New owner questions!

[Stever750]

I've had a quick scan through the first few pages to look for the obvious answers, so apologies in advance if the answers are already posted somewhere, and happy to be directed.

I've got an 18 plate Skoda Superb 220TSI Sportline that is proving a tad too expensive to run as a business car, so am looking seriously at either a nearly new 23 plat corolla GR Sport 1.8 hybrid, or an 18 plate IS300h with 25k on it, and FSDH. What attracts me to the Lexus is that it qualifies for the highest HMRC fuel advisory rate for co car owners (the rate that my employer uses for both co cars and cash for cars) which means i go from losing around £30-£40 a month on fuel costs to gaining £100+, so able to cover servicing costs as well as fuel. This is the primary reason for considering it. My wife is on her second Auris, so I know all about the hybrid driving experience, and generally not a fan, but the cost savings can't be ignored, plus it's actually a nice place to sit. I managed to get 43mpg on the dash computer on a 15 mile or so fairly spirited drive, so moments of full throttle in sport mode accelerating onto and on dual carriageway as well as some twisty B road sections, which was impressive, and above my target of 40mpg. Is this typical? I mostly commute from West wales to London so a trudge up and down the M4 with a few roundabouts in Bracknell thrown in; and then sometimes across mid wales if heading north or M4/M50 for the Midlands.

 

The other Q I had was on the tech spec of the Advance trim, what is the audio like? I can see that car play and android auto didn't make it, but the system sounded OK on my quick demo of Radio 2....

Anything critical that is hould be aware of, consider, check with the seller before committing? My plan is to make a decision tomorrow (Sunday 18th) as there are some big costs looming on my Superb that I'd like to avoid by adding a ton of mileage next week. TIA for any usefuol / helpful info, and maybe look forward to joining this community - I was pretty active on Briskoda for years of owning multiple Octavia vRS's 

 

[IS300FSPORT]

To summarise 

- Very outdated tech wise could be classed as boring to some

- MPG at best 35-50MPG if driven sensibly mixed driving

- Performance wise reasonable capable on motorway speeds

- Inner tyre wear is common can get pricey if your a high mileage driver

- Reliability cant be touched mechanically/hybrid system

- One disadvantage with Lexus parts are expensive but on the positive they do last

[Stever750]

OK thank you. I've read about the audio system varying from rubbish to great. I have what I think is a pre FL car with the standard setup. Have asked seller to check (check there is audio coming out of the rear parcel shelf speaker grille) 

Aware parts and servicing is a premium, that bit is OK. 

Wasn't aware of tyre wear, that could be a red flag, I cover around 18k year so expect to get 20k per set minim, though that's for front WD rather than rear. 

Agreed on first point, being brutal this is not an emotional purchase, it's just a means to saving a lot of cash. If that was no issue, I prefer my Superb as a drivers car especially after upgrading the dampers, though the interior and "plushness" factor is higher on the Lexus. 

[ColinBarber]

The Advance only has the 6 speaker audio without separate amp or a sub - it lacks performance compared to the 8 speaker premium audio system on other grades with the advanced navigation option.

Not sure how anyone could only get 40 mpg in an IS300h with 17" wheels on anything other than a very short journey or greatly exceeding the motorway speed limit so you should be able to achieve your requirement there.

 

If you go for the Corolla, why not the 2.0l version as that is much nicer - the extra power means you don't have to rev it so much.

[Bounce75]

Can't comment on a lot of the other issues really as low milage drive, but normally average between 45 & 50mpg.

Has enough power for me & stereo is fine.

Good luck whatever you decide.

[Stever750]

58 minutes ago, ColinBarber said:

The Advance only has the 6 speaker audio without separate amp or a sub - it lacks performance compared to the 8 speaker premium audio system on other grades with the advanced navigation option.

Not sure how anyone could only get 40 mpg in an IS300h with 17" wheels on anything other than a very short journey or greatly exceeding the motorway speed limit so you should be able to achieve your requirement there.

 

If you go for the Corolla, why not the 2.0l version as that is much nicer - the extra power means you don't have to rev it so much.

No 2L Corolla's locally when I started looking, but have found 2 this evening, both in GR Sport trim. Will travel tomorrow to look at one of them, and if OK then I think that's the deal. I was briefly distracted by a 2020 Alfa Giulia 280 veloce for the same monthly payments...but nearest dealer is 150 miles away and off my commute. I was a huge Alfa fan growing up in the 80s, first 2 cars were suds......

[wharfhouse]

13 hours ago, Stever750 said:

I've had a quick scan through the first few pages to look for the obvious answers, so apologies in advance if the answers are already posted somewhere, and happy to be directed.

I've got an 18 plate Skoda Superb 220TSI Sportline that is proving a tad too expensive to run as a business car, so am looking seriously at either a nearly new 23 plat corolla GR Sport 1.8 hybrid, or an 18 plate IS300h with 25k on it, and FSDH. What attracts me to the Lexus is that it qualifies for the highest HMRC fuel advisory rate for co car owners (the rate that my employer uses for both co cars and cash for cars) which means i go from losing around £30-£40 a month on fuel costs to gaining £100+, so able to cover servicing costs as well as fuel. This is the primary reason for considering it. My wife is on her second Auris, so I know all about the hybrid driving experience, and generally not a fan, but the cost savings can't be ignored, plus it's actually a nice place to sit. I managed to get 43mpg on the dash computer on a 15 mile or so fairly spirited drive, so moments of full throttle in sport mode accelerating onto and on dual carriageway as well as some twisty B road sections, which was impressive, and above my target of 40mpg. Is this typical? I mostly commute from West wales to London so a trudge up and down the M4 with a few roundabouts in Bracknell thrown in; and then sometimes across mid wales if heading north or M4/M50 for the Midlands.

 

The other Q I had was on the tech spec of the Advance trim, what is the audio like? I can see that car play and android auto didn't make it, but the system sounded OK on my quick demo of Radio 2....

Anything critical that is hould be aware of, consider, check with the seller before committing? My plan is to make a decision tomorrow (Sunday 18th) as there are some big costs looming on my Superb that I'd like to avoid by adding a ton of mileage next week. TIA for any usefuol / helpful info, and maybe look forward to joining this community - I was pretty active on Briskoda for years of owning multiple Octavia vRS's 

 

You haven't left yourself much time to make an informed decision but here's a few thoughts. The Corolla is clearly a lot newer and as a car used for high miles and company business that might be the logical choice, and a good car - but it's not a Lexus.

From what you have described your travel needs sound similar to mine. I do 15k miles a year and travel all over the country - business and leisure - much of it motorways. In the past I've had plenty of cars including numerous high end BMWs (the 6 cylinder ones) but at my last change wanted something a little more left field. In November 2016 I purchased a 2014 IS 300h Executive with 40K miles on it. I bought used as I wanted something quickly and had planned to change it for a new one in about 3 years but of course Lexus stopped bringing the IS to the UK/Europe.

Roll on today - I still have the car - it's 10 years old in November and has currently done 144K miles (so 100K miles in my ownership). It's IMHO absolutely brilliant.

It's never let me down. Very comfortable, relaxing and suited to long motorway treks. I always get out fresh after many hours behind the wheel, often non-stop. Doing a lot of driving I'm not looking to wring it's neck very journey (but don't drive slowly as often I'm running to a deadline) - I want to get to where I'm going unstressed and ready for what I need to do. Living with the IS long term, this is exactly what it does so well.

Regards other things that matter. Well fuel consumption on the trip computer (which I reset in 2016 when I bought the car) is 48mpg overall - summer/winter and a complete mix of driving. Other than replacing front wheel bearings at 80K miles (done under extended warranty) at which time I chose to have the front discs and pads changed too, and a bonnet latch that needed a new spring a few months back, that's it - just regular maintenance otherwise. Still original rear discs / pads and just the one set at 80K miles on the front. 

The 12V Battery is still the original. Regular use is good for this - most issues reported about this are due to long periods (weeks) unused. If there is a problem (which there could be as the car you're looking at has low mileage for the age) replace it with OEM and if you then use the car regularly all will be fine.

Tyres have always lasted like clockwork 20K miles at the rear and 40K miles at the front. Each change there is slight wear on inside rears and outside on fronts but that's the suspension setup and not an issue unless it's become excessive then it needs a proper 4 wheel alignment.

My trim has the 6 speaker audio. There is no speaker under the big grill on the parcel shelf. Again IMHO this setup is fine - but I wasn't looking for a top end setup in my car and most of my listening is radio (DAB) and off a USB stick (mp4). The tone controls can be set per source (rather than just overall) and I found that worth that doing. 

My car has the standard nav (the rotary wheel) rather than premium (the mouse thing). It works to get you to a destination but traffic updates etc are very limited. I now use Google Maps on my phone in a holder that plugs into the CD drive. 

Parts/repairs if needed are expensive but if serviced at Lexus you get 10 years/100K miles (whichever comes first) Relax Extended Warranty with each service. You can also purchase after this a further extended warranty up to 15 years/150K miles old (about £500 per year including the Lexus Roadside Assistance) but it must still be serviced by Lexus. The hybrid Battery has a 15 year unlimited mileage warranty as long as the car is serviced by Lexus on schedule, or if serviced at an indy a separate hybrid health check is done each 12 months / 10k miles (whichever comes first) for about £70 per annum. 

That's it from me - whatever choice you make I'm sure you should have trouble free motoring which for long distance regular travel is certainly good for a stress free life.

[Stever750]

Thank you, that is the kind of detailed insight I was hoping for. As nice as a good audio system is, in truth like you I listen to the radio (4) for 90% of the time so I don't think it's a deal breaker. 

In truth I was surprised and disappointed how tatty looking the car was when presented to me, had the reparations been done before going on sale then I likely would have done the deal. Also, the fact that the sales guy clearly doesn't know much about the cars' spec doesn't help either. 

Thinking about the test drive, I did notice that I subconsciously was driving less aggressively as I might usually have done, as if the car makes relaxed driving more desirable than frustrating. I did find the seating position a bit cramped for me, the high centre console and shape of the floor meant I couldn't move my left leg around as much as I can in other cars. 

I also noticed that the steering wheel was not perfectly centred in the straight ahead, which suggests the alignment needs checking. My superb is the same and it constantly irritates me even after alignment has been redone. 

I suppose the ultimate test of satisfied ownership is whether you look back at the car after you've parked up and look forward to using it again. As I said earlier, an Alfa would absolutely tick that box, but would be a hopelessly impractical solution; my challenge at the moment is that neither of these sensible options do at the moment though at least the Corolla has 2024 convenience tech. 

[wharfhouse]

4 minutes ago, Stever750 said:

Thank you, that is the kind of detailed insight I was hoping for. As nice as a good audio system is, in truth like you I listen to the radio (4) for 90% of the time so I don't think it's a deal breaker. 

In truth I was surprised and disappointed how tatty looking the car was when presented to me, had the reparations been done before going on sale then I likely would have done the deal. Also, the fact that the sales guy clearly doesn't know much about the cars' spec doesn't help either. 

Thinking about the test drive, I did notice that I subconsciously was driving less aggressively as I might usually have done, as if the car makes relaxed driving more desirable than frustrating. I did find the seating position a bit cramped for me, the high centre console and shape of the floor meant I couldn't move my left leg around as much as I can in other cars. 

I also noticed that the steering wheel was not perfectly centred in the straight ahead, which suggests the alignment needs checking. My superb is the same and it constantly irritates me even after alignment has been redone. 

I suppose the ultimate test of satisfied ownership is whether you look back at the car after you've parked up and look forward to using it again. As I said earlier, an Alfa would absolutely tick that box, but would be a hopelessly impractical solution; my challenge at the moment is that neither of these sensible options do at the moment though at least the Corolla has 2024 convenience tech. 

Yes that IS you tested does sound like it's not been well looked after which is a shame given such low mileage. It could probably all be sorted but if you need a car to start and use quickly for high mileages then you probably need to look elsewhere. I have to say that I always look forward to any journey in my IS as I know it will be relaxing and stress free - even accounting for the appalling driving that is around today! I genuinely wouldn't have kept it for the time I have otherwise.

Out of all the cars I've owned two have stood out. The first a 1997 E39 BMW 528i that I owned from new and did over 200k miles in across the UK and Europe - absolutely superb car that gave very little trouble (always dealer serviced) and that I always looked forwards to a long road trip in. And the second my current IS 300h that I put in the same category. 

I've had faster cars, bigger cars and all sorts but those are the two that I will always have a soft spot for. Not sure how many more years the IS 300h will be reliable for but I've seen reports of 250k miles in some and I've decided for the time being to keep it and see where that leads. It genuinely still drives like new at 144K miles. 

[Stever750]

Mechanically it seems fine apart from the steering issue, which in fairness could be my slight ocd over it kicking in. 

The cosmetics can and would be corrected as part of the sale, that was made clear yesterday. 

 

[Mr_Groundhog]

15 hours ago, Bounce75 said:

Can't comment on a lot of the other issues really as low milage drive, but normally average between 45 & 50mpg.

Has enough power for me & stereo is fine.

Good luck whatever you decide.

Agree with @Bounce75: those are the MPGs I get (17 inch wheels), and I love the sound system (not sure what you meant @ColinBarber as my Advance has the 8-speaker stereo)
The extra card I find my IS300h has on a lot of competitors, apart from the very comfy seats, is the reduced level of noise inside the car.

The suspension is something I also find nicely tuned and balanced in my opinion.

The inner trye wear can be eliminated swapping the front arm bushings and tuning the toe.

This said, I think the only other car Id consider nowadays is the new Honda Civic...

[wharfhouse]

3 hours ago, Stever750 said:

Mechanically it seems fine apart from the steering issue, which in fairness could be my slight ocd over it kicking in. 

The cosmetics can and would be corrected as part of the sale, that was made clear yesterday. 

 

I understand the steering wheel issue - I've got the same need for it to be straight and on past cars I've gone through multiple places to sort out a car - it's virtually always down to sloppy alignment by the person doing it - find a place that does it correctly with the right equipment and the problem has always been solved for me. We also have a Toyota Yaris hybrid for my wife/local driving. I enjoy the Lexus so much that swayed our decision to get our first Toyota. That was bought new in 2019 but hasn't done so many miles but also nothing at all has gone wrong in that time. I've bought a few odds and ends (for example two damaged door mirrors from passing cars hitting ours while we were parked...!) and it's certainly noticable that spares are quite a bit cheaper than Lexus. The dealer was the same as the one I used for my Lexus (Jemca in Reading, Berkshire) and I've had good service from both the Lexus and Toyota sides. Whatever you decide hope you enjoy the car. 

[wharfhouse]

55 minutes ago, Mr_Groundhog said:

Agree with @Bounce75: those are the MPGs I get (17 inch wheels), and I love the sound system (not sure what you meant @ColinBarber as my Advance has the 8-speaker stereo)
The extra card I find my IS300h has on a lot of competitors, apart from the very comfy seats, is the reduced level of noise inside the car.

The suspension is something I also find nicely tuned and balanced in my opinion.

The inner trye wear can be eliminated swapping the front arm bushings and tuning the toe.

This said, I think the only other car Id consider nowadays is the new Honda Civic...

Premier Nav (with the mouse) always came with the 8 speaker system and was an upgrade that was available on some trim levels. The standard nav (with rotary controller) always came with the 6 speaker system. 

[Stever750]

Appreciate the comments and having slept on it, decided to get the 2L Corolla. I got a good trade in for my Skoda, and the finance cost is lower than current, plus I have a Toyota dealer on my doorstep rather than a 2 hour drive away. Pick the car up tomorrow, and will baptise it by driving across mid wales en-route to Leeds. Somewhat frustratingly, my Lexus friend called me back and asked if i was interested in a "clean and tidy" (tidy has a much greater meaning here in South wales than simply of OD definition) 69 plate 300h. I would have been had I not literally finished sorting our the Toyota. Such is life. Rather bizarrely, my insurance premium has jumped up by a tenner a month, wasn't expecting that....

[wharfhouse]

25 minutes ago, Stever750 said:

Appreciate the comments and having slept on it, decided to get the 2L Corolla. I got a good trade in for my Skoda, and the finance cost is lower than current, plus I have a Toyota dealer on my doorstep rather than a 2 hour drive away. Pick the car up tomorrow, and will baptise it by driving across mid wales en-route to Leeds. Somewhat frustratingly, my Lexus friend called me back and asked if i was interested in a "clean and tidy" (tidy has a much greater meaning here in South wales than simply of OD definition) 69 plate 300h. I would have been had I not literally finished sorting our the Toyota. Such is life. Rather bizarrely, my insurance premium has jumped up by a tenner a month, wasn't expecting that....

The Corolla looks a good car - especially the 2L - I'm sure it will give you many miles of trouble free motoring. 

[Mr_Groundhog]

19 hours ago, Stever750 said:

Rather bizarrely, my insurance premium has jumped up by a tenner a month, wasn't expecting that....

Only that ? consider yourself lucky. It's freaking scary these days, the insurance thing.

[Stever750]

13 minutes ago, Mr_Groundhog said:

Only that ? consider yourself lucky. It's freaking scary these days, the insurance thing.

Well, only just re did the Superb so already taken that hit!! Corolla hardly sporty so why the premium? 

[Stever750]

Well that was an epic fail and made the mistake of getting impatient and buying used online. Went to collect the corolla and it was a bit of a shed so I declined the deal. 

Back to the drawing board, and will probably have a look at a 69 plate 300h in luxury trim with 30k for the same deal as previously. The fuel expenses benefit is massively attractive I have to admit. 

[Notamech]

It is a sensible option. Get one you wont regret it. Alternatively if you want something less cramped and more luxurious have a look at the GS300h essentially same engine but the car itself is more luxurious than sporty. Not sure about how the finances / tax benefits etc. will work out for you though. That may be something you would need to revisit. 

[wharfhouse]

1 hour ago, Stever750 said:

Well that was an epic fail and made the mistake of getting impatient and buying used online. Went to collect the corolla and it was a bit of a shed so I declined the deal. 

Back to the drawing board, and will probably have a look at a 69 plate 300h in luxury trim with 30k for the same deal as previously. The fuel expenses benefit is massively attractive I have to admit. 

That's such a frustration - must admit I've never bought a car on-line as the photos never really seem to show what you see with your own eyes. If you are looking again at the IS 300h (or any other Lexus) and have any more questions I'm sure you'll get plenty of answers from this forum. Good luck with your continued search.

[Stever750]

Initial pics look good of the 69 plate, and of course a 4 year old car will have some degree of wear. How durable are the leather seats, only in this image the drivers bolster looks worryingly shiny? I'll be inspecting it tomorrow anyway in person. 

[wharfhouse]

9 minutes ago, Stever750 said:

Initial pics look good of the 69 plate, and of course a 4 year old car will have some degree of wear. How durable are the leather seats, only in this image the drivers bolster looks worryingly shiny? I'll be inspecting it tomorrow anyway in person. 

Is it real leather or Tahara (synthetic leather). My car has black real leather and it's standing up well - over 9 years and 144K miles. The only noticeable creasing is the drivers seat bolster near the door that gets squashed getting in and out - all non F-sport (that have different seats) appear to have this as every photo I've seen of a car a few years old has the same. I've heard it can be improved using something like hot towels to shrink the leather a bit but I've not bothered trying it yet. 

[Stever750]

Think I read it was tahara

[Stever750]

Is it real leather in the advance trim? 

[wharfhouse]

4 minutes ago, Stever750 said:

Is it real leather in the advance trim? 

In the pre-facelift definitely Advance was leather - in the post facelift I think Advance had leather but I know the Executive went to Tahara post facelift.