csantacana

I know your initial reaction is probably "are you nuts!?" but I'm starting to think that buying an IS 350 F-Sport was splurging on an engine that I will use, well... almost never.

I'm new here btw and am really lovin' pics of builds. Awesome stuff.

I live in Miami and the traffic here, like in many places, is a pain. I leased a 2015 IS 350 and am thinking maybe that was pointless. I have no idea what sort of hit I would take on turning it back in and downgrading to the 250 but I'm curious to see people's opinions. Do you think the engine size is worth the splurge? If I am rarely presented with the opportunity to use the engine, should I be looking to reduce my monthly payment and downgrade? How big or small do you think the difference would be in monthly payment?

The one thing keeping me from taking it back is that I think I want to buy this car after the two-year lease and I would, in the end, still like to own the 350.

Thanks for your input!

itBurnsISF

If you want to buy it after 2 years ... keep the 350. My buddy who works at Lexus says he has found the 2.5L to fail much more commonly than the 3.5

Also, I don't know how the dealership would even take the idea of canceling a lease already for another one ... I doubt they would without some huge difference in cost .. you'd probably end up just paying a little less for a 250 than you would your 350.

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

depending on your dealership, most will probably penalize you for breaking your lease and you would end up paying the same amount for the 250 in the end. i say just wait until your lease is over then decide then.

most folks who lease tend to not buy the car and jump to a newer model. for now, enjoy your 350! it's a much better car overall even if you don't use its full potential.

tea

If you can switch over and not be upside down or break even, go for it. If you're sitting in traffic all the time, there's really no need for the 350. The difference in 0-30 mph time won't be a big deal anyways, especially if you're just gonna come to a stop again anyways. Being in LA, I'm just letting it roll on the freeway and not even stepping foot on the gas pedal

mrkjsn

Any money you expect to save monthly by doing this will not be enough to offset how much it will cost you to make the switch. It will be an expensive hit changing early in your lease.

SlangBlade

I agree with this.

Also, in two years, you can either buy it out, or get a new lease on the IS200t which will probably also lower your payments. If you have to finance to buy the car out at the end of your lease, your payments will very likely be at least where they are now, if not higher, on either car.

Reeladdict

keep the 350. Much better chance you will have equity in the end and if you do keep it they tend to hold their value slightly better.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Wait a year and get the IS200t

csantacana

Many thanks for the feedback. After doing research, I found that the difference in payments is minimal as well. I'll be keeping her.

I was mostly looking for justification anyways

Now on to wheels, exhaust, and roof wrap... And then some.

Thanks again!

thespaz18

iTrader: (4)

Better to have the more powerful engine and not use it than not have it and wish that you did. You'll be more content w/ the 350 in 2 years once your lease ends.

IS1911

Traffic and congestion are an excellent reason to go for the bigger engine. You can "force" your way onto a highway much easier than you can with a less powerful car. 100 HP is a very significant difference on a relatively heavy car like the IS. Keep the 350.

tea

I'm sorry, but if you have to force yourself into another lane, then it's probably not a safe lane change. while the 100 extra HP would be nice, the extra few thousands saved sounds very nice too. especially if you don't use the extra power. OP, good choice in keeping the 350. There's no point in switching to the 250 if you're not going to save any money

FinaLpeace

Why would you go the opposite way? The IS250 will most likely be history in less than 365 days with the new turbo engine replacing it. The IS350 would probably get a new engine replacement this generation as well, but not until the GS350 gets a change! Keep the IS350 such a nice car

IS1911

tea,

I wasn't suggesting that anyone should use the additional power to drive unsafely and I apologize if that's how you or others interpreted my previous post. I would like to explain what I meant in greater detail. The example I had in mind is when a driver is trying to enter a busy roadway. The additional power allows the car to accelerate faster which allows the driver to select a "tighter" entry point while still being able to enter the roadway safely. We've all been annoyed by drivers who pull out in front of us as they are entering a roadway forcing us to apply our brakes until their car gets up to speed. A more powerful car can get up to speed more quickly. That's all I was trying to say.

dizlex

Money well spent. Much better than nav, leather, etc, IMO.