Daniel / Dallas

I owned an IS300 and had to replace the factory tires at around 15k miles. I think they may have run down prematurely due to a wheel issue that I didn't notice. I'm now on an IS250 but no idea how long it will be. I do agree that if you are concerned as to how soon you will be replacing your tires or 91 fuel instead of 89 perhaps your issue is base cost and you should consider a different car. Honestly the G35 isn't a bad car at all. By the way, perhaps many of the members here would shoot me, but I use 89 octane fuel in my IS250 (and 89 in my old IS300) most of the time and aside from slightl diminished ability to 'floor it' and accelerate rapidly I notice no difference. I like Lexus quality and design and at the time I purchased there were no compelling options in the range that I liked (I did not trust Acura and Ininiti was about to redesign the G35)

I purchased by 2006 IS250 brand new from Sewell Lexus in Dallas, TX It is fully loaded with ML/Nav/Camera, Pre-Collision/Radar Cruise, dealer window tinting I purchased on 12/31/2006... Unfortunately, this is not my first IS. I say this because I LOVED my 2004 IS300 that was fully paid off, unfortunately in November 2006 a presumably expert theft ring decided to visit my home where I had rarely parked my car on my rear driveway, bust the lock, clip the battery wires and expertly remove virtually every single valuable component from navigation system to every single airbag including those attached to the seat belts. They did not cut a single wire, all were detached at harnesses. So someone out there is driving their Lexus using my stolen parts...and my car was totalled out after just 3 years. Beyond that, I really enjoyed the styling of the IS300 more than the newer IS250 though the IS350 was overkill for me, but availability was very constrained and given the circumstances I had to replace it immediately. (The first IS was purchased at Park Place Lexus in Plano TX and my new 'internet sales' guy was RUDE plus they did not have inventory of an IS equipped with what I was looking for. By comparison, I FAR prefer the older navigation system with joystick and buttons to my right rather than having to dirty up the screen with fingerprints. I also far prefer the navigation screen that pops up onto the dashboard so I feel in many respects that is a step back. My MPG improved from approx 15 to 23 so that was definitely a major improvement and while my wife does not trust it I absolutely love the radar cruise control and have achieved long trip MPG of 30. Issues 1) One time the DVD changer jammed and I had to take the car in - was held for a week while waiting for replacement DVD changer. Service told me 'not to use CDs that I burned myself' (while that is explicitly supported) 2) One time the seat belts tightened (very tight) while driving on a side road over a tiny bump. I think it was the pre-collision system - scared my wife half to death because it was a death grip but for some reason it really didn't bother me much. Dealer looked at it and did not find issues. 3) Asked them to look into very premature 'squeaky brakes'. At first I was told replacement brakes would be avail this summer and would be installed free of charge - then I was told they would still do it but that the new brakes are not performance brakes and it will change the driving characteristics of the car. 4) I believe there was some sort of recall on the seat belt assembly. 5) This probably sounds stupid but I've never owned a luxury car that has wipers that scrape the windshield when being used - I have tried fancy wipers and also asked the dealer to replace the assembly. Irritating - this issue has been never resolved. I do all warranty svc at Sewell Lexus where purchased and have had other service done at Davenport Motor Co. While I have had very little experience with them, just based on the small details I can tell not only are they incredibly honest and committed, but they will save me a great deal of $ on repairs without sacrificing on quality. For example, they identified certain defective items during a scheduled service interval that most dealers would still probably service, but instead of doing so they informed me it was covered under my factory warranty and directed me back to the dealer. All in all, I miss my old IS300 and loved the color. I was forced to accept the rather generic silver because that was the only option in my configuration. In the future I don't think I would ever buy a car (esp at this price) without really loving the color.