Gville350

iTrader: (10)

Get an IS350; more reliable motor and MUCH more fun driving experience, despite being auto. Plenty out there with 100-200k miles on them and still on the roads.

ctruon1

Thanks for all the responses! I roughly have 1.5 months to make my decision. After doing some research on the IS250, I heard that there was been problems with the carbon build up, and water pump problems; however, I heard that Lexus fixed that problem in the 2010 and later models. But, the majority of the people would have chosen the IS350, given the better performance and isn't notorious for carbon build up/ maintenance problems as the IS250, given that you have the extra dough. I don't really care about the performance (speed wise), I just want a reliable, fairly nice, car that would last me 10+ years. I looked at the IS350 in my area, and they are all in the $20k. My parents would prefer I stick to a car that is around $15k, in case something happens to car and they won't feel bad opposed to getting a brand new Corolla. However, if I wanted to spend extra, I could always use my own money. The alternative would be getting a 2009 Camry @ 55k miles for $14k.

darkdream

I was in high school when I got my brand new IS350. I do know the feeling of the allure of having a entry level luxury car at a young age, but it dies quickly and you want something better. If I were to do it again. I would have bought a cheap car then and kept the money and bought say an very low mileage Porsche 997.2 for less than the price I paid for my IS350 brand new in given time. The features of the 2nd generation IS are pretty standard now even in the cheapest of cars.

I do still own my IS350, but I rarely drive it. I prefer to drive my S2000 since I rarely take more than 1 passenger and it is a ton more fun to drive.

jst17

Hey man, I am around the same age as you, a bit younger as I am still in 2nd year uni. So hopefully my perspective can help you out.

Lexus are reliable cars, but that does not mean they don't break. And when they do break down, even simple/typical things such as an alternator can cost upwards of $600-900 at a dealer. They require extra $$ to keep it in good shape, especially if you are buying one for $15K which is most likely without warranty.

If I were you, I would get something that is CPOed, which means you dont have to worry about the odd job which can be expensive for a college student. Since you are focused on reliability and not speed, for $12-15k I would get a Japanese CPOed car such as a Mitsubishi lancer or a Subaru wrx, a honda civic si, or an acura tsx maybe, toyota products are quite bland IMHO.

P.S. is300 is nice too if you know how to work on cars, A Lexus master mechanic told to me specifically not get a 2gen isX50, cuz thereare some issues with the car such as and not limited to cylinder misfire, fuel pump, water pump, dashboard melting, Navigation freeze, radiator issue, carbon build up, start up rattle, window trim...etc...just look at how many recalls are currently on this car. He recommended a used is300.

meefer

iTrader: (8)

Counter-proposal, buy a used Corolla, drive it till 200K miles, then get the difference applied to the dream car so your payment will be slightly less soul crushing.