if it's gonna be your first manual i suggest you get a subbie..

 

It's a matter of preference. I love manual but I had no choice in the fact that I wanted a 350. You should drive one and see how it goes. I had a blast. Car just didn't pick up like I wanted.

 

I would also say that you shouldn't have the car as your first manual experience... It's easy but costly if you're not the duck to water type.

 

i have an is250 MT. fellow members aren't kidding when they said RARE! it will be very hard to find one now. there were only 3 available when i bought my car back in dec 07.

i would have bought an IS350 if they came in MT. they dont exist, so i got the 250 instead and LOVE it. keeps you awake and more alert on the road.

IMO, MTs are so much more fun to drive although it is a turtle compared to the 350. because it is so rare today, you cant be picky with the options available. gotta grab what you can find!

 

It's used in a few vehicles, including the IS250, IS220d, IS200d, FJ Cruiser, Tacoma, Tundra, Cadillac CTS and Chevrolet Camaro.

Jeff

 

It sure is slow, but really you have to evaluate what YOU want/need in a car. Since you asked us which we think is better, it seems you don't have a preference yourself. If a manual is a down-side, then you're meant for an automatic. You have to love manual to drive it, stick with it and master it. That being said... the transmission is clunky and by far, the worst part of the car IMO.

If it's speed you want - there are several other cars that are much faster and (much) cheaper. I think some people really want the brand, buy the entry level car and realize it's not for them.

For me, the 250 MT was perfect. I needed MT and RWD. I didn't need high horsepower or a quick 1/4 mile time. With those requirements most of the cars I was looking at were all coupes and personally I find coupes annoying for daily drivers and for my lifestyle. When I was in college a coupe was great and sporty but I guess I'm getting older haha Anyway I almost conceded to having 2 doors and was 2 days away from buying a coupe - then found the IS. The brand, reliability and luxury are all a bonus.

I would suggest really figuring out what you want/need in the car Good luck!

 

I suggest you learn stick on a beater car like a Honda or Toyota first. I started out on my dad's old Jeep Willie and it was a touchy car to drive. The clutch was stiffer and engagement was almost immediate. If you didn't give it enough gas it would buck like a bronco. Moving to my Honda was a smooth transition after that.

But you don't want to beat up the clutch on the Lexus. It'll probably be easy to learn since the clutch is smooth and forgiving. But you'll probably wear the clutch quite a bit.

I love the 250 MT and wish it was available in the 350 or IS-F. It's fun...and the 350 or the IS-F would be a whole lot "funner".

The one downside is the chatter in the clutch when it engages at lower gears, usually in first. But others with the MT haven't had the same issue.

Overall, I wouldn't trade my MT for an AT. But again, this is entirely up to you. Test drive both and see for yourself. But learn stick first....good luck!

 

I have a manual and I think it's kinda crappy. I did get the short shifter and that helped a bit.

 

I love my MT 250 . Feel a lot better than AT 250 when I driving

 

I have stick lil bit over a year now, all ma cars been stick. Its fun to drive but sucks in florida traffic other wise from that i would love to install a short shifter. If its gonna be ur first stick i wouldn't suggest u get a lexus in stick, but at the same time drive both and get that feeling for yourself.

 

I have one of the few 6MT IS250's as well. It's a fun little car. But like everyone says, it's slow and gets worse mileage than the AT. But I like rowing through gears, and most of my driving is in rush hour so I don't really get to bag that often. So the manual is my excitement for my boring commute.

The transmission isn't great, but like Sffd103 said, the F-Sport Short Shifter does help a bit. If you're buying an IS250 "because racecar" as the kids say, look elsewhere.

 

I have a Manual IS 250, and it was also the car I learned how to drive stick in and like everyone else has said it is slow but the experience of driving a stick definitely makes up for it.

 

I have a manual and from what I know they are SUPER rare, the problem with manual transmission lexus' though is that when the time comes when you want to trade them in, the dealer WILL try to low ball you for your trade in considering it's a luxury vehicle and most people "want automatic" when they buy a lexus. Every single dealer I've come across said this to me.

I personally have no problem with the MT IS, I've never had a problem with it and I've got about 92K miles on her (07) with 3 previous owners. Although I am coming up to the point where I will be needing a clutch soon. IMO I would NOT suggest learning on such a nice expensive car like an IS due to the fact that ANYTHING can happen if your new to driving a MT, you could have a wreck or kill the car on a hill and run into the front of somebody, or simply kill the car in rush hour traffic and just panic and do something bad. Its not hard to learn how to drive a MT, but driving it PROPERLY is a different story. My girl for example can 'drive' a MT but she burns the **** out of my clutch trying to get the car to move in first or when turning she'll drop it in a lower gear and still have the clutch featherd and gas it while turning the corner and its just plain awful. keep in mind your paying for a legitimatly $$ car to just mess up cause of unexperience and if you have deep wallets I'd say go for it. I personally learned on older cheaper cars.

 

Hey bro, you might want to try this trick to teach your GF how not to burn the clutch. Have her start to slowly lift her foot off the clutch to the point where she can get the car rolling slowly without using the gas. Once she masters that she wont burn it up, I thought my wife this method and shes a pro. Hell she can even now drive my Integra that has a cable clutch with a 4 puck dual diaphragm pressure plate.

 

That happened when I went to sell my Infiniti - sold it privately.

The manual IS250s are out there though - I ran across a few when searching for an IS (somewhat recently).