Purchase Advice for new car

agent_dess · January 5, 2022

Hey folks,

I'm looking to treat myself to a new car this year.

I have my eyes on:

IS200t
IS300h

I currently have the IS250 2nd Gen which i do love but the VED of £340 is getting bit too much now and i hardly see anything above 20mpg anymore.

Does anyone have an experience in both the machines above?
I would love to test drive them but there is none in Scotland that i can go try.
And believe it or not i have never test driven any cars that i have owned lol.

i mainly do city driving these days so 300h would make sense but i still want a nippy car and ive read the 300h is no slouch despite having slower 0-60 on paper.
On the flip side 200t really tempting but is the IS200t better than then IS250?

Thanks 🙂

nezget · January 6, 2022

If you mainly do a city the 300h will be perfect for you, I had the test drive on two IS 300h in the city and on the road and love them. The car is very pleasure to drive, stick to the road like almost go-card and provide enough power. IS 200t will be drinking a lot in the city.

Bounce75 · January 6, 2022

Don't know much about the 200t, but bought the IS300h last year & love it.

I am averaging about 50mpg on runs to work & back mainly A & B roads.

The car is very comfortable & has enough power if you need it, but I rarely floor the pedal since owning the IS as it is such a relaxing car to drive.

I really can't recommend it enough.

agent_dess · January 6, 2022

Nice one 🙂

I have been leaning toward the IS300h.. but just cannot shake the allure of the higher torque and bhp on the IS200t 😉

The sensible side in me says IS300h but the little kid in me says IS200t 😂 choices choices

Any feedback from IS200t owners would be awesome?

ikeja · January 6, 2022

I have the IS300H Advance and love it. Sports mode gives you an extra kick if you need that. VED of £10 is also a positive.

agent_dess · January 6, 2022

Looks like its going to be IS300h 😁
Looking to the F Sport

wharfhouse · January 6, 2022

2 hours ago, ikeja said:

I have the IS300H Advance and love it. Sports mode gives you an extra kick if you need that. VED of £10 is also a positive.

I also have the £10 VED but it was only at that level for a couple of years - mine is a 2014 IS 300h. If VED is a consideration some careful selection of a car in the right year of registration will be needed otherwise VED will be circa £140 per annum (or more if list price over £40K).

Mincey · January 6, 2022

1 hour ago, agent_dess said:

Looks like its going to be IS300h 😁
Looking to the F Sport

As someone who went from an IS250 SE-L to an IS300h F Sport, I'd recommend trying an IS300h with 17" wheels as well. I found the ride from the 18"s on my IS300h F Sport a little harsh.

agent_dess · January 6, 2022

@wharfhouse Not overly fussed with VED given that i currently now pay £340 so anything that can reduce that is going be a bonus lol

@Mincey That's an interesting advice, didn't think the wheel came in multiple sizes, thought it would be standard min 18" but that something to look out for 👍

wharfhouse · January 6, 2022

2 minutes ago, agent_dess said:

Not overly fussed with VED given that i currently now pay £340 so anything that can reduce that is going be a bonus lol

Just double check though as if you get a car registered after 1 April 2017 that was over £40K list price at the time of reg (which would include higher/top spec IS 300h) then you will be paying more VED than currently as it will be the standard £140 rate plus the £310 supplemental "luxury" rate (so £450 per annum in total) for the first 5 years of the cars VED renewal (so car is actually 6 years old as the first year is paid on purchase).

Robertdt · January 6, 2022

Hi Agent,

You REALLY need to drive an IS300H before you commit, IMHO sport mode just sharpens up the throttle response and maybe deploys more Battery power to help you get off the line faster from standstill but its not much. Also more importantly you need to drive one to fully understand how the power is delivered, you could never call it a drivers car as you have to plan your overtakes due to the time it takes to get moving. I leave mine in sport mode all the time and very rarely floor the throttle and get about 42mpg. Im not sure how close you are to me but if your nearby i can take you out for a run in mine.

Cheers,

Rob

agent_dess · January 6, 2022

36 minutes ago, Robertdt said:

Hi Agent,

You REALLY need to drive an IS300H before you commit, IMHO sport mode just sharpens up the throttle response and maybe deploys more battery power to help you get off the line faster from standstill but its not much. Also more importantly you need to drive one to fully understand how the power is delivered, you could never call it a drivers car as you have to plan your overtakes due to the time it takes to get moving. I leave mine in sport mode all the time and very rarely floor the throttle and get about 42mpg. Im not sure how close you are to me but if your nearby i can take you out for a run in mine.

Cheers,

Rob

Cheers Rob, i wouldn't mind seeing the car up close... need to check again if Lexus Edinburgh have any i can physically see and drive in person. But as far as prices go best ones are all south of the border.

agent_dess · January 8, 2022

I bit the bullet and reserved the IS300h 😁 picking it up next weekend 🥳

Bounce75 · January 8, 2022

Well done, what did spec did you get?

Don't forget pics when you pick it up.😃

agent_dess · January 9, 2022

Went with the F Sport 😁

agent_dess · January 15, 2022

Picked her up 😁

peniole · January 15, 2022

Congratulations! One question why do the panel colors look a bit different between the front and back doors, or is that just from the shooting angle?

Bounce75 · January 15, 2022

4 hours ago, agent_dess said:

Picked her up 😁

Very nice, enjoy.

nezget · January 15, 2022

What a beauti... more pictures please

agent_dess · January 15, 2022

7 hours ago, peniole said:

Congratulations! One question why do the panel colors look a bit different between the front and back doors, or is that just from the shooting angle?

I was thinking that myself but I think it's just the lighting.

rayaans · January 16, 2022

11 hours ago, agent_dess said:

I was thinking that myself but I think it's just the lighting.

I'd definitely take a few more pics for us to see including a close up.

When I first saw the pic the rear door looks almost like sonic white rather than f sport white

LenT · January 16, 2022

12 hours ago, agent_dess said:

I was thinking that myself but I think it's just the lighting.

It’s a handsome car and looks in excellent condition. Main thing is…are you enjoying driving it?

The rear door does look different in your pictures. I also notice what appears to be a bubble under the rear door handle, if it’s not a reflection.

is it possible that this door has been wrapped?

Shada · January 16, 2022

That rear door is the wrong shade. If it was lighting the rear half of the side skirt would match the door. It does not. The door has been painted edge to edge instead of blended witch takes a considerable more amount of effort

cadman2k · January 16, 2022

Just had a look at the photo and noticed if you zoom in the trims on the top of the doors between front door and rear door are not aligned...it could point to that the door has been painted and quickly put back together with the trim misaligned.

If it has been painted then it could have been something from a deep scratch to a more crease type repair. I know that white is a bit of a pain to match and than can be even if they get the correct colour code from the system.

If you've just bought the car, the dealer may not have even noticed it or may have done it themselves, definitely worth looking over in detail and ask them to sort it for you early doors as it looks an incorrect colour match.

Also this sounds a bit picky but I would also have expected the car to have dust caps on the tyre valves if you got this from a main lexus dealer! They don't look to be any on in the picture?

Keep us posted on the check/,outcome if you are going to investigate

LenT · January 16, 2022

41 minutes ago, cadman2k said:

Also this sounds a bit picky but I would also have expected the car to have dust caps on the tyre valves if you got this from a main lexus dealer! They don't look to be any on in the picture?

Good spot, Peter. If these are the expensive TPMS valves then it’s well worth protecting them with dust caps.

Get plastic ones. Unless metal ones are heavily greased, they have a tendency to corrode on to the valve. Trying to remove them invariably ends in breaking the entire valve and replacing the complete unit.

I speak from experience! 😫