I want one because I consider myself an enthusiast and want a car that drives and handles well. My car will be a second car doing low miles, so the mpg is not a big deal for me. But there are not many people out there with the same priorities.
I never said dated, I said "very late 1990s" and I stand by that comment. The rear lights (although they spawned thousands of imitations), the angular body lines and the fussy dashboard are all very much "of their time". Personally I like the look - I'm so much of a fan I even like the SportCross - but I think most people in the street would not see it as cutting edge these days.
To be clear, I'm a new member on this board, a BMW owner coming in peace! I'm a fan of the IS, but am trying to be realistic about the cars value and its place in the market these days. If anyone has a decent SportCross in the south of England they are looking to sell, I'm all ears.
Agree that "plenty to go wrong" was an unfair comment. I should have said "heavy on consumables". On this message board, I hear plenty of stories of fragile suspension alignment, rapid tyre wear, and corroding alloys. If I had to recommend a cheap family car to someone, I'd recommend an Avensis over an IS. As someone else on this thread has already said, the IS has quite a narrow appeal as it's really only for the enthusiasts now, it's not a cheap car to run and maintain.