson car stereo (sounds really really good... I know why they rave on about the audio now!!). Car has 5 service stamps, 1 Toyota and 3 Lexus, with last service being the interim one in May 2014 (non Lexus but not back street type of place). I called both Lexus Sidcup branch and the garage to verify the service records and it tallies up. Before viewing I checked the MoT records online and it matches the MoT document he sent me, and is valid until end of Jan 2015. Road tax for a five more months. They're professional people and I checked Companies House records and they're on there. Other things I checked are license plates being original (the rear one was from Tonbridge, which is where it was first sold at the dealership). Front number plate has a crack, but that doesn't bother me as the plastic support bracket is intact as is the bumper, so probably something minor like another driver reversing in tight parking spaces which we all know happens unfortunately. Bodywork is standard wear and tear for something that is 7 years old, but nothing alarming such as dents, major scratches to the metal, rusts, etc. A few small stonechips as expected. Could do with a clean inside and out though as it's unwashed and unvaleted. Sat Nav worked well. Tried the voice control but didn't know how to use it, and they didn't either having hardly driven the car at all. Made a call to my voicemail having connected to the bluetooth and it works. Tested all electric windows, tested the folding mirrors, and various other buttons including boot and filler cap panel release, all fine. Car has 2 keys and comes with its owners manual, which looks hardly touched at all. V5C document is clean and unmarked. MoT document is the same. I asked for proof of ID, saw the owner's passport, driver's licence, Gas/Council Tax bills from current and previous address, etc. All tallies up and so far, other than the finance thing that has now been settled, nothing else was a major cause for concern. Phew, what a hectic 28 hours it has been to ask all my questions, request loads of photos to be sent to be and have it all provided before I even viewed the car. Not that it was far from me, barely 45 mins drive away. The owner was so accommodating going out of their way to give me what I asked for, as they knew I was a serious buyer. So it worked out in the end. I will give it a clean when I pick it up tomorrow, and post pics shortly... Sunday perhaps?

Finance has been resolved now. I called Lexus Financial Services and they confirmed it has been paid off, and emailed me the confirmation to state they have no interest in the vehicle, number plate, VIN, finance agreement details all match. Seller also provided printed letter from the finance company to state the same, so it all ties up. The seller is emigrating next week and webuyanycar offered them a few hundred less. They would've been the default buyer come tomorrow if I didn't take it. It's an 07 plate with mid 40k miles, and service stamps up to May 2014. Price is £6.2k agreed. Got all details like proof of ID (passport, driver's licence, utility bills are current and old address) and checked their details online, and it all tallies up. Full HPI check done with VIN, mileage, logbook serial number and issue date all checked. Drove the car for an hour. No problems noticed at all. Aircon is ice cold. Cooled seats work (not tested heated seats as it was bit warm for that). Bluetooth works. Paddle flaps work. No lights on dash during idling, braking, acceleration or normal driving. Tested VSC off, ECT Power and Snow mode. Folding mirrors fine. Electrics and buttons all work fine. Everything works. Checked under boot and bonnet for abnormal welds, none. Checked engine compartment with plastic hood removed, all looks clean, no leaks or stains. Checked both VIN plates (behind door and under windscreen) and they match and look untampered. So I'm confident it's all good. I would've walked away if the finance was not settled.

So, I've found a car from a private seller. Problem is the detailed HPIcheck shows that it is outstanding finance. Seller tells me it is £1480 or so outstanding. I call Lexus Financial Services based on HPIcheck data and they confirm there is finance but can't discuss with me anything other than that. They say I can pay them, but without the info on the amount owing that's no use to me at all. My next step now is to get the seller to settle the finance ASAP (i.e. today) so that I can call the lender and verify it has been cleared. How long would it take for the HPIcheck register to be updated with this fact, does anyone know? Is it instantaneous? What other viable options do I have? Can I ask for proof of the oustanding amount, have them call the lender with me present to verify this over the phone, and then pay the seller the agreed sale amount less the outstanding finance and settle it over the phone myself either on the day or next week? I am hoping to check the car today and if I'm happy to pay a deposit to hold it and pay the rest this weekend. Everything else seems fine on the HPIcheck info.

Yeah, I agree with you guys. It just looked a bit odd so it seems that by simply asking for opinions on here saved me a few hours drive and viewing which would otherwise be a waste of my time. I just had an uncomfortable feeling about it and it seems I had good reason to be! Thanks to all for your comments.

Hi all, So, I've decided to not go for the 220d diesel variant due to hearing just too many horror stories that it has put me off. I'm on the lookout for a used IS 250 Auto with paddle shift, sat-nav with reverse camera, Mark Levinson audio system, parking sensors, heated/cooled seats, etc. Basically I think that narrows me down to the SE-L and Sports models. I've seen an image of a car I'm interested in, but noticed this photo uploaded by the seller (attached) seeing some lights on when it appears to be idling. Should I be worried here? I've never owned a Lexus or automatic car before so just don't want to make an avoidable mistake. - I'm curious what the 'Check VSC' means (vehicle stability control perhaps) and whether that is normal or not. I'm guessing not? - It looks like it is in 'D' mode, so why are there two orange-lit symbols on the dashboard? - Not sure if I've missed anything else or should check for something given the info shown on the photo. Thanks in advance for any advice / comments.

I've just checked Autotrader. You guys are right... Quite a few cars on there that aren't advertised on the places I've been checking. I'll be calling up one seller tomorrow to see the car.

ColinBarber, thanks for the clarification. toffie_pie, yes, think I've narrowed down my options to just the SE-L and Sport versions. The problem I'm finding is a decent one on the used car market. I've been checking eBay and Gumtree so far. Am I looking at the wrong places?

Yes. During the thread it came to light that the diesel was not a good idea for me given the known issues with it. So I've now switched my interest over to the petrol equivalent, with an automatic transmission.

"as to the OP forget about the desiel. get the petrol 250f with the mark levinson media pack" Thanks. I'm coming to that conclusion myself after a bit of research on owner reviews. Normally the diesel variants are a bit pricier in the aftermarket but for the Lexus IS it seems it's the other way round. So there must be a reason for that! "they all are, no IS250 F-Sport manual" Interesting that there are no manual sports. Is there any difference between the engine / gearboxes in use for the F-Sports Auto vs the SE-L Auto?

I think I'm going to save a bit more to pay for a newer model IS 250 Auto SE-L (is there an IS Auto F-Sports model at all?) with a 59 plate or later. I do like the improvements made especially the rear light clusters.