Well.. My love for Lexus started back in 97 with my first ever Lexus.. And the first ever Lexus.. ES250 and I went on to own three LS' after that.. But my last experience with the LS430 ended my love of Lexus and didn't want to get back in one... Let's fast forward 5 years. Wifey needs a new daily and figured I get her a car with all the latest safety gear and gizmos in the compact sports sedan class.

So I test drove the one I liked the most aesthetically .. The Q50S.. Nice car, liked it a lot but had a major downfall (at least for me)... No way to get cooled seats even if I went to a 55k car. Provided that I live in Houston and wifey loving the cooled seats in my truck, this almost became a deal breaker but not ruled out yet. Next drove the TLX... Fwd aspect of it kept me not wanting it but I still have it a shot. Tech was awesome but the interior left me thinking am in a upscale accord?

Next to the all important bimmer.. Trying to get a dealer to work with you in Houston was a major pain. Plus I wasn't that keen on the interior and so was my wife. Don't get me wrong I'll be all over a M3 if I could've found one here in a week or so but didn't make sense buying an M3 for daily activities and I could see my wife tearing up that front bumper rather quickly.

Didn't consider the benz as its a new car and there weren't much in the way of deals etc. didn't even bother looking at the Lexus as I hate the way the front end looks on the 3IS.. Against me wanting to go to Lexus I drove there just to give it a fair chance.

Minute I got in an Fsport 350 (Nebula gray with red)... My wife loved how the interior felt and looked. She looked at me with like.. Even if we don't get this car, I think I like this interior the most and it's something that different enough to stay in your memory as opposed to the mainstream Q50 interior.
Now I ask the sales person to take it out for a drive and that is where it all happened... This car drives soooooo much better than the other cars I drove that I totally forgot about the insect headlights.. And was pleasantly surprised to see cooled seats (lol.. Silly but it was a must have for this purchase).

Dealer also had a white with red and atomic silver with red in stock.. So took a look at the car and ended up opting for the white.. As it matches my Supra perfectly both in interior and outside. Combining all of this with the new employee program of 6% behind invoice deal.. It was a no brainer to get it...

 

Hey glad you are back to the Lexus scene, great summary of the compared cars as well.
I'm in Houston too!

 

The drive really sealed the deal for me too. Such a great balance of sport and comfort.

 

Congrats on the car! My wife drives the BMW 335 and it feels like a boat compared to the 3IS
I never regretted the 3IS, even with the lack of options on the 2014 model.

 

Thanks for the kind words gents.. I've driven 250 miles in one day.. Can't get over the sport plus mode. This 8spd trans is a ton of fun. Hey lexsense.. Any 3IS meet ups etc around here? Which dealer do you guys prefer in the Houston area? I bought mine from westside Lexus.

 

Nice comeback and nice color choice. I'm also from Houston.
Let me know if there's any local meet-up. ....

 

may I ask what exactly turned you away from lexus?

 

Welcome back and congrats - sounds like you got exactly what you wanted and a great deal!

 

Welcome back!! Hope to see you create a build thread soon!


-Josh (jlee@modinjapan.com)

 

What happened to the LS430? It should be top of the sedan line.

 

Issues that I had with the car.. Dealer couldn't fix. Looking at the LS460 and the poor fit and finish (07-09 models). I still feel the 90s Lexus had the best interior quality, however the new interiors seem to be nicely done.

 

Hey Josh... Probably not unless I decide to buy this thing at the end of the lease. Who knows Lexus by then might have the proper powertrain in these cars (forced induction) and I would be temped to buy that..

 

Def. is the top of the line.. Lexus kinda lost its way in competing against its core rivals and the 13 makeover is such a sad attempt at trying to keep up with the market. Having a 9 yr old flagship sedan is very sad given what you can get out there at similar price points from the rivals.

 

Houston here too, my last Lexus was IS300 traded in for STi then sold it for M3 now I am back to IS350 F. very happy with it, but still havent driven on sports + mode thou.

 

Lots of peeps on here from H-town, might as well do a meet up