While shopping for a Civic....

91 X

91 X

Legendary Member
Joined
19 May 2003
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3,572
Location
Temecula, CA
I ended up driving home a Lexus:redface:

It started as a search for an economical gas saving commuter car and Civic fit the bill, but while looking at them with wifey it quickly turned to the Acura dealer next door:smile: I was perfectly fine with a new 35 mpg civic, but wifey said they were hidious, so we started looking at the TL's and test drove one..It was a fully loaded 05 with only 25,000 miles and I got them down to the price of a new Civic(under $24K)...Beautiful car, roomy, all the bells and whistles, but luckily I held out and decided to sleep on it...While searching Autotrader.com for other deals, I remembered a car I wanted from the first time I saw it a couple years ago...The Lexus IS 250/350!!!
long story short, I found a sweet deal and drove home this beauty:biggrin:

an '06 IS 250 with 20,000 miles- pimped out with all the bells and whistles(navi w/ backup cam, bluetooth, heated/cooled seats, voice activaton, etc...)
I love Honda/ Acura, but couldn't pass her looks up:biggrin:
and still get about 30 mpg!!!

should be back in an NSX soon!!!

lexus065-1.jpg

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ChopsJazz said:
Nice car. I'd be interested on an update on your real mileage.
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well it averaged 28.9 mpg on the way back home from Huntington Beach..mostly frwy mileage:smile:

not quite a civic, but much better then the Tacoma:eek:
 
I was considering a used IS-250 and bought a new Civic EX-L Coupe w/Navi :biggrin: for my DD about a month ago.

Still breaking in the engine but I'm getting over 30 mpg combo so far. Paid $500 under invoice.
 
Not too shabby. I actually like the look of the IS models. If I was in the market for a sedan, it would be on my list of choices.
 
SilverStone05 said:
250 Has a 2.5.....350 has a 3.5.
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liters that is...:wink: and about 100 HP (204 to 306):frown:

Would have loved to find a 350 at the price I got the 250 for:redface:

but sooo glad I got the 250 over the civic and TL...

It is by far the smoothest car I've ever drivin..scary quiet...needs an exhaust asap:biggrin:

the pros and cons so far...(5 days:biggrin:)

Pros:
1. Looks
2. Handling
3. Tech'd out
4. paddle shifters are kinda fun
5. MPG's
6. very little road noise

Cons:
1. quiet as a church mouse
2. lags in auto mode..no punch
 
Can you comment on how "underpowered" the IS250 feels? I'm thinking about the replacement for my wife's Merc C230 next year.

350 is what I'd prefer..
 
slownsxt said:
Can you comment on how "underpowered" the IS250 feels? I'm thinking about the replacement for my wife's Merc C230 next year.

350 is what I'd prefer..
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It is not bad in the manual mode(paddle shift or tiptro) it is when in automatic that it is lagging...once it gets going it is good, but...slow to get there.
I would perfer the 350 too, but for a DD gas saving luxury ride, you can't beat it...
 
I just bought a used TL, but the IS was on my shopping list. IMO the new IS is the most attractive 4 door sport sedan in it's price bracket. Unfortunately the AWD version (it snows in Chicago) was out of my range. It took every practical bone in my body to keep me out of a RWD.

You can't go wrong with Lexus. As brand loyal as I am to Honda/Acura, I would have NO problem going into a Lexus again. The engineering is awesome. My old ES300 soaked up an offset hit in the rear from an SUV that was traveling 65mph, the car was devastated, but I was left virtually unscathed!

Car is a beauty! Hope you enjoy it.

Philip
 
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Congrats on your IS! Your post got me looking at this car and my wife and I wound up at the nearest Lexus dealer yesterday. We're looking for a replacement for her 02 Accord. After a test drive, we came incredibly close to buying an 08 IS 250 AWD, but stopped short since she still wants to take another look at the TL.

Looks like you made a good choice, though. It's still on our short list.
 
lunchman said:
Congrats on your IS! Your post got me looking at this car and my wife and I wound up at the nearest Lexus dealer yesterday. We're looking for a replacement for her 02 Accord. After a test drive, we came incredibly close to buying an 08 IS 250 AWD, but stopped short since she still wants to take another look at the TL.

Looks like you made a good choice, though. It's still on our short list.
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you can't go wrong with either choice, I love the TL too, it just wasn't as appealing to me as the IS...Also, if you want to save over $10,000(and who dosen't) look into a used one..I got mine from a Toyota dealership and saved over $12,000 over new...I'll take the 20K mileage for that savings anyday..:biggrin:

Let us know what happens...
 
I helped a buddy cross shop a IS250 with a BMW 328 recently. THe Lexus was nice but didnt feel quite as much like a drivers car as the Bimmer. I actually thought the tire noise from the lexus was louder than expected.He ended up buying the BMW, which i think i would have done as well if I was in the market. Not to say i don't think lexus cars are great. But we just traded my wife's ES300 in for a new HONDA CIVIC for gas reasons. She has been getting 34 mpg in combined driving. Much better than the 22 mpg with the lexus. By the way, we bought the lexus in 2005 with 53000 miles on it and it left us with 99000 miles--and we had absolutely zero problems with it. If it had not been for the higher gas prices, i wanted to keep it as long as possible.
 
chumch said:
I helped a buddy cross shop a IS250 with a BMW 328 recently. THe Lexus was nice but didnt feel quite as much like a drivers car as the Bimmer. I actually thought the tire noise from the lexus was louder than expected.He ended up buying the BMW, which i think i would have done as well if I was in the market. Not to say i don't think lexus cars are great. But we just traded my wife's ES300 in for a new HONDA CIVIC for gas reasons. She has been getting 34 mpg in combined driving. Much better than the 22 mpg with the lexus. By the way, we bought the lexus in 2005 with 53000 miles on it and it left us with 99000 miles--and we had absolutely zero problems with it. If it had not been for the higher gas prices, i wanted to keep it as long as possible.
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I used to have a '99 5 series (e39) and I don't think i'll ever buy another BMW..It was a nice car, but a POS with multiple problems before 100K..I do like the look of the new 3 series, but like I said, I don't think I'll ever buy another BMW...
 
91 X said:
I used to have a '99 5 series (e39) and I don't think i'll ever buy another BMW..It was a nice car, but a POS with multiple problems before 100K..I do like the look of the new 3 series, but like I said, I don't think I'll ever buy another BMW...
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I'll be interested to see how well his 328 holds up over time/ miles. I am also leery about long term reliability of bmws in general. It seems that the 3 series are the most reliable of the lot, but how that compares to a honda or lexus remains to be seen. Looking at JD Power surveys, you cant really beat lexus/ Acura.
 
Purchased a 250 back in March in Smokey Granite.
Not bad at all coming from a huge V8 M45. Love the MPG.

Congrats on a wise decision.
 
Rear back seat room wise, can you comment on the TL vs. the IS?

my bro has a IS250 and the back seat is quite tiny if the front passengers are over 6'2" tall.

I would think the TL has larger back seat space?


rk
 
s4play said:
Rear back seat room wise, can you comment on the TL vs. the IS?

my bro has a IS250 and the back seat is quite tiny if the front passengers are over 6'2" tall.

I would think the TL has larger back seat space?


rk
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yes, the TL had more room, but my kids are only 6 and 3... so there is plenty enough room for them to trash it:biggrin:

The IS can still fit 5 adults, the leg room is good just not much width as the TL...
 
91 X said:
you can't go wrong with either choice, I love the TL too, it just wasn't as appealing to me as the IS...Also, if you want to save over $10,000(and who dosen't) look into a used one..I got mine from a Toyota dealership and saved over $12,000 over new...I'll take the 20K mileage for that savings anyday..:biggrin:

Let us know what happens...
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We looked at both the TSX and the TL today, test drove the TL and that sealed the deal for my wife. She liked the power, the features and the roominess inside over the IS 250. We'll be picking up her 08 TL w/ nav early next week.

We go from a 2 Acura/1 Honda/1 Mazda family to a 3 Acura/1 Mazda family. :smile:
 
lunchman said:
We looked at both the TSX and the TL today, test drove the TL and that sealed the deal for my wife. She liked the power, the features and the roominess inside over the IS 250. We'll be picking up her 08 TL w/ nav early next week.

We go from a 2 Acura/1 Honda/1 Mazda family to a 3 Acura/1 Mazda family. :smile:
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congrats!!! post some pics soon...:cool:
 

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