To Buy Or Not To Buy

whiteman · May 31, 2008

I managed to have a play with a IS250 se auto last saturday some of you may think I am crazy but I am not that impressed with it, yes it looks very pretty on the outside and yes it looks very pretty on the inside but if I were blindfoldedand had to tell what car I was in without feeling anything I would not be able to tell the difference. That is handling noise etc. I have either got a bloody good IS200 or the 08reg IS250 had something up with it..

I had the 250 all day went on a 60mile run to pick my son up and thus returned then had a play on some country roads and see what it handled like. Don't get me wrong I loved driving the car and loved it's looks but when I got back in my old tug a 01reg SE it felt the same, at first I missed the armrest that was the only difference I noticed so I can't see the point of spending my money on a new car when there is no difference, I still get a big smile on my face when driving my baby. Some of you 250 owneers will probably disagree with me with saying the 200 is nothing like the 250 well maybe it isn't, well only in the looks department. I did like the idea of keeping your keys in your pocket and just opening the door and not fumbling around in your pocket to find your keys when you start it, my son loved the start button..

I could rant on and on but I think I willl be keeping my 200 for a while longer unless I can decide weather to get a 300 that I have come accross and I think I will notice a difference then.. so my 200 se may be up for sale very soon if anyone interested let me know..

thanks one dissapointed guy

Parthiban · May 31, 2008

I understand exactly what you're saying mate, as I thought exactly the same thing. The first time I had an IS250 as a loaner, I had it for a week and I totally fell in love with it - so much so that when I went back to pick mine up I started talking to them about numbers if I were to swap.

However, when I got back in mine, I realised that there were things I still loved about the IS200 and would miss if I swapped it. In my view, I still think the IS200 handles better and has better steering feel than the IS250 - most would say I was crazy but that's what I thought of it............on the other hand though I loved how silent the IS250 was when cruising on the motorway, it was quieter and more refined than our £55k Merc so that is indeed very impressive.

All depends what you want, but it sounds like you're in the same place I was, and I've still got the IS200 and am very happy with it still..........if you're not bored of your car yet, I wouldn't waste the money to change it.......

Don't get me wrong, I still do see the IS250 as the potential replacement for my car at some point in the future, but I'm just not quite ready to do it yet :)

Dave-Ellen · May 31, 2008

Its a 350 you really want !

whiteman · May 31, 2008

I think you have hit the nail on the head why shell out 20kish for a car that is no different to a IS200. It still puts a smile on my face likeit did 10minutes ago when I was stuck behind an old goat on a nice tight sweeping bend and knowing the IS can hanlde the bend without worrying that the its rear will skip out, put a huge B) upon my face.

I still think the 200 has some better lines on it, I was just sat in the garden looking at the lines down the side and thought SEXY or wot!!!

Dave reckons a 350, might as well go for a ISF.

Has a treat I may go and wash my car later when the sun goes down and have a beer at the same time and give the car some screen wash( alcoholic) :)

Dave-Ellen · May 31, 2008

I think you have hit the nail on the head why shell out 20kish for a car that is no different to a IS200. It still puts a smile on my face likeit did 10minutes ago when I was stuck behind an old goat on a nice tight sweeping bend and knowing the IS can hanlde the bend without worrying that the its rear will skip out, put a huge B) upon my face.
I still think the 200 has some better lines on it, I was just sat in the garden looking at the lines down the side and thought SEXY or wot!!!

Dave reckons a 350, might as well go for a ISF.

Has a treat I may go and wash my car later when the sun goes down and have a beer at the same time and give the car some screen wash( alcoholic) :)

IS-F is a lot of dosh............stylings a bit OTT as well IMHO

janet · June 1, 2008

I understand exactly what you're saying mate, as I thought exactly the same thing. The first time I had an IS250 as a loaner, I had it for a week and I totally fell in love with it - so much so that when I went back to pick mine up I started talking to them about numbers if I were to swap.
However, when I got back in mine, I realised that there were things I still loved about the IS200 and would miss if I swapped it. In my view, I still think the IS200 handles better and has better steering feel than the IS250 - most would say I was crazy but that's what I thought of it............on the other hand though I loved how silent the IS250 was when cruising on the motorway, it was quieter and more refined than our £55k Merc so that is indeed very impressive.

All depends what you want, but it sounds like you're in the same place I was, and I've still got the IS200 and am very happy with it still..........if you're not bored of your car yet, I wouldn't waste the money to change it.......

Don't get me wrong, I still do see the IS250 as the potential replacement for my car at some point in the future, but I'm just not quite ready to do it yet :)

Exactly how I felt !!

tHomBleached · June 2, 2008

+1

When I had the 250 (& 220) as a loaner, I felt exactly the same way I did when I test drove a new avensis.....suitably uninspired, it's a very cold car IMO, there are some great things about it sure, but it felt great to get back behind the wheel of my 200 after the service...MUCH more planted, much better visability, and for me, the interior seems alot more individual, a one-off, compared with the 250's interior.

and agreed, it's something I may think about in the future, but only when my 200's been driven into the ground (could be many years....!)

essentially there's something very 'VW beetle' about the 200 (not to downplay the prestige of the marque!) in that 200 drivers tend to acknowledge each other on the road (the sheer volume of posts on the 200 on here alone speaks volumes) whereas the 250 & 220 seem like a quintessential 'exec' class saloon, i.e. a company car and not necessarily an 'owners' car. However time will tell....we could be chatting on anecdotaly about the 250 in 10 years time in the same way we do on the 200....