don't listen to editorial reviews. i expected the 3-series to be extremely sporty in comparison to the 2is, but it simply wasn't true.

Form your own opinion by test driving the cars you're interested in!

That being said, I found the fit and finish in the 2is to be greater than any other competitor. I'm not understanding why car magazine writers always say the 2is feels numb. I drove the 3series and 2is back to back, and the 2is felt like it had better steering.

anyways, i love it, and i recommend it. get the 2is.

 

Thanks for all the feedback guys. The 335i is definitely of interest, but HPFP problems and higher cost knocks it out of my reach. I probably will trade in the LS430, but it's only valued at $8,000 to $11,000 so I might just keep it in case I want a roomy car to haul people in. And yeah, I'm having issues with the 3 series interior. In a way I like how clean/simple it looks, but in another way, it looks horribly plain and not-so-up-to-date. Unless I get the navi on it. The IS' interior however seems a bit more familiar since it's a touch screen based navi, and the lighting switches are on the little steering column mounted ****. The IS350 is definitely looking good.

 

The Bimmers are great until the warranty expires (I've owned several). Then, hold on to your wallet. With BMW, it's a whole other world on the other side of 100K miles. From a long term ownership perspective, you are far better off with the IS or Max. So, between those two, I say get the Maxima-type car when you have kids (wife will drive the minivan). For now, get something fun. Of your stated options, that would only be the IS350.

But, then again, you're in the IS forum, what do you expect us to say?

 

Seems like you like power, luxury (+ navigation, Mark Levinson), and some degree of comfort. Ultimate handling doesn't seem like the #1 priority, although the IS350 handles just as well as any other sport sedan up to 8/10ths driving. IS350 seems like the straight-forward answer to me.

Look at this another way, if you buy the BMW, you'll miss the +70hp that you'll feel every time you put your foot on the accelerator. If you get the IS350, you'll miss some degree of 'ultimate' steering feedback and won't have to deal with iDrive.

 

question: why not keep the ls430? i assume its already paid for... you can VIP it out, dont know if you seen what a modded ls430 looks like but their really sexy when done right

 

Rinthiran, yes you pretty much nailed it. I don't care much for handling since I think the LS430 handles just fine, and that car is practically a boat IMO. Figuratively of course. Another note. The BMW's iDrive has been updated since the 2009 model and is now much more convenient and simple. The LS430 is paid for, but fuel economy and a few minor gripes from the window (something in the door occasionally scratches the window, leaving a huge line), cabin rattle, and my possibly loose/dislodged subwoofer causes problems. Also, our family has no need for TWO luxury sedans. The S550 is plenty fine. And modded LS430's...I've seen them, they just don't suit my tastes.

Quick question, how is the paddle shifting and manual shifting in the IS350? I hear (after reading another thread) that the IS350 is rather slow to shift compared to other cars, and that the paddle shifters are more like, gear limiters that just change the ratio. (Then again, that is their practical job).

 

Maybe someone with a 2009 can chime in incase there's been changes. I have a 2006, and you're right, the paddle shifters are really top-gear limiters. There can sometimes be some lag, but that's usually during odd instances (e.g., heavy acceleration and upshifting at the same time). I used to play with the shifter a lot when I first got the car, then I got bored of it. Its not like a real manu-matic (BMW SMG) or dual-clutch (Audi DSG). I much rather prefer putting it in "sport" mode, where there a more aggressive throttle response, and the IS holds onto gears longer for better engine braking.

 

The paddles are not shifters, period.

They set the maximum top gear, and that's -all- the do.

It can fool you into thinking they are shifting if you select a max gear lower than the one you're currently in (or raise the max to a higher gear when you're very high in the rpm band of the current max allowed gear) but the transmission is, always, fully automatic within the range you allow it.

You will, always, get faster shifts just leaving the car in D then trying to futz with it yourself.

This is not true of the IS-F, which has among the fastest shifts in the world in any production car, but that's a bit pricier.... but it is true of the 250 and 350 of any year.


That said, the car is pretty good about being in the right gear all on its own outside of perhaps mountainous conditions, and indeed I never touch the paddles outside of something like that where I need to spare the brakes.

 

Is the IS-F really the quickest shifting production car in the world? :O Them's bold words. But wow. And another thing about the IS350's tranny that I've heard is that it doesn't rev match on downshifts so it jerks. :/ Well that's a pro towards the BMW, a con for the IS350. Gah. Minor irks. I wish the US would hurry it up and move its auto tranny standards to Dual/Twin Clutch.

 

^ i think it's the fastest-shifting automatic transmission in production to date.

 

Yes ... because the ISf tranny has a true manual mode unlike the IS250/350

 

So the official test drive is coming tomorrow! Any idea of what I should expect? Also how's the stereo in the IS? I think I'll bring along a CD or something because judging sound quality by listening to FM radio is just awful.

Also, Happy Halloween CL!

 

If you need a long term car, forget about BMWs. They're fun until the warranty runs out. The repair costs are huge and it's usually something major that breaks. The most recent problem I've heard is the multiple fuel pump failure, but I think that's only on Turbocharged engines(335/135, etc..).

The IS350 will have more power than you need, but just make sure you're responsible with it and don't drive recklessly(I'm sure you wouldn't since you're paying for it). The reliability is superb, the steering is a bit numb and not too communicative, the transmission is another thing you'll just have to live with - the manual shifting is pointless so don't bother with paddles. But on the other hand, it's very intelligent and unlike other auto-boxes it adapts to your style of driving and adjusts shift points accordingly. The trunk is fairly small and the opening restricts a lot of big objects. I can only fit one large suitcase with some room to spare for a bag. With RWD your MPG will be in the high 20's, my AWD only manages 23-25 on average. The transmission on 08's and under starts in 4th gear when you shift to S mode, which can be very annoying on the highway(but I rarely use the system anyway).

The Maxima is a very attractive car, but the CVT lets it down. I don't know much about it so just go test drive one.

One more thing, if you can afford it, go for the ML audio. I never actually heard what it sounds like but I'm sure it's amazing and I wish I had it. Also, pick a good song to test the audio back to back.

Don't forget to use the PWR switch to the right of the steering wheel. There is Normal and PWR mode, it will wake up the transmission and make the throttle more responsive.

 

LS430 was your first car? Lucky you.

 

The sound system is great! If you have the Mark Levinson