Advice For Closing Car Purchase

[thatonejewishguy]

Hi everybody,

At the end of the week I'm getting rid of my '03 Honda Accord and mid way through the summer I plan on also selling my '04 350z. I'm looking into purchasing a new car to keep for the next 5 or so years. As my decision nears I've come down to a few cars Subaru Legacy, Lexus IS, and the BMW 335i; due to my family's car purchasing pattern I'll most likely be getting the Lexus. Now it comes down to which IS to purchase both models intrigue me, the IS 350 although more powerful lacks a manual model while I can get an IS also in either AWD or a manual if I chose the less powerful 250 model. Both speed and luxury are at my utmost concerns, I have yet to test drive the AWD or manual IS 250s I was wondering if anybody could tell me their opinion (especially if somebody's driven all three) of which one is the most fun to drive and any recommendations they're willing to offer.

Also I've been looking at the modifications offered currently for the IS models is there any particular model that has more mods then the others?

[bartkat]

If speed is that important, then it has to be the IS350.

[thatonejewishguy]

If speed is that important, then it has to be the IS350.

is there anything exceptional about the awd 250?

[bartkat]

If speed is that important, then it has to be the IS350.

is there anything exceptional about the awd 250?

Nothing that I can think of other than it's good in snow. It's just a little slower than the RWD due to AWD. When the new generation IS first came out I tested the RWD 250 and liked everything but the power so I bought the first IS350 that arrived at the dealer. I'm very happy with it and still really impressed after almost a year and a half.

[Craig F]

I've driven both the IS350 and the 250 AWD on a track at a Lexus marketing event. While the 250 doesn't have nearly the power the 350 does, it is no slouch in the curves. In fact, I'd say that it is the better balanced of the two, even though the handling limits of the 350 are probably higher given it's larger tires. If you don't want Honda Accords smoking you off the line, go with the 350.