RolandK

5 hours ago, GMG said:

Tell me about it  ...other cars are an old Porsche 911 and Mercedes slk!!!

A recent engine rebuild for the Porsche was over £14k !!

Ouch!!

30 minutes ago, GMG said:

...same for me; my cars need to be tip top mechanically and cosmetically...Will not live with anything not working or any worn/ damaged interior/exterior...I keep my cars like this...talk about ocd!

 

It's very satisfying to have a car where everything is just so regardless of it's age. Problem is I generally run 2 to 4 cars at a time so will never be a rich man!! Nor have much spare time! Apart from that a harmless pass time but sadly not wholly supported by 'her indoors'!

10 hours ago, Linas.P said:

yes... just as example - in 2014 I got 2008 IS250 with 120k miles, drove it for 6 years to 200k miles and sold it still in great shape, bodywork in good condition (bar few stone chips) leather is nice and no mechanical faults. In comparison recently got one IS250 from auction 2006 and with 102k miles... and it is just horrible all around, probably 4 times as bad as mine one was at 200k miles.

So one should not assume good condition on the mileage alone.

Very true. Some people are happy to drive dirty, tatty cars and just let them deteriorate. Myself I just can't do that. Even if I'm driving an older car it has to be the best it can cosmetically and mechanics. Kind of auto OCD my other half says! Each to their own.

22 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

The best overall value for IS250 are in high miles but well maintained cars - high mileage depreciated the car, but if used on motorway doesn't really wears it out - so could be great purchase. So to get best value for money I would look at the service history rather than mileage. 

Buying lower mileage cars on Lexus are just not as important as on other makes, where at 60k is about where they start to fall apart.

I would agree and reliability and durability are big attractions for Lexus. Lower mileage usually equates to better overall condition for interior and bodywork which is important to me.  I say "usually" but not always! Seen a couple of rough low mileage cars. 

Thanks all for your valid input. Now it appears sold that removes my dilemma! I agree that it might have needed some attention and money spent to get it out of its slumbers and check it through and fix any glitches. On top of the price that would have made it a bit expensive overall. I did get stung once buying a very low mileage classic car which, once I started using it,sprung oil and fluid leaks nearly everywhere! Neither fun nor cheap as it was an XJ12 Daimler Vanden Plas! There are other low mileage IS250's around that might be a better bet.

Cheers

Anyone else spotted the 2012 Advance on Autotrader with 3300 miles on the clock? Full MOT and Lexus service history. Tempted even at £13k. Aware though that very low mileage cars like this can still deteriorate by standing around. Be grateful for your opinions.

Cheers

58 minutes ago, Mr Vlad said:

You could go to that lexus dealer with the assumption that the cars price is 9k. Whilst there you could haggle. 

Yes I did consider that. A 15% overnight price increase is a bit of a liberty even in the present climate. I think they could have put the wrong price on it to start with then realised.

Anyway self-isolating at the moment so everything's on hold.

It's definately a sellers market at the moment. Aug this year I sold a car I had bought in Mar through WBAC. After the usual haggling due to a couple of minute stone chips on the bonnet I was still £500 up on the deal. The problem will be when the chip issue is resolved and new cars start to flow in. Next year I think the used market will return to previous levels and then used cars bought now will inevitably depreciate significantly. Swings and roundabouts!

Well I didn't make it to see the F Sport today. Just noticed the price has gone up today by £1100! Used car market is mad right now. Mind you I did think it was originally a bit cheap at under £9000. Ho hum!

7 minutes ago, J Henderson said:

2010 F-Sport is pretty much SE-L spec, minus the full leather, cooled seats and rear blind.

Everything else an SE-L has is included. Mark Levinson (if nav is equipped), memory seats, retractable steering wheel etc. Newer models with DRL-equipped headlights (MY2011) lose all these features.

 

In terms or ride quality, I have no frame of reference as both IS250s I've owned have both been an F-Sport, but for me the ride quality is excellent. It's not exactly a lightweight package so it soaks up bumps really well, despite sports suspension and 18" wheels.

The alcantara-clad sports seats are also very comfortable. I could drive mine all day, no problem.

Definitely try and get a test drive of one.

 

Thanks for the info. If it's still available I'll go and take a look tomorrow. It's at a Lexus dealer surprisingly and is 'franchise approved' whatever that means. Been through some kind of QA process I guess.

I decided to pass on the SE L I went to see but now a 2010 F Sport for sale at a Lexus dealer has caught my eye. 77,000 on the clock. Haven't been to see it yet but it looks ok with a good spec and the connectivity I am looking for plus the ML system. Obviously the car comes with Satnav but not sure how out of date or useable it is. I understand the F Sport has a rather hard ride. If anyone knows how one of these drives I'd be grateful for any opinions/info.

Thanks

Thanks. But it doesn't mean it's got usb though,?

21 minutes ago, F.A. said:

It’s a 2009 facelift. The wheels also confirm this. 

Thanks for the info both. I can't recall if the display was like your pic or not. The rear lights are like this....

6 minutes ago, J Henderson said:

Sounds like the car in question, could be an early facelift as I don't think the earliest examples had the USB port.

Anyway, for me, USB playback is inferior to streaming via Bluetooth.

With USB, you do have the advantage of being able to access tracks and folders on the touchscreen, but I find the pauses between each track annoying.

It's especially jarring when listening to something where the tracks are supposed to flow into each other,  such as a DJ set, concert or whatever.

If you store the same album on your phone and stream it over Bluetooth, there are no pauses.

 

Interesting. I thought the Bluetooth was just for phone calls. If I can play music from the phone too at the same time that gives me a workable option.

Thanks

Went to see the car today and all good apart from the absence of the usb port I was expecting as it's a 2009 facelift SE L with the ML audio.  I need the full functionality to play and control the music on a usb stick but can't see any way of doing this without changing the whole unit which is probably neither financially or technically viable,,?

5 minutes ago, NeilS said:

It turns on a heating element in the windscreen which melts any frost in cold weather, to protect the wiper blades ie. it prevents them sticking to the glass. 

 

Ok, thanks.

8 hours ago, F.A. said:

This was the case then we were looking to buy a brand new  SE-L from the dealer back in 2008.  The multimedia system was not standard on any 2IS other than the ISF.  Below are multiple examples of SE-L cars current for sale with no Multimedia system fitted (easily identified by no screen in the centre console), so no ML. For clarity they all have the wood trim  that’s only fitted on the  SE- L grade and some adverts also show the rear blind button and head light washers indicating HIDs fitted, which are also exclusive to the SE-L trim.

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4

Example 5

 

As you say, what I've been doing is zooming in on the pics in ads looking for buttons that show which options and headlights are fitted and looking for the ML logo on the audio. Also indicators in the door mirrors to establish if it's a facelift car. As an aside there are up to 3 buttons in the lower dash on the right. One is for the rear shade, one for headlight washers but what's the the one on the left for with a wiper symbol and jagged line through it? Heated screen? 

Cheers  

5 hours ago, Texas said:

If the sight of the real wood trim bugs you that much and you are a bit handy on the tools then all inserts are removable and can be vinyl wrapped or hydro-dipped to your liking!

 

My thoughts exactly! I might go down that route. Is that what you've done in the pic?

Cheers

1 hour ago, Texas said:

Easy way to determine a SE-L is the interior panels have the real wood inserts and only the SE-L had rear electric sun shade ( not even fitted to the ISF!)

and this sticker on drivers side ‘B’ post.

 

IMG_3622.MOV

Handy thanks. I'm sure I've seen a few cars advertised where the seller puts the wrong spec! I'm focusing on an SE L at the moment. Having said that to be honest I'm not that keen on the wood trim, looks a bit like an aftermarket afterthought! Also not sure about the use for a rear window blind either. All the other toys I like the look of. Just my personal view!

Going to see a 59 plate SE L tomorrow that ticks all my boxes but a bit pricey at nearly 10k. Still has a full Lexus service history, 58,000 on the clock. Also set of refurbed wheels with £500  worth of new tyres.  So might be worth it.

Cheers

On 10/16/2021 at 8:09 PM, toffee_pie said:

I agree, to use DAB as a deciding factor in a car purchase is a very poor idea

I said I had a preference for DAB but it's not an overriding decision factor. FM reception is poor where I am but DAB is fine. Same is true of a number of other criteria like I'd prefer the car to not be silver or have black upholstery but if the right car came along with that combination I wouldn't reject it outright. On the other side the cars come with stuff I most likely won't use like cruise control that I'm not a fan of, memory seats as I'm the only driver and a rear blind which I frankly can't see the point of. I'm learning that these cars are rare relative to the likes of equivalent BMW's, Audis and Mercs so my list of criteria is flexible up to a point.

I appreciate the input on the flaky Lexus DAB thanks and would agree that some of the aftermarket options sound like a good idea.

Having widened my search criteria a number of cars with Advance  spec are coming up so going to see what that spec offers. 

Cheers all.

31 minutes ago, J Henderson said:

DAB was an optional extra, regardless of trim level, and seems to have been rarely-ticked by buyers when these cars were new.

I believe the DAB tuner can be retrofitted though if you can stomach the cost (£400+). 

 

Facelift cars with a USB port can indeed play music from a connected storage device.

Also, Mark Levinson-equipped cars with a HDD-based navigation system  allow CDs to be ripped on to it. From memory, the allocation is around 10GB.

 

Regarding the ML system itself. For me, it's not a must-have on the 2nd-gen IS since the "normal" 13-speaker setup is so good.

My previous car had ML, and current one doesn't. There really isn't that much of a drop-off so don't let that put you off picking a car that doesn't have it.

Cheers

I had no idea when I decided on a SE250 that it would be so complex on the spec. and options front! Thanks for your input which, along with the others has helped me focus on what car I need to look for. It's a post facelift (2009 on) SE-L preferably with the ML system and DAB. Colour wise I'd prefer other than silver and prefer the light leather. Not too high a mileage as one or two cars I've seen at around 70,000 miles had quite tatty and worn interiors. I'm also going to have to up my budget! The hunt is on!

Thanks

8 hours ago, McShmoopy said:

Yes the SE-l (lowercase) does miss out on some of those feature. Unfortunately I did have a link to compare the trim levels side by side but it’s now stopped working!

The facelifts did come with USB connectivity support (including iPhones) as well as Bluetooth. I’ve never tried a USB stick but I can certainly try it out for you. Pre facelifts only had aux or required a mod for Bluetooth so I’d stick with the post facelift unless you’re willing to change the head unit or get a grom audio unit. 

i assume the multimedia pack is the Navi screen with reverse camera, it is a definite must and it saves you doing any drastic mods to the car so that alone is worth it. 

 

 

Thanks for that. I've tried looking for comparison lists for specs on line and on the forum but drawn a blank.

What comes on each car seems further complicated by options. Eg. Some SE-L cars have the ML audio and some don't. I would like DAB if possible but that seems rare and don't think even the ML units do it?

I'm wondering if DAB can be added. Preferably 'discreetly' as I dont really want something like the Pure adaptor stuck up on the dash!

Thanks

Thanks toffee_pie.

I'm thinking a SE-L is the way to go.

I've seen a few where the audio system has no ML logo. Are they still the ML unit despite this? 

One of the attractions of the IS250 for me is the exclusivity compared to BMW 3 series, Merc C Class and Audi A4. Problem is that exclusivity is making the exact car I want like hen's teeth! 

Cheers

Thanks all for the input.

I didn't realise there was an SE-I hence my confusion! I thought the 'I' in the description was lower case L! DOH!

So the 2010 car in question has all the stuff I need including audio with DAB, Full Map Nav, reversing camera, cruise, folding mirrors, front and rear parking sensors, leather. Doesn't have ML, rear blind, headlight washers memory seats.

So that sounds like an SE-I   I guess? What exactly does the MM pack include and how can I establish if the car has it? Lastly can the audio play media on a USB stick?

Cheers  

Hi

I am looking for an IS250 SE or SE l but getting a bit confused on the difference between them and the options available.

I understood that the basic differences were that the SE didn't have the memory seats or rear blind that the SE l has (neither a 'must have' for me) and didn't have wood trim like the SE l. I've found a possible car but it is advertised as a SE l but I think it must be an SE with options? If has silver interior trim, no rear blind, but has what I think is the MM package with rear view camera. Not a ML audio I don't think but it does have DAB which I would like as FM reception is rubbish round my way! If I go for this car is there anything else I'd lose out on from the SE l?

Thanks