smitty1515

Hi, I just found this forum today and I must say I am impressed. I am about to finish my last year of graduate school and I am considering purchasing an IS after I get my first job. I have been looking at all the after market products and prices you all have been paying for your IS models and it has been a great read. My question is this: how many posters on this board live in a northern environment? I live in MN and have thought that I would need to have the AWD IS but I have seen so many posters with RWD that it made me question this philosophy.

In addition, how many of you have driven the ES350, Cadillac CTS, or Infiniti G35? I love all of these vehicles but right now the IS is in first place. I have read all of the consumer reports on the vehicles and it appears that the ES350 got the best review but from what I've gleaned on the ES350 message board is that folks are having trouble with that model.

Thanks for the input,

smitty1515

BottomsUp

Welcome, I've driven the ES and G35. The ES is a completly different type of car. Not sporty at all IMO. The G was nice, but came second to the IS in fit/finish which was high on my list. This was last years G35 though and the new one is much nicer. I'd have a harder time choosing now.

SoddingGit

I hate to be the voice of reason, but you might want to build up a bit of savings/credit before you splurge on a 40k+ car. I know the temptation is large coming from next to nothing to what seems like a ton of money with your first job, but don't forget that every 1k you save now is the equivalent of 10-20k when you are 50, depending on how successful your investments are.

Best advice I can offer is to decide now what your goals for savings are and work out 'fun money' with what is left. If an IS or like car isn't in the budget, then buy a junker and pay two monthly payments: One (small) for the junker, and another (larger) to yourself to use as a downpayment on the 2012 IS which will be WAY better than the current IS.

Only one that you mentioned that I have driven besides the IS is the G (2007 sedan), and I wasn't impressed. For the money, the G packs a lot on paper, it just didn't do it for me on pavement. I own a BMW 330 right now, and have been unimpressed with the reliability, so I would definitely stay away from those.

P.S. Just so you don't think I'm a fuddy-duddy, I am 26....and you don't always have to wait a long time to splurge, just long enough to make sure that you can afford it and still have enough to cover the future.

smitty1515

Thanks for the replies. My wife and I's credit right now is in the high 700's. I know what your saying about saving money but after 7 years of school, I need something to reward myself. Many jobs that are offered right now for the field I will be going into are offering 4-10k sign on bonuses which I thought would be an excellent down payment. Basically it is like this for me. I am only going to be young once and before I have kids (which I know require alot of money) I want to get a nice ride. Maybe I am rushing and need to relax and just wait 3-5 years but it's hard when you want to drive a beautiful car.

Thanks for the responses,

smitty1515

fantom

[quote=smitty1515;2698712]I want to get a nice ride. Maybe I am rushing and need to relax and just wait 3-5 years but it's hard when you want to drive a beautiful car.

My advise is if you can swing it....do it now! Enjoyment postponed is happiness lost. 5 years is a long time, and with a new job, you'll need a good reliable car, so reward yourself.

After the kids start coming, the wife will probably have you in an SUV.

Enjoy

jdanon

Yeah I second that...do it if you can! You only live once.

kilo6_one

iTrader: (2)

Do it, you busted your *** in school now its time for it to pay off.........

Yang1815

iTrader: (1)

Since you've been in MN for the last 6 years I assume, do you know many people driving RWDs in the winter? There's always a debate of which one performs better, RWD + winter tires vs. AWD. My personal take is get the AWD. I never dared driving a RWD in winter and I'm in NE. Some people I know put on winter tires and they do fine but never hurts to make sure.

As far as the cars go, I've driven the ES and 07 G35x. Impression on the ES, not impressed by the power. Fit and finish is not as well as last generation although the car is very quite and comfortable. As for the G, it is very powerful, almost too wild, raw, and animal-ish for me. The ride is rougher and harsher. The interior and cargo space is small compared to the ES. But I think about the same as the IS. If it's between G35x and IS250AWD, it all comes down to what you're looking for in car then. The G35x, like I said, is fast and powerful with many features. The IS250AWD will be a milder ride, but the quality of material will be superior compared to those found on the Infiniti.

Can't comment on the CTS, but bottom line is, take a test drive of all the cars you're considering over one weekend, take your wife with you and see which one both of you like. Good luck and have fun.

O/T: 7 years of grad school?! Do you receive an MS and PhD as well?

IS250 4 Me

4 years of undergraduate school + 4 years of graduate school (part-time while working 40+ hours per week to earn a living) + 4 years of paying for my wife's medical school + wife giving birth to twins =



Yes, the $40K+ minivan was bought when the kids were born in September 2004. The 2007 IS250 is brand new.

llamaboiz

Wait... whaa??? 40k for a minivan??? your kidding me right?

IS250 4 Me

Nope, dead serious. With twins, we needed the power liftgate, and power dual sliding doors, and the DVD player. Power sliding doors can't be found on an SUV.

My wife also wanted the navigation, and the radar cruise control (the same one that is in the Lexus that slows the vehicle down for you if traffic in front of you is slow).

The van is completely loaded, and they usually don't negotiate much on them, as they keep fewer on the lots. I was able to get ours for $1K over invoice.

sirkfc

A thought if you are concerned with traction in Minnesota. ES350 is FWD, which with proper tires is also more secure than RWD. It's also a bigger car than the IS, which means it's still pretty useful when your first child is still very small. Something to consider.

BucBaby

I'm really dishing out the advice today.

I always worked hard in school and did everything everyone told me. My dream when I got my first job was to buy a Mazda RX7. I loved the look and the pop up lights. LOL I met my husband instead (truly a better deal and his light still pop up), and we bought decent cars and saved for a nice house. We didn't have kids for 9 years, yet we did the safe thing like our depression error grandparents taught us to.

It has been a good life, but if I could change something, I would have traveled more as a young couple. We have friends that don't have kids, and they live a good life. They maintain a modest home and vehicles. They spend all their dough on seeing the world. My advice is to get just a decent ride right now and travel! One day when you settle down, you can make those payments on that special ride.

Now, if you think that you can manage both, go for it!

PS-My parents just bought the ES. They are 75 year old. It's a nice car, but it just seems like a car for an older person to me. My husband said that when he drove it, it seemed like the front end rose up because of the power. He loved driving the IS250 so much better.

llamaboiz

If Lexus badged a minivan i guess that would be it and i bet they wouldnt be able too keep them on the lot...

OK, sorry for that OT, your finishing skool and about to start working, ppl will tell you to save and bide your time which is the SAFE thing to do. They are not wrong. Thing is... my father is like that, he's 77 and he is one of those safe ppl, never spend foolishly or at all (no were not jewish but we ARE asian so no diff). He keeps asking me why a IS is better a camry (a CE not a XLE) 'what kind of return are you gonna get from it?'... neway, i asked him 'dad, when are you gonna start living life instead of 'saving for the future', he laughed and walked away...

Life is too short to live with regrets, yea it might be hard at first and your future is still not set yet but hey go for it you've got nothing to lose, alittle risk makes life worth living for better or worse. If it dosent work out at the very least you can sell the Lexus and still get alot of money back. Resale of a Lexus is waaayyyy better than say... umm... just about everything. Just look a the ppl in this forum scrambling to get their hands on a 2nd hand 2IS even if it costs 35k... like the commercial says, just do it!

smitty1515

Wow, thanks for the replies. Just to clear things up 4 years of undergraduate (Bach of Science) + 3 years of Physical Therapy School (Doctorate of Physical Therapy-DPT). I really appreciate the replies. I don't know what to expect when I start looking at cars but my dad told me to make a list of cars that go good, better, and best and go test drive them in one weekend with my wife like another poster said. From what I have read and seen, my list looks like this.

Good: Nissan Altima
Better: Infiniti G35x, Cadillac CTS, Lexus ES 350
Best: Lexus IS 250 awd

Another poster asked me if I have friends driving RWD vehicles in the MN winter, and I do. One friend in particular is a CTS junkie and he only had trouble once last winter when we got absolutely dumped on with snow. I have another friend who just got an 07 IS 250 AWD and he hasn't driven it in the winter so I will get a better idea come next winter.

Thanks again,

smitty1515