BosniaLexus

2006, 42500

Ouch! Big drop. Name and shame the dealer. What seems to happen is that they like to make around £2,000 for every £10,000 of real value. What this means is they want to sell yours for a realistic 26,000 (earning a profit of 4,000). If you are trading in for something else, say an IS250Sport costing £32000 (fully kitted) they would then ask for the balance of the cash payable (£6000). Thus, they will make £8,000 on you alone, plus the other stuff they make money on (paint protection at 350, lexus finance with big commission to dealer, and maybe GAP insurance, car insurance and so on. Most buyers want to buy a car from the dealer because they believe the service is excellent, so selling it privately is tough. Why are you selling, by the way? What did you not like about this car? There are a lof of them around, for sale at lexus. Strategies (a) keep it (B) drive trade in price up by 2000 and offer the balance in cash, waving 2000 less at them. SOme dealers will be sensible enough to take 4,000 profit and get the business. Good luck

And the Yanks are getting it for USD$60,000 which is £30,000 in our money. Its at least £51,000 here. Shame

There is no going back. After a few weeks with your IS200, you will wonder why it took you so long to try one. You are buying the most reliable car probably ever brought to Europe from Japan. Next, the IS200 looks brand new when clean/waxed. Next, it has a great engine (powerful, quiet, but a great roar when you give it the welly - something they did not do as well with the IS250). Great sound system, aircon, and other toys. Its also very refined, everything works and great to drive. Its also a great looking car. A little thirsty when pushed or if in city all of the time. You can drive the IS200 all day and get out of it without feeling crippled. I drove mine from Ireland to Bosnia a few times (through UK and then from tunnell) - once I drove from there to London , stopping only for petrol/coffee, in 20 hours. I would not even try that in the IS250. The IS loves the road, will not break down, can canter along the autobahn at 100-110mph happily without feeling strained (can do more) and the driver seat is perfect. This is one purchase you will not regret (and I do not work for or have any connection with lexus....). Just do not rush to replace it with the new one - as nice as it is, it lacks the seat comfort, growl and feeling of invincibility of the 200. Good luck with it and enjoy the drive. By the way, look at the work others have done here on the IS200 (modifications, tuning, bodywork - unbelievable!)

A bit steep at the price, so I hope that the service and warranty are good. I sold my 2000 IS200 with 47,000 miles (Irish reg) for EUR10,000 about 2 years ago to a relative who bought a new IS250 a few weeks ago, so he sold it for EUR7,000 with about 52,000miles. The car had its first MOT last week and passed (I know, but it was out or Ireland for a few years). Lexus dealers are expensive re: servicing in Ireland, but in the end, you can get it done anywhere (toyota etc) and at age 8 years, it will not make a difference to resale where it is serviced. Insurance is no worse than any other 2 litre car, and the tax is the same for all 2.0l cars. Where the IS will save you money is the fact that that model is probably still the most reliable car on the road today. It will never let you down, and provided the mileage is genuine and it has been cared for, you will never have to replace things like the gearbox etc... Its a quiet, comfortable, powerful car and also ageless. Good luck with it!

You bought the car in good faith from a lexus dealer. It should have come with a full operable set of keys. Period. That is the law, let them pick up the bill

IS? Surely these letters stand for "Instant Success" because when the IS200 came out back in 99, I bought one and I was sold in a flash. The IS has attitude, personality and is reliable. We do not find qualities like this any more, whether in our dogs, kids or wives for that matter! (only joking). In this false world of hype, advertising, small print and awful service, Lexus came to the UK and whupped a few asses!

The IS200 looks great with the 18"s and the 250 is stunning with the 19". It looks like the IS-F Thanks for the pics

Bulletproof. Mine's a manual, and after reading the xperience of people like Steve Midlands, I regretted not going auto. However, my manual is a joy - not a squeak. Believe me, there is nothing on the planet (A4, Merc C, BMW 3 or 5 etc) that will match the IS250 for looks, gadgets, comfort and refinement, The 250 is a car that looks 100 times better than it pictures. Buy as new as you can afford - that is good advice, and in order to benefit, keep it as long as possible. You cannot go wrong - as the dealers are great at follow-up Good luck with ur new car

Come back with the IS250 auto.... Good luck mate!

I am sorry. You said that you drive 60% urban. What do you expect? Start/Stop driving drinks the juice, and to be getting 30+ on a new engine is not bad. It will improve over time, but if you think carefully - is there something else you do not like about your lexus? How much better would you do in the noisy tractor they call the 320d, wheere you are lucky to have power windows and a car that starts on a good day? If there is a problem with your specific car, well and good, all other 220d owners will follow with interest and hope it is fixed. 30mpg+ for mostly town driving is not a problem. I would love that on my 250!

We need a resolution to this, without installing black and decker or any other Halford device (see IS250 thread for reasons to buy nothing from Halfords anyway - parking ticket to a member for staying in the shop too long!). This issue, and no other, has deterred me from looking at the rx400h. In the Balkans, my old IS200 started every time, and I used to part it outside for weeks on end. In winter i dug it out of snow. Nothing but nothing says "unreliable" faster than a car that refuses to start for whatever reason. Its odd to see RS owners providing technical advice to Lexus UK. This should happen in reverse. I hope you keep this topic going, and I suspect here are many, like me, watching it to see h if there is a simple fix or a lexus fix

Halfords are savages for treating you in this way, and you should tell them that you have told many other motorists on this website about their shocking treatment. We should ALL BOYCOTT these savages for doing this to a law abiding customer. You should have bloody well nicked something, and then they would not be long producing evidence you were in the store. Watch out for the small print on the ticket - if you do nothing, the fine gets bigger and bigger and you end up being a registered criminal You may have to pay it and then appeal it - and SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THAT STORE, so they end up losing a lot more than 40 quid. You are right - they are b*s*a*ds

Out of my league, moneywise, unfortunately. Its a shame that the country that understands cars least (americans) will get the cheapest prices and best colours. The only consolation about not being able to afford one is i will not have the headache of watching it - as i guess with will become the most desireable target for thieves. I hope it beats the socks off the Germans though

sorry about the fly comment - the spider or ant that is next to the Gold Membership logo (under Steve above) is mesmerising - i thought it was trapped under the LCD panel on my laptop, but then i did have a few.... I must say I find the lights on my IS250 sport to be very effective at night, and far better than the IS200. Tracking/pressure checks should solve the steering, if not check with dealer. If you are driving on muddy roads and the headlights are covered with dirt or dust, this may effect the lights, so check that front (and rear) lamps are clear. I must agree with lex-mike though - unless there is a fault - if you cannot see clearly in night driving, you may be driving too quickly, especially on country roads!

You will not go wrong with this car - it is sensational. I have the IS250 sport with MM, and my only (and minor) regret is not going for the SEL Auto, and this is because of the experiences of the others here. I have gotten used to the notchy manual gearbox, otherwise I cannot otherwise fault the 250. I too have beige cellensia interior and the color complements the exterior colour, though I suspect I will have to have it valeted every year. Fantastic engine, the multimedia is unbelievable and the car looks a lot better in real life than the pics suggest. There is simply no comparison with the unreliable and mean-specified BMW, or the new Mercedes C class which looks like a Rover 75 and probably drives like one, the Audi with the awful engine and obnoxious dealership.

Hi Two observations (a) the money is too big for this car. Its value is closer to EUR 10K than EUR 15K. Its a 2001 model, has a 2.0 litre engine which is expensive to tax in Ireland, and this money would buy you an 06 car (but not a lexus). (B) the name of the company suggests that the car was a japanese import and not originally supplied and serviced by a lexus dealer in Ireland. This should drop the money further Questions: Does it have a full service history from new? Has it all of its MOT certificates, including the current one? Is there any kind of guarantee? The car has ISOFIX and the boot will easily swallow buggies etc. Its no harder to park in Tescos or Dunnes compared to others. Its a little heavy on the juice for town driving, but what lexus is not?! The auto is easy to drive in the city though. Its the same as the IS-200, so if the paperwork is OK and mileage genuine, it will last forever. Its also a good looking car. If you can satisfy yourself that the mileage/condition is OK, and that it has had its 40K major service recently (including new tyres/brakepads - these wear first!), then offer a max of eur 12K with a 6 month warranty and you will have an excellent car. My 4 year old was almost born in the back of a lexus is-200 (not the sportscross) and it was a very easy car to live with with a newborn - very smooth and stable on the road, comfortable for any adult who sits in the back bext to baby on long journeys, and most important, if you were to have an accident in the mad traffic/driving in Dublin, this is the car that will protect better than most Good luck

i want it, i want it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brilliant job, and very well explained with the pics. Your car looks like it just came from the showroom!

I understand what you say, as I had two IS-200s before the IS-250. The IS-250 is a better looking car, and is far nicer inside, but is so refined that I feel that it is less powerful than the IS-200. Sounds weird, but the IS-250 lacks the "growl" of the IS-200. However, it is in a totally superior class in terms of equipment, looks and useability. Though I wish the car had more power and better MPG, it beats the socks off the BMW, Merc or Audi competitors. Once you get used to the notchy gearbox on the IS-250 (the only feature that compares badly with the old IS), you will become as attached to it as the old one. The bluetooth, stereo and keyless system are unbelievable. The car is quiet, but gets going well between 30-80mph. Its too slow from 1st (gear change needed too soon) and gollops juice above 90mph, but any any speed, it feels more solid and stable than any other car on the planet and must be one of the best looking cars on the road. Prices have come way down for them, though lexus dealers seek 3-4K more than a fair asking price. If only lexus would do a 3.0litre diesel that is as good, fuel efficient and reliable as the BMW 330d - then they would have a winner

there us a fly in here

the fly is here

there is a fly stuck in here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

My IS250 sport with mm is a superb car and has provided no cause for complaint. It is fitted with 18" wide alloys and tyres, which look great. Problem is, I believe that 17 inch wheels offer better refinement and lower road noise (is this true). Also, I want to take the car to the Balkans where driving through snow and ice is common for 3-4 months of the year. Though I should have bought the SE with 17 inches, that sport looked great etc... Questions: (a) Is it as simple as buying and fitting 17 inch instead of 18", and then (B) putting winter tyres on the 17"? It would also be nice to have the suspension lifted a little further away from the ground - the sport model is lower slung towards the ground. Any advice to make this car safer to drive around in winter conditions would be appreciated

done