Hopeful 'soon to be' new Lexus owner

is200 Newbie · December 14, 2017

13 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

That low mileage might not be good sign, especially calipers, battery, rubbers... Not saying it is any bad, but car which done 2000 miles a year sometimes can have more issue then the one which was run. The worst case is where car is low mileage, but was parked for last 3 years...

As for this particular car the history is immaculate and consistent (~2000miles a year), though there are expected issues - "both rear tyres are cracked and perished,rec. replace" - clearly result of car being parked most of the time, so if tires has this advisory I would not be surprised for other seals and rubbers to be "dry" for prolonged periods of time and be cracked etc.

I don't consider old cars with low mileage myself, due to the reasons you have mentioned above as the car at the end of the day is still, in this case, coming up for 11 years old. That's why I mentioned the OP if considering it would be in a good position to haggle the price down. There's ideal info on the forum to assess against the car to see if there's issues with it.

An independent check over the car by another garage / mechanic would be a good bet to see if there are issues. It would be ideal as a car that's going to be used to put mileage on it and I would imagine there would be more re-sale value if sold under the average mileage in a few years time than buying a newer one.

I don't know the amount of owners it has had, it would be a different story if it has had numerous keepers over the years.

doog442 · December 14, 2017

Have you driven one back to back with a Honda ?

That should be your decider..

Linas.P · December 14, 2017

15 minutes ago, is200 Newbie said:

I don't know the amount of owners it has had, it would be a different story if it has had numerous keepers over the years.

It seems like 1 or 2, the mileage over the years was very consistent and very few people drives for only 2000miles. The reason I am saying 2, is because it seems in first year car did 15k miles, so either demo car or the first owner changed it after the year.

KenMavor · December 14, 2017

15 minutes ago, doog442 said:

Have you driven one back to back with a Honda ?

That should be your decider..

Go look at these guys...

https://www.bmcspecialistcars.co.uk/

I was looking for a "nice" car....Honda Accord, Lexus IS250 or similar, Honda Legend etc.

These guys do Youtube vids as well. They do good cars at good prices. I test drove a 2.4 Accord, Legend, etc and bought an IS250.

They have a couple of very nice, low mileage IS250s in just now. Just about doable for you to get there and back in a day and have a good test drive of a Legend, IS250, Accord to see which one you like.

JDM-Fiend · December 14, 2017

4 hours ago, is200 Newbie said:

Have look at this IS - being advertised on ebay

Super low mileage for the year at 27k and its a 2007 SE-L

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2007-Lexus-IS-250-SE-L-Auto-Black-Black-Leather-AC-Nav-Mark-Levison-27k-mile-FSH/382304826182?hash=item590324b346:g:PMkAAOSwRNhaEX1Z

Consider if you are going to put the miles on it then this mileage will be ideal - the cost is quite high though but this reflects the mileage - a good prospect for haggling to get the price down a bit. Worth a punt if you don't mind the age of the car...

Sorry for the late replies everyone.

Appreciate you finding that one, but I'm looking for a 2009/2010 onwards and ideally a F-Sport, failing that I would have considered a SE-L.

Also concerns me when dealers say Full Service history, when there's no mention of what they define as full service history.

3 hours ago, Linas.P said:

That low mileage might not be good sign, especially calipers, battery, rubbers... Not saying it is any bad, but car which done 2000 miles a year sometimes can have more issue then the one which was run. The worst case is where car is low mileage, but was parked for last 3 years...

As for this particular car the history is immaculate and consistent (~2000miles a year), though there are expected issues - "both rear tyres are cracked and perished,rec. replace" - clearly result of car being parked most of the time, so if tires has this advisory I would not be surprised for other seals and rubbers to be "dry" for prolonged periods of time and be cracked etc.

I only really appreciate lowish mileage cars if they are still maintained well and still driven. So, they change the tyres and the car generally wants for nothing.

3 hours ago, doog442 said:

Have you driven one back to back with a Honda ?

That should be your decider..

I already own 2 Honda's - 1 is a 2001 Honda Accord 2.0 Executive with a manual (the IS should replace this) and my wife drives our 2009 Honda Accord 2.4 Executive auto, incidentally it's a great car.

2 hours ago, KenMavor said:

Go look at these guys...

https://www.bmcspecialistcars.co.uk/

I was looking for a "nice" car....Honda Accord, Lexus IS250 or similar, Honda Legend etc.

These guys do Youtube vids as well. They do good cars at good prices. I test drove a 2.4 Accord, Legend, etc and bought an IS250.

They have a couple of very nice, low mileage IS250s in just now. Just about doable for you to get there and back in a day and have a good test drive of a Legend, IS250, Accord to see which one you like.

Appreciate this one too, thanks.

Linas.P · December 15, 2017

F-Sport is nice, however I don't really like the fact it comes with alcantara seats in UK and they are not even ventilated. I would really struggle to find reasons to buy face-lifted car - lights with DLR looks better, but apart that very little difference.

doog442 · December 15, 2017

22 hours ago, igotthechronicbythetree said:

I already own 2 Honda's - 1 is a 2001 Honda Accord 2.0 Executive with a manual (the IS should replace this) and my wife drives our 2009 Honda Accord 2.4 Executive auto, incidentally it's a great car.

Have you driven the IS 250 yet ? Apologies if already mentioned.

JDM-Fiend · December 15, 2017

F-Sport is nice, however I don't really like the fact it comes with alcantara seats in UK and they are not even ventilated. I would really struggle to find reasons to buy face-lifted car - lights with DLR looks better, but apart that very little difference.

I live in the UK, so don't really have a choice in the seats! Just love how the F Sport looks and also drives so well. I found it perfect in terms of stiffness on rough and smooth roads. Was originally considering and SE-L, but it's not my first choice now. Haven't test driven one to be fair either.

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JDM-Fiend · December 15, 2017

Have you driven the IS 250 yet ? Apologies if already mentioned.

Yes, about a week ago. It was an F Sport and it was amazing to me. Powerful, quiet, smooth and comfortable, all ticks for me! Was surprised how well the 18's and the suspension dealt with rougher roads. My benchmark is probably a Z4 coupe I used to have which was not suitable for a day to day in terms of suspension. All the Honda's I've had, the suspension is probably the weakest point on them all, along with braking in my opinion. Always a bit crashy and not damped well enough. My current Accord driven by wife which has fantastic brakes, I think they are twin pot up front. Suspension is OK, a bit meh.

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JDM-Fiend · December 21, 2017

Now a Lexus IS250 F Sport owner! Post to come soon with pictures!

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Rebecca · December 21, 2017

13 minutes ago, igotthechronicbythetree said:

Now a Lexus IS250 F Sport owner! Post to come soon with pictures!

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Congratulations, you must be absolutely delighted 😀

The Lexus IS250 F sport really is an awesome car.

Looking forward to seeing the pics 😀

steveledzep · December 21, 2017

Yes.....well done you .

Shahpor · December 22, 2017

Congrats!

I had a CT loaner for 2 days this week, and getting back in mine afterwards made me realise how great these cars are still to drive.

Just so you know; It is perfectly fine to grin like an idiot whilst driving yours.

noby76 · December 22, 2017

On 15/12/2017 at 11:41 PM, igotthechronicbythetree said:

My current Accord driven by wife which has fantastic brakes, I think they are twin pot up front. Suspension is OK, a bit meh.

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I did the opposite went from Lexus to Honda Accord 2.4 Auto... had IS300 and GS430 both nice cars but didnt enjoy the caliper issues managed to get them fixed and replaced but kept reoccuring after few months apart from that nice powerful cars.. always fancied the CL9 Accord and heard nice stories of the K series engines so decided to give one a go and i must say the Accord is just as smooth as the gen 1 and gen 2 IS250's as i had one for a test drive years ago when my Gen 1 went in for cambelt change at the dealers.. i think honda did a great job with the CL9 Accords. no sqeaks or rattles feels well put together and feels powerful than the 190 horses quoted surprised by honda build quality I am considering the Legend as an option when I am ready to change or likely come back to Lexus brand again. enjoy your IS

Below Vid is from a lexus Owner about the Accords.

JDM-Fiend · December 22, 2017

10 hours ago, noby76 said:

I did the opposite went from Lexus to Honda Accord 2.4 Auto... had IS300 and GS430 both nice cars but didnt enjoy the caliper issues managed to get them fixed and replaced but kept reoccuring after few months apart from that nice powerful cars.. always fancied the CL9 Accord and heard nice stories of the K series engines so decided to give one a go and i must say the Accord is just as smooth as the gen 1 and gen 2 IS250's as i had one for a test drive years ago when my Gen 1 went in for cambelt change at the dealers.. i think honda did a great job with the CL9 Accords. no sqeaks or rattles feels well put together and feels powerful than the 190 horses quoted surprised by honda build quality I am considering the Legend as an option when I am ready to change or likely come back to Lexus brand again. enjoy your IS

Below Vid is from a lexus Owner about the Accords.

Interesting swap from Lexus to Honda. I have just always felt that the Lexus is more of a step up. Bear in mind I'm a massive Honda fan for the last 15 years or so.

To give you an idea, my last 3 cars (1 is still current, the CU2 as the wife uses it) - 2009 Honda Accord 2.4 EX auto (CU2 Chassis code), BMW E46 328Ci and 2004 Honda Accord Exec 2.4 manual (CL9 chassis code). The K24 is a peach of an engine, but it's nowhere near as refined as the Lexus. But it feels revvier and more raw, if that's what you are looking for. For me, the biggest downside of the CL9 was the lack of media integration such as USB and Bluetooth. The suspension wasn't great, but with an aftermarket kit it would be sorted. Overall, it's a real sleeper of a car and quite rewarding to drive. Needs some mods or perhaps the Type S is stiff enough to sort it out. Before the IS250, I was considering buying the Euro R (CL7), but seems too nice (probably too raw) a car to rack up mileage on.

I've chosen the IS250 (2010) because it's a better all round package, especially being newer and more luxurious. The Accord is much more fun, especially in VTEC. I loved the manual I had, but the sequential auto is good although a fair bit slower than the manual. Enjoy!

noby76 · December 22, 2017

i kinda missed the raw feel in both my Lexus's.. had a 2.5 V6 ford cougar prior to my first Lexus and that was raw was not very powerful but the engine note made up for it... as you say the 2.4 accord betters the lexus IS for rawness and feel without loosing many points in the comfy/luxury toys department.. so yeh if you going by badge then one could say the Lexus is a step up but in terms of driving dynamics i feel the accord drives better even with lesser power than my two previous lexus's...

JDM-Fiend · December 22, 2017

i kinda missed the raw feel in both my Lexus's.. had a 2.5 V6 ford cougar prior to my first Lexus and that was raw was not very powerful but the engine note made up for it... as you say the 2.4 accord betters the lexus IS for rawness and feel without loosing many points in the comfy/luxury toys department.. so yeh if you going by badge then one could say the Lexus is a step up but in terms of driving dynamics i feel the accord drives better even with lesser power than my two previous lexus's...

It's difficult as it's all subjective. Drives better is a very subjective statement. If you mean sounds better, revvier and lighter on its feet then yes. For my current needs, the Lexus is a far better drive, but I'm after comfort and refinement.

My understanding of a Lexus is that it's not about out and out driving experience, I think it's more of a focus on luxury with a touch of sportiness.

In terms of a step up, I meant the Lexus is a more premium brand than a Honda rather than just a badge.

Which Lexus IS did you have?

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noby76 · December 22, 2017

Gen 1 300

JDM-Fiend · December 23, 2017

Gen 1 300

The IS300 in my opinion isn't comparable to an Accord.

If that's your comparison, then the CL9 Accord is the better car on the whole (IMO of course)

Against a IS250, not a fair comparison. Think apples and oranges.

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noby76 · January 30, 2018

On 23/12/2017 at 11:55 AM, igotthechronicbythetree said:

The IS300 in my opinion isn't comparable to an Accord.

If that's your comparison, then the CL9 Accord is the better car on the whole (IMO of course)

Against a IS250, not a fair comparison. Think apples and oranges.

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mmmh i would have to disagree with you....all three cars 250, 300 and CL9 are marketed and sold as entry level compact sport saloons so can be lumped into the same basket..dont get me wrong the 300 comes into its own in a straight line its just Lexus setup the handling a bit wrong in that it felt soft when cornering had it WIM'd twice still didnt make a difference i do recall another member on here by the name Toffee_pie who had the 2.4 CL9 Accord and switched to IS250 and also confirmed in a thread the CL9 was a better car he sold it and got a 3.0 Legacy Subaru... Enjoy the 250 nice cars all the same...

JDM-Fiend · January 30, 2018

mmmh i would have to disagree with you....all three cars 250, 300 and CL9 are marketed and sold as entry level compact sport saloons so can be lumped into the same basket..dont get me wrong the 300 comes into its own in a straight line its just Lexus setup the handling a bit wrong in that it felt soft when cornering had it WIM'd twice still didnt make a difference i do recall another member on here by the name Toffee_pie who had the 2.4 CL9 Accord and switched to IS250 and also confirmed in a thread the CL9 was a better car he sold it and got a 3.0 Legacy Subaru... Enjoy the 250 nice cars all the same...

I don't want to turn this into a big debate, it's just opinions. A car is only better when it fills your needs, there is no overarching 'right' answer.

To help clarify, they are all compact sport saloons (not sure about entry level?), but the IS250 is more of a luxury cruiser and rear wheel drive. The IS300 is an older generation and to my knowledge only came in an auto in this country, so it's a different type of drive automatically (no pun). The CL9 is front wheel drive and is very light on its feet.

Just because they are in the same category, doesn't mean they are the same. This is all I meant by apples and oranges. The E46 325i/330i is in the same category, but again not comparable.

Again, to reiterate the phrase 'better car' differs from person to person. If its overall driving enjoyment, then I'd say the Accord is a better car. If its luxury and refinement, the IS250 walks all over the Accord. This is coming from a current IS250 owner and a 2 year CL9 owner.

Enjoy the Accord, pretty much a given anyway! (if it's a manual moreso!) If I kept mine, I would have gotten a Fujitsubo exhaust, slightly lowered it and bought some 17 or 18 inch Spoon alloys despite the cost.

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noby76 · January 31, 2018

30 minutes ago, igotthechronicbythetree said:

If its luxury and refinement, the IS250 walks all over the Accord. This is coming from a current IS250 owner and a 2 year CL9 owner.

neither do i want to turn this into a debate but I have disagree again and this is coming from a 5 year lexus owner 3 years IS300, 2 years GS430 V8. and i can tell you the Lexus IS250 I drove is no more luxurious, held together and refined at cruising speeds than the CL9 where 'majority' of driving is done and the CL9 is now coming up to almost 1.5 years in my ownership which is long enough to draw a comparison.. as you say lets not make a big deal out of this.. they both nice cars in their own right.