AM1

iTrader: (6)

ok well this is my first post and i hope i someone can help me out here.......i am looking for a car not more then 35K that is first off japanese, no europeans or american cars.......im stuck between the TL, g35 and now the new IS. here's my problem...the TL has the best features,price, and looks the best (my opinion), but i hate how it's front wheel drive. on the other hand the g35 has the power i want, but the build quality and those nasty orange gauges.........but now i really want the new IS, but i will not pay more then 100 over invoice for any car......and i can't bring myself to pay about 30K for the 250 and get less power then a v6 accord......damn lexus........

picus

Your cap is 35k hard? Sounds like you like the TL.

Question - when you say "but the build quality" in reference to the G35, what do you mean? I take it you mean rattles?

I only ask because as much as I like the TL it has more rattle tsb's than the G35. The interior does "feel" much nicer, though. I think at present it basically comes down to the TL for bang for the buck features/options/nice interior and the G35 for power/handling/rwd. Don't mistake that for meaning the TL has no power or the G35's interior is a bucket of puke - they just each have their advantages. I own a G35 so obviously I made my decision. My brother in law has a TL - extremely nice car, good power and I love the interior, but the torque steer bothered me. I didn't think it would and it did, so that was that.

Have you driven them all? Do you find the FWD/torque steer of the TL bothers you or is it just that it bothers you on paper? I know with my brother-in-law, whose only driven FWD cars, he doesn't even notice it. Do you have a high regard for handling? Can you tolerate body roll or not?

I'd mention the IS in here but it sounds like you like a bit more power than it's got. That and it sounds like you're looking for a bang for your buck car, which I personally don't think the IS250 will be for at least 6 months, until you can make deals on them.

2ndGenIS

I think that picus' analysis above me is pretty complete. I currently have to TL and just passed on an IS350 because I really do think the TL is a great package for the money. Most of my friends have G35s (3 have the coupe and one has the 4 door), and, although they can outrun me w/ my auto tranny, my car always gets the compliments looks wise and is the most comfortable and attractive inside. The IS is a great car (as long as the interior space is okay for you), but if you are on more of a budget, I think the TL is the choice. By the way, the torque steer is not much of an issue for me and I drive the car hard. The FWD is actually an advantage taking hard curves and turns as all you have to do is point the car the right direction and it goes, no danger of the back end coming out.

Good luck w/ your decision. As for me, I'm hanging on to the TL until the GS350 is out in March/April.

isdsms

I'm not that familiar with the G35 other than driving it a few times when my wife brought in her I35 for an oil change. Powerful, very weak interior and outstanding exterior summarize my feelings. The TL, oh how I wanted to purchase that car! I found it uninspiring, thoough. The first time I drove it, I test drove an Accord right afterwards. Could not justify the price. The Accord was a far better value and seemed just as fast. I drove the TL a year later and was bored on the test drive! The FWD could not handle the power and the handling was just so so. Bought the IS350 on Saturday and all I can say is that you get what you pay for. The build quality is FAR better than the G35 and TL. I have driven the IS250 and it seemed peppy. If I were in your shoes, it would be an IS 250 and I wouldn't worry about MSRP, because it still would be better value to me than the TL and G35 at $100 over invoice.

LexFather

Well if you dont' want American cars, you can't have the TL. Its designed in California by Americans for only the American market. Its then built in Ohio. Its as American as a Buick.

The G35 is Japanese (a Nissan Skyline) and a wonderful driving car but the interior is not entry level luxury at all. Think 10 year old Kia.

The IS combines the best of all these cars in one package. THus your winner.

As for not paying more that $100 invoice for any car, the IS is probably one of the hottest cars on the planet now, so you won't get that kind of deal yet. Sorry.

BaLLzZz

Whell i have a tl and can only complain minimaly. The torque understeer but besides that their are minor problems. Like dead bulbs stuipd lights that arent suppose to come up and a few minor things. BUt the navi is great and the interior even now moving into an is350 i still love the interior of the tl. Spacious, erognamics are great, and just comfortable. But like the lexus it does not have tilt steering wheel when you enter, illuminated scuff plates(which you cna purchase acuraworld.com forums), those beatiful gauges on the is. But truhfully in your case i would get a tl. Its not a lexus but you will blow away any 250 on the road (until FI lol). Anwyays i drive my tl harder than anything. No engine problems no tranny problems nothing. I have 37k miles. Few bulbs and rattles but besides that cannot complain. The car is beautiful. Evertime i clean it and look at it i love it! Only problem is in my neighboorhood their are about 1000 tl's, 850 g35 coupes, 500 4dr g35, 400 gs's. So i need to be different is350 fully loaded here i come. Or should i say let the wait begin(at least a month till the blk/blk loaded gets too the northeast)

Minarets

this was/still is my same hard decision making process. all have things i like...a lot, and all have things i dont. i am also in the 35,000 spending mode.

the TL...
GOOD: great interior, we all know that. one of the best NAV's in the business. great 5.1 audio. looks nice on the outside., get good gas milage. FWD (can ve viewed as a positive for those who live in wintery climates...also, everything i have read says the auto torque steer is almost non present) good power

BAD: i am a memeber of all these message boards so iread the owners complaints, butt prints in the leather, some experience dash fade. for me this is an issue b/c i plan on keeping my car for awhile, not 2 -3 years, but more like 6-8. lots and lots of rattles. expensive ASPEC kit

G35 sedan
GOOD: fast. makes you wanna get back in it and drive again. i actually got that "awsome" feel from driving it. i personally--and may will disagree, but i prefer the looks to this sedan over the TL. the driving experience is only beat out by the more expensive 300i. rear reclining seats creates the most comfy rear leg room in its class

BAD: gas mileage. stereo, interior isnt the best looking. NAV is average.

IS250
GOOD: power is surprising. best looking and id have to say best quality interior. ML is the best (good luck finding it for some time) NAV is very good. Lexus service is the best. quality is the best. gas mileage is good.

BAD: expensive, compared to the others. small...rear leg room is nil. will be about another 6-8 months b4 deals will be made--good ones at least.




of course i want a 350 fully loaded, but i do not want to drop 45bones. oh well....i will continue to struggle with this for sometime

neoprelude

Have you considered the new toyota avalon, I know it's FWD. But the interior is very nice, shares the same powerful v6 engine (3.5 v6 with 270 horsepower) with lexus. It's just like a lexus with FWD and a toyota badge, i'd totally recommend checking / test driving one of them You can also get the top model for 2k under your budget price! And IMO it looks pretty sweet too!

Has the dynamic sensing cruise control, voice activated navigation, 360 Watt system with 12 speakers, heated/ac seats, dual climate control etc. Almost everything if not more your looking in the other models, and it's still a toyota!

MatadorIS

I really don't see why everyone thinks the IS will be sold at (or close to) MSRP for so long. My bet is that within 2-3 months, we'll start seeing about $2K off fairly easily. Just by looking at the GS, it was being sold for $2-3 K off after a few months, and it it's $5K off 6 months after being released.

Not to mention that the MSRP for the IS and GS are $5K to $7K over invoice, after including some options. That difference is huge, especially on the IS!

GonzoBuggs

One of the main features in the 2006 TL is torque steer correction, so that is no longer an issue. I think the TL is one of the best values out there. If you won't pay more than $100 over invoice for a 2006 IS I don't think you'll get one until the next model year hits the street.

I do agree that IS prices will drop in 3-6 months, but I doubt they'll go that low.

picus

I think it's a bit of an exagerations to say the '05 G35 interior is the equivilant of a "10 year old Kia". I will be the first to admit it is not up to Lexus/Audi/Acura standards, but it is still nicer than most non-luxury brand cars. I think that is akin to me calling the IS250 an Acura EL (inside joke :P)

Before I start I want to say I agree 100% with Minarets, but want to go into more detail.

If the OP wants power (which he indicates he does), I simply can not recommend the IS250. He'll have to drive one to decide himself, but I would be surprised if after driving the TL, and especially the G35, that he finds the power of the IS250 is sufficient for him. I am going to try my best to stay away from using subjectives in this post, so just drive one yourself and decide. What I consider too little power might be just fine for you. If you do find the IS250 has sufficient power and can find one equipped the way you want it under $35k, and find the interior space to your liking it is probably the car for you. I think those first two hurdles will be tough to get over, though. Who knows, you might find the power surprisingly good.

The TL, while a beautiful car inside and out, simply has more interior problems (minor ones, of course) than the G35 (or presumably the IS). I'm pretty sure the build quality comment was as a result of the poor G35 interior refinement, as in, it looks kind of bland, however as poor as it might look, it's a very well built and durable interior in its segment. I detail cars part time and I am well aquianted with how interiors age. The TL's interior is about an 8/10 for looks and ergonomics, but about a 4/10 in terms of durabilty. As Minarets mentioned, the leather is prone to wraping in cracking, the vinyl and leather are prone to fading, and there are numerous tsb's on the car for rattles. I am not trying to "bash" the TL, I am just giving you the facts, none of this is subjective. To give you guys an idea of what I consider interiors that look good and last, check any late 90s early 2000's Audi. They still look great (minus all the new tech we have now), and to this day they hold up better than most interiors I see.

On the other hand the TL is an exceptional value, has good power, comes loaded minus nav, does look very nice inside and out, and the interior durabilty problems can be mitigated by having the tsb's performed and doing a little preventative maintenance (303 protectant on the dash and other plastic, a leather cleaner/conditioner on the leather, have the car tinted so less sunlight hits the plastic, etc...)

The G35 has it's own problems, which I am very well aquainted with. 03/04 models have a miserable looking interior for their class. The "aliminium" trim is that disgusting painted plastic that wears too quickly and looks terrible. The dash and door panels are a gross vinyl. The guages are that sickly orange color. The rear view mirror is cheap plastic and creaks. There are some tsbs for window rattles. The only redeeming quality it has is the leather is very good, and holds up extremely well. The '05 interior is much better, but still isn't great. It looks a lot like the 03/04 but the material quality increased greatly. No more plastic trim, no more weird textured vinyl, fewer rattles and generally a more solid feel. edit - one negative I forgot, I am so used to it - the power seat controls are in the bolster near the center console. I don't mind it, but for some folks its incredibly annoying.

On the other hand it's got VQ power. Gobs of low end torque over a flat band, tons of get up and go power, smooth delivery, two excellent transmissions, and one of the better exhaust notes around. That and it is (arguably) the best handler of the bunch.

All three should have excellent reliabilty and service, so that's a wash. I believe Infinit's warranty is the longest, but not by much. In terms of price you can get '05 TLs/G35's for barely over invoice right now. For cars that started as a good deal, they're both excellent values and both hold their value well over time (I believe the G35 coupe was rated #1 coupe this year, sedan was #2 sedan, and TL was #3), of course the IS's shoudl hold their value very well too.

ABR

I’m in similar situation in terms of choice between IS250AWD TL and G35x.

I tried all 3 in one day a few days ago:

TL – I liked interior - space, location of controls and quality of dash, leather and etc. Car feels very comfortable and smooth going (both highway and city driving). I own Accord and can say that handling is very similar to what I have right now + more power. Overall I see it as decent choice and great price.

What I didn’t like is – handling is smooth, but not exiting. Exterior is just OK for me. And finally it is so much Accord like, that it makes me pass on TL as I don’t want the same car again.

G35x -- Handling of G35 was the best of the bunch. It is joy to ride and makes you want to come back. You can easily pass anybody on a highway. I also liked engine sound. Interior is simply awful. The part that totally killing me is starting ****, that looks like a **** at my grandmother oven. Plastic looks totally cheap, I tried not to look at the dash all the time. At this point I’m not sure if I can live with interior of this car.

IS250AWD – Design awesome for my taste, both inside and outside. Quality of materials is unbelievable. It is so good… I really want this car, but there is couple of major problems. Problem one is roof is too low, I spend time playing with seat settings, but my head is still brushing at the side. Overall car a bit small for me and it is awkward to get in and out. Problem two is car dynamics are quite weak, I had a feeling that my Accord is sportier them IS (which was not what I have expected). IS starting pretty well, but later it seems loosing power and acceleration is very unimpressive, which is annoying on highway (you better stay in middle lane). Still, I like car so badly that I will do another drive test to make my mind (was advised to put transmission to power mode, which I didn’t first time).

It is off the subject, but I also want to try 325xi, which exactly same price as IS250AWD to compare.

Jiggasgs3

Well imo It comes down between th Is and the g35. I had an 98 accord coupe v6 good ride but front wheel drive. If you are looking for performance go rwd. Plus the acura is too much Accord looking (woman looking). The g35 is nice but like everyone said the interior sucks(plus everybody has one) If I had the change I would get the Lex. Best interior looks good drives excellent plus Lexus excellent service treat you like a king bought a 98 treated me like a king allthe drinks you want danishes etc.. tour of the facility the works they done that for me just buying a $ 10000.00 car imagine what they would do for you getting a 35k car.

AM1

iTrader: (6)

i had a feeling that everyone would say that............i don't care that everyone has a g35, what i do care about it the fact that the g35 is suposed to be a near luxury car, and the interior is so cheaplooking and feeeling. plus im woried about gas mileage sinc people have told me that the g35 get terrible gas mileage. whatever car i get i would be using for work which means over 400+ miles a week in stop and go city driving. on the other hand i have heard aobut the TL's dash fading and rattle problem, but i like the fact that it has a really good navi, 5.1 audio, and bluetooth, without having to pay extra. My gf, though has an accord exv6 and i wonder if it's worth paying for the TL......and a friend of mine who works at a lexus dealer says at his dealership, no discounts for anyone on any of the new IS's until 2-3 months after release. damnit. im sruck.

neoprelude

Didn't anyone hear what I said about the avalon? It really is a great car toyota.com check it out, it's just like a lexus but a toyota (instead of a glorified toyota). And the avalon is about same price as the lexus ES just packed with way more features and every bit as good quality!