HartFB

Hey everyone, I've been doing my research and I've narrowed my next car purchase down to either an is250 or an is350. These will be in the 2006-2008 range and will have well over 100k miles, my question to you owners is: Are these Lexus' still reliable after the ~130k mile mark? I know the is250's have the carbon issue and the is350s don't. I like the extra power of the is350 as well but I am willing to sacrifice that if I can get an is250 of significantly less mileage. I'm also aware of the 9 year warranty that Lexus has provided regarding the carbon issue and since the models that are in my price range are out of that 9 year range, should I just avoid the is250 altogether? Also, I know this is the Lexus forum but what are the thoughts on similar year TL's?

I appreciate the time and advice, thank you very much.

JDR76

Personally I would not opt for a 250, especially of those years.

Aron9000

Personally I wouldn't buy an IS250, no matter how good of a deal you got on it. In addition to the carbon problem, its down 100hp vs the 3.5 V6 and gets the same gas mileage.

As for the Acuras of that time period, I think they were still having problems with the automatic transmission in the V6 TL(and V6 Accords). I'd rather have the TSX with a manual transmission anyways, 200hp 4 cylinder, 8000rpm redline, manual gearbox, that's a proper Honda.

JDR76

^^^ Indeed. I had a 2005 TSX. Great car.

EZZ

In that era, i thought the Infiniti G35/G37 were better cars than the Acura and Lexus of the same class with awesome reliability. Not to mention they had good power, handling, and looked good. Also, I bet you can find way more used ones on the market as they sold quite a bit in their heyday.

HartFB

Thanks for the post.. I actually had a 2004 G35 coupe, fun car, but I sold it because I needed something a little better on gas and I was averaging about 16-18mpg mixed.. I was putting over $100 in the gas tank a week which wasn't cuttin it. Now I have an accord however the 4 cylinder is no fun and it feels like more of a hassle. I like the is350 because it's a mix of the two including some good power and getting around 23ish mixed. My main question is basically how reliable are the is350 with high mileage?

Thanks for the post. Regarding the is250 I was thinking the same thing, even though there are some nice looking ones in my price range. Seems like the risk far outweighs the reward. How do you feel about the reliability of the is350's at high mileage ranges? Like I was telling EZZ, it has very high appeal to me as it fits about every niche I am looking for.

The TSX was another one I was looking at, but as a current accord owner its essentially the same car, minus all nice little gizmos and leather. I was looking for something with a little more pep in its step. I've done a fair amount of research but additional opinions are always welcoming, could you think of anything else that is comparable to the is350?

Thanks for the post, how do you feel about the 350?

JDR76

I would not hesitate to buy a high mileage 350. Fantastic engine.

EZZ

To be frank, I only get 1-2 mpg more from the 350 vs my G35. It's really not a noticeable upgrade in terms of gas mileage so I wanted to warn you. I had a G35 for 11 years.

Toys4RJill

My sister had a 2010 IS250. Only Toyota product to ever leave my family stranded which needed a three hour tow. Other significant issues needed repair as well. Otherwise, Lexus and Toyota are good brand for reliability.

Wandl

depending on the type of ride you want, you could find a good LS430 that I'm definitely not afraid of high mileage. But the IS350 is a solid car (I just don't like the size/lack of refinement but coming from a LS, hard to compare).

Aron9000

^ Yeah the back seat is stupid tight on the IS, even more so than a BMW 3 series or Infiniti G35 of that era. If the OP can find one in nice shape, I personally like the older IS300 better than the IS350 that replaced it. Its not as fast and kind of has a drinking problem(so does the IS350), but man style wise its a modern classic and handles IMO a bit better than the IS350, feels smaller, lighter, quicker turn in IMO.

EZZ

Yeah...the 2IS wasn't so great on handling. Too soft. I hear the later F-sports fixed that. The 3IS comes with much better handling...kinda in the spirit of the 1IS.