ProjectIS250

I see X's but it could be cause im at work and this computer has mental issues.. I'll try from home

Ditto that Outlaw LOL

A boy can dream...

Hi, I am new to this Forum. My name is Lonnie, I am from the Bay area, California.

I own a Toyota Celica GT 2002, and a Honda Accord 2003 EX coupe. I am planning to buy either an IS 250 or an IS 350 very soon. I am in the Military, soon to be ex-military within the next few months. I am 25 years old and single, lived in Oakland, CA for over 20 years. I am planning to open a business partnership with a childhood friend and settle down in the Bay Area, California.

Good luck with the search, your going to love the car

Hello,

I am Toby from Cincinnati.

I am a International Purchasing Manager for a large aftermarket/performance parts supplier.

I drive my personal 06 IS250, as well as an 06 Jeep Grand Cherokee

We have in our business fleet:

05 SC430

06 LS430

06 RX400h

06 GS300awd

Unfortunately I do not get to own these vehicles but have the PRIVILEDGE to enjoy them.... every so often..

Sounds like a good gig to me :D

I live in Southern California. Claremont, to be exact. I work in Riverside.

I am a court reporter.

I have had my Lexus IS250 since August '05. My husband drives an E-55 AMG, Mercedes. We also have a third car, if you can tell by my id name........

E55 eh?? That car is wicked quick.

maybe its the type of cleaner you use

I think its the lack of cleaner, i just use a damp terry towel.

So, let me ask you....

When I test drove the IS 250, I didn't get to beat on it.

When you get on it, does it have that same Week Whacker affect like the RSX?

Or does it have a beefier sound?

No, not at all. The IS really has no sound to it untill you really get on it then you here the exhaust note. I think an exhaust on this car would sound great, bring it to life more. I've never heard the IS350 but im sure thats got a nice rumble to it.

Completely agree

"Who's can pimp harder" ... LOL

Its true, you don’t buy a Lexus cause you feel like spending 35-40K its because of the pimpability. You can just as easily go out and spend 20K on a Honda/Toyota and get the same reliability, etc. It’s just that those have no pimp factor... Do you want to be the guy lacking pimp factor??? I think not.

I think im loosing it :D

What color interior do you have? If it’s black, then the tint will look darker from the outside. I like a nice 35%, with black interior it looks nice and dark from the outside but you can see out of it from the interior. You can go 20% but to me that’s to dark, makes seeing at night a pain. A quality job on a 4 door should run you around $200-$250 anything cheaper chances are they are using crappy tint. Your best bet is to do some research around your area on the shops.

We like the ML350 very much. It's a fine piece of German engineering. I didn't get it with the air suspension so I went to Brabus and lowered it. Also, I swapped the wheels to 20" Anteras. Handling is much improved. It handles twisted roads better than my IS250. But I still love my IS.

Sweet, it must look wicked on wheels. I was thinking/looked at benz, cady, etc. but then i saw the IS and well...i fell in love :D

I traded in a 05 Acura RSX Type S for my IS250.

Ones a sport compact and the other luxury sedan, Its 2 totally different cars, Its a 10K difference to top it off. So you’re looking at it all the wrong way, it’s not about whose is faster it’s who can pimp harder ;)

Its no big deal if your girls car is faster anyways, my girl drives a new TL and that thing would smoke me any day, but I look better.

I like the wood look and all (prefer the aluminum look more) but it fingerprints really easy. Its like I clean it and 2 days later it’s all greasy looking. Its like I went to KFC and took the drumstick and started rubbing it on the wood.

Its a pleasure to meet everyone, Keep the intro's comming

By the way, i tought Durex made condoms

It was a tough job sometimes. :D

You were in quality controll? Really? That much have been interesting, how did you test the products ;)

I'm from the east bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. I'm in management for a well known cellular phone company. My wife drives a 06 Mercedes ML350. She's a stay at home mom until my son (3 months old) is 2 years old. I also have a 5 year old girl. I commute in the 06 IS 250. I love this car.

I went to look the the ML350. How does she/you like it?

Its a pleasure to meet everyone, Keep the intro's comming

I was in quality control. Worked in the test lab.

By the way, i tought Durex made condoms

Like the topic says, just wanted to get an idea what you IS guys and gals do for a living, where your from, and what other cars you drive besides the Lex.

I’m from Nutley, New Jersey been here almost my entire life, aside from some 7 yrs in Florida.

I’m a Financial Specialist for the 4th largest bank in the US.

I’ve had my Lex for 2 months now, its my first one :D I also have a 06 Acura TL (my g/f and I)

By the way im Vito. :)

Yes... I'll be taking up a part time job at the local 7/11 just to pay for the gas myself....

But... IT WILL STILL BE WORTH IT!!!!

This car is a BLAST!!!!

Only thing I've found that bugs me.... and its only a small thing.... but the "Current MPG" meter.... Its useless!!!! Why do they need a 0-90 for!????? a 0-35 with more detail would be more helpful...

but a 0___30___60___90 !??????? Thanks for the thought Lexus... but I would rather have something more like 0__15__30__45 or even better.... 0__10__15__20__25__30

With the way im going... 0__15___20 would be more then enough :D

My norm is like 20.X avg. I think that sucks, i feel like all i do is feed the car and at 3.xx a gal im going to need a part-time job to keep up with it

I have to say, Lexus Carlsbad has very knowledgable sales reps. There was no pressure whatsoever and when we test drove the car he kept telling my wife to floor it to see how powerful it was.

Even after we agreed on a price he took my wife over to this kiosk and started going over the safety features of the car. I almost said to him, "hey, we already agreed to buy it, you don't have to sell us on it anymore" but he was on a roll so I let him go. Learned a few new things about the car that I wasn't aware of too. Our saleman actually owns the same car we bought though so I would have been surprised if he didn't know everything about it.

When I stopped in there a few months ago I had a different guy let me take out both the 250 and a 350 for about a 10 mile test drive and he also encouraged me to get on the throttle to see what they could do.

Acura was also very gracious with test drives on the TL though. I have no complaints with them on that.

My lexus sales guy had no clue what was going on

Acura was awsome with our test drive they let me and my girl take it out alone, told us to take our time, its nice not having a salesman trying to sell you from the back seat :D

I’ve tested it out a few times. It seems like the car will give you the freedom to rev out the gears before you shift but once you shift, the shifts feel laggy. Its not an instant response unlike the BMW SMG gear box which gives you total control with 5 different sport modes and the trans reacts precise with no sign of lag. Its not something i will be using often but when I feel the need to take a spirited drive, I will be sure to use it as it does give you a pretty good sense of control.

How is that SMG transmission as far as reliability goes? Man, I'd hate to see what a replacement costs...

I haven't really used it at all. Our car only has a couple hundred miles on it though.

Never really heard any problems with them, they do come out with upgrades now and again. All you have to do is go to BMW and they re-flash the trans ecu with the new program. The Farrari F1 is the most advanced auto-stick on the planet, they say BMW is like the second.

The MDX was $44,815

Picking it up for a shade over $39,000.

(Forums say that I shouldn't pay above $37,000 for the MDX Touring with NAV and DVD but I think their full of it.)

I couldn't get anywhere near that deal near me.

They're offering me even better deals on the TL, considering I just got the MDX and this would be a second purchase.

Given that good of a deal, I can put the savings into a good set of snow tires.

When I asked for a deal on the IS locally, I was told to pound sand. (Too much demand)

There is a dealer a few 100 miles out that will drop $2,000 off MSRP, but that still doesn't have the ML package.

Waiting for the brand new '07, there will be no deals given. :cries:

(And rumor has it, the '07 IS goes up $1,500)

37K, i dont know about all that...that would be like over 7k off sticker, thas alot. Could you imagine getting 7k of the TL :D

1500+ more?? thats insane Mine was like 35,xxx i would have never bought it for 36,xxxx unless i was getting HID's, XM/Sirius, etc.

You like the TL?

I get mixed reviews, especially on the Torque Steer issue.

Plus there are trillions of them on the road, I like how the IS stands out.

But I also hear that if driven correctly, the 6-Speed gets low 5's 0-60 and is a blast to drive, and I can get in one for approx $4,000 less than the IS (Fully Equipped)

The Sales Manager and General Manager know how stuck I am on the IS.

Everytime I go in, they try to talk about the TL's options, and I shoot everything down when comparing to the IS.

They have been offering MAD deals on the TL for me, and they get better every time I go in.

He's willing to throw in the optional 18" wheels, body kit and spoiler.

The car looks awesome like that.

I love the TL, like I said above I’m either driving my IS or my girls TL. I wont argue with you on the torque steer issue, it does pull. The TL puts down some serious power though, and like I said the 6spd will not disappoint. If you can get the TL with the entire A-spec package, (18” rims, full lip kit, wing, suspensions, etc.) I would be all over it. The TL with Nav and entire A-spec kit you should be around the 40k mark, if you can get it 4k of MSRP, you cant beat that. Lexus is not going to take 4K off of the IS. I know for a fact that Acura can give you the crack head price, cause we got our TL for 4200 off MSRP.

Are we talking about an IS250 or an IS250AWD?

I thought there were clearance issues on the AWD model, and this was why Lexus didn't offer the 18" Spider option on the AWD model.

If there are no clearance issues, why is this option not avail on the AWD model???

I have an AWD

My boss has an Acura MDX and she came from a Lexus IS300. She's the one who told me that Acura wouldn't give loaner cars when she drops it off for oil changes but Lexus would. Acura would make customers wait or give them a ride somewhere in their shuttle van. She told me that she originally thought she'd keep the MDX for many years but is now talking of trading it in for another Lexus.

Our neighbor also has a Lexus and she raves about their service. She's had nothing but Lexus cars for the past 10 years.

I dropped off the IS tonight to have the chrome wheels installed. I was out of there in 10 minutes in a Lexus ES330 with 7700 miles on it. Nice car but slower (certainly less responsive anyway) than the IS and the steering feel is much lighter with less feedback. Brakes aren't nearly as good either.

I guess each dealer is different, because my Acura dealer had loaner cars and would offer them to me. There was never a real need for one, oil changes only take 20-30 min, id rather wait then have to come back. I haven’t really dealt with Lexus service yet, but will be at my 5K mile service so we see.

I'm on hold for an '07 IS250 AWD with Lux & Nav/ML packages.

I'm waiting due to the fact that Lexus is not currently producing IS's with the ML Stereo option at this time.

I have to replace both my Jeep Grand Cherokee and my wife's car within the next year.

The Jeep is first to go and since the IS is on hold, I just put a deposit on an '06 Acura MDX Touring with Nav and DVD. Got it for $4,500 off MSRP and I pick it up on Saturday.

When my '07 IS is avail, the MDX is going to be the wife's ride.

I completely agree with your comparison of Lexus vs Acura.

Acura was incredibly respectful, knowledgable, friendly and patient with us, which is more than I can say about Lexus. (See my previous posts on dealer experiences)

We test drove a MDX test model for 45 minutes and beat the tar out of it, it was a fun test drive. (Yes, the saleman was with us)

Lexus let me take the IS250 AWD for 10 minutes down back roads, never got it above 30mph.

Also, Acura service is open until 10pm for oil changes and minor repairs, which is very convenient.

With that being said, there is a lot that is missing.

Lexus puts you into the lap of luxury through the entire buying experience (if they do things right) and also offer conveniences like loaners when repairs or maintenance are needed.

Their service waiting area is beautiful and they offer everything to make you comfortable.

They also offer applogies for inconvenient recalls by sending IPODs out to IS owners.... I thought that was awesome.

Acura has a coffee machine.

You drove the '06 ES and comparing it to the IS, you were not very impressed.

Has anyone driven the new '07 ES350?

The car looks awesome.... I wonder how it is compared to the IS.

I'm curious because I love everything about the IS except it's size.

The more I think about it's size, even the Acura TL with the 6 Speed Manual and Nav is looking good. :whistles:

The back seat is larger, but now I'm losing the Lexus luxury

The '07 ES350 may be the perfect answer for me.

I couldn’t agree more about the sales process, Acura was so much better and the deal...forget it I only wish I could have got half the deal we got on the TL on the IS. The Lexus people were more...how do you put it...stuck up, but it is a more luxurious car.

If you got the IS with all those extras, you have to be near 40K, you might as well go with the TL A-Spec and Nav(which is in and around the same price), let me tell you the TL 6spd will NOT disappoint. Its got some serious power, and it shifts like a sports car.

This is my first Lexus, so I guess I have to wait out the experience and then make my judgments.

.

The IS350 has 18x8 on the front and 18x8.5 on the rear.If you have an AWD it is VERY important to keep the same height tire/wheel combo front to rear so you don't ruin your transfer.I have sold IS350 18x8 and put them all the way around on an IS250 AWD so that combo works for sure.

So i cant do a staggered offset (ie 18X8F and 18.5R)?? So i can go 19's jsut have to keep everthing the same so if i go 19X8.5 all the way around i should be fine right? Thanks again for the help

I’m looking to put wheels on my 250

It didn't come with wheels?

No. I got my 350 in October and it's been sitting in the front yard on blocks ever since. :chairshot:

LOL thats one expensive lawn ornament Whats the wheel stats on a 350? There 18's right? How wide 18x8 or 8.5?

I always thought German cars were bad, but the My IS is a pain. I went to town cleaning the car on Sunday, worked the wheels with wax and all and you can already see the black on the rims 3 days later. It’s driving me nuts. I need to start using some products everyone’s been recommending.