Just completed the car shopping experience
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I just completed the car shopping experience. I test drove all the major Japanese and German cars in the 25-35k range.
The short list included the IS and BMW 3 series.
I absolutely love the IS 350 but I didn't want to spend 40k on it so I set my sights lower and checked out both versions of the IS 250 as well as the 06 BMW 325i. The 325i was a lot more fun then the IS250 but BMW really uglified it both in and out. The IS 250 is a beautiful car but the performance and handling is severly lacking for a 30-35k car. Neither would do.
As my user ID indicates I ended up finding a demo '05 330i at an unbelievable price. They also gave me more for my Saab 92x then I paid for it almost a year ago and I put on over 15k miles. So I met all of my criteria: a good looking(OK the design is a little long in the tooth, but it has the classic good looks and great interior thats worthy of the BMW logo, unlike the e90) and good reliability (OK stop laughing, Consumer Reports rated the 05s much better then previous years) and best in class handling. It's accelerates decently and in a satsfying manner. Lots of low end torque. The driving experience thus far has beem extremely satisfying,
So even though the IS 250 is easily forgetable, the IS 350 has been haunting me since I've driven it. I can't seem to stop looking at the brochure.
The short list included the IS and BMW 3 series.
I absolutely love the IS 350 but I didn't want to spend 40k on it so I set my sights lower and checked out both versions of the IS 250 as well as the 06 BMW 325i. The 325i was a lot more fun then the IS250 but BMW really uglified it both in and out. The IS 250 is a beautiful car but the performance and handling is severly lacking for a 30-35k car. Neither would do.
As my user ID indicates I ended up finding a demo '05 330i at an unbelievable price. They also gave me more for my Saab 92x then I paid for it almost a year ago and I put on over 15k miles. So I met all of my criteria: a good looking(OK the design is a little long in the tooth, but it has the classic good looks and great interior thats worthy of the BMW logo, unlike the e90) and good reliability (OK stop laughing, Consumer Reports rated the 05s much better then previous years) and best in class handling. It's accelerates decently and in a satsfying manner. Lots of low end torque. The driving experience thus far has beem extremely satisfying,
So even though the IS 250 is easily forgetable, the IS 350 has been haunting me since I've driven it. I can't seem to stop looking at the brochure.
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I think you should have waited till these cars cooled off. Im sure maybe the end of fall or winter you could have gotten a good deal on a IS350. If you keep looking at the brochure, you may have bought the wrong car.
Anyways, hope the 330 works out for you and congrats on a new car
Anyways, hope the 330 works out for you and congrats on a new car
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Originally Posted by Redpaste
I think you should have waited till these cars cooled off. Im sure maybe the end of fall or winter you could have gotten a good deal on a IS350. If you keep looking at the brochure, you may have bought the wrong car.
Anyways, hope the 330 works out for you and congrats on a new car
Anyways, hope the 330 works out for you and congrats on a new car
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I just purchased the '06 Lexus IS350, with the Sport Package. I'm very happy with it as I am with my '04 BMW M3.
The Bimmer is a raw, well-balanced, driver's car. The IS is a polite road burner with 4-doors and all the techno-gizmos.
One thing I find odd is that the IS has LED tail-lights, but bulb-driven rear turn signals. My Bimmer has amazing LED tail-lights and very cool LED turn signals, which came stock. But that's my only complaint.
The Bimmer is a raw, well-balanced, driver's car. The IS is a polite road burner with 4-doors and all the techno-gizmos.
One thing I find odd is that the IS has LED tail-lights, but bulb-driven rear turn signals. My Bimmer has amazing LED tail-lights and very cool LED turn signals, which came stock. But that's my only complaint.
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Throw the IS brochure away. You've made your decision. Enjoy the bimmer, it's a great car. And when you see an IS350 on the road, don't worry, you'll probably be in the market for a new car in just a few years anyway. By then, maybe you'll be able to buy a 6 speed IS500!
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Originally Posted by ptmIS350
You're credibility is shot due to the saab 92x.....just kidding congrats on the 330, it's a great car. No regrets!
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Originally Posted by 05BMW330i
good reliability (OK stop laughing, Consumer Reports rated the 05s much better then previous years) a
Good luck! Sounds like you got a great deal.
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Originally Posted by Lem144
In CR, the newer a car is the better its reliability rating is simply because not enough time has lapsed for things to start happening. Most cars have red circles when they are just a year old.
05BMW330i, Trash the brochure and enjoy the BMW... it's a great car that you can't go wrong with... can't say the same for the IS, but I do still like it as well.
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Originally Posted by pwndzzled
I don't believe this is how they do it.
05BMW330i, Trash the brochure and enjoy the BMW... it's a great car that you can't go wrong with... can't say the same for the IS, but I do still like it as well.
05BMW330i, Trash the brochure and enjoy the BMW... it's a great car that you can't go wrong with... can't say the same for the IS, but I do still like it as well.
The 05 330i seems to be the ultimate compromise for everything that I was looking for, performance(not the fastest car I've owned, but it's very satisfying), handling(best in class) and looks(it's the silver gray color with gray leather interior and is so much nicer then the e90 both in an out) and with most of the right options. Also the 330i comes with the sport tuned suspension. Considering I paid $28,500 for a practically brand new e46 that was CPO'ed as well (warranty until 04/2011 with free maintainence until 04/09) and got over $21k for the 92x I can't complain. Plus my insurance dropped over $400 per year. I still can't undstand why that 92x was so expensive to insure.
OK so I'm trashing the IS brochure and not looking back. BTW I'm really loving the 330i. It truly is the Ultimate Driving Machine. Lets just hope it proves to be reliable.
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Originally Posted by 05BMW330i
Lets just hope it proves to be reliable.
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