I'm 46 and love the IS... Only get the GS if you need back seat room.

 

your so right. My mom had a 2002 RX300. she bought it new. after that she upgraded to the 2005 RX330, also new. Then for some reason she bought a 2007 Madza CX-9. things on the interior break off, her nav broke, and its just crappy quality. now she wants a Lexus again. i warned her.

 

Why do you say the GS is "more respectable" than the IS?

 

GS's main advantage is back seat leg and knee room.

Isn't the extra weight of the GS about 200 pounds.

I was surprised at first at just how close the prices of the IS350 and GS350 were...

 

My take on it all is the GS is more of a luxury thing and the IS is more of a sport thing. Do you want sport or do you want luxury? Keep the question simple like that. I am 35 btw. I like my cars sporty on the outside, and luxurious on the inside. The IS fills that bill well, but I am a sucker for the GS's steering wheel, dashboard, and center stack.

 

Thank you very much for your input. The results of my unofficial survey surprised me. As I stated in my original post, I was posting my question to both the IS and the GS people. So far, the GS is winning. I was very surprised that more than a few IS owners suggested the GS, which showed their objectiveness. As I stated earlier, the sportivness factor is less important to me than the comfort. However, I do agree that the IS is by far better looking of the two cars. Well, I am still thinking.....

 

What the heck is all this stuff about age and respectibility None of that matters. Are you an enthusiast? Do you need a larger car? Which appeals to up? What appeals to me, makes no nevermind to you. If it did, we would all be driving the same car. You can see by my sig, that my wife and I drive two very different cars, but they both suit each of us, and they are both Lexus. Buy what you like and feel comfortable in.

BTW, I'm 70, I guess I'm not respectable

Lou

 

See, that's the problem. I like them both, but I am not rich enough to buy both, so I just need a little help from my friends in a form of an advise.

 

I may not be very objective, but take a look at the GS450h. You get an adaptive suspension so you can have GS smooth or IS sporty. You also get gobs of power that is just as fun if not more than the IS350. While the IS is quite nice, the GS can provide more.

I think this quote sums it up well from the long term test of the 450h

"Love this car. You must wonder what the guy you just buried at the stoplight is thinking when he sees the lowercase "h" on the rear decklid. The car doesn't really breathe hard, it just accelerates — as if pulled forward by a silent, powerful winch. Not to mention it also handles better than it ought to. It's got really nice Interstate-friendly ride comfort, but it'll whip through a cloverleaf interchange like a car half its size!"
— Douglas Kott
Road & Track Executive Editor

 

IS definitely handles better...like others said, if you need extra rear room, get the GS....

 

Unfortunately, any advice on this forum pro one or con the other is worthless to you. You're going to be driving the car, not us. You know what you like, not us. Go to a dealer, drive an IS and a GS, look at them (inside and out) and YOU decide which one YOU like.

Enjoy

 

I think you pretty much answered your own question...as you stated, the price is about the same and the IS is too small for you. GS wins!

 

It's the higher class model.

Whats more respectable a c-class benz or a s-class benz, the s is. Whats more respectable an is or a gs, a gs is and whats even better then a gs, an ls.

 

Well stated! I'm 60, and have no issue driving either our IS or our RX. It's what appeals to you, you're the one paying for it, and you have to live with it. Have driven the GS, lovely vehicle, very comfortable, but it sure ain't very sporty! Of course our RX isn't exactly in the sporty league either, but I've managed to wear out two sets of tires in 43k miles anyway.

 

im not sure why people consider the gs more luxurious. the leather is still the same, the wood trim is still the same. sure you have to add some option packages to get the memory seats, rear sun shade on the IS, but still you can get almost the same options on both cars. now if the GS had the semi aniline leather like the LS i would say sure it might be more luxurious. otherwise you are more or less paying for more room in the GS and a bit less sport. the IS still has more available parts for tuning and is on the sportier side compared to a GS. plus the gs costs a bit more. i think it comes down to what is more important to you. overall sportiness and less everything else i say go IS350. more comfort/space and bit less sportiness go GS350. this si something the OP has to decide, since we all have our opinions on what is better. whoever said that the GS is better cuz its a GS, thats a poor argument for it. so is the IS-F less of a car because its "only" an IS to begin with? even though it costs more then a GS350? or is an m3 less of a car then a 528i because the 528i is a 5 series even though the m# still costs a lot more? seriously, poor argument.