mk_lon

Given my experience and others on this thread, I think you will be very happy with the Is250. Happy motoring my friend 😊 I agree with you about the new shape too. The exterior is fine but the interior in the mk3 / 2013 onwards reminds me of a cheap looking alba stereo from argos in the 90s.

The auto petrol is cheaper to tax, better mpg, cheaper to insure and many said a better drive than the manual. I'm surprised to read your post as your the only person I have ever read that speaks so highly of the IS220d in 12 years of being on this forum, thus I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the is250. It really is a great car. Pending your budget you should find a fully spec sel model...don't be afraid of high mileage cars as the engines are bullet proof... Best of luck with the search.

I could not have put it better myself, thank you for summarizing this perfectly. I would also add that living in London where roads are full of potholes, speed humps and speed cameras. The Lexus IS far better ride than a BMW with sports suspension, massive alloys and low profile tires...

Whenever I read reviews on the 2nd gen IS like this it always makes me smile. It is a brilliant car in so many ways that car journalists simply don't understand. Ride quality, reliability, comfort, equipment, safety and build quality. Whenever I see it parked next to a e90 3 series or a w204 c class or the early 2000s a4 it is better looking and more modern, in fact it has aged well over the years compared to them. As with any car, colour, interior colour, wheels and spec make a big difference.

I've had it twice, front and rear. I left it for around a year (local indy I use told me not to worry as they have seen alot worst), got them changed when my discs and pads needed replacing too. Parts cost me around £45 a pair.

The same thing happened to a friend of mine a couple of years ago. He was driving a E46 BMW coupe. He contacted the insurance company and managed to buy the car off them and repair it privately for £800. Kept the payout too.

Interesting.... I use shell v power but didn't know red x solves the problem. I thought it was the cats nearing end of life... Do you know why it happens and how often do you use red x?

Hey Sean, I got an 07 auto, with 88k on the clock. It's still got its original exhaust. It's been welded when a small hole appeared in the in the middle pipe in 2019 and currently smells of egg when I floor it in the cold but other than that it's fine.

Wow that sounds horrific!! I'm so glad that you and your girls live and tell the tail without any permanent damage. Testiment to lexus build quality and safety. If your looking away from the is250 and don't mind a bigger car then the GS is a great choice that won't break the bank compared to it's bmw/merc/audi counterparts

Thanks Sundance, I forgot to coat it with UV protection then the weather turned bad on me thus I became lazy. When summer arrives I will do it again, this time I will use UV protector too. I suspect it will probably become yellow again by then.

I used K2 PRO LAMP DOCTOR Headlight Restorer Cleaner Scratch Remover. I have a 07 plate IS250 with bi xneon headlights. I cleaned the lights using flash kitchen spray then applied using a old dirty car sponge. Left it for 20mins then spent literally 1min buffing with an old micro fibre cloth which had not been cleaned or used in years.... It worked with excellent results, just see the picture.

@Linas.P thanks that makes sense. I will keep an eye on it and get back to you, I have a fealing it could be MAF or 02 sensor but I dont know enough to be sure. @SeanR its been when the AC is off, when I first start it up and have been driving for the first 20mins or so.

I had this too, noticed it was happening during the winter when them temp drops below the 10 degree mark. The spark plugs were changed in mine during a service in Jan 22 and the problem went. It recently came back during the cold snap but usually goes away after about 20mins of driving so I did'nt investigate it any further. I would be intersted to see if the cause is found on this thread as I am useless at DIY car mechanics 🙂

Mine doesn't have a sunroof but whenever I park it in the winter the windows always gets steamed up very quickly

Take it you bought a manual then? Also sounds like you have an SEL - top spec