gm4life

First off I am going to apologize in advance for a post covering so many different topics. First off to explain my screen name - my family has been died in the wool GM "people" as far back as I care to recall. That all changed with some really bad customer service on my 10th GM product... A 2013 Blizzard Pearl 4Runner SR5 4WD has been put in my fleet since then and I wouldn't own anything other than a Toyota/Lexus product - one year and 6,500 miles later it has been an awesome truck. This has led me to looking for a Lexus IS 250 which will most likely be a 2015 model year...

I would really love some help from the experts on this forum regarding several things on the IS...

1. Will the 2015 IS 250 still be a 2.5L V6? (I hope so, I really don't want a turbo 4 or need the power of the IS 350 nor do I want to spend the extra dough) Or will the turbo 4 be any additional engine option?

2. Assuming the IS 250 stays with the 2.5L V6 - how hard is it to truly special order a car? I know with 4Runners - Toyota has some really odd distribution practices... Certainly 4Runners have certain options in certain areas etc. The reason is I hail from Iowa and I want an IS 250 with the 2.5L V6 and the F Sport package in RWD! I don't need AWD nor do I want the fuel economy drop. I have found IS 250 F Sports in different regions (South mainly) with the features I want (F Sport Package, Back up camera and Blind spot assist) and can configure one with my zip code on the Lexus site, but none are in my area! Furthermore after lots of research and switching zip codes my search radius seemed to show the same 222 models - none IS 250 F Sports with RWD! My question is can my car be special ordered for my area? If I do this can I get invoice price minus any rebates? Or will a dealer want me to "pay" for a special order? If not I guess I will be heading to Texas etc. to get what "I" want and will pay for. (My target is roughly 41K MSRP and to get the car for invoice about 38K)

3. Snow and RWD... My IS won't see a bunch of snow with a 4Runner around but with a good set of snow tires and winter rims are these cars OK in moderate amounts of the white stuff?

4. Paint - I have been less than pleased with my 4Runner in Blizzard Pearl which is a premium color - will the IS be the same?

5. Is Ultra White on the F Sport model a metallic?

6. Any chance of USB (Ultra Sonic Blue) being offered next year in the US?

7. Common issues? I have seen stuff on paint chips and dead batteries... Anything serious?

Again thanks for all the help in advance... I always try to pay it forward on forums and will do so as I become an "expert" on the IS. (And hopefully an owner within the next year or so!)

I look forward to hearing your responses!

P.S.

I forgot to add I test drove a 2014 IS 250 F Sport AWD and it was a total blast to drive. It drove like it was on rails - honestly it reminded me a driving a six cylinder Camaro - not a bad thing at all.

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Update: 6/29/2015

Looks like the 2015 model year will have the 2.5L V6 after-all...

Thanks to Club Lexus for posting the news on this...

http://pressroom.lexus.com/releases/lexus+2015+is+models+product+news+release.htm


This is great news for me, as I didn't want to pull my purchase ahead THAT soon if the turbo 4 would replace the 2.5L V6 for 2015. I really liked the smooth response of the 2.5L and don't need 306hp. A zero to sixty time according to Motor Trend of 7.2 seconds is fine with me. (Keep in mind I consider my 4Runner - quick)

Regarding the car I want and the area I live in... I am feeling like a true special order, not picking from an allocation will be the route I need to go.

How does the special order process work?

Realistically how long does it take so I can time the purchase/delivery?

Any advice on how to get the car at invoice price on a special order? (If I really have too, I will drive six hours south to get the car I want at the price I want.)

After much thought I have decided on a 2015 Lexus IS250 F Sport RWD in Ultra White/Red Interior and three options - F Sport Package (duh), blind zone alert and rear view camera. I know I have seen many cars set-up this way for the 2014 model year... With a special order can you truly configure a car anyway? Or just the options you see on the Lexus site? I know for 2014 that combo could be found. Can anyone answer that question if you can truly have any option combo that I want and how the process works?

Thanks again for all the feedback... I am glad for all the help! I am really looking forward to an IS250.

Slust

1. No one truly knows as nothing has been officially announced and I sure as heck don't have insider information. Though someone on this forum said they might offer both the current 2.5L and a 2.0 4cyl TT. If for some reason they only offer the Twin Turbo than you should be able to get a screaming deal when they try to clear out 2014 stock.
   
2. First option a dealer has is to try and trade another dealership for a car they have. They originally found the car I wanted in CA. There is a transportation fee as the dealership will trade a car they have for the car you want so you have to pay for both cars to be transferred. I said BS on that fee so then they looked at what is still at the factory but is coming their way. Seeing as how your dealership will mostly be getting AWD models from the sounds of it you are probably limited to two options - what they can trade for and ordering one. From what people have reported here it sounds like orders take anywhere from 2-5 months, usually 3-4. You can't order a spec that Canada would get but you can order whatever Americans get. As far as what the dealership will charge you for it really depends on the dealership and how bad the sales manager wants a sale. Sometimes you do have to go out of state. The dealership here says they get a lot of people from Texas looking for a better deal.
   
3. Good snow tires should serve you well. You shouldn't need AWD unless you expect to be driving in snow a lot.
   
4. You didn't really specify what you are unhappy with...
   
5. Looks metallic yes as there are glass chips in the paint.
   
6. You and everyone else on this forum wants to know.
   
7. The 2IS had the exact same "battery issues" the 3IS does, meaning some batteries will give out quicker than they are supposed to. Lexus checks the battery on your car every visit so they caught it on my 2IS before it went out and replaced it as part of the complimentary 5k service. While a few people here have had some issues the only truly common problem is the Nav system rebooting at times and possibly the clunk noise people here when going over speed bumps. Nothing I would worry about. It is easy to worry when you see these topics but the IS is just as reliable as it always was and Lexus is rated extremely high on reliability. Happy people typically don't write reviews as there is no benefit for them to do so.

rayaans

Just saying that paint chipping isnt really an issue. It happens on every single car in the whole world. Try and find a 1 year old car with no stone chips and ill be impressed

gm4life

Thank you for the well thought out response. I am just trying to do my research and get all my ducks in a row.

That is good to hear that you can order any configuration that is offered in the US in any region. (I really want the IS 250 F Sport RWD in Ultra White or USB (wishing) with rear view camera and blind zone alert - nothing more) That would be a lot better than a 750 mile trip for me... Hopefully I can get the price I want (invoice minus any rebates) on a special order. I hope my dealer is willing to work with me for a sale. Provided I special order a 2015 and the 2.5L V6 is still offered I would order in March for a summer delivery date. That is the time I will have the right amount of cash to put down to keep my payment where I want it.

Also great to hear on winter tires and wheels. AWD on a vehicle that rides so low to the ground doesn't make sense to me. If I can't get where I need to be in 2WD and snow tires, I really don't belong on the road or will snag the 4Runner.

Regarding my 4Runner paint after a long winter I got lots of small micro rust spots that I had to clay bar out... Some still didn't come out and I wax my cars at least 4-6 times a year. It is most likely the water based paints thanks to the EPA. That is my guess, I was wondering if I could expect the same in the IS.

gm4life

My 4Runner just turned a year old and has a few. Nothing that bad though and nothing a little touch up paint can't fix. Thanks for helping a newbie!

gm4life

Bump... Any other thoughts or opinions are greatly appreciated...

gm4life

So happy to find out my the 2.5L will be around in 2015. With that said can anyone please help answer the following questions... (I also added them in my first post)

Update: 6/29/2015

Looks like the 2015 model year will have the 2.5L V6 after-all...

Thanks to Club Lexus for posting the news on this...

http://pressroom.lexus.com/releases/...ws+release.htm


This is great news for me, as I didn't want to pull my purchase ahead THAT soon if the turbo 4 would replace the 2.5L V6 for 2015. I really liked the smooth response of the 2.5L and don't need 306hp. A zero to sixty time according to Motor Trend of 7.2 seconds is fine with me. (Keep in mind I consider my 4Runner - quick)

Regarding the car I want and the area I live in... I am feeling like a true special order, not picking from an allocation will be the route I need to go.

How does the special order process work?

Realistically how long does it take so I can time the purchase/delivery?

Any advice on how to get the car at invoice price on a special order? (If I really have too, I will drive six hours south to get the car I want at the price I want.)

After much thought I have decided on a 2015 Lexus IS250 F Sport RWD in Ultra White/Red Interior and three options - F Sport Package (duh), blind zone alert and rear view camera. I know I have seen many cars set-up this way for the 2014 model year... With a special order can you truly configure a car anyway? Or just the options you see on the Lexus site? I know for 2014 that combo could be found. Can anyone answer that question if you can truly have any option combo that I want and how the process works?

Thanks again for all the feedback... I am glad for all the help! I am really looking forward to an IS250.