My friend just got an 07 is350 with lux, nav, an 24k miles for 25k even. 06-08 body is the same so you can DEF find a 350 for 20k-25k depending on mileage and options. Test drive both before you buy, trust me man. The 250 is nice and all, but the lack of power is so bad that it can barely get out of it's own way. Real Luxury cars have power, and the IS is one of those cars that SHOULD at least have the power of the 350. Hell, I'm not even happy with that anymore and wish i had an F. I can't even bring myself to waste $ on engine mods due to the lackluster performance it already has. I can't spent $1000 for 10hp.

 

is250 is was not made to be manual. i drive one.. and it sucks.
im going to the dealer in a few hours. looking to trade for a 350... and there is too much traffic in toronto. to drive a manual is250.. i enjoy it only when im ripping it.. heel toe here and there. but normal driving its jerky and cumbersome thing to endure....i tell ppl who drive my car.. nonono its not you.. the clutch, its really hard to make a smooth transition. lol

 

Yup.... Go auto

 

Ya the stick shift on the IS is definitely not as smooth as the car looks. I taught my gf, one of my friend and my bro to drive manual on this thing. They all found it hard to learn on this car, keep stalling and couldn't get a smooth start up. Then they drove someone else's cars (a civic, g35 and a speed6). They didn't even stalled once! and they were able to drive on the highway lol. That being said though. If it's down to the manual or auto 250, I'll still pick the stick. It just needs some time getting used to. In the end it's still more fun to drive than the auto. IMO!

 

I like the manual 250. Go with that and get the F-Sport Short Shift. How fast do you really need to go in the city?

 

You can't drive.

I test drove an 06 manual with 64k and it had to be one of the easiest cars to operate I've ever driven.

Man up!

 

if u want luxury, go for the Auto...it is a very quick shifter

 

Here' another thought.....If you are getting a 250 no matter what, then get the manual. I decided to go with the 350 as I constantly have 4-5 passengers in the car and the 204 hp with a heavy car full of passengers was not going to cut it. The power in the 350 is very nice, but the auto is boring and is not as nice as the BMW/Audi DCT/DSG tranny. If you are one who drives like a normal person 95% of time, the 250 with manual tranny will do. Heck, if I had to do it again, I would have gotten the is250 with manual tranny.