SloWalke26

Well after the engine on my 3 series went to hell RIP, my friend was kind enough to lend me her 2006 IS350. The moment I hit the highway, fell in love. Now I am considering just buying the car off her or just financing my own. Im new to this site, and would love to become an active member once im in the cockpit of my very own Lexus. Just looking for information on what to look for when I go to dealerships. like a buyers guide or anything would help. only reason I dont want to buy the lexus directly from my friend is because, the car is going to need alot of maintenance done before it's in tip top shape again. There's alot of rattling coming from under the car and squeaking coming from both the front breaks and engine. Any help and advice would be appreciated.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

if the rattling is clicking noises when the engine is idling that is normal noise from the high pressure injectors. Brakes are really easy to do yourself and squeaking brakes may just need to be cleaned up and new anti squeal grease applied. Might want to check if the water pump isnt leaking, that was a common issue on the 350s and they make a noise when they are going out.

SloWalke26

When the car is in idle I don't hear anything but the occasional squeaking coming from the engine. I had my girlfriend pull out and back up into a parking space. And that's when I noticed the rattling noise. Its come from the center area under the car. Someone told me it could be the exhaust. The car doesn't seem to have any loss in power or acceleration, and still drives smooth. But what do I know, im new to this lexus world.

Uda880

iTrader: (7)

Buyer's guide is literally the first bullet point in the FAQ:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...iy-thread.html

dabIS

Did you come from the 335 or the 328? These past few months I've contemplated switching from my IS250 to a BMW 128i. The 2.8L engine is reputed to be very reliable, hence my interesting in crossing over to BMW. (The high pressure fuel pump of the 3.5L models is apparently a nightmare.)The trade-off is that BMW electricals are reputed (based, as is typical, on hearsay, internet discussion, and all manner of urban legendry) to be weak, something Japanese manufacturers are usually good at producing.

azfsprt

iTrader: (4)

Well I was in the similar scenario last year when I purchased my IS250 f-sport. I was contemplating between BMW, AUDI and Lexus. Notice how I never mentioned Mercedes because unless you have money for repairs that brand is a nightmare. Anyway, BMW is a very nice car I actually like the new line of cars with the turbo building a lot more efficiency for their cars but the main reason that pushed me away was that I love working on my car whether it is an upgrade or a simple maintenance. You can do it with a BMW but with so much electronic gadgets here and there its just getting to ridiculous to self maintain the BMW. Imagine your brakes you can't really lathe them you have to get a new one and you have to get sensors too... for me it takes away from the experience of real car rather than an electronic everything car (I think I have more right to say this because I used to have an s2000).

Now to the part that you are wondering...
I chose the Lexus because Japanese cars have a phenomenal track record with reliability. Its their 6 sigma concept that even today speaks for itself when we talk about their quality. With that being said Lexus owners here know very well this car will last you a long time. Who knows you might be someone that wants a car every 5 years but the point is even if you do, you will probably keep this car because its so reliable. I like the fact that Lexus' have some electronics but not too much to halter your wants and needs. My car drives well rated at .91 Gs at the skidpad is added bonus because I have always been a handling kind of guy, which is also why I chose the is250 rather than the is350. Also gas is fairly reasonable, its not as great as the new turbo BMWs but its still better than most at 29mpg on avg for me. If you service your own car this car is very easy to service! The engine oil change is by far the easiest I have ever had to change on all the cars I have owned and I thought the S2000 was the best. The way that the car is built you can tell they put a lot of focus on that which means a lot because they didnt just build the ISx50 just so they can get it into production, they built it with a lot of things in mind. Brakes are very simple to change and of course transmission too. The best part of it all is that, not that many electronics get in the way.

Finally, once you go to the dealer check out the car if you like it with a test drive. Sounds like you are looking at a used car, and the nice thing about a Lexus that is used there is not much to worry about. Just test it too see the usual things you would look for at a used car in the lot; Transmission how it responds, if all the VIN are intact for each body part to determine any accidents or upgrades, and look for upgrades on the car (if there is one you are more likely to have a car that has been driven hard) versus a babied or originally maintained Lexus and last but not least get a carfax.

SloWalke26

Thanx for all the input. I've decided to just go find my own IS at a dealership. Cant Wait

pheonix72

iTrader: (6)

and you forgot to add that they designed the car so well that the whole engine need to be pulled out to fix a simple Timing Chain Cover (which had happened more than normal
in all seriousness, make sure your thoroughly inspect the car. Do some researches on common problems and go from there.
Good luck

azfsprt

iTrader: (4)

Sorry left that out simply assumed he was looking @ the newer model where they fixed that.
But just like with any car evn bmws... The 1st model tends to have these problems.

SloWalke26

I prefer the older model, i hate those new headlights. So now im considereing between the is300 and the is350. Kinda leaning more towards the 1st gen. Any advice?

GiantsFan

iTrader: (9)

If you prefer the old headlights ... get a 2010 IS350.

The IS300 is nice, and the 2JZ is great, but IMO, the IS350 can't be beat. Its one fast car ... reliable, and has all the modern features.