sk72

Hi all,

I currently own a 06 ES330 and planning to get another for my fiancee by the end of this year. She loves the IS but also thinking about Audi A4 2.0 and Acura TSX simply because of the better price range for 05 used. I am very skeptical about Audi because I have no clue of what kind of maintainence $$ costs will I have to bear plus how reliable is the car as compared to IS.

I am pretty sure I am going to get more answers leaning towards IS but I would really appreciate if someone could give me some real facts btw Audi and IS in all aspects..

Thank you guys!!

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

I personally would prefer a TSX over a IS250, depends how much luxury you want, TSX has a nice interior, IS is better, the manual in the TSX is definately better than the IS. TSX is also significantly cheaper

Bro has a 04 TSX that used to be a dealer loaner car @ 12k miles, got a 7 year 100k mile warranty on it, we're at 24k miles now and only thing weve put in it is gas and some oil changes, hasnt been back to the dealer

sk72

Thanks for the input 4TehNguyen,

I really appreciate it... I myself like the TSX in terms of the overall look but for some reason the IS seems to have a more superior look and it that comes with a heavy $$$ tag as well haha!!.. this is a good start. once again thanks...

b3dlam

i think most ppl here went thru similar choices...and weighed up the pro's and con's of various cars. Personally, i like the honda, it has good value for money, and if you want the most gizmos for ur buck, look no further. However, the intrinsic quality of the lexus brand and the balance of new technology and driveability of the new IS won it for me. Its a great car to live with, and its a car I look forward to clean and be proud of. Its not to say that you cant get that with the audi, but all things considered, imho, Lexus has that something special.

hth

gsrthomas

iTrader: (1)

Its really hard not to buy the TSX because nothing beats it in price and for what you get. Its simply the best bang for your buck. Where else does a car have HID headlights, bluetooth, memory seats, sunroof, onboard comp, Navi, heated seats, etc for $28k?? They only come fullyloaded. Only option is a Navi.

The TSX also gets phenomenal gas mileage. High 30's on the highway.

I guess it all comes down to how much you want to pay. Of course the IS is a nicer car. But the TSX can do everything if not more then the IS.

Let us know on what you decide on!

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

have you test driven any of these. The 06 TSX had a mid life refresh and an increase in power (before was 200 hp non SAE, for 06+ Its 205 SAE rated or so), some minor body changes, new wheel design, not sure how many used 06 you can find

ff_

The IS isn't automatically going to be more reliable than the Audi. Possible, maybe even probable, but not guranteed. I've had my IS back to the dealer twice in the 5000 miles that I've owned it, and 2 items still haven't been properly addressed.

I test drove the TS-X, A4, and IS before deciding on the IS. Both the TSX and A4 have more "feel", and also feel quicker. They also handle better, and without all the little IS quirks. And, can cost less to buy. When I was looking last spring, the A4 lease rates were incredible (they might still be), but I simply could not find the right setup. I wanted a quattro with manual transmission and sport package. The closest any dealer could find were a few models with the S-Line package, which pushed the price up over $37K. For that money, I'm just going to buy a 3 Series.

Anyhow, knowing what I know now, if I found myself back in time to March, I'd probably buy the TS-X over the IS, even though I despise front wheel drive cars.

MrMark

iTrader: (3)

I would never buy and Audi or VW product....

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

being that its for his fiancee who most likely wouldnt care if its FWD/RWD. I really doubt anyone would notice the difference on a 204 hp FWD vs 204 hp RWD, theres just not enough power to exploit the two different drivetrains configs The TSX has more backseat room than the IS also

Threxx

I own an 06 Audi 2.0T, 6-speed manual. The 2.0T (B7) refresh came midway through the 05 model year so keep that in mind. The B7s are a big improvement in overall responsiveness of the handling and acceleration and so on.

I wrote a full review on the car here that you should probably read if you want to know my full opinion of it.
http://www.epinions.com/content_259580726916

Anyhow... in summary it's a much more fun car to drive than the IS250 or TSX (or TL) in my experience... and I mean MUCH more fun... but it's also destined to be a steaming pile of crap. Already has plenty of rattles - makes funny noises... seems to be hesitant ot startup in colder weather.

So my recommendation is take advantage of some of the killer lease deals they have going on where you can get one for under $400/month with zero down with proper negotiations.

Mine is $389/month for 15k miles a year, 24 months, zero down, all maintenance included. Only options are metallic paint, headlight washers (lol), and 'premium package' which adds sunroof and 'leatherette' interior... maybe one other thing, 17" wheels... ???

ff_

If the cars had the same curb weight, torque, and gearing, you're right.

SLEXC400

SK72, if you’re going for reliability, you can’t beat the Japanese. If you’re going for road feel, fun to drive factor, etc., go for a European car (not sure how into cars your fiancé is). But beware of reliability problems with the European cars! My brother had a ‘98 A4 2.8L and loved the way the car was built and the way it drove, but it was a nightmare when it went out of warranty and needed service. He brought it back for a recall and ended up spending over $1200.00 because the dealer found a bad CV joint boot and a couple of other insignificant problems. Ridiculous. And this happened a couple of times. Plus, he was basically locked into using the dealer because no one else could work on it. I helped him change a small bypass hose that developed a leak and the procedure was to basically remove the front of the car to get to the hose. It was clever how the nose swung out of the way, but it took a good bit of the weekend just to change a hose --- again ridiculous. Changing the oil, which he did himself as I always do required driving the car up on ramps every time. He ended up trading it in on a ’06 Civic coupe. He was looking for a good, reliable car with good gas mileage (he is getting right at the EPA rating --- 30 city and 40 highway). He loves the car but said it has way more road noise and rattles than the A4 ever had. Plus, he preferred the way the Audi drove. But the bang for the buck simply couldn’t be beat on the Honda. I, too, am trying to decide on a new car. I’m approaching 200k miles on my ’94 SC400 and it’s starting to show its age and mileage (flickering needles, ECM flaking out, etc). But I still love it and I am leaning towards another Lexus. But I sure loved that beautiful Caspian blue little Mercedes SLK280 hardtop convertible I saw this weekend at the Miami Auto Show! Decisions, decisions! Ahhh, but there again, there are those reliability and service issues with a European car. HMMM. Good luck …

gsrthomas

iTrader: (1)

What were those two items that the dealer hasnt properly fixed yet?

Threxx

Heh... speaking of reliability, the GS400 that I sold to my best friend has ~85k miles on it and just today he called me describing the classic symptonm of the starter going out. Ridiculous design that you have to remove the upper and lower manifold, replace the gaskets, spend 8+ hours to get to it. Lexus will charge him 1 grand, minimum, to replace it.

Many other vehicles it could be done in an hour by a shade tree mechanic and 100 bucks in parts.

Now that's not to say the car is unreliable - it has been very trouble-free for the most part, and a very well put together car. But it just goes to say that not everything on Lexus vehicles is designed with the utmost ease of repair or reliability in mind, Most V8 Lexus models experience this problem around the 100k mile mark and have to spend between 600 and 1200 bucks to get it fixed.

sk72

Thank you all for all your comments which I really appreciate.. I have pasted the hole thread to my email and have sent it to my fiancee and she is suprised to the fact that Audi has so many problems and it's never a good idea to keep the car after warranty.

She has decided to test drive a TSX this weekend and since I have driven a IS250 (loaner) before I can compare the drive comfort and feel. I myself am leaning more towards the TSX jsut for one reason the $$$ as compared to IS which is great car no doubt!!..

This has concluded that we are never going to have an conversation about Audi so it's now an IS or TSX.. will keep you guys posted.

Thank you very much..