I've decided to leave the IS350. Sigh... Why? Well, it has a lot of power and drives well. Actually, drives too well and so I find myself flooring it everyday and taking turns too fast. No tickets or accidents, but I believe it is only a matter of time.

In any case, I'm 34 - not getting any younger and my wife and my parents are concerned for my safety and they think I need to get a bigger, safer, slower car.

Carmax quoted me 29,000 which I think is pretty good considering I have 23K miles, only the premium level trim and 18" rims as the only options.

Any takers on a spare set of 18" rims WITH TPMS and Dunlop Sportmaxx tires? The front are show less than 1/2 wear but the rear are pretty worn - about 5/32" tread. NO curb rash. PM me if interested.

Back to the topic. What am I going to get? Well, I got a pretty good deal on a used S500. It is a 2000 model but only 51000 miles and in excellent condition with nothing wrong. Mostly cruising miles so the engine has probably seen less revolutions than my IS350's engine (lol). The best part is that is is only 19K so I'm actually gonna pocket 10K!!!! Now, it is in excellent condition and when the two cars are side by side, the S500 really seems to be the superior vehicle.

I'm gonna do it next Friday... So, I just wanna say to you guys so long, farewell etc. I'll continue to lurk to see if Caymandiver gets down to 11 seconds and see how the IS-F will actually do too.

 

Geeze man, what a shocking post. I really never saw it coming seeing how much fun you were having in the IS350 as of late. Best of luck with the S500 and the extra cash.

 

Goodluck with the S500, but dont stray away cause this is a "Lexus" forum. Let us know how it goes! Good luck again!

 

Too bad you're gonna lose your IS, but for the S500. Make sure you do your research on that car with regards to maintenance and upkeep...

 

Ohh... S500... well then guess you can go the VIP route

 

Well good luck.....about the S500 look for a 01 and up because the 2000 was the first model year and from personal experince not the best to deal with on first model year.

 

How about just promising your wife and parents that you will tone down the aggressive driving, not to worry, and keep the 350??

 

Is it April Fools" today??????

 

Out of curiosity, do you guys ever notice that you tend to drive the IS350 a little bit faster and turn a little bit faster than your other cars? When I take my wife's RX sometimes, I really drive slower. Instead of being a road warrior, I suddenly transform into a girlyman. I also noticed when driving the S500, instead of racing around, I end up cruising around - it's really a cruiser. BTW, this car is my parents' car. The repair history is pretty short even though it is a 2000. The driver and passenger power window motors have both burnt out last year. The speedometer display/light had gone out this year also - but MB replaced it and they put a lifetime warrantee on it now. Apparently, it was a common problem. The first year, they replaced the cooling fan motor through a recall. Other than that, the brakes haven't even been changed and there is a lot of pad left (a result of my father driving mostly highway and slow old geezer driving style). Only oil, oil filters, air filters, gas, and 1 set of tires. I noticed when I did some research, many people are very happy and some are VERY unhappy. The VERY unhappy ones seem to go to the dealership about 10x/year. It's a reliability risk, however, driving fast and turning fast is a more dangerous risk no? BTW, no matter how hard I try to cruise in my IS350, I always end up sooner or later speeding around the country curvy roads on my way home from work (stress relief). There is this 3 mile stretch - left, right, up down, left, right, off camber, banked turns. Speed limit is 20-45 mph but somehow, I'm usually over 2x the limit. My G forces are often over .8 Gs turning (I did have a GT2 timer/meter - but got rid of it cuz it made me drive like an idiot). I don't drift - too dangerous - too many trees and boulders lining the road and blind turns.

Also, his car is black and very dark tint because he lived in Atlanta for a couple of years... I'm thinking 20" slammed... looks more gangsta than my tungsten pearl. LOL

Sigh... on the flipside... I really was hoping to keep my IS350 for a few more years until it was so low in value, I could join the Autobahn country club and it could be my weekend race car. (Autobahn is not a golfing country club - it is a car racing country club) Plus I was hoping to break into the 12's next year with 17 pound rims. Now I'm confused and on the fence again.

 

I know what you're saying about wanting to drive fast but you're the one that controls that... not the car. The IS is a great car for cruising, you don't have to be racing it everyday.

As for myself, this car has just the opposite affect on me than it has on you. For me knowing that I have one of the fastest V6 4-door sedans out there means that I don't have to be out there proving it every day. Besides, that trip to Union Grove Dragaway couple of weeks ago took all the aggression out of me.

 

For me, because of the forgiving suspension, quiet interior and myriad of luxury features and gadgets, this car induces calm. It begs me to take it easy, and I comply....most of the time. However, a flip of the ECT and/or a stomp of the foot reminds me that, while it isn't the best handling, fastest or most reliable car ever built.......it is damn close to a perfect combination of all three.

An S500 will turn more heads, seat more comfortably, and burn the 'bahn with the best of them.......but the question you need to ask is; will it make you happy?

For me, forgetting the girth of the S500 for a second, even though there is the occasional bulletproof Mercedes, I don't think I could I own a 5+ year old German car (short of a 911) and not lose sleep. And even if its not about money.....is it worth the (potential) inconvenience?

 

S class may turn heads in your state but in major areas in california everyones got one in their household haha... or seems that way and my household is no different.

 

My dad has an S430 and it has been nothing but problems since day 1. I love Mercedes but one of the reasons for my purchase of an IS350 is to get away from visiting the dealer 10x in one year. They just laugh in your face at Mercedes, deny the quality issues and don't fix anything.

Huge electronic issues with the vehicle. New dashes sent in from Germany that only compound and make the problem worse with ignition starts, cutting out while driving!! many UNSAFE things.

The best is when they towed the car and wrapped rags around the braking system. Then they tried to charge my father when _they_ drove the car at the dealership and wracked the system.

When the car is not at the dealership, being repaired, and your not wrangling with mercedes it is a most beautiful car. Quality is first and reliability is a major indicator of quality. Reports indicate 2001-2004 are the absolute worst and 2006 they were number 26 on the JD powers report... Granted they jumped to five for 2007. Be careful...

 

Don't get rid of your IS350. Just tone down the driving.

 

It is a sad day when the fastest 1/4 STOCK IS350 driver says he wants a slower car! Good luck with your decision, but of course we hope you'll change your mind and enjoy what an amazing car this is for just a little longer!

BTW, If you can't find a good buyer for your wheels, shoot me a PM, I'm looking for a 2nd set of winter rims. Am looking for a good deal though. I know the full set is going for about 550 on E-bay, new.