Trying to get into the Lexus family with an IS250 but am a bit concerned.

[Lex_utor]

1 minute ago, H3XME said:

Probably not, best thing to do is to see it in person before getting too deep in this rabbit hole online.

I'm not sure if there is an easy way of checking.. I wasn't sure about mine, so I run my car on high octane fuel and boot it where I can. It mainly builds up when you don't get the car hot enough so I rev limit the **** out of it where possible 😂 but I've got a nice exhaust on mine, so I do it for the sound mainly. You can clean the throttle body yourself though and it should be a good indicator.

That's not great. It should've had at least 3 oil changes in 23k.. 😐 Seems like he got it cheap and didn't care about it if he hasn't serviced it in his ownership. Better go through the receipts during his ownership.

He did service it in his ownership. At MOT time.

I don't think he got it cheap. He imported the car as he wanted a manual and could not find one locally. I doubt that was cheap. 🙂

[Mr Vlad]

Lex those rubber boits look nothing like suspension boots either front or back. By the way where in the world are you? The rubber boots although there are quite a few on eBay None fit the is250 and I've asked 6 sellers and all 6 have said sorry not for your car. Lexus dealer only sell the rubber boot with the top mount £200 OUCH. Lexus Parts Direct sell the boot only £65 and I've had no option but to buy 2 as mine have perished. 

As for checking carbon build up. If you are in America then your cars have a much higher chance of carbon build up coz your fuel is naff compared to what we have in the UK so the only way to check is to get the intake off and look down the ports. 

[Lex_utor]

10 minutes ago, H3XME said:

Probably not, best thing to do is to see it in person before getting too deep in this rabbit hole online.

I'm not sure if there is an easy way of checking.. I wasn't sure about mine, so I run my car on high octane fuel and boot it where I can. It mainly builds up when you don't get the car hot enough so I rev limit the **** out of it where possible 😂 but I've got a nice exhaust on mine, so I do it for the sound mainly. You can clean the throttle body yourself though and it should be a good indicator.

That's not great. It should've had at least 3 oil changes in 23k.. 😐 Seems like he got it cheap and didn't care about it if he hasn't serviced it in his ownership. Better go through the receipts during his ownership.

Apparently the oil was changed only 2 times during his ownership.  Reason to worry or run? 🤔

But this seems to be motorway miles. That many in such a short time and the guy being a student, I'm thinking lots of visits to parents or hometown. 🙂

He also said the gearbox oil was changed. Surprised me.

[zoricib]

7 minutes ago, Lex_utor said:

Apparently the oil was changed only 2 times during his ownership.  Reason to worry or run? 🤔

But this seems to be motorway miles. That many in such a short time and the guy being a student, I'm thinking lots of visits to parents or hometown. 🙂

He also said the gearbox oil was changed. Surprised me.

Many people change oil at 10k/1 year interval. IMO changing it a 5k is more being overcautious than an actual requirement - depending on driving though. 

[dublet]

19 minutes ago, Mr Vlad said:

 If you are in America then your cars have a much higher chance of carbon build up coz your fuel is naff compared to what we have in the UK

Well, maybe but the US uses a different octane rating, PON instead of RON: https://aircooledbug.co.uk/usa-versus-uk-fuel-octane/ 95 RON is 91 PON. Fuel isn't quite as bad as just comparing the numbers would indicate.

[H3XME]

22 minutes ago, Lex_utor said:

Apparently the oil was changed only 2 times during his ownership.  Reason to worry or run? 🤔

But this seems to be motorway miles. That many in such a short time and the guy being a student, I'm thinking lots of visits to parents or hometown. 🙂

He also said the gearbox oil was changed. Surprised me.

I wouldn't worry then. It's just me being anal about oil changes. 

[Lex_utor]

6 hours ago, Mr Vlad said:

Lex those rubber boits look nothing like suspension boots either front or back. By the way where in the world are you? The rubber boots although there are quite a few on ebay None fit the is250 and I've asked 6 sellers and all 6 have said sorry not for your car. Lexus dealer only sell the rubber boot with the top mount £200 OUCH. Lexus Parts Direct sell the boot only £65 and I've had no option but to buy 2 as mine have perished. 

As for checking carbon build up. If you are in America then your cars have a much higher chance of carbon build up coz your fuel is naff compared to what we have in the UK so the only way to check is to get the intake off and look down the ports. 

Oh yeah? Maybe he tried searching for the part online to show a photo and found the wrong part?

But so from Lexus it's 200 a corner? 65 a corner from Lexus direct?

And can the job be carried out by any independent or is there any detail that makes it a Lexus dealer job only? How much does it normally cost?

By the way, I'm not in the U.S. I have been living on the continent. Hence why the car in the video is LHD. Here car prices are double or triple of what they are back in the UK. Any car really. 

So the carbon build up is not common in the UK or Europe? I already heard that the sticky dash problem doesn't happen here as it does in the U.S.

[Lex_utor]

5 hours ago, H3XME said:

I wouldn't worry then. It's just me being anal about oil changes. 

I'm starting to think the car is probably fine. If he can at least produce invoices from his ownership time I would be comfortable buying it, after talking to you lot here. 🙂

The only problem is the price. It carries a premium because of the ultra rare manual transmission.  Hopefully he will bulge. But it's not out of line with what is out there. They are all more expensive here because they are as rare as hen's teeth. Basically double or even triple of a IS220D.

[Texas]

Premium for ‘ultra rare manual gearbox’. Wow, the reason it is rare is because Lexus Is renown for a luxurious ride experience and most cars were auto. So there were very reduced numbers of manuals produced, prob almost to order! But it should not warrant a premium now. Supply and demand I guess, if you really want one and there are not many out there you gotta pay!

[Mr Vlad]

Lex as far as doing the rubber boot job. It's something you can do yourself if you're a bit mechanically minded. You will need spring compressors which are priced between £10 and £20. Or if you're not then any half decent garage can do the job for a price.

[H3XME]

9 hours ago, Texas said:

Premium for ‘ultra rare manual gearbox’. Wow, the reason it is rare is because Lexus Is renown for a luxurious ride experience and most cars were auto. So there were very reduced numbers of manuals produced, prob almost to order! But it should not warrant a premium now. Supply and demand I guess, if you really want one and there are not many out there you gotta pay!

They are highly sought after these days, in the UK anyway! It's one of the few RWD, LSD equipped, Manual cars out there that don't cost you an arm and leg. The guy who runs Birmingham Wheels (Learn 2 drift place) got like 4-5 of them in the past few months for practice cars. Two of my mates who own FD3S RX7 and Silvia S15 got IS250 for a daily too. Another friend is currently hunting for a black, leather, touch screen spec manual as well, so it's falling into hands of car enthusiasts slowly. Market prices are all over the place. When I was buying mine 2 years ago, there was a bunch for sale for under £2k with just over 100k miles on the clock. Now even cars with 100k+ miles are going for £3k+.. Covid didn't help used car market though.

[Lex_utor]

1 hour ago, Mr Vlad said:

Lex as far as doing the rubber boot job. It's something you can do yourself if you're a bit mechanically minded. You will need spring compressors which are priced between £10 and £20. Or if you're not then any half decent garage can do the job for a price.

Thanks. I would have to get it done by somebody. But are we talking a 100 quid job or a 500 one, in average?

[Lex_utor]

1 hour ago, H3XME said:

They are highly sought after these days, in the UK anyway! It's one of the few RWD, LSD equipped, Manual cars out there that don't cost you an arm and leg. The guy who runs Birmingham Wheels (Learn 2 drift place) got like 4-5 of them in the past few months for practice cars. Two of my mates who own FD3S RX7 and Silvia S15 got IS250 for a daily too. Another friend is currently hunting for a black, leather, touch screen spec manual as well, so it's falling into hands of car enthusiasts slowly. Market prices are all over the place. When I was buying mine 2 years ago, there was a bunch for sale for under £2k with just over 100k miles on the clock. Now even cars with 100k+ miles are going for £3k+.. Covid didn't help used car market though.

Yeah exactly. I think they also make a great alternative to a BMW if one wants the RWD manual experience. Even if you are not a fan of Lexus and don't like quality, reliability and all the Lexus goodies. 🙂

But if you like RWD and manuals, there are not many options apart from BMW. If you don't like BMW and their unreliability, the IS250 manual becomes an unique option. So I guess this is why they are starting to be snapped left and right by enthusiasts and prices are going up.

In my case I like Lexus, I like the design of the IS and I love RWD manuals. So it is a win win for me. 😉

I just never drove one. Only a 220D manual. How does it drive? Have you driven BMWs manuals? How would you compare? Or does it drive more like a G35?

But based on the 220D manual I don't think I will dislike the IS250 manual. I guess it's only better from there.

[H3XME]

10 minutes ago, Lex_utor said:

 

I just never drove one. Only a 220D manual. How does it drive? Have you driven BMWs manuals? How would you compare? Or does it drive more like a G35?

But based on the 220D manual I don't think I will dislike the IS250 manual. I guess it's only better from there.

I've never driven IS220D or G35. I have driven 350Z (same as G35) and E92 330i manual. Neither of them can be compared imo. Completely different cars. Can't exactly compare 200hp saloon to 280bhp coupes. They are within 100kg of each other, but of course the IS250 lacks power compared to them. In terms of driving, IS250 is a very nice, comfortable cruiser. Steering is too light for my liking and the car is too heavy for the power it's got. Like I said, completely different, but very enjoyable. You just can't get into an IS250 expecting something fast. Mine is lowered on coilovers, it's got aftermarket exhaust, different wheels, seat, intake and as much nicer as it is to drive now, you still can't compare it to my GT86 or my friends 350Z or my father's 370Z.. completely different car, built for different purpose. Nevertheless, it's almost a perfect daily. I say almost because the rear sets don't fold. All that being said, the IS250 does drive like a Japanese car rather than a german despite being "luxurious".

[Mr Vlad]

Lex. Ring round to get quotes to change front dampers, take off the price of the damper and go from there. Dampers can be got for a bit over £100.

[Lex_utor]

3 minutes ago, Mr Vlad said:

Lex. Ring round to get quotes to change front dampers, take off the price of the damper and go from there. Dampers can be got for a bit over £100.

Yeah, that makes sense. But so we are talking about only the front then? I had thought all 4 corners.

[Lex_utor]

15 minutes ago, H3XME said:

I've never driven IS220D or G35. I have driven 350Z (same as G35) and E92 330i manual. Neither of them can be compared imo. Completely different cars. Can't exactly compare 200hp saloon to 280bhp coupes. They are within 100kg of each other, but of course the IS250 lacks power compared to them. In terms of driving, IS250 is a very nice, comfortable cruiser. Steering is too light for my liking and the car is too heavy for the power it's got. Like I said, completely different, but very enjoyable. You just can't get into an IS250 expecting something fast. Mine is lowered on coilovers, it's got aftermarket exhaust, different wheels, seat, intake and as much nicer as it is to drive now, you still can't compare it to my GT86 or my friends 350Z or my father's 370Z.. completely different car, built for different purpose. Nevertheless, it's almost a perfect daily. I say almost because the rear sets don't fold. All that being said, the IS250 does drive like a Japanese car rather than a german despite being "luxurious".

Nice write up. Thanks for sharing. 🙂

Just one thing, could you elaborate on your last sentence? "All that being said, the IS250 does drive like a Japanese car rather than a german despite being "luxurious"."

[H3XME]

8 minutes ago, Lex_utor said:

Nice write up. Thanks for sharing. 🙂

Just one thing, could you elaborate on your last sentence? "All that being said, the IS250 does drive like a Japanese car rather than a german despite being "luxurious"."

Luxury saloons are generally "dull", quiet, comfortable cars that not really driver orientated. But I don't feel disconnected from the car or the road driving the IS250. As luxury as it may be, and I know it's probably just because it's Lexus's entry level saloon, it's still enjoyable to drive and you can go for a blast in it. You just can't forget it's not a sports car. It's still fun to drive with some modifications. It does burnouts, donuts, it drifts a little too with some clutch encouragement. Overall, a great car that does bits of everything 🙂

[Lex_utor]

7 minutes ago, H3XME said:

Luxury saloons are generally "dull", quiet, comfortable cars that not really driver orientated. But I don't feel disconnected from the car or the road driving the IS250. As luxury as it may be, and I know it's probably just because it's Lexus's entry level saloon, it's still enjoyable to drive and you can go for a blast in it. You just can't forget it's not a sports car. It's still fun to drive with some modifications. It does burnouts, donuts, it drifts a little too with some clutch encouragement. Overall, a great car that does bits of everything 🙂

Ok, now I get it. Jaguars and the like indeed feel like that. But I would say BMWs still feel connected, despite also being luxury. But I understand what you mean now. I like the idea of a IS250 more and more. 🙂

Do you also have second car like a weekend car?

[dublet]

19 minutes ago, Lex_utor said:

"All that being said, the IS250 does drive like a Japanese car rather than a german despite being "luxurious"."

When you are hungry and point the satnav to the nearest restaurant, the IS will take you to a sushi place. A German car on the other hand would take you to either a sausage or cheese shop. This is called the Wurst-Kase scenario.

[H3XME]

3 minutes ago, Lex_utor said:

Ok, now I get it. Jaguars and the like indeed feel like that. But I would say BMWs still feel connected, despite also being luxury. But I understand what you mean now. I like the idea of a IS250 more and more. 🙂

Do you also have second car like a weekend car?

3 Series E90 definitely doesn't look as fancy inside as the lexus, neither are the features. BMW in general have really stiff suspension imo. It's not quite the same level. I would put IS250 on a 5 series level in terms of features. While still being similar to 3 series in size. I've never seen air conditioned seats in any other car, and mine has it. Same with touch screen head unit etc. 

I've got a GT86 as a fun car, but that's going soon as I fancy Nissan 300ZX. Just need to find one I like. 

[H3XME]

2 minutes ago, dublet said:

When you are hungry and point the satnav to the nearest restaurant, the IS will take you to a sushi place. A German car on the other hand would take you to either a sausage or cheese shop. This is called the Wurst-Kase scenario.

Not gonna lie, wouldn't trust my IS250's sat nav to take me to the park around the corner let alone finding a restaurant 😂 I think, in this day and age, everyone knows that Google/Apple Maps are just better. Even manufacturers know it now, hence apple Car Play function in majority of new cars.

[Mr Vlad]

Lex. I've just found out that the front suspension dust cover boots are integrated into the top mount. £196 each. What I ordered by mistake at £65 each are for the LS. I'm starting to think Lexus ownership is a joke because of some more than extortionate pricing they have for essentially simple items.

[H3XME]

7 minutes ago, Mr Vlad said:

Lex. I've just found out that the front suspension dust cover boots are integrated into the top mount. £196 each. What I ordered by mistake at £65 each are for the LS. I'm starting to think Lexus ownership is a joke because of some more than extortionate pricing they have for essentially simple items.

Best thing to do, what I do with suspension arms etc. Find a JDM toyota cross-compatible car. Toyota bits are cheaper, especially when you're buying bits for let's say Toyota Mark II JZX110 rather than Lexus IS250

[Mincey]

23 hours ago, MartinH said:

👆What @Texas said

Absolutely. I "wasn't ready" for an old man's automatic when I went to look at a Mk2 IS. I drove a 220d first, and was sorely tempted to buy one but the salesman sent me out in an auto 250 SE-L just in case. To paraphrase Victor Kiam, I liked it so much, I bought it. It's just such a smooth, relaxed and fuss-free drive. The first time I took it from Peterborough round the M25 to Maidstone, I knew I'd made the right decision. Try one, you'll like it.