kyle0k

Hi,
Im looking to buy an IS250, or 350, very soon. I was planning on buying an 06 untill I ran into something strange. I was looking at reliability rating and reviews and there was a huge difference. At edmunds I looked thru consumer reviews and for the 06, there is review after review of hardcore complaining. Half of them are 9-10 but the other half are 2-6 rating for reliability. Then I looked at 2007 and 95% of them are 9-10 and only a small portion are anything under. I know 2006 is the first year of the 250 , but is there seriously THAT HUGE of a difference??? I was planning on buying an 06 because they are cheaper and depreciation has tooken its biggest toll already and Ive had a lexus before so i know that they are reliable. But this just hit me like a ton of bricks.

Can anyone explain this?
2006: here
2007: here

Sytfu_IS

iTrader: (4)

There's just a lot more recalls on the 06's and little problems but don't worry, it's nothing bad compared to lets say a BMW. You should aim for an 07+ though, better revised stuff like the traction control buttons and you get a shark fin. haha

Bichon

I bought my '06 IS350 back in 2005, so it was not only the first model year, but also EARLY in the model year. The reliability I've encountered with this vehicle has been stellar. A colleague of mine bought his '06 IS350 in October '05, and he has also enjoyed a largely troublefree ownership experience. Just two data points, I know, but two very happy data points.

projectdna

iTrader: (56)

comparing statistical averages between a four year-old car and a three year-old car of the same make and model is not a fair comparison, the difference being that one year between the two model years.

give the 2007 model year another year to mature, and you'll see that the law of averages will bring that higher reliability rating down to a more comparable level.

MBTC

You could take a sample of many other similar cars, put them in Excel or whatever and note the % value decline from 06 to 07, then find the average of that number and compare the % decline for the Lexus, then note if the % decline for the Lexus seems unusually high.

When I look up this car in Consumer Reports (don't laugh, I've found their ratings to mirror my own experiences to the point its scary), the rating indicates something really went sideways with the brakes on the '06 model that was not an issue with '07. On the other hand it shows something went wrong with body integrity on the '07 that was an issue, but less of one on the '06. '06 also shows serious issues with the audio system that appear to have been beautifully solved in '07, but reporting an average number of issues in '08. Aside from that the reliabilty on this car, as a whole, looks pretty good compared to many makes.

Also, I never trust data from a single source, I get it from multiples and use that to paint a picture.

CR is a little goofy... in this buying guide, they list the car as "IS300/IS350" and make no mention of the 250.. lol.. but obviously prior to '06 they are talking about the IS300. Their magazine ratings are a little better, this is just a summary book I'm looking at that only shows six years of history not including last years model (too new to measure the issues).

greg0723

i have an 6 with 54k on it. got it at 38k. only problem i have the is auto tilt on my mirror just stopped working. im getting it fixed this monday during my oil change. nothing major. engine is nice along with everything thing else.

kyle0k

Thanks guys , I completely overlooked the whole fact that's it's had a year longer to show problems, makes complete sense.

Evitzee

Another '06 owner with no problems to report other than the fuel rail recall.

busdepot

iTrader: (1)

I have an '06 too. Bought it off lease, the reliability is entirely based on recalls. stupid dusty brakes...

Koz

The IS350 in some other countries is tagged IS300.

Koz

Koz

There is no difference in total reliability between any second gen IS models. You have to know exactly what issues caused the rating differences. You have to remember the first year will always reflect ANY issue in the new design. There were issues like brake dust, fuel rail replacement, rear view mirror vibration, squeaks, etc. These issues are minor in nature and have been resolved on the 06. This is why the last year of production (Model design) usually has the best reliability rating. Where you would want to be concerned is major issues like major component failures, engines, trans, computers, etc. The only real issue to be concerned about would be carbon build-up with the 250. I do not think this will be resolved until the DI fuel system is redesigned.

Koz

YoungMoney

I've had an 06 is350 for a little over a year. For the most part it's been great and it's still under warranty so any problems that did arise were taken care of quickly.

I've had the squeaky seat spring, squeaky brakes... both knocked out quickly with TSIBs.

Now the BIGGER issue that I had was my tranny was completely shot. The good news... is that I brought it into the dealership and they replace the entire tranny (per powertrane warranty) and I had my car back within 3 days of the issue.

Since then, the car has ran ideally.
*Question of my own - Does this carbon buildup issue only apply to the 250 engine?

Koz

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...d-threads.html

Koz

MBTC

Interesting to know, although, I'm fairly sure the CR guide I was looking at was US-localized, even if CR does publish in other countries (I don't think they do).

The reason they listed it the way they did is because they show history going back to '03, and of course the 2nd gen IS didn't exist until '06. It's a little odd that they often treat multiple generations of a car (effectively an entirely different car) as one, but I think this was their best attempt at condensing information in a tiny little booklet like the free CR guide paperback they give away to subscribers. The magazine version tends to be a bit better as it goes into more depth on each vehicle.

XhyDra

iTrader: (8)

You're talking about the IS300 228 hp 3.0-litre V6 3GR-FSE. The IS350 and IS300 share two things in common body and brakes. They are completely different engines.

The IS300's are available in such countries as China, Saudi Arabia, ect.