UKPulse

Around 36mpg - car does mostly long trips, e.g. a Horhsam to Havant commute every other week.

I'm with you on the look of the RX facelift that's coming. Looks like something out of Battlestar Galactica to me!

Still enjoying wafting about in the current 450h as it's only 2yrs old, hopefully Lexus will have a whole new model for consideration by the time this one's up for replacement.

Unfortunately I don't have access to mine, but many thanks for the confirmation

Hi there, I am trying to find out the dimensions of a 2003 IS300. The length is easy, but I'm not sure if the width quoted of 1725mm (67.9in) includes the wing mirrors or not. I.e. is it 'wing mirror tip to wing mirror tip' or is it 'door handle to door handle'?

Unfortunately I no longer have my brochure which I think used to have a diagram of the car dimensions (and would have shown if the width included the mirrors). It's all to do with the car fitting through a rather 'narrow' garage door!

I'd have to agree with you mate- the last proper/well built Lexus cars were: LS400/430, GS300 (mk 1 & 2) and the IS200/300.

...and the Soarer of course, but then I would say that

Looking at the CT - can't say rear visibility is going to be that great.

Talk about a tight fit! Good job they lent her the demonstrator...

Think I'll have to attach something to the back wall of the garage, like one of those camping roll mats.

It came to about 4% off in the end. Was told that it may arrive as soon as 6 weeks, as there was one of the spec she wanted in the supply line that they were able to reserve. Had it been a factory order they said she'd be looking at 20 weeks potentially :o

Well, shopped around and got a dealer that was prepared to negotiate. Got offered a good package including freebies as well, so she's done the deal!

Now just the 8 weeks or so of waiting... then I can be ferried around in luxury :D

Being back in a Lexus showroom (not the bunch who stitched me up all those years ago I hasten to add), and driving their cars again after so long has reminded me what nice machines these are B)

Many thanks for all the replies.

She does have her heart set on the Lexus, and while she's looked at the X5 and does think it's a very nice car - at 4857mm long (compared to the 4780mm of the Lexus) it won't quite fit in the garage while the Lexus should do, just. Actually, could extend the garage with the money saved on say an X5 3.0d The Merc is out as her sister has one, so there's a bit of sibling rivalry plus it doesn't seem as comfy as the X5 or Lexus. I did mention Land Rover/Range Rover to her and all I got was a funny look

I was surprised the dealer won't offer anything off the price, but as you say - time to try another dealer, although they're a bit scarce in the south east (maybe that's what the dealer is relying on). Useful to know that the target should be around what the brokers are offering. Did have a look online for GAP insurance, and can get Return To Invoice or Vehicle Replacement for around £410 for 3 years, which doesn't seem too bad. I'd guess the Lexus own GAP insurance is going to be more than double that.

Sounds like it is going to be a very expensive car to own from new, so maybe a 2nd hand one wouldn't be out of the question. Did a quick search on the Lexus site for 'approved used' and there are a few SE-L's about... trick is it has to be red with a cream interior (women!!)

My other half is looking to buy a new RX450h SE-L, and with metallic paint as the only option she wants, the price looks to be around £53K. First thing the salesman said is that she can forget about any sort of discount, but if they're feeling generous they might chuck in free GAP insurance and possibly some sort of deal on servicing for 3 years. Sounded a bit harsh seeing as on-line brokers will do the exact same car for about £3,500 - £3,800 less, and one of the biggest brokers even arranges the deal through your local Lexus dealer!?

What's also a bit worrying is that if you opt to finance the car on a lease-purchase, the Guaranteed Future Value after three years (based on 10,000 miles a year) is just £19.7K... that sounds to me like the car is going to depreciate over £33K in three years, or around 63%. Is that right? The salesman was talking all about Lexus exclusivity and strong prices, but he obviously didn't mention any figures - the ones I got are off the Lexus finance calculator.

Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely car, but it sounds like the dealer is playing tough plus the car is going to be very expensive to run, all things considered

Any Lexus dealership is only as good as its staff.

I have long been a staunch defender of my local Lexus dealer and the cars in general. Needless to say the dealership has changed hands, most of the sales and service staff are new and as a result, the whole Lexus experience has taken a slide.

Whoever said there's no loyalty any more was spot on.

Ok it's NINE WEEKS and I still don't have the car back!

Last Saturday (Jan 28th) I complained to my local Lexus dealer about this. To take this long to fix my car, to attempt to return it to me in such a poor state and to fail to keep me informed of progress is totally unacceptable. As the repairer recommended by the Lexus dealer they fall way short of the level of service I'd expect, so it's looking like they'll soon be named & shamed over in the Gold Forums. :tsktsk:

Courtesy car? The repairers only offer Ford Ka's as courtesy vehicles and there is no way on earth I'm driving one of those!! Have been using the Soarer plus I have the use of a company Audi A3 (which I have to say apart from poor build quality and rubbish dealerships, ain't a bad car to drive).

Gimme a 'ghay' auto any day :winky: ...most roads round here are permanently clogged with traffic, speed cameras and old biddies just pootling along!

Update - my car has now been at the repairers for almost NINE WEEKS.

My confidence that the car will be returned to me in perfect condition is dwindling with each passing day. Given that they are supposed to be the official repairer for Lexus, I'll now have to refer the matter back to my local Lexus dealer to see what can be done.

There is no way that all the dealerships for any given car manufacturer (with the possible exception of some really exotic make with one dealership!) ... can get it right all the time. There are always going to be odd ocassions when they drop the ball or do something wrong. I tend to judge them firstly on how often such mistakes occur, and in my experience Lexus make far fewer mistakes and give better service than dealerships for most other makes, and secondly, how quickly and how well they deal with mistakes when inevitably they do occur.

Trust me, I have had a lot of dealings with BMW, Mercedes and Audi dealerships and they all pale into comparison compared with my local Lexus dealer. Audi in particular have exhibited such an utter lack of customer care that it almost beggars belief!

What someone said earlier about your relationship with a dealer being a two-way thing is very true. Invest a little time and effort in them, and show them a little respect and they will hopefully respond in kind :D

Yes the garage is the recommended repairer for my local Lexus dealer.

To be fair, I spoke to the guy later on the phone as it was obvious there were 'issues' with the work done and he agreed that the car should never have gone out like that. They are going to respray the doors and put everything else right, so we shall see what happens second time around.

I also pointed out that the car was going to be inspected by Lexus - shock horror, they may be taking it in p/x against an RX (sorry lads but I may be going all Chelsea tractor on you until I get an IS250 in two or three years time), so it's got to be mint - same as it was before the accident.

I know its annoying that the HIDs are only on the SE-L, but besides that, even the SE has a higher spec than the old IS300 (keyless entry, ventilated seats, and all that) so based on that it still costs £30K for a fully loaded IS250SE Auto :)

That is one thing that gets me... car manufacturers make all this fuss about how safe their cars are, so given that HIDs are soooo much better than halogens, how come they aren't standard on lower spec models too? Oh well that's another topic I guess.

True, pound for pound there's no direct comparison between the IS300 and the new IS250 SE or SE-L. I'm a sucker for Lexus tho, and even tho the competition have Lexus beat when it comes to performance (like the BMW 330 will leave the IS300 for dead), the Lexus beats it in every other way IMHO and so I know I'll end up buying another one :duh:

Well after seven long weeks of waiting (thank goodness for the Soarer - kept me sane) I went to pick up my repaired IS300 this morning.

Sad to say that I REJECTED the car and refused to take it away. A quick external visual inspection showed:

• Prominent scratch across the rear n/side door.
  
• Several scratches on the front n/side door.
  
• N/side front headlight crooked.
  
• Front grille crooked.
  
• Overspray at corner of bonnet.
  
• Rear o/side door not the right colour! (Sort of mottled).
  
• Overspray on o/side B pillar.
  
• Black marker pen writing on rear windscreen.
  
• Parking sensors not flush with bumper.
  
• Incorrect rear light fitting.
  

Didn't actually get in the car or drive it.

Hopefully this will all be put right.... soon!

The new IS is good, but I agree that the new pricing is going to make people think twice. My IS300 Nav cost around £30K and to get the same spec now I'd have to pay £33K. Also what gets me is that they made a big deal about how quiet the car is - at 70mph it's not that much quieter than mine. The let down was the engine - compared to the 300 it felt very sluggish at times (and the 300 is no beast!).

Yes I'll probably buy one, but I'll go for a 2nd hand one that's 2/3 years old rather than lash out on a new one again.

WAAAAHHHHHH.... they are repairing it.... and every single panel except the roof and doors was busted, boot floor almost touching the top, bent sills.....!! Bang goes my GAP insurance putting me in a new IS250 :tsktsk:

Went along to the repairers to have a look - now since when do you repair a BENT SILL by putting FILLER in it???!!

I will reserve judgement for when they've finished, but I don't see how they can return the car to the state it was in (i.e. mint!) before that idiot ran into me, and while they may do a reasonable job cosmetically, it just ain't gonna drive right!

I feel a fight coming.... watch this space

Interesting that... Lexus lent me an IS250 SE-L for the day and that had this intermittent rattle/buzz from the dashboard. I put it down to the fact that as a demo car it had more abuse than normal.

Still no movement on whether my IS300 is a write-off or not (hoping it is cos my GAP insurance could put me in a new IS250 SE with satnav...!).

Anyway, I have been 'mitigating' my claim against the (dozy) plonker who ran into me by using the Soarer, but enough is enough. It's time to make them feel some pain and whack in a claim for car hire. Had an IS250 SE-L for the day a short while ago.... well impressed despite my initial scepticism, so the plan is to see if I can hire an IS250 for a week and charge it to the 3rd party's insurers.

Question is, given it's such a new car does anyone of a company that hires them out? (and that will deliver to the south east). Probably a long shot, but hey - what the hell :D

(Somehow when I google "IS250 car rental UK" I manage to get results for US companies or contract hire companies!)

I've told my local dealer straight... if I'm spending £25-30K on something I'll own for the next 3/4 years and do 40-50K miles in, I can't decide by driving it round the block. I want it for 24hrs minimum.

I recently looked at getting a BMW 120d Auto for company use. They offered me the car for an hour, with a salesman in tow. I told them I wanted the car for a whole weekend or it's no deal. They gave in. (Hate to say it, was quite a good car apart from the badge, but I said no thanks).

At the end of the day you want to be able to try the car in all the conditions you'd normally expect to encounter - motorway, country lanes, heavy traffic, round town, daylight, dark, wet, dry, with 1 occupant, with 4 occupants & luggage, etc. You can't do that in 45 mins.

Thanks for the support & kind words everyone.

She must have been doing a fair rate of knots by the look of the damage.

Did she get her make-up finished before she hit you, you would not believe that number of women I've seen doing just that whilst driving on a morning up to London.

Main thing is you are OK mate the car can be fixed or at worst replaced. And like Am says claim for the whiplash.

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LOL - she must have been doing something cos she wasn't looking where she was going. Was one helluva smack because it pushed me a fair way up the road into another vehicle.

Strange enough my neck seems ok. My right shoulder and the top of my arm is all purpley and horrible, but the doc says there's nothing broken and my reflexes are ok. Said it will hurt like bu??ery for a few days (which it does) and then should clear up. (Take these and come back and see me if it doesn't improve).

My insurers reckon it'll be 3-5 days before they can get an engineer out to the car. Spoke to the repairer this morning, he was upbeat - 'sure we can fix it' which actually worries me. Every panel except the roof and doors was bent!!

Now I'm in the situation of either they write it off and I have a fight to get a fair price for the car off her insurers, or they patch it up and while it may look ok, the geometry could be foobar'd and it doesn't drive like it used to, or Lexus give me less than I would have got when I eventually come to p/x it cos they know it was pranged quite badly. Also can't get a courtesy car until her insurers own up and agree to pay for that.

Seems no matter how well covered you are, there's a lot of pain and grief when you get hit, even if you're completely innocent :o

Incidentally - had to take my docs down the police station as a formality. The PC I was chatting to asked how I was and remarked that Lexus cars seem to stand up a lot better than many other cars in accidents.!

06:45 this morning - busy dual carriageway, congestion, I slowed down and stopped at the back of a queue of traffic in lane #2. Sat there behind a white van minding my own on a business. Mint '03 reg IS300, 22K miles, pride & joy.

06:45½ this morning - almighty crash, woman behind fails to notice I've stopped. Hits me so hard I'm pushed up the road into the back of the van that I was 8ft behind seconds earlier!!! There is an '03 reg Fiesta where my boot used to be.

Priorities changed - wrecked IS300, just so much metal, at least I'm relatively ok (just bruising & whiplash). Don't know what will become of the car - an '03 IS300 Nav, worth around £17K(?), looks wrecked but I'm no expert. If the repair bill is > £8-9K it's a write off? At least I'm not at fault and have got all the other drivers details (she's with Direct Line).

Only managed one hasty phone-photo as the car had been loaded for towing. That was the 'better' side!