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I'd like to have an IS-F as my next and last car (have quite a long list of cars I've owned in the past few years). The price wont be too much of a problem. The biggest hurdle, since they're so rare, would be finding one and then most likely traveling to another state to get it, and Im very choosy about colors
I'd like to have an IS-F as my next and last car (have quite a long list of cars I've owned in the past few years). The price wont be too much of a problem. The biggest hurdle, since they're so rare, would be finding one and then most likely traveling to another state to get it, and Im very choosy about colors
Hopefully in a few years when I have the money and more time to actually enjoy the car I'll get an IS-F. Still haven't driven one but I hear nothing but good things. I'll have to wait and see how my 2IS build goes before deciding whether to go with an IS-F or onto something else. (I always really wanted to do a 2JZ swapped RX7 FD)
My list is a lot smaller and very different. There is a 2012 Kia Optima Turbo with everything on it for 12k, and a 2014 Mazda 6 Touring that is pretty standard for 12k. I hate that the cars come with 19" wheels. Both have 80k, I worry about the reliability on the Kia and it will be a drive to get it, but it is at a dealer and I can sell them my old car. The Mazda should be reliable and it is close and at a dealer. The Lexus is local. I hate that they sprayed the factory wheels. They have a little rash too. The owner says it would be easy to take off the spray. It is pretty std, I thought it had more equip, but std is pretty good. The lights need to be treated, they have yellowed. I thought I would like the SGM best, but after seeing that Black Onyx, idk.
Both the Kia and Mazda have new tires, they are a square setup. The Kia having the turbo should crack under 6 secs. The mazda is rated as low as 7 secs. Both cars have a lot of hwy miles which isn't a bad thing. Both cars should get 30mpg and run on regular. Since the Mazda is local, I might give it a try. I got to get something soon. I wish the Kia was local, it looks good. I had a co-worker with the non-turbo, it was buzzy and not fast. I figure the turbo would be decent.
My list is a lot smaller and very different. There is a 2012 Kia Optima Turbo with everything on it for 12k, and a 2014 Mazda 6 Touring that is pretty standard for 12k. I hate that the cars come with 19" wheels. Both have 80k, I worry about the reliability on the Kia and it will be a drive to get it, but it is at a dealer and I can sell them my old car. The Mazda should be reliable and it is close and at a dealer. The Lexus is local. I hate that they sprayed the factory wheels. They have a little rash too. The owner says it would be easy to take off the spray. It is pretty std, I thought it had more equip, but std is pretty good. The lights need to be treated, they have yellowed. I thought I would like the SGM best, but after seeing that Black Onyx, idk.
Both the Kia and Mazda have new tires, they are a square setup. The Kia having the turbo should crack under 6 secs. The mazda is rated as low as 7 secs. Both cars have a lot of hwy miles which isn't a bad thing. Both cars should get 30mpg and run on regular. Since the Mazda is local, I might give it a try. I got to get something soon. I wish the Kia was local, it looks good. I had a co-worker with the non-turbo, it was buzzy and not fast. I figure the turbo would be decent.
Interesting list of cars you have there. I'm honestly a tad surprised you didn't look at a V6 Accord or Camry. I'm going to assume that the price of the Lexus is slightly over the price of the other two or has a bit more miles, the Lexus is an IS350, and I'll do my best to sound as unbiased as possible.
First off, both the Mazda and the Lexus should not give you a lot of mechanical trouble or reliability issues. As long as you do your maintenance on time, they should go forever. The Lexus is slightly and probably more reliable than the other two but if you aren't planning on doing maintenance yourself those costs will be a tad more than the other two cars. If your top priority is fuel efficiency, I hate to say it but the IS350 will disappoint in comparison to those other two cars. You'll be getting between 21 and 22 city and 29-32 on highway road trips. I tend to average 24.X, usually mixed driving but a LOT of traffic on weekdays. The Mazda and Kia will both get MUCH better fuel economy than this, probably 26-28 combined depending on your driving. They also take regular gas, which is a plus for saving money. But in terms of performance, IS350 hands down. It can run 13.XXX stock in the 1/4 mile and a 0-60 between 5.2 and 4.8 seconds even with a bad launch. The other thing I think you should consider is resale value of the car over time. Most likely that Lexus already went through its major phase (for lack of a better term) of depreciation, meaning if you put a bunch of miles on it and come to sell it, you won't lose as much money compared to both the Mazda and Kia. While both of those two cars did already take most of that depreciation hit, you will definitely lose more money on them in terms of resale compared to the IS350. In terms of looks, it really is whatever you think but personally the IS350 is definitely the best looking. The Mazda second and the Kia last. I really dislike the front of the Kia.
If I were choosing between the Mazda and the Kia I think I'd go with the Mazda just because the company has a better reputation in terms of reliability and it looks a tad better.
So basically to summarize: Performance: IS350 Efficiency: Mazda or Kia Reliability: IS350/Mazda Maintenance (Doing it yourself): IS350 Maintenance (Dealer): Mazda/Kia Cost of Living: Mazda/Kia Resale Value: IS350
It all just depends what you prioritize in your choice. Best of luck!
I think they are all good looking. The lexus is actually the less expensive choice. I haven't made an offer on the car yet. Part of me hopes a better one comes along. I thought I wanted a SGM, now I am thinking of a getting a Black one, they look the best with tint. I am not sure if the car has the sport pkg, it has the wood trim, but not the memory seats. The car is kbb for 9k w/o a pkg and 9800 with the sports pkg. He wanted 10,500.
The Mazda and the KIA are both 12,800. They both have 80,000 miles. The Kia has everything that is available, The Mazda is the touring and has most everything but sunroom. The Mazda and Kia both have new tires. The Kia is the Turbo model which I guess can run on regular. Both have squared setup so they could be rotated.
This idiot at work was pushing me, saying that the IS350 is a girls car. I said, no that would be the IS250. I told him his Jeep Wrangler is def and his mom probably owned it before he did, since he claimed his mom's Jag as his own.
I have been looking at a lot of cars and it seems like the best for me is a IS350. My 528i is 188" long and with the stuff in the garage, either I got to move stuff out or go a max of 192" I really like packaging and efficiency. My 528i is a big car for me. There are times I am driving on tight, narrow roads and would enjoy a smaller car. It does worries me that there seems to be an issue with the transmissions. With everyone going to direct injection, it saddens me that only Lexus has gone to duel injectors. I have found a place that will charge $400 to walnut blast the car, but that would be every 18 months. I don't know why more haven't done what Lexus has. I figure something like seafoam every 3 months could help. I tried it once with an older BMW, didn't seem to have much improvement. The amount of smoke that comes out is embarrassing, I felt sorry for my neighbors.
I keep reading bad reviews of other cars. Kia's having problems with their turbos. A few Mazda Transmission problems. It is all worrisome. I plan on getting a transmission fluid change. I am thinking of using Amsoil products, I have used them before and they feel great.
I think they are all good looking. The lexus is actually the less expensive choice. I haven't made an offer on the car yet. Part of me hopes a better one comes along. I thought I wanted a SGM, now I am thinking of a getting a Black one, they look the best with tint. I am not sure if the car has the sport pkg, it has the wood trim, but not the memory seats. The car is kbb for 9k w/o a pkg and 9800 with the sports pkg. He wanted 10,500.
The Mazda and the KIA are both 12,800. They both have 80,000 miles. The Kia has everything that is available, The Mazda is the touring and has most everything but sunroom. The Mazda and Kia both have new tires. The Kia is the Turbo model which I guess can run on regular. Both have squared setup so they could be rotated.
This idiot at work was pushing me, saying that the IS350 is a girls car. I said, no that would be the IS250. I told him his Jeep Wrangler is def and his mom probably owned it before he did, since he claimed his mom's Jag as his own.
I have been looking at a lot of cars and it seems like the best for me is a IS350. My 528i is 188" long and with the stuff in the garage, either I got to move stuff out or go a max of 192" I really like packaging and efficiency. My 528i is a big car for me. There are times I am driving on tight, narrow roads and would enjoy a smaller car. It does worries me that there seems to be an issue with the transmissions. With everyone going to direct injection, it saddens me that only Lexus has gone to duel injectors. I have found a place that will charge $400 to walnut blast the car, but that would be every 18 months. I don't know why more haven't done what Lexus has. I figure something like seafoam every 3 months could help. I tried it once with an older BMW, didn't seem to have much improvement. The amount of smoke that comes out is embarrassing, I felt sorry for my neighbors.
I keep reading bad reviews of other cars. Kia's having problems with their turbos. A few Mazda Transmission problems. It is all worrisome. I plan on getting a transmission fluid change. I am thinking of using Amsoil products, I have used them before and they feel great.
Surprised to hear that. Probably has a ton of miles on it though. I've seen a lot of 2IS cars and not to sound like a downer but it is very difficult to find one in one exact color. Its why that was the one option I gave up with my search and I ironically ended up with a color I really wanted. I think your car has the Luxury Package if it comes with the wood trim (not entirely sure, correct me if I am wrong). Try to get this car under 10k and if he agrees go for it and enjoy it. If you can't do this, wait for another deal or go for one of the other two cars.
Lol, if I cared what people thought of my car I'd never be able to get one because (some) humans are whiny about everything. Point is people will always be critical even if you have a blue carbon 1-of-1 McLaren P1 GTR that revs to 22000 and is faster than a drag car in a straight line, so just get what you want and ignore everyone else's comments ("girl's car", sort of made me laugh actually. What kind of insult is that?). You're not getting a car to impress others, you're getting it for yourself to enjoy. And hey, if they still poke fun even after you get it, that IS350 will dust a lot of cars in a straight line, so as long as he doesn't have a 370z or a 335i or something else of that nature you'll be fine. That car is a real underestimated sleeper. probably because the majority of 2IS on the road are IS250s and are really slow.
If you think the IS350 is the best car for you then go for it. It will EASILY out-handle any of the other cars you are looking at and I'm speaking from experience (I drive on a ton of back roads myself) when I say even stock it handles super well for a car not focused on performance. If you're driving at 80% it will handle really well. And if the understeer when pushing the car really hard bothers you, get the F Sport front and rear sway bars for $400 (and springs too if you want) and it will make the car handle that much better. As for transmissions, get the fluid changed out every now and then and it will last a long long time. That transmission will break if you drive it very hard for 160k+ miles and not change the fluid. A common misconception is that the fluid in the transmission lasts forever, and it doesn't. People don't change it out which causes problems, so just make sure you do that and you'll be just fine.
I found another IS with everything. It is Red, which looks beautiful, but I don't think I want to own one with cops not being my best friend. It looks so clean. I asked how many miles were on it.
180k, it is like some hottie you see and find out she is much older than you would have guessed. I asked the owner if he had the engine, transmission, and suspension replaced. He didn't answer.
I found another IS with everything. It is Red, which looks beautiful, but I don't think I want to own one with cops not being my best friend. It looks so clean. I asked how many miles were on it.
180k, it is like some hottie you see and find out she is much older than you would have guessed. I asked the owner if he had the engine, transmission, and suspension replaced. He didn't answer.
Oh it looks amazing for having 180k miles on it. That red does stand out (my car is the same color). I don't think you need to necessarily change any of those things (engine for sure you don't) but if I were you I'd bring a mechanic and get the car inspected before even considering it. Take it for a bit of a drive just to see what could be somewhat not working before deciding.
10-28-16, 07:36 PM
