MX5V6

Thanks for all the feedback again - I've been doing my research. We'll see if it does me any good!

Thanks for that - I car I would like to look at has had a lexus hybrid check and is valid until summer next year so battery problems would hopefully not be imminent. I am still debating with myself the merits of a hybrid system or just paying more in fuel but on a car I can work on more easily.

Hi All I am looking at a 2010 GS450h SE-L soon, but was wondering what specific things I should look out for? I have seen a few guides from a few years ago, but was wondering if any other things had popped up in the last few years to be aware of? If not, I was planning on doing my normal car checks, plus check for any brake binding. I don't really know how to check a hybrid system as this would be my first. I saw some mention of avoiding a car with ASSS, but I have little idea what that is apart from googling the acronym! Any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers for the responses - I'm looking at a 2008 model, which should be new enough to be ok for E10 (although high tax bracket!). Is changing the TPMS difficult/expensive if it becomes an issue?

Cheers for that - that's interesting to know. Most I have seen say its a CVT!

Hi all This may have been covered elsewhere, but I couldn't find anything definitive... I've been looking for some time now for an IS250 SE-L with now luck, so to broaden my search I'm also looking at some GS300s. However, where I found a very comprehensive buying guide for the IS250, I didn't find anything quite the same for the GS. Is there anything particular to look out for? I don't really know much about the CVT gearboxes - are they OK, and are they true CVTs? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks for the offer, but I think a year might be a little too long unfortunately!

Thanks again for the reply - that was more or less my conclusion, but nice to hear someone else affirm it!

Thanks for the replies. As a bit of background, I have recently sold a 2001 plate Jaguar XJ that was in very good condition inside and out for £5.5k, so I guess its that car that I'm comparing the IS250s I've seen against (I sold as it was a bit too big and thirsty for a daily car!). Now obviously different models will have different prices for various reasons, hence this thread being started to try and see if I've got totally the wrong idea of the condition I can expect for my money. I hasten to add, I don't expect a used car to be showroom fresh. But particularly when the asking price is £8k I would expect any paint that has been done to not have dirt in it or tragic lacquer crazing or sanding marks showing through. Or in the case of one I've seen, a wheel refurb that painted over the dirt, corrosion and valve stem (at which the dealer said it was done to look OK in photos)! The E10 issue is a bit of a strange one - in one sense running a car on super is no sweat, but I wonder if the price will bounce soon. Also, I wondered what would happen come resale time when the E10 compatibility was more in the public consciousness - would it be easier to sell on if it was unaffected? Originally I didn't want to spend more than £5.5k but hadn't seen one I liked, so wondered what a more expensive one would be like. So I checked out a £8k example and found it was rubbish! So now I'm asking whether I've been unlucky or unrealistic. Mileage doesn't bother me really, more the overall condition.

Hi all, a quick question for you all... I'm looking to buy an IS250 SE-L with the ML sounds system. Now my question is, what should I expect to pay for it? I ask as I've viewed 7 now, and have been unimpressed by almost all of them which leads to to believe I've not grasped how much these should be, or we live in a world of chancers! Ideally of course, I want a pristine example for as little as possible. But an example with some wear and tear outside would also be fine - though I do like a nice interior and the car to be mechanically sound. As an example of since I've seen, I give you: 09 plate, 132k on the clock, honestly advertised for £3.6k but a bit too worn for me. 58 plate, 48k miles, no working aircon, horrible paint and wheel refurb (done for the pictures according to the seller!), £8k. 08 plate, 34k miles, reasonable interior, bad rear bumper respray, front bumper not fitting well, very swirly paint, £8k. 06 plate, 60k miles, nice condition, needed new brakes, developed a loud interior trim rattle on the test drive that the seller couldn't guarantee would be fixed before collection. The best one I've seen £5.6k. Apologies for the long post, but what should I be looking at to get a nice SE-L, without dodgy dealer paint jobs etc and ideally post sep07 build date? Many thanks

Hi, thanks for the reply. I'll see if the dealer will give me the VIN, or failing that, run it through the website themselves for me. Thanks for the E10 headsup too - that was indeed the reason I was after the build date. The car I'm looking at is a 58 plate, so should be fine and actually be built after Sep07, but it may not be; hence my caution.

Hi all, A quick introduction before I get to my question... I'm on the hunt for an IS250 SE-L at the moment. I've seen four so far without quite finding the right one, but haven't been put off yet! However, I'm interested to know the build date of the next car I view - I understand that this info should be on a sticker in one of the door shuts. However, the dealer I spoke to could not see the info and I only had what the internet said to go on! So my question is, can someone tell me where I can view the build date on an IS250, and if someone wouldn't mind be extremely kind to a newbie, possibly a picture of the sticker so I know what I'm looking at? Any help would be greatly appreciated.