Hey everyone my name is jack i just moved to Las Vegas looking to buy a 2006+ is250/350 within the next 2-3 weeks. I have been skimming through autotrader/craigslist/Cars.com for a better understanding of what i am in store for as far as cost goes. I have a few questions im hoping this community could shine some light on for me.

1- How high is to high? I understand this question is a loaded question because it depends on who owned the car before and how they maintained the car, But what mileage would the forum members say to stay clear from. I'm looking to have the car for at least 5-7 years and my friend just bought a Lexus with a staggering 160k+ miles and i must admit it looks and drives like it has 50k. so i know they can go for sometime. and i don't drive much..... work home, work, food ,home.

2- I'm looking to spend around $20K, putting $5k down payment and finance the rest. what year and mileage do you see me falling into? All i care for really is Navi,.... Sunroof would be nice but not a deal breaker.

3- what to look out for? .. what are some main things i should look out for when buying a is 250/350? I will be taking the car to a Lexus dealership+ my uncles mechanic shop for a double over look of the car but as forum owners i know there are certain things to look for that dealers/Mechanics don't normally come across.

4--Price difference between 250/350? Whats the price gap between the two models and is it really worth the extra bucks? does one have more troubles than the other is one more expensive to maintain/ repair? Im not really looking for a 10 second car but i wouldn't mind a little extra power when the urge arises.
( I own a 93 Mr2 Turbo with great upgraded goodies)

5- Is the car D.I.Y friendly? I have a great understanding of cars and do a lot of work myself ( A lot of help from Forum members such as yourselves) excluding transmissions. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate the difficulty of working on the car?

Looking forward to hearing from the community and hopefully will be a proud owner of an is within the next few weeks. BTW any meet spots in las vegas i know wrong section but if anyone knows please let me know times and meet spots. Thanks for look have a great night everyone and Thanks in advance for any helpful tips.

 

Welcome to CL. You ask great questions. Let me provide you with this link that has many answers to what many have questions to. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...iy-thread.html

The 350 does have 100HP more than the 250. My car is for sale if you're interested.

 

Go with the 350!!!!!

 

Bump. for a lexus buyer in need of good advice,

 

perfect for you.... https://www.clublexus.com/forums/lex...-show-car.html

 

Price wise not too much difference in the used market so go with 350. As for mileage it depends on the deal you find. People on here will tell you stay away unless its under warranty. But to me it reliable and low cost maintenance who care too much if it just over 100k. Just make sure all recalls are up to date and you should be fine. Welcome to CL let your bank account emptying being haha...

 

If you don't want AWD, Manual Tranny, or Carbon buildup issues, go with the IS350. Gas mileage is very similar, you get 100 hp more and more reliability.

I would advise staying away from cars with navigation. The navigation is one of the least reliable things on the car and a chunk of money to repair/replace. I know there are a few DIYs to correct some navigation failures, but it's hit and miss.

 

Thanks for the advice. I can speak from experience the bank account Emptying on the sw20. but i need a clean day to day driver. I'm turning 25 years next month and feel i need something a little more elegant. I will never sell my mr. i have owned it since i was 17 and plan on it living longer than i do lol. As for the IS. I only plan on rims and stereo. nothing else is needed, its a beautiful car as it is.

Something im taking into consideration is,,,,, everything is very far in vegas so driving is a must, i dont want a gas guzzler the 250 is 24/29 highway and the 350 is 21/26 highway. I understand its only 3 miles but it will add up overtime.

members who have bought the Is250. Are you satisfied with the power or would you have preferred to pay the each couple thousand for the added hp. ?

Thanks in advance to all who reply!

 

How much are Aftermarket radio install kits going for now? if that's the case i rather go with an aftermarket head unit navi. i don't like OEM car navigation's. I have a double din laying around somewhere.

 

Test drive a 250, then the 350. You WILL NOT wanna go back to the 250!

Things to look out for that are common 2IS issues :

Water pump (failures range from 20k miles to XXXk...mine went out at 27k)
Sezied rear calipers causing excessive inner pad wear
OEM NAV unit screen failure (you cannot spot this...it's all about being luck/unlucky)
Excessive front inner camber wear (common issue if not aligned properly)

The 2IS models are all DIY friendly; but the downside is there isn't much in the way of engien mods available for the 2IS...mostly appearance mods.

Once you find a 2IS you're really set on purchasing, sign up for an account on Lexus.com. You can set the vehicle's VIN as "your car" and then be able to view the previous dealership service history all online. It'll tell you EVERYTHING (recall/TSIBs/oil changes/etc etc)

GL and welcome!

 

Mileage is the same it all on how you drive. I can get 32mpg in the highway doing 70mph on 19s. I get 24mpg city and I'm in a 350.