Pending Car Purchase. Canadians Here? 250 Vs. 323?

[thewalrus]

Weighing some issues here. I'm going to get a basic car here, so no options with either. And the two cars it's coming down to are the BMW 323 (a Canadian sedan - not available south of the border with a 2.5 L 200 hp engine), and a few fewer options than the 328. I'm weighing this against the IS 250. I assume that this is a biased sample here, but I'd be curious about your opinions. I've come to the realization that the BMW is probably more performance orientated, a bit more focused on driver involvement. At the same time I'm planning on keeping this for a while, and I believe that the Lexus is probably the more solidly built, reliable car over the long term. Combine this with more standard features and I'm torn between the two.

[bartkat]

The Lexus handles plenty good and with longevity in mind, it will surely be the best in that category.

[thewalrus]

Thanks for the advice. Having gone through this website, and some of the past topics, I noticed that this is an oft-repeated comparison. Especially between the similar BMW 328 or 330 and the Lexus IS 250 or 350. From those topics I was able to glean a pretty good idea of the differences between the two brands. It'll come down to a test drive and some good first hand experience. But there's very little not to like about either brand.

[bartkat]

Thanks for the advice. Having gone through this website, and some of the past topics, I noticed that this is an oft-repeated comparison. Especially between the similar BMW 328 or 330 and the Lexus IS 250 or 350. From those topics I was able to glean a pretty good idea of the differences between the two brands. It'll come down to a test drive and some good first hand experience. But there's very little not to like about either brand.

Really, try to get a good test drive on streets and roads that you know, if you can. Also test the same day if you can. I drove the IS250 and decided the ride, handling, and style suited me, but wanted more power so just went ahead and bought the IS350. I was driving a IS300 at the time and I figured it was a good comparison.

[kardanial]

go for the beamer if you enjoy driving. The lexus has the edge in styling and reliability but if you take good care of the bmw, it should last you 5 years at least without major problems. I always thought the bmw was over estimated till i drove one as a loaner for a week as my lexus was at the dealer for repair. It is the benchmark really. I used to own a G35 coupe, very nice car too, but all those japaneese are trying hard to immitate, and there biggest mistake is the exagerration while immitating so the whole recepee gets either too salty or too sweet if you understand what I mean. I'm canadian too, if you regret buying the beamer I'll be ready to swap with you my is250. Go figure.