Why are folk selling their is250's

[Linas.P]

2 hours ago, Mr Vlad said:

Have to totally disagree with you Linas. I had the UR Quattro for just over 8 years in the 80's when I was in my 20's and its in that car I learnt to drive expletives fast and hard. No car I've had or had a go in handled like the Quattro, close but not as sure footed. As for the is250 handling as good as a 3 series beemer well that comes from 3 series beemer owners I know who've driven my car and I theirs. Can you do a direct comparison Linas? 

Oh that toyota crown looks real niiiiiiiiice. I'd have one, would probably make an excellent family car. 

I am sure it handled amazing by contemporary standards, as well "sure footed" (as expected by AWD) is not the same as "good handling", if anything steering is a bit dull, lazy on rotation in corner, tendency to understeer. AWD is great on loose surface, which is why it was developed for and successful in rallying, but not on track racing. So for most of time where the grip is good RWD is the way to go and no AWD cars are just mediocre at best.

My comment comes from owning several BMWs including E90 328xi and E46 330i, they definitely handling better, just way more sharply and predictably on limits and Lexus electric assisted steering is no match, but is completely sufficient for intended purpose and I never felt it was inadequate. 

[H3XME]

2 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

My comment comes from owning several BMWs including E90 328xi and E46 330i, they definitely handling better, just way more sharply and predictably on limits and Lexus electric assisted steering is no match, but is completely sufficient for intended purpose and I never felt it was inadequate. 

I agree. Tbh the bmws are lighter too. Makes a huge difference 

[Mr Vlad]

Well I had an early ish finish yesterday so I washed my car. Gave it a dose of TFR then a quick wash with auto glym shampoo conditioner then a microfiber towel dry. After a min or two whilst putting the hose away I noticed and thought gawbanbennet what a cracking looking car that it. Shiny black paint. It just looked ace. Would I sell it? No ruddy chance.

[royoftherovers]

1 minute ago, Mr Vlad said:

Well I had an early ish finish yesterday so I washed my car. Gave it a dose of TFR then a quick wash with auto glym shampoo conditioner then a microfiber towel dry. After a min or two whilst putting the hose away I noticed and thought gawbanbennet what a cracking looking car that it. Shiny black paint. It just looked ace. Would I sell it? No ruddy chance.

Piccie hasn`t loaded Vlad.🤣

[H3XME]

I let mine wash on its own earlier in the week. Too hot to wash it now. Swirls are a bitch when the paint is soft from the sun. Honestly it's hard to find another saloon that's as good looking. 

[Mr Vlad]

No photos John. I didn't think to do any. If I remember I'll do some next time I wash my beauty. Yeah Lucas swirls are a sod to do when the sun is blazing down and so is washing a car. Luckily when I did mine it was cloudy and when I finished they'd gone so I was dead lucky. 

[Flaviu90]

I've been advised to get rid of mine. It burns both oil and coolant,to some degree. The Lex Tech guy (Southampton) told me the issue must be internal and it could be the head gasket. Told me that changing the PCV valve( which almost made my car use 1/2 oil compared to before-600 mls in 760 miles compared to 1,5l in 1000 miles) will not cure anything because the root problem hasn't been addressed.  Apparently the repair would cost up to £5k. At this point,as I've invested around 2k already on the car with new discs,pads,PS4 tyres all around etc I'm just wondering if I should engine swap or just sell the car..

I'm going on a 3000 mile round trip in Europe in 10 days and I'll take both the 5l oil bottle and coolant with me..

My car was an impulse buy..and the last 8 owners got rid of it for good reasons probably..

[H3XME]

21 minutes ago, Flaviu90 said:

I've been advised to get rid of mine. It burns both oil and coolant,to some degree. The Lex Tech guy (Southampton) told me the issue must be internal and it could be the head gasket. Told me that changing the PCV valve( which almost made my car use 1/2 oil compared to before-600 mls in 760 miles compared to 1,5l in 1000 miles) will not cure anything because the root problem hasn't been addressed.  Apparently the repair would cost up to £5k. At this point,as I've invested around 2k already on the car with new discs,pads,PS4 tyres all around etc I'm just wondering if I should engine swap or just sell the car..

I'm going on a 3000 mile round trip in Europe in 10 days and I'll take both the 5l oil bottle and coolant with me..

My car was an impulse buy..and the last 8 owners got rid of it for good reasons probably..

Wow you sound like a really unlucky buyer. Sorry to hear that! It's not common to come across such issue on IS250. You could get an engine swap for ~£1000 all in. Engines are about £600? That'll solve your issues. Definitely more financially viable than buying a different car but that's up to you to decide. Maybe you've lost the love for it now

[wecanseeformiles]

I almost bought an IS250 but in the end purchased a 2010 Audi TT TDi Quattro, so maybe I can add some insight.  My recent car history includes an e92 BMW 325i, an Audi a4 1.4Tfsi, and Audi A6 45TFSI Quattro.  Post pandemic I decided to downsize to a cheaper, older car even though I'm still doing about 10,000 miles per year.

I test drove a couple of IS250s and was impressed in many ways.  The interior is beautifully made and has lots of toys, the car looks great from the back and side and it cruises down the road in comfort and relative silence.  Against that the front of the car looks dated, the engine, while smooth, is noticeably less accelerative and much more thirsty than my Audi diesel engine, there's a slight hint of being underbraked (not too bad though), it's more of a cruiser than a sporty handler in relative terms and the back seats are tiny and don't fold down.

Also, in financial terms, the road tax is much more than the Audi TT, the fuel consumption is much greater, it's fiddly having to buy E5 petrol and, surprisingly, my insurance quote was quite a bit higher. Admittedly the back seats in my TT are even tinier than the IS250 but they do fold down and allow me to get a bicycle into the rear hatch.

I'm not suggesting that many will cross shop an IS250 against an Audi TT as they're completely different cars in many ways.  I just felt that the Audi TT was more contemporary in terms of its looks, handling, braking and performance/fuel economy trade-off.  It's nowhere near as luxurious as the IS250 and I completely understand why many love the IS250.  But in the current financial climate the IS250 is turning into a more costly proposition in routine running costs, somewhat offset by its excellent reliability. 

 

 

 

[Flaviu90]

1 hour ago, H3XME said:

Wow you sound like a really unlucky buyer. Sorry to hear that! It's not common to come across such issue on IS250. You could get an engine swap for ~£1000 all in. Engines are about £600? That'll solve your issues. Definitely more financially viable than buying a different car but that's up to you to decide. Maybe you've lost the love for it now

I've had 2 Hondas before and even though the last one was a cat D Civic Type R,I never ever had mechanical issues with the N/A Hondas. I wanted my vehicle to be built in Japan so I thought I give Lexus a go( especially as I liked the IS shape and the ideea of RWD ) as everyone says Toyotas are the most reliable cars around. I am very disappointed.

Maybe I should of saved more and get an import Accord Euro R with the K20A engine.

[H3XME]

29 minutes ago, Flaviu90 said:

I've had 2 Hondas before and even though the last one was a cat D Civic Type R,I never ever had mechanical issues with the N/A Hondas. I wanted my vehicle to be built in Japan so I thought I give Lexus a go( especially as I liked the IS shape and the ideea of RWD ) as everyone says Toyotas are the most reliable cars around. I am very disappointed.

Maybe I should of saved more and got an import Accord Euro R with the K20A engine.

These are reliable but 8 owners is a risky game regardless of the car.

 

I'd be looking at this: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205175817606

One of 3 estates I'd consider for under 10k.. 

Then of course there is Nissan Stagea M35 which is the same drive train / platform as 350Z - realible power

And last but not least.. Toyota Mark II Blit - 1JZ engined power wagon. Someone even lexus-swapped the front end on that car before. http://www.speedhunters.com/2019/02/the-is-wagon-lexus-should-have-made/

 

[Flaviu90]

I was looking for a 2.4 CL9 Accord with manual transmission before getting the Lexus. These are so hard to find in the UK with the sedan platform( and expensive).The Euro R was around 9-10k£ at that time and i didnt want to spend as much again on a car as I did when I was modifying my Hondas.

Sorry but I don't fancy the estate cars even though I'm well aware of the practicality side of things. The IS 250 is a very nice car to drive but I'm missing the manual gearbox with the short ratios from the FN2.

[Mr Vlad]

Blimey Wayne. Comparing chalk and cheese is well I'm lost for words. Audi TT diesel or an is250? No brainer. The is250 every time. Audi's of the past couple of decades have been dire in my opinion. Loads of engine problems particularly the V8's. I've had the best ever Audi and that's the UR Quattro and by the way the only Audi worthy of the name Quattro. 

WOW WTF that Lexus estate Lucas looks awesome. What the hell is it? I absolutely love that car.

[SeanR]

My father had the Audi coupe, same age.

Not a patch on the quattro, looked similar though

He loved it, very reliable.

Ended up with 2.

[H3XME]

3 hours ago, Mr Vlad said:

 

WOW WTF that Lexus estate Lucas looks awesome. What the hell is it? I absolutely love that car.

It's Toyota Mark II Blit - like the green one I sent. Someone just put an IS300 face on it and it looks very nice! Straight 6 twin turbo, rwd 😉 Japanese import only but you can get a low mileage one ordered for ~£8000

[Flaviu90]

I've performed a 'block test' yesterday.  Cold engine,radiator cap off,engine on ,lots of air bubbles in the coolant. I was told that that either means cracked engine head or blown head gasket..

[H3XME]

1 hour ago, Flaviu90 said:

I've performed a 'block test' yesterday.  Cold engine,radiator cap off,engine on ,lots of air bubbles in the coolant. I was told that that either means cracked engine head or blown head gasket..

It can also be something as simple as old coolant or not enough of it in the system. If you had blown head gaskets you would know..you wouldn't have to look for it to see if it's bad.

[Flaviu90]

 

39 minutes ago, H3XME said:

It can also be something as simple as old coolant or not enough of it in the system. If you had blown head gaskets you would know..you wouldn't have to look for it to see if it's bad.

My mechanic has actually changed the coolant radiator and done the coolant himself. I had to keep topping up with distilled water before of this and now I kept adding pink Toyota coolant. It stays at the max for a while and then I have to top it up again.

And no I haven't had any other blown head gaskets on other cars before.

[H3XME]

7 minutes ago, Flaviu90 said:

 

My mechanic has actually changed the coolant radiator and done the coolant himself. I had to keep topping up with distilled water before of this and now I kept adding pink Toyota coolant. It stays at the max for a while and then I have to top it up again.

And no I haven't had any other blown head gaskets on other cars before.

If you need to top up it simply means there's a leak in the system. Bubbling means there's pressure irregularities. I'd check radiator hoses. They perish over time. Check under the oil cap. If its milky it's the gasket because moisture is inside of the engine. If its good, I'd cross the worst case off the list. 

[Flaviu90]

1 hour ago, H3XME said:

If you need to top up it simply means there's a leak in the system. Bubbling means there's pressure irregularities. I'd check radiator hoses. They perish over time. Check under the oil cap. If its milky it's the gasket because moisture is inside of the engine. If its good, I'd cross the worst case off the list. 

 

Thanks for your input.

The Lex Tech mechanic and another mechanic scared me off saying I need to sell it ASAP. Actually you think changing the hoses might help sort out the problem? I was told one hose snapped off at a time I had white smoke out from the hood. This resulted in water temp going up. Mechanic just clamped it back and no overheating issues after that.

The car is still burning oil as well, the PCV valve was changed and it burns half of what it used to burn before but I was told this doesn't sort the root of the problem just temporary and it will get clogged up again. Again I'm not a mechanic or DIY expert,I'm stating what I was told.

Maybe I should take it to Lexus themselves? Just didn't want to pay the 150£/hr health check.

[dutchie01]

i owned both the IS 250 and the 3 series touring and the BMW is lighter on its feet and definately more balanced on high speeds. The Lexus is a fine driver when driven at 70% but start pushing it it soon falls apart. Slow steering, weak brakes light at the front in high speeds and the rear can bite ( not from the power as it feels underpowered). Great car and especially the supersmooth 6pot makes the difference but a sports car it isnt. The 3 seems made to cruise for hours at 200kmh plus at the autobahn. It is the last 30% that lexus never managed also not in the IS300H. Both are great cars by the way but by no means sports or autobahn cruisers.  

[SeanR]

Ive had 2 faults on my is250 since feb, dam thing.

 

Yesterday the Lexus decal on the front seat started peeling off in the hot sun

 

Passenger window trim lifts up by 3mm when i put the window back up.

 

Cant cope.

[H3XME]

15 hours ago, dutchie01 said:

i owned both the IS 250 and the 3 series touring and the BMW is lighter on its feet and definately more balanced on high speeds. The Lexus is a fine driver when driven at 70% but start pushing it it soon falls apart. Slow steering, weak brakes light at the front in high speeds and the rear can bite ( not from the power as it feels underpowered). Great car and especially the supersmooth 6pot makes the difference but a sports car it isnt. The 3 seems made to cruise for hours at 200kmh plus at the autobahn. It is the last 30% that lexus never managed also not in the IS300H. Both are great cars by the way but by no means sports or autobahn cruisers.  

I agree that 3 series is more sporty, doesn't feel as heavy and generally bit more engaging for drivers. However, I'd pick the Lexus over the bmw equivalent (325i E90 saloon) any day of the week. Those E90s are really ugly in my opinion, unless you go for E92 coupe, those are nice but reliability of the Lexus is superior. My dad used to have a 2008 330i E92 coupe, and even though it drove really nice, looked really nice, it developed the infamous hydraulic lifter tappet at not even 60,000 miles. It sounded like a diesel with how much tapping was coming from the 3.0l inline petrol engine. 335i would be a completely different car but at that point you're not able to compare to the Lexus.. bottom line, I like to look of BMWs, and some aren't bad BUT they are everywhere. It wouldn't feel special enough having one because you see Johnny down the road (on every road!) with the same car even if it may have a different engine..

[Texas]

My son has a 335i coupe (E92) and with the RF tyres it’s a harsh ride if you daily it! Too harsh for me at my age😂but if you were to push it I expect it will easily out handle the IS,

[H3XME]

12 minutes ago, Texas said:

My son has a 335i coupe (E92) and with the RF tyres it’s a harsh ride if you daily it! Too harsh for me at my age😂but if you were to push it I expect it will easily out handle the IS,

Yeah the runflats are awful! That's the first thing we did when my dad got the car. Get normal tyres on it..huge improvement. No doubt, 2 cars built for 2 different purpose. I was more so comparing IS250 to the saloon E90.