Considering an IS300h, few questions

montecarlos · September 20, 2022

First question, do I need to avoid any particular model years? early years?

Second question, is there a sure fire way to tell if it has the Mark Levinson sound system? I know there's a little logo and box which appears on the centre console behind the gear stick but in many dealer photo's it's hard to see and I feel like many dealers won't even advertise it has it.

I want the Mark Levinson system but it's perhaps not a deal breaker if the normal sound system is also brilliant? But I have heard good things about the Mark Levinson stuff in Lexus.

Third and probably hardest question is that my nearest Lexus dealer is a 40 minute drive away. However I do have a Toyota dealer close by, do Toyota service Lexus and if so, would I be able to get the Relax warranty with having the car serviced at Toyota? Maybe a tad hopeful...

And, anything else to generally look out for when buying? Any options you think are amazing to have, which trim levels are the best? I'm looking for comfort more than 'sport' as I'd rather not have hard suspension if the car isn't really a performance car anyway.

wharfhouse · September 20, 2022

1 hour ago, montecarlos said:

First question, do I need to avoid any particular model years? early years?

Second question, is there a sure fire way to tell if it has the Mark Levinson sound system? I know there's a little logo and box which appears on the centre console behind the gear stick but in many dealer photo's it's hard to see and I feel like many dealers won't even advertise it has it.

I want the Mark Levinson system but it's perhaps not a deal breaker if the normal sound system is also brilliant? But I have heard good things about the Mark Levinson stuff in Lexus.

Third and probably hardest question is that my nearest Lexus dealer is a 40 minute drive away. However I do have a Toyota dealer close by, do Toyota service Lexus and if so, would I be able to get the Relax warranty with having the car serviced at Toyota? Maybe a tad hopeful...

And, anything else to generally look out for when buying? Any options you think are amazing to have, which trim levels are the best? I'm looking for comfort more than 'sport' as I'd rather not have hard suspension if the car isn't really a performance car anyway.

A few quick answers - you'll probably get plenty of feedback on here from others too - keep a balanced outlook as each of us has our own views for their own personal circumstances - at the end of the day buy what it is right for you...

On years to avoid - IMHO none to avoid - the IS 300h was reliable from the outset. However, Lexus Relax Extended Warranty (given free when serviced regularly by a dealer) only lasts up to 10 years old or 100K miles so that might influence what you buy - but there is a 10 Year Plus Extended Warranty that can be purchased after that for around £500 per year (still requires car to be serviced by Lexus dealer).

Mark Levison was only available on higher level trims (and only with Premium Nav) - sometimes an option and sometimes standard - only way to be sure is to double check - Lexus dealers are usually reasonably accurate on their listings though but always double check.

Toyota dealers won't generally service a Lexus car and certainly can't offer the Relax Warranty or do a hybrid health check etc. and offer the hybrid Battery warranty. Lexus dealers offer courtesy cars (need to book a few weeks in advance) for free or a small fee (varies by dealer) along with other options. 40 minutes to a Lexus dealer shouldn't therefore be an issue.

Work out what's important to you in a car (which will influence trim level - or whether you want F Sport trim which is the biggest decision) and then buy on condition, age and mileage as appropriate but note that in general Lexus cars can go high mileages without any significant issues and so mileage should be less of a concern (assuming good service history) than some brands and the Relax Warranty and 10 Year Plus Extended Warranty can take some of the risk out of older or higher mileage cars.

Good luck in your search.

montecarlos · September 20, 2022

Thanks for the excellent reply and input, I guess if I'm on the ball it's not too big a hardship to take the car for a service on a Saturday morning assuming I get it booked in well in advance. I knew it was a bit too hopeful!!

Is there much benefit to stretching to the facelift? I prefer the look 'slightly' but did they change anything else other than the exterior looks?

I haven't looked at Lexus dealers per-se, just AutoTrader and the descriptions are weak. On that subject, do you have any input on the quality of that system vs the standard? (I am assuming it's standard or Mark Levinson).

The extended warranty is partly why I am interested in Lexus or Toyota, but I always liked the is300h looks, and honestly there's not a Toyota that I like enough to buy...

D Johnson · September 20, 2022

Hello, my basic trim IS300h is rising 2 years’ old. Compared to a 5 series the sound system quality is sub par but I have adjusted to it over many months. The volume is also deficient. Despite this it’s a great car! Hope this helps. My dealer is 45 miles away but they have never offered me a courtesy car and neither have I asked for one. I walk to the nearest watering hole and wait for the workshop to call me. They always overestimate how long the work will take and it works fine as they have an appointment system and even with the longer service they do not take very long.

cadman2k · September 20, 2022

I have owned Lexus cars with both standard and Mark Levinson systems (present car has standard system). Although it doesn't bother me, If I had the choice of 2 both with the right colour and spec I would choose the one with ML providing it didn't come at a silly premium.

No denying from what I have experienced sound (and bass) were fantastic. I guess it's down to preference and budget, after all the car is the same general shape with the same powertrain so performance etc is unchanged.

Having extra toys can mean less boredom of course if your inclined to suffer from that with cars.

On the service front, If you find the right car from the right dealer (with history etc) I wouldn't envisage you would need to be that close to a Lexus dealer and only need the once a year visit for service/Mots.

Lexus stated that the facelift version had a number of changes both cosmetic and others not visible, details can be found here.

https://mag.lexus.co.uk/what-has-changed-with-2017-lexus-is/

Good luck in your search, the playing field is quite limited which makes the searching more of a challenge compared to some of the German brands.

If you don't have an upper budget then of course should be easier.

I think facelifts at the moment with sensible miles are around a min. of about 19-20k as the market is still buoyant.

wharfhouse · September 20, 2022

2 hours ago, montecarlos said:

Thanks for the excellent reply and input, I guess if I'm on the ball it's not too big a hardship to take the car for a service on a Saturday morning assuming I get it booked in well in advance. I knew it was a bit too hopeful!!

Is there much benefit to stretching to the facelift? I prefer the look 'slightly' but did they change anything else other than the exterior looks?

I haven't looked at Lexus dealers per-se, just AutoTrader and the descriptions are weak. On that subject, do you have any input on the quality of that system vs the standard? (I am assuming it's standard or Mark Levinson).

The extended warranty is partly why I am interested in Lexus or Toyota, but I always liked the is300h looks, and honestly there's not a Toyota that I like enough to buy...

Facelift was mainly that - pretty much all else same including engines and drive trains - just some different trim levels and a bit of additional tech. Lexus claim some suspension and stiffening tweaks but to be honest I couldn't tell the difference - I wouldn't let a really good pre-facelift car go for a less-good facelift one.

Look at the Lexus website for Used Cars to get a better idea of what is on the dealer forecourts and costs etc. - even if you decide to buy elsewhere you can find out a lot from the Lexus used car pages.

There are three audio setups - top is Mark Levinson (many speakers...); middle is when the car has Premium Nav (no Mark Levinson but 8 (I think) speakers, including an amp with sub-woofer on the rear shelf); basic is when car has standard/no nav and has 6 speakers (no amp or sub-woofer). Some will swear that the basic (6 speakers) is rubbish, but personally (after doing my own tweaks on the settings) I am happy with that but maybe I'm not so demanding as others of the audio setup when driving the car. But if audio quality is very important to you then choose a car with Premium Nav which may or may not then have Mark Levinson. You can only really know what works for you by trying them out (a Lexus dealer is probably the place to go to try them side-by-side in IS 300h's).

If Extended Warranty is important to you then choose a car that has a decent amount of years/miles left to take advantage of the free Relax Extended Warranty (you must have the car serviced at Lexus every 12 months / 10K miles whichever comes first though for it to be valid) and it will only apply once a service has been done by Lexus if you purchase outside of the Lexus dealers (unless the car you purchase it has had one at a Lexus dealer within the last 12 months / 10K miles).

Yes, I know what you mean about the looks - that attracted me at the outset then I had a test drive for the day and went straight back and bought one - that was 6 years ago - I bought a two year old (2014 reg) with 40K miles - I still have it, it gets used very regularly, and it has now done 122K miles with very little having gone wrong in that time and still drives like it did when I first got it. I have it serviced at Lexus and now have it under the 10 Year Plus Extended Warranty.

wharfhouse · September 20, 2022

1 hour ago, D Johnson said:

Hello, my basic trim IS300h is rising 2 years’ old. Compared to a 5 series the sound system quality is sub par but I have adjusted to it over many months. The volume is also deficient. Despite this it’s a great car! Hope this helps. My dealer is 45 miles away but they have never offered me a courtesy car and neither have I asked for one. I walk to the nearest watering hole and wait for the workshop to call me. They always overestimate how long the work will take and it works fine as they have an appointment system and even with the longer service they do not take very long.

If you ever want a courtesy car you normally just need to ask when booking in - but give a few weeks' notice. Often a good chance to try a different model. I had a new NX 350h while my car was in for its 120K service a month ago.

wharfhouse · September 20, 2022

2 hours ago, montecarlos said:

Is there much benefit to stretching to the facelift?

I have just found my brochure that is dated January 2016 so covers most of the trim levels from around 2014 to facelift - that may help you see what is what for the pre-facelift cars - see:

Lexus IS.pdf

ColinBarber · September 20, 2022

7 hours ago, montecarlos said:

First question, do I need to avoid any particular model years? early years?

Second question, is there a sure fire way to tell if it has the Mark Levinson sound system? I know there's a little logo and box which appears on the centre console behind the gear stick but in many dealer photo's it's hard to see and I feel like many dealers won't even advertise it has it.

I want the Mark Levinson system but it's perhaps not a deal breaker if the normal sound system is also brilliant? But I have heard good things about the Mark Levinson stuff in Lexus.

Third and probably hardest question is that my nearest Lexus dealer is a 40 minute drive away. However I do have a Toyota dealer close by, do Toyota service Lexus and if so, would I be able to get the Relax warranty with having the car serviced at Toyota? Maybe a tad hopeful...

And, anything else to generally look out for when buying? Any options you think are amazing to have, which trim levels are the best? I'm looking for comfort more than 'sport' as I'd rather not have hard suspension if the car isn't really a performance car anyway.

1 - possibly avoid the 2013 vehicles. There were a couple of issues when first released such as an issue with the steering rack which should all have been fixed under warranty if the owner noticed the issue(s) but there could be some that weren't and now it is too late get it fixed for free.

2 - either the logo you mention or look for a tweeter next to the door release on the rear doors which isn't there on the other audio systems.

the 8 (pre face lift) or 10 (post fact lift) speaker system is good so you may not feel the need to go full ML - but avoid the 6 speaker system (with rotary nav controller).

3 - A Toyota dealer with a Lexus franchise won't service a Lexus, ones without may do but they really aren't meant to. You certainly won't get Relax warranty through a Toyota dealer.

4 - If you want comfort then avoid the models with 18" wheels. 16" are obviously best for comfort but they are base level grades and you won't get the better audio system with them, so something like the Luxury grade with 17" wheels, optional heated/ventilated seats and premium nav is possibly your sweet spot.

montecarlos · September 21, 2022

First of all, I can see you're all extremely passionate and happy owners and it's reflected in your very helpful manner. Thank you so much all of you for the responses, it's a huge help.

From the answers here, I think I will aim for a Premier, around 2015/2016 so I can get a few years Lexus Relax warranty (And then pay the £500 a year if I love the car). I love the styling and the gauge cluster on the F-Sport so perhaps I will consider one of those too but would have to give it a drive and make sure it's not too hard on suspension, I'm coming from a Volvo S60 with 19" wheels and R-Design so I think the F-Sport lexus would still be a smoother ride anyway!

If I struggle I will look for a Luxury model with the premium navigation, especially if I can stretch into the facelift model by doing so

royoftherovers · September 21, 2022

1 hour ago, montecarlos said:

First of all, I can see you're all extremely passionate and happy owners and it's reflected in your very helpful manner. Thank you so much all of you for the responses, it's a huge help.

From the answers here, I think I will aim for a Premier, around 2015/2016 so I can get a few years Lexus Relax warranty (And then pay the £500 a year if I love the car). I love the styling and the gauge cluster on the F-Sport so perhaps I will consider one of those too but would have to give it a drive and make sure it's not too hard on suspension, I'm coming from a Volvo S60 with 19" wheels and R-Design so I think the F-Sport lexus would still be a smoother ride anyway!

If I struggle I will look for a Luxury model with the premium navigation, especially if I can stretch into the facelift model by doing so

Good luck in your quest.

A 40 minute drive in a Lexus is a pleasure and not a waste of time. Remember that most of Einstein`s progress was derived from his thought processes.

Ask the Dealer from which you wish to buy to collect and return your car to you for Services.

Lexus Bolton, Chester and Liverpool provide the service, so do not be backward in coming forward.

montecarlos · September 21, 2022

Luckily for me I am able to borrow a lovely 07 plate BMW 3 series for a couple of months so I have time to wait for a nice example to come up! Hopefully it doesn't break down in that time, I don't want the blame... Old BMW though, good chance it will ...

I will bear that in mind with the services, I think I would just book it in on a saturday morning and wait somewhere near by.

montecarlos · September 26, 2022

Hi guys

Put a deposit down today on a blue F-Sport, I couldn't find one with Mark Levinson but I did at least get the premium nav. It's not sold by Lexus themselves, but it is from a Toyota dealer so at least I have a little more 'return insurance' compared to buying privately.

Full Lexus service history, currently has Relax Warranty running from it's previous service for nearly a year, spoke to a nice guy at my nearest Lexus dealer and he said they will collect the car despite it being a 25-30 mile drive as they have people who live out my way who can drop it off etc.

Looking forward to it, hoping to pick it up on Sunday!

Thanks again for the help, I haven't seen the car yet so there's a small chance I will have to reject but it looks in good condition from what I've seen.