2Ravens

Is it really easier to source a good manual than auto? Surprising, I thought there were way more autos sold. Never tried the manual, I would be curious to. I like my auto, you can't really knock it. It's not as quick as a ZF but it's smart enough, it never feels daft and it's nice to have the easy driving, slightly better economy and tax situation. But I wouldn't have been totally against the manual. Heard it's not the greatest box but it's still a manual hooked up to a V6 RWD, how bad can it be.

It would have most likely have been a superb car. I understand the concern about sitting around as that's the conceived wisdom but it really does come down to quality of engineering, and servicing. They aren't tinpot cars where everything goes brittle and rubbish just because it's unused. I can only give you my experience, 2007 IS250, 36k on the clock when bought, bought in 2019. Not a single thing does not work or has failed on the car. It has never had an advisory in its life. I've changed some rear brakes and that is it as thankfully it had new tyres when I got it. It's an experience of one so take it for what it is but if they've ran it on fresh oil I don't see anything to fear in low mileage 250s so if anyone finds another snap it up pending inspection. Not gonna be many left of that ilk. Mine is showing some slight kerbing and bubbling on the alloys, typical Toyota product there. So that isn't about mileage, just pot luck and age.

I don't think it matters, never seen a difference in economy or performance on the couple occasions I tried it. Possibly it makes some small difference but I think it's beyond most human drivers perception. If I can get 40mpg plus on a run with regular 95 octane, what is premium going to do much better, it's a heavy V6 powered car! Even if it did it would likely not account for the price difference. If premium makes you feel better crack on with it because if it improves your positivity towards the car and you don't care about the money great, but objectively I don't think it's ever been proven to help anything. There may be something in the fuel quality helping stop carbon buildup, however even this is anecdotal and far from proven with the direct injection setup. There is some anecdotal evidence that the US cars had a few more carbon issues and they typically run lower octane petrol. However this is not fact because the is250 sold vastly more in the US and so without reliable data you can't prove anything since you are going to hear more complaints from the US. It would take much greater research to correlate it to fuel quality. The simplest conclusion is probably that direct injection can have some drawbacks on some engines and that is fundamentally to do with the design and little to do with fuel.

I think that damage will easily be solved by somebody competent. I had worse damage on my old Civic I had done by one of those mobile repairers as I wasn't too fussed about an imperfect result or spending big money to have a body shop do it. It was done in a couple hours and cost 100 for damage to one panel. They usually charge per panel so yours may be a bit more. The outcome shocked me. They colour match extremely well these days. If money isn't such an issue and you want to guarantee the outcome a body shop will do it for double the money and possibly upwards. But I think for relatively minor damage one of the mobile ones will do a fine job on sanding that back and respraying, just find a reputable guy in your area.

Interestingly on a couple of the Lexus service sheets I have from the original owner of mine they also show "gearbox fluid" or something to that effect and I bought it with 35k. So like you say this is either a case that the original owner wasn't happy with something or maybe it has been possible with some dealerships at some point. Is it particularly likely we both had cars experiencing auto gearbox solenoid problems requiring this treatment or is it maybe that it was offered (no idea why this would be the case on this particular car early in it's life though! Could only be classified as a bit of a rip off pointless task)

Just out of interest, how much would we be looking at for a brake upgrade and what's the best way to go about it?

Did this get bought in the end? I think there's a difference between something like this which is low-low mileage and just ordinary low mileage (say 3-4k a year but consistently used) I'd be worried about seals, hoses etc on this. I'd want to see at least a decent history of services and I'd be very thorough checking for leaks. At the end of the day if this is not in a damp climate the underside, exhaust, brake pipes are unlikely to be extensively corroded. That is a problem in the UK on extremely low mileage cars, the sellers forget that actually these can rust just as bad and in some cases worse than more heavily used cars! They think they're in original condition and often they just ain't. Then if you get a few teething problems with leaks you can end up with some moderate repair bills and consistent issues in early ownership, not many of which are serious but can be annoying considering the premium paid. So often the prices do not reflect this reality. That said the powertrain will be in excellent condition long as the engine has had oil changes. Throw in a potentially favourable US climate and it starts to look like something worth considering.

I personally think the auto fluid change is not the worst idea. They are good boxes like most Aisin products but they're not invincible and failures have occurred at mostly decent mileages, as would be expected at this stage of the IS250s life as a product. So at 110k I think it's a sensible time to be preemptive with regards to the powertrain. This goes more to the fact friction is a thing and lubrication is important than any massive concern but there is definitely a fair amount of anecdotal evidence regarding fluid coming out looking particularly..well..unpretty. I can only see it as a potential benefit. I would recommend sticking with OEM fluid with autoboxes, always. Go with Lexus or a very trusted independent so this job is done right, not that it's massively hard. But I suppose it depends on ones tolerance of risk, it's not mandatory of course and I'm sure plenty of vehicles have gone the distance without changes but for a relatively minor fee and the chance of extending a parts life that has the capability to write off a car I think it's prudent. Would also agree 400 is not absolutely ridiculous for a top notch job but a little excessive for the alloys. I would haggle that down a bit or look elsewhere, there are so many places that can do the job to a high standard. Rarely is the cheapest choice a good one but why pay top end for the same outcome.

This sounds very much like my 2007 SE-L I managed to pick up for a very nice price with 35k on the clock. Mine had even had the water pump done at some stage, not sure if it was preemptive or leaking. There are certainly some nice examples about of Lexus of this era, saw some nice GS's too but too much car for me. Best car I've driven. I did a Scotland road trip and got 42mpg on the trips up and down. Overall on fairly quiet roads it returned high 30s throughout. Surprising economy. I do expect that to plummet on commutes and through winter if returning to the office but it's nice to know you can achieve such figures. Mine is due for a service late this year and I'll get the calipers looked at. No obvious problems but another known weak point.