H3XME

Maybe it was installed from an imported model..but i don't see why as that'd be a big job. I had factory air suspension on my Soarer and that eventually died. Even used units were mega money so coilovers were the way to go.

Hello Dave, I'm not sure if you aimed that at me or Alan? I love the 86. I was on the fence myself between MX-5 (the latest shape) and GT86 but the 86 won as it's a bigger car and overall seems better to me. I felt a bit claustrophobic in the MX-5 as there's no back seats to even put your coat on. The 86 feels more lively and gave me more of a "race car" feel compared to the MX-5 as well.. absolutely 0 regret in getting that car. Lots of aftermarket parts out there for the 86 as well, so a lot easier to make it "your own" if you wish. Found the driving position a bit worse in the MX-5 too... similar cars in a lot of ways, but 86 was just a bit better in pretty much every way to me but that might be subjective.

I'd go off the condition of the car. I mean if it passed MOTs with no advisories, it must've been kept in a decent shape. I bought mine without a service book because it was in a good nick. Guy before me serviced it himself, and so do I.. I know it is a bit off putting when buying, but it's worth checking the car out. If it wasn't serviced in 7 years, the engine will show some wear & tear (VVTi rattle too) because the oil loses its properties over time so it'd be like driving on water hence servicing is 1 year or 10k miles whichever comes first.

One of a kind tone & quality

Yeah thats about right with some discount. I got in the UK. You can buy it here with a discount coupon "TYPB10" https://www.part-box.com/product/32003-bt002-hks-hi-power-409-exhaust-system-lexus-is250/

WBAC are awful for most. Here's an example, my dad bought his 2015 370Z with 9k miles last year for £18k. Decided to sell the other week as the prices went up loads. WBAC offered 18.8k, which is still more than he paid (had 14,5k miles), but ended up selling it to Arnold Clark for 22k..

It wouldn't be happening under braking. And wheel diameter wouldn't make a difference. Unbalanced wheels or uneven pressures more like

Interesting. Must be some NON-UK low spec thing. I don't know if my rear calipers would be the same as your calipers then since my rear discs are 310 vented. (bigger than front) - BMWs do this a lot, they have rear discs bigger than front, but it might be something to do with hand brake mechanism - even though mine is a manual with a normal hand brake as opposed to electric foot brake on auto's.

If they are lipped and squeak, you definitely new brake pads. Maybe even discs.. They might be warped if it's pulling or maybe the braking power isn't being distributed evenly. I'd give the calipers an overhaul, grease up the slider pins just in case and get new pads/discs. Brake fluid flush would be beneficial too.. As for bigger brakes, I was toying with the idea of doing the fronts on my IS250 as well. 2005+ GS300/350 GS450h use the same calipers and discs IIRC. Find whatever is cheapest (eBay / scrapyard) and get it refurbed - can even pick your desired colour then 😉 And the rears... I doubt yours would be 291mm as mine are 310mm x 18mm vented rears. I believe only 220d and possibly the BASIC spec is250 had the smaller brakes. This is why I wouldn't bother putting GS brakes on the back. 90% of the braking is happening on the front anyway, that's the real gain.

Oh yea, there's nothing wrong with high mileage Is250... Unless it's £6k 😂 they'll be sound if serviced well.

Hi, I wouldn't focus on the year of the car at all. They're pretty much the same across 2005-2012. That particular car seems alright, but If I was to spend £6k, I'd be looking at some around 60k miles (and there is a few!). I drive a 2008 IS250 manual, fully loaded with black leather, rev. camera etc and it's on 159k now. Had the car since 2019 and 128k miles. Been spot on, touch wood. I only had to change the clutch last year but 140k+ miles on factory clutch is a good going for any car. If they've been serviced well, there is nothing serious to go wrong with these. I wouldn't be against buying a well maintained 160k car, but I'd be looking to spend £2k, not 6.. FIY, my friend has bought her Pearl white IS250 2009 facelift automatic a few weeks ago for £7.5k with 59k miles. Very nice car, drove it back to Derby from London and it felt like a new car. Get one with lower mileage for £6k.. never-mind the bullet-proof engine, suspension, water pump, alternator etc get tired too. It's not worth getting a car with such mileage if you have a healthy budget of £6k. Hope it helps 🙂

No haha. IS-F, RC-F, GS-F

John, don't forget the F models 😉

I think it might be the amplifier, mine doesn't quite crackle when it's playing through the AUX cable, but I do have a bit of white noise in because I play music via bluetooth. I've got a plug in the AUX & Cigarette lighter to transmit bluetooth signal - but quality isn't the best that way. I prefer that than plugging my phone in everytime though.. small price to pay and you can't really hear it when the music is on. Only between the songs. As for general audio issues.. My subwoofer stopped working about 6 months ago. I've replaced it with a scrap yard unit and it worked until about 6 weeks ago.. blew up as well, but I'm thinking it might not be the sub because sometimes it briefly comes on. Surely if it would've been blown, it'd be just dead, whereas mine is intermittent. I have to say, I hate wiring & know nothing about audio systems, so I didn't have a crack at doing anything much with it. I got the amp out before (what a nightmare of a job) and checked it out for water damage, but seemed okay. I'm a bit lost with this tbh.

It's really bad around west Birmingham area. I didn't personally have much of an issue.. Tesco was dry, but managed to get some V-Power so not complaining.

They go up & down so it's up to you. You can have 10mm lowering if you want. coilovers will be more comfortable though.

Halogen, but my friend’s facelift has HID and these are still brighter

No problems.

Vland headlights. They are amazing. So much brighter compared to factory lights. Looks aside, it's it's the best and most functional modification I did to my car

Both. I chose 18x9.5 ET38 wheels which were sticking out of the arches on stock ride height. When I lowered the car, I gained so much camber the arches soaked the wheels in by too much. I ended up putting 22mm spacer on the rear. I'm gonna put 20 on the front as well but it's a bit too much for the front without camber arms. I don't want the front to poke out too much.

Time has come and I finally did a drift day in the 250. The seat above came in handy. I went to Birmingham Wheels as it's local and for £50 you can't really go wrong. I put on my spare wheels on the back and off I went. It was a damp day - it wasn't raining, but they wet the track every 30minutes so people can do wet skids. You'll learn more in terms of control during the wet day, so I didn't mind going even though dry days are better. Oh well, next time.. The car performed really well. Factory LSD locked up nicely, and the steering lock is amazing too. Don't really have any complaints about it. It can definitely do with harder springs on my coilovers for dry days when you have to be more aggressive, but other than that I'm happy with it. I did between 7 & 10 laps before letting it cool down with the bonnet up for 10-15mins and then went back out on the track - the key to reliability.. DO NOT beat on it for too long, have some mechanical sympathy. Everyone said the car is too nice to be drifted, but like I told everyone, I wasn't there to smash it. Drift cars meant to look good, sadly UK is too used to battered E36, IS200 & MX-5s.. Here's a few pics. Got a video coming too.

Hi, Yes, IS250/220 are the same. I'm running TEIN Flex Z (Japanese manufacturer) coilovers on my 250.. I'm something like 60mm lower. Super comfortable still. I can give you a coupon code on them. https://www.part-box.com/product/vsq22-c1ss3-tein-flex-z-coilovers-suspension-kit-lexus-is250-05-13/ With the coupon they work out to about £650.. couple of days to deliver.

Hey Ben, if you can afford to spend extra 10k, RC-F is the way to go. The sound itself is the best thing about it, nevermind the additional 200+ hp from a naturally aspirated screamer.. I was looking at 200T's before, but the fact they're only a 4 cylinder put me off. It's just wrong to have a lack of cylinders in such a nice looking sports car. It's quite a heavy car, so they don't particularly feel that fast either. Yes, you can get a de-cat downpipe and a remap to 300hp but even still.. RC-F is your winner IF you can spare the extra 10k or so. As for RC350. That would've been my ultimate winner, 330hp is a usable sweet spot. Basically a 370Z and they go well - I'd know, my dad has one. Problem with RC350 is the price.. Found the cheapest RC350 here for £24k + Shipping, insurance & registration cost etc.. You're talking almost 30k which is your RC-F money. Sadly it's not worth importing one yet. https://www.tc-v.com/used_car/lexus/rc/28461019/?isNew=1

Don't think so. Speed will be accurate but different ratio final drive will increase or decrease your rpms. So like higher ratio final drive will make your 6th gear 70mph like 3k rpms compared to current 2.5k or so..hope it's clear

Your questions have been answered above to be honest, but in regards to the PWR button.. I'd keep it on all the time. You get the full experience of the engine/car. It's more responsive. The button basically un-restricts the pedal. (Manual gearbox cars don't have that button, so you're basically in the "PWR" mode at all times. However we do have the Snow Mode which does the opposite, it makes it very unresponsive and makes it easier for you to be gentle with accelerating if you have a heavy foot.) In a normal mode it's a bit spongey and less sensitive to help you with fuel economy if you're heavy footed. The car doesn't suddenly lose 40hp in normal mode, it's just the pedal makes it feel like it.