Looking to become a Lexus owner - help and advice sought

[HoofHearted]

Hi everybody,

First time poster and buying a new car this week. Got my heart set on an IS 250 2nd gen and just looking for any hints or tips, things to look for etc etc.

usually go by the rule of thumb to never buy anything over or near the 100k mileage mark, get the impression I shouldn’t be so worried about this with a Lexus, is this wise of me? 
 

any help or input is greatly appreciated guys.

[Texas]

100k should not be a deal breaker on a very capable car if everything else stacks up, ie condition, service history, owners, and of course price, a used car is only worth ( in my eyes) what someone is willing to pay for it.

[J Henderson]

Be wary of cars with manual transmission as they're cheap for a reason. The road tax on one of them is nearly £600 per annum.

 

There's a sticky topic in the dedicated 2nd-Gen IS Forum with a few pointers.

 

EDIT: Never mind, looks like you found it already 👍

[PCM]

I would definitely have a search across the forum with phrases like,     used car buying      what to look out for    etc.

You will find loads of great thoughts.

[HoofHearted]

Thanks lads. Going to see one on Thursday or Friday all going well. Glasgow to Middlesbrough so a hell of a journey if it turns out to be a disappointment and I come home empty handed.

 

here’s hoping I come up the road in a big 2.5 v6

[Bluemarlin]

100k miles wouldn't be a deal breaker for me if the mileage is appropriate for the age of the car, as a lightly used car can have as many (if not more) issues from being unused as one that's been driven a lot. More important would be overall condition, as well as service and maintenance history, and how well it's been looked after. Of course a lot depends on how much you want to pay, and the age of cars you're looking at.

If it helps, I'm a fairly recent buyer of an RX450h with just under 100k miles and here were the things I looked out for:

1. Service history and history of any previous accidents/repairs.
2. Signs of any leaks on carpets, footwells, headlining, as well as in the Battery compartent and boot.
3. All lights, electrics and switches working.
4. Signs of rust, particularly on sills, wheel arches, brake and fuel filler pipes, and underbody. Some surface corrosion is inevitable on an older car, but beyond that it needs dealing with.
5. At that kind of mileage check if transmission oil has been changed. If not you'll probably want to do it.
6. Also check if specific maintenance items (eg spark plugs, timing belts etc) were replaced/dealt with at the appropriate intervals.
7. How well the car starts, runs and any unusual noises.
8. Check for any specific known issues for that make/model.

Depending on age and price some compromises are inevitable, just try to ensure that they're ones that can be easily rectified without excessive cost.

As a personal preference, I also tend to be more paranoid about rust (my previous car was a Jag and very prone to rusting), as that can kill any car, no matter how good it might be mechanically.  As a result I avoid anything that has been owned in coastal regions or areas prone to regular snow/salt.

If possible, I also prefer cars where the previous owner has had it a while and therefore paid a higher price for it, as it often means they can afford to maintain it. Older model luxury cars can be picked up quite cheaply, so it's not unusual for people to buy them because they want a fancy car for relatively little money, but then find they can't afford to maintain it properly, and so skimp on maintenance and/or sell it on when they start facing costly issues.

Good luck in your search.

[08ISF]

I second everything that Bluemarlin says. If you haven't already it might also be worthwhile to run an MOT history check if you have the reg no. There should be plenty of inspection history and it will give a pointer to how the car has been looked after and whether the mileage being claimed is actually believable. Things that would raise red flags for me would be  recent advisories that turn up on consecutive MOT's, recent failures on silly things like lights not working or bald tyres. Any car of this age and mileage might have a few issues in its history but you have to form an opinion based on what you can see.

I had an auto Is250  for 3 years and it was brilliant but some model years aren't compatible with E10 so check against the government lists.

[HoofHearted]

Appreciate the input gents. Got a guy with good mechanical knowledge going with me thankfully but I’ll use the information from here and the other thread somebody posted for reference.

 

Very good point re the e10 fuel thing 08isf!

 

the car I’m going to see was registered in March 08 but being a mechanical halfwit and being completely clueless could somebody reassure me that the car doesn’t fall under 

 

• IS250 2.5 litre V6 with engine 4GR-FSE made between August 2005 and September 2007.

which is listed as being incompatible with e10 fuel. 
 

thanks in advance.

[Sundance]

1 hour ago, HoofHearted said:

Appreciate the input gents. Got a guy with good mechanical knowledge going with me thankfully but I’ll use the information from here and the other thread somebody posted for reference.

Very good point re the e10 fuel thing 08isf!

the car I’m going to see was registered in March 08 but being a mechanical halfwit and being completely clueless could somebody reassure me that the car doesn’t fall under 

• IS250 2.5 litre V6 with engine 4GR-FSE made between August 2005 and September 2007.

which is listed as being incompatible with e10 fuel. 

thanks in advance.

Not sure if anyone on here can reassure you Graeme.  There's often ambiguity in these things as the .gov site does indeed state 'engines made' and not 'vehicles registered'. Maybe Lexus might help 🤔 ... although they're often thought to be top of the league in terms of ambiguity themselves 🙄. Suggest you give 'em a try. Good luck 🤞. 

[Texas]

You Need to do a bit more digging I reckon as a car ‘registered’ here in March 08 could quite  conceivably been ‘manufactured’ in Japan on or before Sep 07, 

 

[Bluemarlin]

It would have been more useful, and would have removed any ambiguity, if Lexus had stated an engine number range, rather than a date one.

[Sundance]

1 minute ago, Bluemarlin said:

It would have been more useful, and would have removed any ambiguity, if Lexus had stated an engine number range, rather than a date one.

My case rests 😉.

[Mr Vlad]

One thing to look at After a test drive is feel the rear wheels both sides. If they're mad hot then the calipers are sticking/seized. A regular thing with our is250 cars unfortunately. If they are mad hot then one of two things. Tell the seller to get the calipers sorted or walk away as a 100 mile trip with hardly any rear brakes is a no no. Sorry to sound negative but it had to be stated.  Hopefully the rear brake calipers will be ok and you go home in a luxury small saloon. 

Which spec of car is it you're going to see?

[steve2006]

Are these fitted with the “Direct Injection” engines?

[HoofHearted]

7 hours ago, steve2006 said:

Are these fitted with the “Direct Injection” engines?

Think so mate yes 

[J Henderson]

Yes, definitely direct-injection. The injectors are also audible when the engine is running - a faint ticking sound, so don't worry if you hear that. It's normal.

[HoofHearted]

Going a 300 mile round trip to see one tomorrow. Hoping all is well. Greatly appreciate the welcome and advice. 

[PeteTP]

On 1/11/2022 at 3:50 PM, Mr Vlad said:

One thing to look at After a test drive is feel the rear wheels both sides. If they're mad hot then the calipers are sticking/seized. A regular thing with our is250 cars unfortunately. If they are mad hot then one of two things. Tell the seller to get the calipers sorted or walk away as a 100 mile trip with hardly any rear brakes is a no no. Sorry to sound negative but it had to be stated.  Hopefully the rear brake calipers will be ok and you go home in a luxury small saloon. 

Which spec of car is it you're going to see?

Hello Hoofhearted,

 

Apologies for this tardy post. 
 

I had my first Lexus, an IS 250 SE-L, for 13 years from new. I’m more than happy to say it was the best car I’d ever had . But….It had two weaknesses, the alloys and the brake callipers.

 

The first was sorted under warranty (3…yes 3 times by Lexus) and the second by the wonderful Roys Motors (Lexus Indy, Norwich) who eased them and cleaned them all up once a year. I used Roy for this rather than Lexus because the mainline policy is to replace them (at 😭 cost) rather than refurbish. Roy was a snip.
 

Apart from those 2 items it was a truly SUPERB motor car. I wish you well in finding what you’re after. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed and if you have any questions there are many outstanding people of expert knowledge here in the LOC who are hugely generous with their wisdom and experience.

 

To finish and for clarity, the ES I have has trumped the IS!!

 

Bon chance.

 

PeteTP