IS_Mine

After driving an S2000 and getting into my Lexus I will say a few things.

A. The S2000 handles like a dream! But all the engine noise, and road noise outweighs the silence (or near silence) of the Lexus Cabin.
B. You'll forget about all that sportiness as soon as you put your foot into the gas. That is for sure. I was certain after I drove an S2000 I'd want to trade the Lexus in (did so this weekend). After taking the car upwards of 8000 RPM I wasn't that impressed. However, the turn radius, and ability to throw the car into turns was amazing. BTW My car sales men told me to push the car!

Now the car salesmen wants to run me in his stock S2000. I told him not to waste his gas.

Lets us know which direction you decide to take. I certainly hope they have the engine cranking noise worked out in the 08s. It is such a hassle.

Koofteh

You traded in your 350 for an S2000?!?!

OC 335d

Coming from a S2000 I would think a G37/BMW would be a more logical choice. But you said you wouldn't touch a BMW again, so I'd go for a G37. While the ISx50 is a very nice car, however it is too tame for my tastes. The lack of steering feel and the brake feel are my main problems with the IS. As Phillip has said, the luxury and quality are top notch.

FWIW, my last car was a S2000.

sirkfc

Oddly enough, for most of the droptopgals I've hung around, I have needed a stack of dollar bills. And only some of them drive convertibles.

passnu2

iTrader: (33)

again like everyone is saying it boils down to what you really want and how you will be able to drive the car everyday. they are all great cars!

Good Luck and welcome to CL!

SpookJr

I live in S.FL as well, you definetly don't need LSD just because of the rain. would it help? maybe but its should not be that big of a deal in considering which car to buy. Hard decision between the choices u made, they are all decent respectable cars.

MoLexus

[QUOTE
Although I'd disagree the new M3 isn't worth upwards of $70g... that's gonna be a V8 monster. [/QUOTE]

WERD! M3s are just flawless machines. With 400+hp and a handling that can intimidate Porsche's Carrera I wouldn't think twice dishing out that kind of money for that car.

cspec

Woohooo go S2000

y2ks2k

Im thinking about picking up a 3rd S2000 myslef.

Evitzee

If reliability is paramount you do NOT want a BMW. If you hang out on the BMW forums you'll find fanboys (and fangirls) discussing a long list of reliability issues with the new 335i; everything from oil cooling problems, a severe fuel pump fiasco that has sidelined many cars for weeks at a time, and other questionable design. Even if it is under warranty you'll be without your ride while they sort things out.

BMW may be on the edge in many ways in design and engineering, but you'll pay for it with reliability issues. And there are quirky things on the car, like no dipstick to check the oil. So how do you check your oil level between the 15,000 mi oil changes? You have to bring it to BMW and they'll drain the oil out, measure it, and put it back in. What's the sense of that?

And the options are pricey. No $45k car should be coming with vinyl seats. And you have to pay extra for metallic paint.

BMW is a great drivers car, but I couldn't live with the reliability issues.

As far as the Infiniti goes, well, an Infiniti is no Lexus, no matter how you cut it.

Koofteh

Blech. I hate Infiniti, they all look so vulgar with the huge chrome grilles and the big INFINITi stitching on all the seats... eww. And what's with the navigation screen controls? Instead of facing you they face the sky...

omgitsroy

iTrader: (1)

from what you posted.. is350 would be your best choice...

you talked bout car equippted with traction control isn't enough for slippery roads... with the is350 you get VDIM which will cover your situation.. its' suppose to be pretty advance.. i tried spinning my car out with the VDIM on... it wouldn't let me... i was pretty close... i feel that it's a pretty good system...

you can't compare traction control from one car manufacturer to another... it's a bunch of programming... it's like comparing cell phones from the 90z and comparing to your currently camera phone with all the cool things... the software is different... you'll like the 350... also vdim doesn't come in 250...

correct me if i'm wrong... (everyone)

DropTopGal

Why? Why is an Infiniti "no Lexus"? What are the short-comings of an Infiniti that you guys feel Lexus out-shines?

Again, I really appreciate your feedback. Aside from personal taste and filtering out bias, all of your objective statements are most helpful.

DropTopGal

I realize that the S2000 handling features are that of a 2 seater roadster / sports car and the IS350 / G37 / 335i will have a different "feel". That is what I am looking forward to. For the next few years, more refined but still having some sporty feel is what I am looking to get into. I'm simply tired of the 2 seater roadster set up. I have considered a Cayman / Boxter, C6, and even a 911, but for various reasons, I prefer Japanese makes.

When I drove a 335i last week and an IS350 non sport package today, frankly, the IS felt more comfortable to sit in, nicer instrument layout, and the steering & brake feel was very comparable between the two. Granted, I kept the speed below 70 but took turns assertively and both the 335i and the IS350 faired pretty good.

OC 335d

Wow. My fiance has an IS250 and there's no way I feel the steering and brake feel are comparable.

I appreciate the refinement and was looking forward to different types of cars as well. However the IS wasn't sporty enough to suit my needs.