FaFaFooey

I come from the truck community and am being forced to buy a car. I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to cars but am very familiar with the forums and will do my best to research before I go asking questions that have been repeated a thousand times. With that being said, there's not many that catch my eye (in my price range!) and fit my requirements.

Right now I'm looking at the Acura TL and the 250. (350 if I can find one in my price range). I'm going to test drive an '06 250 tomorrow and aren't really familiar with them. I like the styling of the car, although the options on wheels isn't really grabbing me. My price range is roughly $22,000 and under. Tomorrow's car has 70k miles on it. Is that too many? How expensive is maintenance on a Lexus with that age and miles on it is my real concern.

Also space in the backseat. I'm a single guy, but I have a 100lb dog who likes to stick his head out of the window. Anyone out there with a large dog have any problems with them fitting in the car just fine?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Sffd103

iTrader: (16)

Do you mind putting the dog on the leather? I was thinking Subaru WRX wagon.

austintres

ive got a 80lb lab that hates being in my 250 so idk bout a 100lb dog its just to small for him and he slides around in the seats get like an RX or something

kyoso23

You should be able to find a 350 with around that many miles for that price.

meangene

iTrader: (10)

I know you said you're looking to spend under $22,000. How much is the is250 you're going to look at? With that price range you should be able to find something with less miles

Luxotic

iTrader: (6)

if you really want an is350 or 250 you can easily get a 350 within 22k probably less than 70 miles as well

Deegee

iTrader: (1)

I paid 19.5 for my IS250 Manual tranny 07. Had 55K miles... YOu should be able to find something cheaper honestly!! esp for a 250!

iRock

iTrader: (12)

I would never put a dog in my car. Only my yorkie can get it and that's bec he tiny and I could hold him.

Miggs

maintenance 80-150 depending where youre located in the US or if you do it your self like I ( 2x 5qt jugs of mobil 1= $47.00, filter $5) then you can save the remaining oil from the 5qt jug and use it towards the next one and all you will spend on 2nd is ( 1x 5qt jug $23.50 + filter $5 ) roughly $80-85 on two oil changes!

and people complain when they sit in the back of an ISx50.. hope your dog doesnt tear up the leather.


Also with that mileage i would check:

A: for any leaks-including front timing cover(very expensive and happened to mine @78k)
B: overall condition- should be good (8/10) for 22,000 with 70k miles.

DOUGLis350

We have a 70 lbs lab. Dog could ride in my car, but not with the 2 car seats in the back. Dog always goes in my wife's RX330.

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

I hope that 2006 IS250 you're looking at is WAY under your $22k budget, otherwise it's not a good deal at all. My 2007 IS350 was certified (extended Lexus warranty) with all options and 56k miles was only $24k. The certified warranty was about $1000, so without the warranty it'd be $23k. An otherwise identical '06 IS350 would therefore probably be $21-22k.

You can easily get an '06 IS350 with lower than 70k miles for under $22k, just keep shopping around.

And if you're preferring the 250 to the 350, you should be able to find an even better deal.

NickTomsyc

about a month ago I paid 16.5k for an 06' IS250 awd with the following options:
heated cooled seats - sunshade - nav - backup cam - 18" rims ... pretty sure it is/was fully loaded and it had 62k miles

FaFaFooey

I've always used a hammock in the backseat of my truck so he's never actually on the seat itself. There's nothing I can do about what he does to the inside of the doors though. He's a French mastiff that slobbers like no other!

The 250 today is at a dealership and they're asking $19,000 for it. The asking prices for the IS is all over the map in San Diego so it's going to require some shopping and negotiating. Sometimes I wonder where people come up with the pricing on their cars??

I take my dog everywhere. I can hold him, it just requires a Drs. visit and a Vicotin after. Ha!

The one thing I'm going to miss about owning a lifted truck.....just crawl underneath and change the oil. Done in 15 minutes. I'll be sure to check the timing cover! That was my major concern....what expensive items to look at to make sure I'm not dropping $1k a month after owning her.

I've been on CL and Autotrader everyday looking. I've found some good deals on private party ads, and found some **** poor deals. Problem is I might be forced to trade my truck in if I can't sell it on my own and we all know what a PIA that is.

Thank you all for the quick replies! I really appreciate the knowledge and experience the people of auto forums provide!

buzzspan

I got my '06 IS250 for $18K w/ 68k miles.

My sis-in-law has an '06 with 80K miles. My other friend has an '06 with 90K miles. Both cars run like a champ! Don't let the miles scare you from this amazing car.