mk_lon

Hi Is250newbee, Thank you so much for the sound advice, I really appreciate it. I ended up buying the car yesterday as the trader took out an entire wod of receipts/invoices (8 years worth) all from Lexus Ipswich. I called up Lexus Ipswich where the car had been from new and they would'nt tell me much as they said they are not allowed to. They did however confirm that it had been serviced with them every year from new. This car (like all the other cars in this traders showroom) was fully valeted inside and out so I couldn't check for the residue issue. The history looked like this (all from Lexus); Nov 14 – 70k service done (despite millage being 58k) Dec 13 – rear callipers, brakes and pads from independent £817 bill Oct 13 – spark plugs and service £641 Oct 12- nothing major, just a small service £250 Sep 11- £1,500 service bill (4 new tyres inc) I thought with this level of documentation its been well looked after so I took the plunge and haggled an extra £300 off and bought it. Today I was driving driving through a narrow road at speed, dodged oncoming van and.........the dreaded check VSC warning light came on, with antic skid sign and engine fault light....... my heart sank ... Called Lexus (Woodford) and they wanted £168 just to look at it.... I was sh*tting myself / having a mild heart attack. Came to the forum and found out that nearly everyone gets this damnn light. My friend has an IS250 and he said DON'T trust dealers.... they exaggerate and hit you with a bill. Also after reading this forum, I don't want to go near one again. I will be taking it to an independent garage tomorrow to do a diagnostic, he said £50. This garage I have known for years and is honest as you can get, in fact when you service your car here you get all your old parts back in a plastic bag, so I thought why not? Kind Regards, M

Hi Guys I am about to buy a 57plate IS250 SEL with literally everything in it. Its had its rear calipers changed last year and has a full LEXUS service history (one owner from new), it has 63k on the clock, currently being sold by independent car trader. He would not budge much on the price, saying "you show me where you can get a motor with owner from new mate..." Anyway after being scared sh*tless reading about Noo Bee / is 200 Newbie experience with exhaust (£1,700 bill), I noticed this ones exhaust were rusty... I think its normal for car this age but im not a mechanic..... and im starting to get worried... Am I being paranoid?? Thanks in advance for reading and your contributions :) Kind Regards, M

Hi Cracksta, That's really helpful, thanks for the info. Kind Regards, M

Thanks, I'll start searching through the forum :)

Hi Noo Bee, Thanks for the tips, really useful advice. Is there a buying guide on the forum? I did look but couldn't find one. Kind regards, M

Thanks for the welcome Mike :)

Ps Thanks for the welcome Mike :)

Hi Paul, Thanks for the insight. I had a feeling the 06 plates were solid as a rock. May I ask what you changed your car for and do you have any tips for what I should keep a look out for? Kind Regards, Mo

Hi Guys, I'm new to the forum and I wanted to ask the experts for some advice. I have decided on a IS250 SEL Auto as my next car as apposed to a BMW 325 auto (e90 shape), it will be my first Lexus (currently have a Nissan Juke and before that a v6 Merc c240). I searched Auto trader and Gumtree found independents/private guys selling them for around £6.5 - 7.5k with 60k(ish) on the clock on a 06/07plate. I found dealers offering similar for £8.5k- £9k ish. My questions are; 1. Are dealer cars worth £1-1.5k premium? 2. Is there a notable difference between the 05/06 cars and 09 cars? I would naturally go for the newer cars but it seems as the IS250 seems to be reliable, well built and without any major changes untill 2010ish.... so why pay extra? I would really appreciate some guidance and experience. Thanks for reading

Hi Guys, I'm new to the forum and I wanted to ask the experts for some advice. I have decided on a IS250 SEL Auto as my next car as apposed to a BMW 325 auto (e90 shape), it will be my first Lexus (currently have a Nissan Juke and before that a v6 Merc c240). I searched Auto trader and Gumtree found independents/private guys selling them for around £6.5 - 7.5k with 60k(ish) on the clock on a 06/07plate. I found dealers offering similar for £8.5k- £9k ish. My questions are; 1. Are dealer cars worth £1-1.5k premium? 2. Is there a notable difference between the 05/06 cars and 09 cars? I would naturally go for the newer cars but it seems as the IS250 seems to be reliable, well built and without any major changes untill 2010ish.... so why pay extra? I would really appreciate some guidance and experience. Thanks for reading