Hey everyone! My name is Will Northrup. I do not own a Lexus at this point although I look forward to buying one soon. I am looking between the IS 250 and 350.. price is not the issue.. I want RWD and 6 Speed manual.. which limits me to the 250 base model.. unless i go auto in the 350.. the extra 100HP would be deadly! but i hate how the paddle shifters work.. if it shifted like the 8speed ISF it would be fine.. but the lag bugs me. not sure if there is a mod to fix this or not but im guessing no. anyway i will be making good use of the search feature and finding some info! but if anyone has any links let me know!

Some background on myself... I'm 21 I run my own Car blog for fun and enjoy pretty much anything to do with cars and find forums the easiest way to connect with like minded people. Blog link modforlife.ca
Currently right now I drive a 2008 Mazda 3 GT and have done a few things to it.
So my hope is to learn lots from you guys and girls about the product and really see what everyone is looking for in their Lexus!

Pictures of my 3




Thanks!

 

Welcome!

A few things-

the paddles aren't shifters. At all. If you try to use em that way you'll just get annoyed and frustrated.

They let you select a maximum gear the automatic transmission can use. That's all they do, and all they can do.

It's useful to preserve brakes coming down out of the mountains, but fairly useless for, say, a drag race.



That said- the power difference 250->350 is massive... and the manual in the 250 is kind of crap to boot.

 

You will regret NOT getting the 350. You could perhaps curtail some of the shift/throttle lag if you use the "Sport/Aggressive" mode, instead of normal. Also, before I had actually purchased my 350 I researched throttle controls that advance the drive-by wire throttle agressiveness via a programable box. I had all intensions of getting one...but I can say, after a few months behind the wheel DD'ing this '06 350 I'm happy to report that the throttle control is actually pretty good from the factory. Put it D, and forget the paddles. The only thing I use the paddles for is down-shifting into 4th from 6th w/o braking cuz of some asshat riding my assets. LOL!

BTW, how's the windshield motor on your Mazda 3 there? LOL!

 

Welcome to the forum. I highly suggest reading through this thread - https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...e-threads.html. It's a guide for potential buyers looking at used IS250s and IS350s.

Obviously I recommend test driving both cars, but I can tell you that 1) the fairly unanimous consensus on CL is that the manual in the IS250 it subpar, so if that's a major selling point for you, you may be let down, and 2) if you at all value power/quickness/performance, you will be immensely happier with the IS350. The extra 100 HP makes a huge, huge difference - after driving the IS350, you won't be content with the IS250 at all.

I got my 2007 IS350 with 56k miles on it Certified Pre-Owned about 5 months ago, and I love it. Very happy with my decision.

 

Welcome to CL, heres something to think about, i know you want a manual BUT~ people who've bought a 250 have had regrets, people who've bought a 350 dont~ the 2IS ISN'T a sports car with luxuryness its a luxury car with sportyness.

 

Welcome to CL...

See what you really want. Speed was not a big factor for me. I just wanted an entry level luxury car that was a bit sporty. IS250 suits me nicely.

If you want speed, IS350 is the way to go. Don't fuss over the AT, the new today AT can shift faster than MT. If you really want MT, then be informed that the MT tranny on the IS250 isn't the smoothest. I used to own MT cars, but decided to go with AT.

Seeing that you are coming from a modded crowd, don't expect to have many mods for the IS. The performance mods are very limited.

 

I came from a manual 5-speed 3 hatchback. I loved that car, but have no regrets going to automatic. I don't use the paddles at all. The ECT PWR mode is more effective for quick downshifts, it will go from 6th to 3rd with very little throttle effort when in that mode. 250 vs. 350 all depends on what you are looking for, but don't expect the 250 to be much faster than your 3 if that's the route you choose.

 

get the IS-F ! problem solved

welcome to CL

 

Welcome and congrats!!

 

I have a 250 manual. It shifts like ishh stock. I've heard it's a tranny from a Tacoma. I installed the F Sport short shifter and it helped a bit. The throw isn't as long but not even close to my Civic with a short shifter. If you want the power, get the 350. I didn't care other than looks.

 

wow... thats a huge help guys! Thanks a lot! I guess i never thought of it that way. or all those different ways lol. so it looks like i will be going for a 350 now i just need to find one that fits what i want.. its going to be hard to give up my 5speed at first i think but maybe i will come to enjoy it more ok so back to the drawing board lol! ill post some updates of what i find!

 

Also, the most you can really do is an intake, headers, mid pipe, exhaust. Bolt on's cause the ECU has never been cracked.

 

^^^whs. And why I decided on the 250. So, another opinion confirming what kind of buyers get which model.

I love my car but say it this way. "The 250 is a sheep in wolf's clothing."
In the end, I was comfortable with this because that's what I wanted. Good Luck with the decision.

 

yea bro get the 350. trust me. i had a 6 gear modified xrunner and i thought i could never go to an automatic but i dont mind it at all on my is350. i love my car

 

Ok, so if im moving up to the 350 should i stick with RWD or just go AWD? im going to keep my 3 for the winter.. but just wondering which is more fun?

as far as driving a little sideways and things like that lol

edit: i did a quick search but didnt turn anything up on this other than coilovers for sale.. are parts normally more money for awd vs rwd?

thanks that thread was great!!