smooth1

The only differences I know of are the usjdm 2j gte has 550cc injectors with top feed and the jdm vvti is 440cc injectors with side feed. If you swap the head, you will also have to swap the ecu and wiring harness with some tweaks of course. There are other reason but I'm not going to explain the whole swap to you as there is many threads and stickies explaining this process. But why would you want to just swap the head anyway?

Welcome to the LOC.

Welcome to the LOC. Post up the pics when you get a chance also.

I was also making sure you weren't talking about a used BMW and a new IS-C, or vice versa. I think I would get the BMW though. As much as I would lean on the Lexus, I think I would end up with the BMW. I could go into all my reasons if you want, but my answer is that. The BMW 335i.

Are you buying a new one or used?

Welcome to the LOC.

Welcome to the LOC.

What about the Odessey or Sienna?

Yeah, once I test drove the MB ML 350, everything else was just getting compared to it and falling short. I was waiting for something else to wow me and it just didn't happen. I've been very happy with the purchase since.

Hmm, it's difficult to "pigeon hole" mark up as alot of factors go into that. I would say most of what I see is 40% over the vehicle cost, but the vehicle cost has to include incurred costs as well, so net profit is generally around 25-30%. Of which they may be willing to wheel and deal in the 10-12% range. But with what has been going on with the economy, I see alot of dealers putting that price on the tag just to show a lower price to begin with, and are just not willing to negotiate down any further.

I have plenty of friends with LR2's and I haven't heard any of them complain or bring issues to me, which if they did have any issues and complaints, I always hear about it! I think one of them had an adaptive head light issue that was fixed under warrentee. The Freelanders, (Model before the LR2) I think had some strange issues, like rust on the exhaust systems, and some really cheesy plastic. While I think ALL car mfgrs have SOME cheesy plastic, I think the LR2 is much better. Something to remember though is that when you cross combine vehicles, you almost always end up having to make some choices. For example, the LandRover is extremely off road capable, so on road ride may not be as smooth as a luxury brand SUV. And the old 80's Range Rover is the one that gave LAndRover the bad name. But again, they were experiencing assembly workers consistancy problems more than engineering issues. If you got a Wednesday RangeRover, that thing would last forever, but a Friday one was a constant nightmare breakdown. Most all mfgr's are automated now.

An 07 TSX? man, that's a itty bitty car! I thought you wanted something with alot more space, and bad weather capable? You won't be happy with that one 6 months from now.

I would take another look at the Volvo XC90. Like an 07 or an 08.

So what about the Nissan Pathfinder, Ford Flex AWD, or even the new Ford Taurus AWD limited stationwagon, and I think you should give the Volvo XC90 another good look. I also went to the auctions this weekend. I saw alot of LAndRover LR2's going thru there in the price range your looking in. You might also want to go and look at the new Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Sounds like the booster/ cylinder or the valve is stuck. You may need a new one.

What interface unit do you have?

Sounds like you maybe have a brake pad hanging up? And sometimes the tires themselves can be the issue. On different surfaces they can "sing" or feel different as the miles rack up on them. The Bridgestone Turanzas I think are the worst for this.

TireRack sponsors or tires and wheels forum. The reason I point this out to you is because they have the absolute best website for comparing and choosing the right tire for you. You will be able to determine for yourself what matters to you most, and purchase or atleast find the best tire you can afford. You should try that and let me know how it went.

In July of last year I purchased a used 2006 IS350 w/ 46k miles, Premium, Luxury, Nav, Levinson & spoiler for $24,900 from a used car lot (not certified Lexus, doah!) in El Cajon, CA. At the time I purchased the car, my brother in law who owns a body shop in CO inspected the vehicle and everything looked good on the surface. He checked under the hood, the door seals, etc, but he didn't look under the vehicle and that turns out where the problem lies.

A couple days ago, I tried to trade my IS350 in, and the dealer pulled the AutoCheck history report (similar to Carfax). The Autocheck history reports an accident on 6/27/2007 with no details. It also reports that the auction house that sold it to the dealer I bought it from reported Unibody Damage at the time of sale on 6/19/2009.

The guy at the new dealership I was trading it in at took my car and put it up on a lift and inspected under the car. The manager showed me where parts had been replaced. There are a lot of markings on the bolts (can someone confirm whether or not lexus does this at the factory??). And some of the parts have brand new stickers on them that would have normally worn off quite a bit after 4 years. In addition, the inside of the front tires is worn down to metal in some spots, even though on the outside they appear fine, and have plenty of tread left on them. Here are the photos I was able to take:

http://picasaweb.goo...eat=directlink#

So... I'm just curious. Was the dealer I bought my car from required to disclose the previous unibody damage to me? It's been almost a year since I bought the car, do I have any recourse at this point? Looking at the photos, it seems like the repairs are legit, but the way the tires are wearing doesn't seem normal to me. Aside from buying new tires, what else should I do at this point? I mean, it seems to me like I've got a car which is now worth a lot less because it won't show clean on an Autocheck or Carfax report... And in addition, I have to disclose this to whoever buys it from me, so that will in turn require me to sell the car for less money...

Not sure what to do at this point... Just curious what others thoughts are!

Ok, let's address each issue I see here seperately.

First up, as much as you don't wanna hear this, you should have done a better inspection and history check on this car before purchasing it. In todays information age, theres no excuse or reason not to be able to find out the history of a car. And if you can't get it, then they are hiding it for a reason, and you should walk away right away. I know you said you had a friend look at the car for you, but from what you posted here, a simple carfax check would have said he/she was wrong right away. There must be some repaint work on the car and those are the first signs to look further at what happened to the car, which I'm sure the car buyer for the dealer saw right away, which is what prompted them to look further at the car. Any expereinced car buyer knows what to look for, ie, paint on the rubber, over spray, uneven blends, etc. etc. Once they see that, they look much closer at the car. All factory paint pretty much means no accidents. You should wash the car and take close up pics of the front and sides of the car and post them. I'll bet I can see where the car was repainted.

Ok, now on to the matter. You will need to look thru all the papers you signed when you purchased/ financed the car. There should have been a disclosure notice in there that you signed stating the condition of the car. You will need that. Once you found that, if it indeed says there is no damage to the car and so on, try to take all your gathered info to the dealer and go over it woth them and see if they are willing to work this out some how. If not, then your next 2 phone calls should be to the finance company (if you have one) and an attorney. The reason you should call the finance company is, technically, the dealership sold THEM the damaged car. They have a relationship with the dealer. Dealers need finance companies and a good reputation among them. Show them the carfax report and a copy of the disclosure, then have an attorney write and send them a letter. Most times at this point they will atleast be willing to "help" make this right. If not, your going to have a battle on your hands, but only if there are some state laws on your side. California and Wisconsin have some pretty tough laws, but most states, it is very much up to you to protect yourself. Alot of times, bad PR and negative attention by a local news reporter can add up to enouph pressure to do what it takes before they lose possible customers and a bad reputation.

The inside tire wear is not an indication there is anything wrong. These cars come from the factory with alot of camber that is not adjustable. It's a known issue. You need new front tires.

On the brighter side of this, you only paid $25K last year, which would have made the car only 3-4 years old that originally sold for $46+K. (Which in my mind would have been a huge red flag right away!) But atleast they didn't soak you on top of it.

Although I know this is not the case, I would have thought it very simple to have the car shut itself off when put into gear with out the key present to add to the security of the car. The key is already being sensed by the car with the courtesy lighting coming on as you approach as evidence of that. Also, the key has to be near the car for it to start in the first place. They must have thought it unnecassary for some reason? Are there any circumstances that would benefit from being able to drive the car without the key fob? Emergency or other wise that I'm just not thinking of?

Well who else is parking in your garage?

They sure look (a)like Lexani LSS8's...

I agree to the point if they aren't, they are close enouph not to matter.

Sure no problem, the reciepts look just like divorce papers...LOL!!!!!

You can always hide, cover and compensate. I've found turbo systems hides tree sap stains very well.

I've seen birds with machine gun !Removed! holes.....LOL!! Yep, they exsist. I think one lives above my aunts car.

It could be alot worse.

I don't know about permanant, but it's not going to be easy. Those actually don't look as bad as I've seen on other cars. I think you need a trusted detail pro who knows how to use a real buffer with more cutting action and can hit it harder. If it's gone completely thru the clear coat, then you may need to have someone reclear the paint after those are removed.

The problem is that a stock exhaust system has operating 02 sensors, a catalyst in the header, AND a catalytic converter behind the downpipe. A single highflow cat isn't gonna cut it. To pass emmissions your pretty much going to have to put the stock exhaust system back on, and replace the 02 sensors as I would imagine you have 02 sims in there now.