laobo979

iTrader: (5)

I daily drove my 02 M3 6speed standard and wasnt rough. Even in winter time with LSD it was a beast threw the snow. For a daily drive the M3 is just an joy to drive. I like my 350 but every time i see an M3 i like dame **** look mean.

UrHookUp

Hmm. I just traded my BMW335i in for a 2011 Lexus is3350 on March 31st.
I really like the BMW, but Like the Lexus a little more for the style & interior.
Not 100% concerned about speed since this is a daily driver. I have fast cars for that.
What I do miss from the BMW:
1) The option to have blinker flash 3 times when changing lanes.
2) Auto rain sensing wipers for the speed - that was nice.
3) the biggy - cup holder locations in the dash. out of the way from shifter for driver & wife liked the one for passenger side.
4) Transmission - when you switched to sport mode, it actually shifted in sport mode. Then you could manually shift it. With the Lexus, you do into sport mode & it automatically goes to 4th gear & you have to use the paddle shifters or shift lever to switch gears.
Other than that - awesome car.
I didn't buy my car with all the F-Sport packages for the rason I can get everything cheaper & put them on for free thru my business. I've already done the intake, brakes, engine cover, & got the Springs coming tuesday. Next is exhaust, sway bars, etc..
Hope that helps.

While I was car shopping, I almost bought a 2011 M3 Coupe. But 68K was a little more than I was ready to spend this time around. I also looked at Audi, Hyunadi, Infinity, Cadillac, Dodge Challenger SRT8, and a couple others. This time around I didn't want another muscle car, that will be in two years. I am a die hard Ford owner, so waiting for the 2013 model I saw I wanted.
Plus I promissed my wife a new car next year.

DGMIS350

Our last car before the IS was an 02 330xi. We thought we were going to get a 335i or xi sedan after our 330. We just happened to take a trip over to the Lexus dealership and was hooked when we drove a new IS 350. I like the smaller feel and the interior over the 335 BMW's My wife and I also felt the IS looks much sportier than the 335 sedans. We both still like the 335 coupes but need the third seat in the rear.

Brad

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

Not sure on why this is useful versus just turning on the blinker to indicate a lane change?

The IS350 has this, but only on the sport or luxury package (and 2011 models dropped the sport package entirely, replacing it with the much-lower-featured F-sport package)


there's 4 front drink holders on the IS350... one is behind the shifter (never really found it in my way personally)... one is behind that but requires the center console lid being slid back a bit and I never use that one... other two are in the side door panels and comfortably hold a typical sized bottled drink.


Ah...the thing is- the IS350 doesn't have manual shifters. At all.

Those paddles aren't shifters, despite the lies Lexus tells about them in their marketing brochures.

They are top gear limiters only. You can't, ever, manually change gears on an IS350.

if you try and use them to 'shift' you'll be badly disappointed because that's not how they work. The only thing you can ever do with them is limit the maximum gear the fully automatic transmission gets to pick from.

If you wanted a true manual shift mode you'd need to get an IS-F (the speed of whose manual mode puts anything BMW makes to shame)

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

Bahaha couldn't resist:



This is what I know is coming to swoop in every time I see someone approach this issue.

cloo7

lollllll very funny

ChrISF

honestly, my next car is going to be a 335i (around this time next year)

something about a stock twin turbo BMW just gets me that weird feeling on the insides

UrHookUp

I agree with ya on the cup holders. But I manage. I only plan to keep the car for about three years, about the time I'll get bored with it. I'm working my way up to a Masserati Grandturismo or Aston Martin DB9 as a daily driver. If things pan out differently with work, then I might be able to get a LFA if still being made.

dsadsauser

A new guy at my work has a 335i, which he bought with only a couple thousand miles on it. He's not on any of there (or Bimmer) forums. Here's his experience thus far:

He has gone through 5-6 HPFPs.
The dealer said they are going to stop replacing them because he's gone through so many.
He couldnt claim lemon law because the car wasn't new when he purchased it.
A couple days ago his entire electrical system died on him and he couldn't start his car.
His experiences with the dealer have been horrific.


I'm so glad I have an IS 350. My next car will be a Lexus.

rocks

Hello all, if you will all allow me to interject....it really boggles my mind why everyone here seems to think a person who buys a BMW instead of a Lexus is blind in not realizing that Lexus offers more for the money. Why do you think people buy Chevy's and Ford's or Infiniti's or Acura's. Now, I will say most of us sensible bimmer fanatics respect Lexus as a premium car manufacturer. You guys need to understand that not everybody value the things you guys value. You guys rave about the Lexus's plush interior and fail to realize that not everyone craves a nice interior. Some of us really like the bland BMW interior as much as you guys love yours. It shouldn't be this hard to fathom, it's why people continue to support both brands in very large numbers.

I am here because I am planing on moving on to Lexus because I feel like trying something else, namely the ISF. My spouse is also crazy about the IS so we are looking at getting that first. I've heard that Lexus's are more reliable than a comparable bimmer which I do believe. As for me, I have been driving BMW's since 2003. I have owned 1 E36 and 2 E46's, the current ride is an 03 325i 5sp manual with sport package. The car currently has 123k miles and is as reliable as any corolla could have been. I know I am lucky in that regard because I know people who have had several issues with theirs. To this day I have not experience the dreaded subframe damage yet and is keeping my fingers cross.

Now, I am specifically looking at IS250's for the lady and have found posts here mentioning the cars having an issue with carbon buildup and it seems to be pretty common. Right now, I am hesitant to tell my lady that her dream car might not be as reliable as she thinks. I have also found other posts online where people are complaining about this and many other issues with their IS250's. You can't imagine how shocked I was since I thought Lexus would be void of things like these. Furthermore, I was the one that told her about the IS and how it looks like a nice car for her when she was talking about that ugly Acura TL.

I guess the moral of my ramblings is that even the mighty Lexus has reliability issues which I thought was never the case. Anyway, I will upgrade to the ISF, it does seem like a great car and a perfect substitute for an M3 in terms of maintenance and comfort. As for the lady's car, right now statistics are indicating that the Acura TSX might be a better car to the IS from a reliability standpoint.

mjh09e

iTrader: (2)

I just got my IS350 F-Sport and love it...but if you are coming from a 335i sedan and care about modding, opt for the G37S sedan or coupe. Both the coupe and sedan are amazing cars, very reliable, and the motors can withstand up to 700hp with a stock block. If you want a BMW killer, get the G37.

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

No one here will argue with you that the IS (and by extension Lexus) has some issues. That's because every car in the world has issues. It's not totally appropriate however to call them "reliability" issues. Reliability as it's most often used is a much more general term than can be applied to simply one instance of one specific problem affecting a particular car model. Discussions and mentions of reliability, especially as applied here on CL to comparisons between BMW and Lexus, are intended to encompass the overall proneness to issues/problems and proneness to need for repair of failed parts. It is in this sense that it's quite clear that Lexus comes out ahead of BMW. This is also borne out in most if not all reliability comparisons/studies/awards done by publications.

Yes, the Lexus IS250 has an issue with carbon build-up. Lexus issued a TSIB for it and it's covered by the 70k mile powertrain warranty. However, this is one of relatively few issues that are common to all IS250s. The 2IS in general, be it the IS250 or IS350, has relatively few common issues like this. You'll also find that while there are a handful of issues like the carbon build-up that afflict all IS250s or IS350s, most owners of the 2IS experience relatively few issues outside these common issues and when they do, they're often minor things like squeaks or rattles. As an IS250 or IS350 owner, you very rarely will have to deal with coming out to your car in the morning and finding some unexpected malfunction pop up out of nowhere. Having owned both BMW and Mercedes and known many others that have, I can say that even if a particular BMW or MB model had the same number of or even fewer common issues than the 2IS, with a BMW or MB you're far more likely to find yourself with an unexpected, out-of-the-blue problem/failed part/electronic malfunction that's going to be very, very expensive to fix.

"Now, I am specifically looking at IS250's for the lady and have found posts here mentioning the cars having an issue with carbon buildup and it seems to be pretty common. Right now, I am hesitant to tell my lady that her dream car might not be as reliable as she thinks."

Inherent in the above argument is the fact that you're calling a car unreliable because it has one common issue. By this reasoning, you could knock or criticize absolutely any car that has been or ever will be produced (this includes all BMWs), so it's a fairly meaningless argument. Did your lady honestly think that the IS250 has never been known to have a single flaw, malfunction, or issue? If so, good luck because she'll never be pleased with any car.

You can't claim a car that has a single common issue as having "reliability issues". I'm not claiming the IS250 has only one common issue; I'm only pointing out that this is the argument you're putting forth and the evidence you're using to substantiate it.

The 2IS has its issues, but overall it is a very reliable car. This is determined by judging the car in its entirety, not based on one single issue, which is the correct way to deem a car reliable or not.

IS144

Hmmm....if you mean the Lex is more of a luxury car because the 3 series is a pile than i can see your point.

Referring to this novel:

"Hello all, if you will all allow me to interject....it really boggles my mind why everyone here seems to think a person who buys a BMW instead of a Lexus is blind in not realizing that Lexus offers more for the money. Why do you think people buy Chevy's and Ford's or Infiniti's or Acura's. Now, I will say most of us sensible bimmer fanatics respect Lexus as a premium car manufacturer. You guys need to understand that not everybody value the things you guys value. You guys rave about the Lexus's plush interior and fail to realize that not everyone craves a nice interior. Some of us really like the bland BMW interior as much as you guys love yours. It shouldn't be this hard to fathom, it's why people continue to support both brands in very large numbers.

I am here because I am planing on moving on to Lexus because I feel like trying something else, namely the ISF. My spouse is also crazy about the IS so we are looking at getting that first. I've heard that Lexus's are more reliable than a comparable bimmer which I do believe. As for me, I have been driving BMW's since 2003. I have owned 1 E36 and 2 E46's, the current ride is an 03 325i 5sp manual with sport package. The car currently has 123k miles and is as reliable as any corolla could have been. I know I am lucky in that regard because I know people who have had several issues with theirs. To this day I have not experience the dreaded subframe damage yet and is keeping my fingers cross.

Now, I am specifically looking at IS250's for the lady and have found posts here mentioning the cars having an issue with carbon buildup and it seems to be pretty common. Right now, I am hesitant to tell my lady that her dream car might not be as reliable as she thinks. I have also found other posts online where people are complaining about this and many other issues with their IS250's. You can't imagine how shocked I was since I thought Lexus would be void of things like these. Furthermore, I was the one that told her about the IS and how it looks like a nice car for her when she was talking about that ugly Acura TL.

I guess the moral of my ramblings is that even the mighty Lexus has reliability issues which I thought was never the case. Anyway, I will upgrade to the ISF, it does seem like a great car and a perfect substitute for an M3 in terms of maintenance and comfort. As for the lady's car, right now statistics are indicating that the Acura TSX might be a better car to the IS from a reliability standpoint."

....i just traded my 09 TSX for IS. the TSX was great for the price...doesnt stack up to Lex though.

ben_r_

Wow this thread has gotten huge!

rocks

I understand the points you guys are making; however, I have read more issues about the IS that many are complaining about here and over at edmunds consumer reviews section. Even though I am a BMW enthusiast I am not a bias person, I know that the marque is not the most reliable in the segment but not everyone buys a car base solely on reliability. Lets look at the common issues on E46's, non M's. Their most annoying problem was the subframe tearing which was not something everyone experienced, for example; I drive my car extensively with lots of trips from Miami to ATL and to this day mine is fine. Another common issue was window regulators, I have changed 3 of those, very simple DIY and about 100 bucks for the part so that is fine with me. Also during all time I have never changed a sensor on my car. My lady currently drives a 5th gen accord and it has been nothing but problems. Hell, I kept telling her how ironic it is that my car is problem free while hers develops an issue almost every other month.

I consider carbon buildup too much of an issue for me to consider the IS with the work involve plus I'd be buying used and would have to do the regular cleaning myself. This is the main reason why I have decided against an E46 M3, most have vanos issues and it is just too much of an hassle for me to handle via diy. Knowing my lady she comes to me for the smallest issues with her car and I have to take care of it. Therefore, I rather find the most reliable car so she doesn't come complaining to me every time the car has a problem. I've seen enough posts online where folks are saying how they are disappointed in Lexus and will never buy another one again. If you guys have a spouse you all know how impatient and annoying they can get sometimes.