iiandyiiii

Hello, I'm new to this forum. Hopefully I'm not making any faux pas with this post!

My wife and I just bought our first Lexus -- a 2006 IS 250 with 85K miles. Traded in our 04 Audi because of the great expense in parts and repairs every time something broke, which was becoming more and more frequent. We chose the Lexus because of everything I'd heard about both reliability and low expense in repairs; this one was within our budget. We did take it to a shop to get their opinion before we purchased, and they only found a few very minor problems, reporting that the car was overall in very good shape for its age, so we went ahead and got it after the test drive. The dealer gave us a 3 month/5000 mile powertrain warranty.

So next I want to take it to a shop or dealer for an in-depth look, just to make sure that if there's anything big wrong, the short term warranty will cover it. Where should I take it? There's an independent shop nearby specializing in Japanese cars that gets very good online reviews, and there are a few dealerships nearby as well (we live in northern Virginia). We want to minimize expenses, but want good service, of course. I'd take a brand new one to the dealer, but would I lose anything for one that's this old by taking it to an independent shop? Thanks.