Hey folks! I’m STILL trying to get into the right IS model—I sold my Caviar IS 350 expecting to buy a Molten Pearl but I had to back out, but everything has worked out so I’m car-less searching for the right thing.

All the Molten Pearls are taken and only used ones remain. I’ve seen two go as L/Certified for an avg. $70,700 and there’s one more for $72,000 (not L/Certified.)

I do like the IS 350 Sp. App. and I have the chance to buy a fully loaded one w/ a $2500 discount.

While I love the idea of the IS 500 in MP, I do realize it would cost more up front, in loan interest, gas, and winter tires.

What is your take? We’re talking a $16,000 difference just in out the door alone… I know what to expect out of the IS 350 AWD since I drove one for 7 months. It was great! I have tested a few IS 500’s and they seem awesome with the extra power and sound.

pics for reference:

 

I've owned an IS 350 RWD before my IS 500.

I think the IS 350 is going to handle just as well if not slightly better than the IS 500 due to its lighter weight. However, otherwise, the IS 500 is simply a more fun car in more situations thanks to the power and the sound. Whether it's worth the additional cost is totally up to you. Sometimes, I have a silly grin on my face when driving the IS 500, but is that alone really worth $15k more? For me... overall, I'd say it is. But, I also really loved my IS 350. It was a fun, satisfying car to drive, and I think I appreciated it more and more over time. It just... did everything I wanted it to, and it was a car that consistently got compliments at car meets and from random friends and family. The IS 500 is much the same, but just more of it. I think the value for money is better with the IS 350, because a lot of the things that make the IS 500 good are also present in the 350 - the ride, the seats, and the styling.

I don't love the Special Appearance Package because I think blacking-out the hood makes no sense... especially when it's gloss-black instead of matte-black. Making it matte-black makes sense for a track car, but gloss is just for looks and would honestly not make any difference in regards to reducing reflections on track. However, the Enkei wheels are nice and save a little weight compared to the standard PVD chrome wheels.

Sorry if that was a bit of a ramble, but it just depends on what you want. The Molten Pearl IS 500 is stunning and is a limited-edition model, but technically, so is the IS 350 Special Appearance Package... but personally if money was not an issue, I would go IS 500.

 

Does this mean that the IS500 is only appealing to you in Molten?

 

The IS 500 is appealing in a few different colors. Especially any MSRP under $65k, but above that I feel like it gets to be less for the money over an IS 350, especially if the IS 350 has all the options that come standard in an IS 500.

 

That is a good question. I've seen a couple of the Molten ones in person and think they're beautiful. But I think my Infrared one is equally pretty.

So, if finding MP is too difficult or expensive, just... I dunno, grab one of the other fun colors. USB 2.0. Infrared. Grecian Water, perhaps. They all look great.

But, I understand there is an appeal to having an "exclusive" or "limited-edition" model. Just keep in mind that the IS 500 is pretty rare anyway. Less than 3k have been produced for North America. That's a tiny number - BMW have already sold more of the latest M3, and the last-gen M3 had sold over 10 times as many.

 

I agree with all above posts, just wanted to add one more thing - since Molten Pearl is limited edition and only 150 were made for US, it will depreciate way slower during the time, and at some point in the future might be worth more/equal to MSRP because of it’s rarity… I would consider it as an ‚investment’ as well, also in case you will want to trade in for some other/more powerful car in the future, it might give you more trade in value as well!

 

You're asking a bunch of IS500 owners so the answers are obviously going to be slanted that way. That said, the price difference between an IS350 and an IS500 is a steal of a deal given how much more car you get. An IS500 has 50% more power. The AWD IS350 also has a weird bulge on its tunnel that affects the amount of space in the cab.

 

I owned a 2018 IS 350 F Sport. I loved it. It drove great, I have zero regrets owning it. Having said that the IS 500 is everything I loved about the old car but better. I will not get tired of the engine, exhaust or looks. It's worth every dollar for me. If the IS 500 didn't exist I'd likely have a 2022+ IS 350 F Sport. My wife owns a 2013 IS 350 and loves her car.

 

^ yeah I hear ya. In my case it’s 25% more $$$ (just upfront) and I don’t know if I would get enough enjoyment out of the V8 to offset the RWD anxiety and the MPG loss. You tell me—is the V8 enjoyment so great that you forget about any drawbacks compared to a smaller engine or more stable drivetrain?

I have my moments where I think about it emotionally but my rational side tends to take over lol!

 

Yes. I don't know what you mean by RWD anxiety, but a RWD car is just as stable as an AWD in terms of braking and handling (assuming you hold all other factors stable). They differ only in traction under throttle. I drive mine year round, including Canadian winter, and it's fine.

 

If you want to be hyper rational I'd say go buy a Prius as it gets better gas mileage, etc. If I wanted the fastest car for the money I would have bought a Tesla but where is the fun in that? I don't concern myself about fuel economy. Buying an IS 500 is an emotional thing. I wanted the V8 for it's sound and for it's power. As for RWD anxiety, what do you mean by that?

 

Oh, the anxiety is all mine. I’ve never had a RWD but it’s always seemed like a bad idea. We don’t drive well here on snow/ice but we get just enough, and certainly cold temps. All told the RWD is likely the least of my cons!

 

You're in Kentucky, right? No idea why you think RWD is a bad idea, guaranteed a lot of the cars around you are RWD and it's not like they're all crashing out just driving down the road.

 

I have owned only one front wheel drive vehicle, five all wheel drive cars and five RWD vehicles. The only one of these that gave me any anxiety was the RWD Chevy Tracker my wife brought into our family with crap-tastic Goodyear tires in the snow. We ditched it for a Subaru (which came with crappy Bridgestones I immediately sold) and never looked back. In any of these cars the tires not the drive train was the difference between crappy or good in the snow or wet.

 

There was a time when pro rally cars were RWD, and you still see it at the amateur level.