Roger Bill

As part of my work I've had cause to visit many engineering factories in the UK, Germany and USA in a wide range of industries including automotive, motor sport, defence and electronics. Admittedly it's a few years since I've visited any car factories but in comparison to those that I did (which will remain nameless) the Lexus IS factory and production techniques shown in this video seem superb. I've the greatest respect for Japanese standards of quality and, therefore, over the past 25 years I've always owned Japanese cars.

It is incredibly difficult to make products with the very low failure rates that we now take for granted. If bankers, estate agents, journalists, politicians, et al adhered to similar rigorous quality standards the world would surely be a better place!

Audi are selling very well, as is BMW 3 Coupe. Every one with big cars is going to BMW for the Coupe now or the A5.

Sorry to have to disagree but Audi new car sales in the UK are down over 31% this year and BMW are down over 38% Both are better than Lexus but worse than the industry average which was 28% down, see http://www.am-online.com/NewCarSalesFigures/index.asp for all the UK new car sales figures.

Audi is still the best performing Luxury car maker out of MB, BMW, Lexus and Audi - it is down 31%, Lexus is 47% down! You can compare to industry average - you should compare to Luxury average. The industry averages is "weighted" by smaller cars which are selling well. Like Ford Fiesta.

This year Jaguar sales are UP by 64.84% due to their fantastic new XF, Volvo are only down by 19%, Aston Martin are only down by 28%, Porsche is down by the same as Audi.

Audi are selling very well, as is BMW 3 Coupe. Every one with big cars is going to BMW for the Coupe now or the A5.

Sorry to have to disagree but Audi new car sales in the UK are down over 31% this year and BMW are down over 38% Both are better than Lexus but worse than the industry average which was 28% down, see http://www.am-online.com/NewCarSalesFigures/index.asp for all the UK new car sales figures.

A few months ago I was looking for this same spec but slightly newer. The main problem I hit was that there were few SE-L MM Autos available, however, I was also limiting myself to a only few colours which didn't help. There was a much wider choice of SE spec cars and I started to question whether I really needed all the extras on the SE-L.

Cars without MM tend to be significantly cheaper and I think would fall within your budget. However, if you find an SE-L with MM that you like don't be put off by the asking price. According to http://www.am-online.com/NewCarSalesFigures/ Lexus new car sales are down 48% this year and so dealers should be willing to negotiate if they want to win your business.

Good luck and I hope you have an interesting time.

I had tyre noise problems on my Honda Accord which was much improved by a change from Dunlop SP Sport to Michelin Pilot Primacy. The Michelins were significantly more expensive but they seem to last longer. However, at the time I received a lot of conflicting advice and opinion about the amount of noise generated by different tyres.

Hi Parthiban

Waiting for a used facelifted SE-L is certainly another option I'm considering. However, I'm not sure whether the 18" wheels will make the ride too hard for my liking. Also over the past few months that I've been looking only a relatively few SE-L's have come on the second-hand market whereas there always seems to be a reasonable choice of used SE's.

Best regards

Roger

Hi all

I was wondering how forum members with the facelifted IS are getting on. For example, have the modifications to the dash, etc cured all the creaks and rattles that seemed so common with the 2005/08 IS cars? Also has the ride quality improved with the suspension mods?

Any feedback on these or any other issues would be welcome as I'm still sitting on the sidelines wondering whether to buy a nearly new IS250 MM auto or whether it's worth paying the extra for a new SEI. The cosmetic styling changes to the interior and exterior aren't really sufficient to swing my decision either way. My main disappointment with the SEI is that it doesn't have the Mark Levinson audio or the dynamic route guidance

Best regards

Roger

Alpine: By October 2008 Lexus had already seen dramatic falls in their sales for at least 5 months: 45% in October, 44% in September, 59% in August, 39% in July and 31% in June 2008 Figures obtained from http://www.am-online.com/NewCarSalesFigures/index.asp

Dave1, thanks very much for that very useful information re date of manufacture.

I wonder why the Lexus Hatfield web site http://www.lexus.co.uk/hatfield doesn't make any mention of these cars and whether, therefore, other dealers have similar stocks.

According to http://www.am-online.com/NewCarSalesFigures/ Lexus UK sold 434 in Jan 2009 vs 914 in Jan 2008, 406 in Dec 2008 vs 817 in Dec 2007, 378 in Nov 2008 vs 901 in Nov 2007 and so on. Assuming they didn't foresee this dramatic slowdown in sales and given a 12 week delivery time from the factory in Japan it's easy to see how they could still have a large stockpile of unsold cars. I think the introduction of the IS facelift probably made the situation worse than for other models.

The part exchange price for a 2008 IS250SE Automatic with multimedia navigation system in Parker's Price Guide www.parkers.co.uk/ is only £15,860. Buying one of these "new" IS250SE cars at £22,995 could, therefore, mean an immediate loss of £7,135 or 31%

Also I would guess the factory stopped producing these pre-facelift models back in May 2008. The facelift versions were available much sooner in the USA than over here in the UK. If so, these cars will probably have been standing in a field somewhere for almost a year. Flat spots on tyres and flat batteries are two potential problems on cars that have been left standing for this length of time. I was told that you could identify the month and year of manufacture from things like the VIN number but I failed when I tried to work it out for a used Lexus IS250 I was thinking of buying last year.

Were the cars actually at Hatfield? If so, were the colours the less popular ones that dealers struggle to sell?

Initially I thought these prices looked good, but now I'm more inclined to think in the current economic climate that these prices are not such a bargain.

Hi all

Many thanks for all the replies. This is really useful information which certainly suggests I should opt for the alternative of trying to find a good used IS250 SE or SEL rather than buying a new SEI.

Hi all

I'm still wondering about the choice between a used IS250 SE and a new SEI with the navigation system. The key difference is that the SEI doesn't include the Traffic Message Channel system which provides dynamic route guidance capabilities. I was wondering if any of you with the full multimedia system could tell me what information is displayed when a traffic problem is reported on the planned route.

Many thanks, Roger

Three weeks ago I dropped into Lexus Derby, unfortunately I was running late and only had time for a very, very brief look at an IS 2009 in their showroom which I think was a base SE model. As I don't often go near Derby, I was wondering if anyone has seen IS 2009 cars in showrooms or on dealer demonstration fleets? I'd be particularly interested to see the updated interiors of an SE-I or SE-L especially as the brochure and other details on the Lexus UK web site doesn't seem to contain any close-up photos and most are of the pre-facelift interior.

During the past couple of weeks I've contacted Lexus at Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Woodford and Hatfield. None of these had any 2009 cars although they have supplied a few to customers. The Lexus UK stock of pre-facelift IS cars and the current market conditions seems to be playing havoc with the introduction of the face-lifted version.

Hi chandru

If you click on the link for an email brochure on the www.lexus.co.uk web site you can now download the brochure for the new 2009 version. I was told that the printed brochures won't be with the dealers until mid January. The 2009 SE-L comes with a new style of 18 inch wheels as standard and there's a picture in the brochure but it's not very clear.

On the Broadspeed web site MM for the SEL adds £2,281 and metallic paint £429. The navigation pack for the SEI is £1,536

Quoted delivery times on the Broadspeed web site for all the IS250 models is 10 weeks. However, some of the Broadspeed customer reviews you can find on the internet indicate there have been differences between promised and actual delivery times!! Equally, however, there are reviews from satisfied Broadspeed customers.

I've also found www.buyacar.co.uk is quoting the 2009 SEL Auto with multimedia and metallic paint at £25,440

Interestingly the discounts available for the new Honda Accord on both of these web sites are substantially less than those quoted for the Lexus IS.

Hi all

I've just checked www.broadspeed.com for prices and apparently you can get a 2009 IS250SE-L automatic for £23,208 which is a discount of £5,028 or 17.8% They also list the IS250SE-I automatic for £21,256 which is a discount of £4,710 or 18%. These costs are said to include VAT, 12 months tax, full warranty and the cars are supplied by a UK main dealer.

Other internet brokers (eg www.carquake.co.uk) seem to be offering more credible discounts around 11% which is about the discount I would think it should be possible to negotiate directly with a dealer in the current market conditions.

A quick search on the internet for comments from Broadspeed customers turns up both negative and positive feedback. I'm inclined to think that discounts of 17 or 18% must be too good to be true and so I'll need to continue searching for a good second-hand SEL which are generally priced at only a little less than Broadspeed.

Has anyone any experience of Broadspeed or other internet car brokers?

Best regards

Roger

Hi Lexulator,

Many thanks for the information.

Best regards, Roger

I had tyre noise problems on my Honda Accord which was much improved by a change from Dunlop SP Sport to Michelin Pilot Primacy. The Michelins were significantly more expensive but they seem to last longer. However, at the time I received a lot of conflicting advice and opinion about the amount of noise generated by different tyres.

Hi all

I'm going round in ever decreasing circles trying to decide which model to buy. One thing I've just noticed in the details on the facelift is that the new SEI doesn't have a rear arm rest or ski hatch. I thought all the pre-facelift IS models had this or was it only the SEL?

Many thanks

Roger

You're right in that the sport model has been deleted. But the information I've got states that the IS is now fitted with Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) on all derivatives and that the stabilizer bar, suspension and EPS (Electrical Power Steering) have all been revised to "enhance drivability".

Also the SEL is now fitted with 18 inch wheels which seems odd as I would have thought many potential Lexus owners are like me and would prefer more comfort than a harder sports car set up.

The navigation system for the new SEI model doesn't have the Mark Levinson audio system or the dynamic route guidance (DRG) option. How good are these two features?

Hi all

I've seen a facelifted IS in the showroom but haven't yet been able to arrange a test drive. Has anyone had a chance to compare the ride quality of the pre and post facelifted IS on 17inch wheels? Apparently various suspension changes have been made to "enhance drivability". If this means it's been made a firmer more sports orientated ride then I'll opt for a pre-facelift IS250SE or SEL but if the changes are aimed at improved comfort on our deteriorating road surfaces then I'll opt for an IS250 SEI.

Also details of the changes state that telephone "dialing functionality" is now available while driving. This makes me wonder how much the telephone system has been changed?

Many thanks

Roger

I had the same problem several years ago on a Honda Accord. The dealer just smeared some lubricant around the seals on the sunroof and there was no further problem. I think it was a silicone spray they used which I believe car accessory shops also sell. These noises can be very irritating because they're so close to your ears and also modern cars are becoming much quieter so any minor squeaks and rattles are more noticeable. In my early cars (eg Ford Anglias and Cortinas) minor trim rattles were hidden by all the other noise and vibration!!!

Hi all, Many thanks for clearing up my confusion on this one. Sometimes I feel the Lexus brochure, UK web site and sales staff lack some information especially when compared with the amount of detail on the USA Lexus web site.

Best regards

Roger

Many thanks for the info, both. Best regards, Roger

Hi all

I'm thinking of buying a 57 or 08 registered 250SE or SEL. In the brochure it says the "Illuminated entry system with white LED" and the "outside rear view electro-chromatic (auto dimming) mirrors" are standard across the whole IS range. I thought it was only on the SEL that these were standard?

Also am I right in thinking that the white LED entry system are the lights in the aluminium scuff plates?

Many thanks

Roger