Rythmx2

Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but this seemed like the best place to ask so here it goes.

I have a few questions about the IS250 and IS350. They are:

1. Does the IS250 and IS350 have a differeny design? When I saw pictures online the 350 looked more sporty to me than the 250. Or was it just the angle's of the pictures I saw.

2. How does this car preform in the winter/snow?

3. What are the main differences between the 250 and 350?

Some background info is that I am 17 in 3 days...I will be purchasing the car either when I am 18 or 19 so I have a good amount of time. I live in Long Island, New York.

I was also hoping that there would be someone that could tell me what they pay for insurance that would be around my age. I guess anyone 22 and under would be fairly similar to what I would have to pay. Thanks for the help.

pkvir

Pretty much the same design, except the 350 has 100 more hp and better brakes. Also has a 350 on the back instead of 250.

250 comes in AWD.

250 can be had with a manual.

I'm much older then you, so insurance would be way different.

slee18

iTrader: (1)

There are some subtle difference that 250 doesnt have that the 350 has. like the auto air-recirulator will switch over if it detects the outside air has high concentration of pollutants.

The sporty look might be because of a spoiler or body kit on some IS. Some look like tom's make the car look great even though it isnt oem.

I am about 10 years older than you, but i had a Z28 at your age. It wasnt cheap. the 250 will be a lot cheaper than the 350. your probably looking at 2k for 250 and 2700 for the 350.

Good luck!!! post some pics when you get it!

inxexisten

1) the IS350 and IS250 are nearly identical in the body, you probably saw some modified out one... more IS350s are modified than IS250s
2) performs great in winter, but I can't speak for snow
3)the differences are in the engine displacements, brakes, auto air recirculator, and IS350 has VIDIM

I currently turned 19 years old and my insurance is $5,500 a year...I have a IS350 btw
and I think you should look into a IS350 not the IS250 judging your age unless AWD is a must have, or maybe the 335i coupe (my younger brother has it, was going to trade, but held off and going to get a better car end of this year)...

Rythmx2

thanks for the info, can anyone add to that?

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

They've hit most of the highlights... major differences summary-

IS250-

No auto-recirc of air
Has less advanced vehicle stability control
Offers AWD
Offers a manual tranny (though many have reported it's not a great one)
Smaller brakes
About 100 less hp
A little bit better mileage than the 350 (esp the RWD 250)

IS350-

Auto-recirc
Offers advanced VDIM to integrate a bunch of stability/traction/etc functions
No AWD, no manual
Bigger brakes and 100 more hp
A few grand more in price, a bit less mileage than the 250



As to snow, the there is an electronic switch on the dash for "snow" mode that will raise shift points and all that jazz, that helps... snow tires and not driving like a maniac will help a lot more. Obviously AWD is nice in snow, but a good driver on good snow tires will be fine in either car.

Other thing to be aware of- Lexus likes to ship specific configurations of vehicles to specific areas... so if what you want isn't what they ship to your area (for example in the northeast it's a lot harder to find a non-AWD 250 than in the southeast) then you either need to find a dealer willing to swap cars with another area... or you need to special order. For some configurations you will need to special order no matter what because they simply don't build that combo by default. In that case you'll need to find a good dealer willing to work with you... many dealers HATE selling anything but what's on the lot and hate special orders. Not all do though.

Can't help much on insurance as I'm older other than to say the 350 will cost more than the 250, at your age it'll be high either way, but if you can afford either car at your age you can surely afford the insurance either way too.

Rythmx2

posted that last one right after you guys posted I suppose. And also, I will be using the car possibly upstate in Albany which gets a lot snow...I am assuming AWD would be better for that. Depending on the insurance, I will get the IS350. I was going get the Spoiler and the HKS Sports Exhaust (how much is that about)?

inxexisten

spoilers are commonly factory equipped on IS, the HKS sport exhaust is about $1200-$1400....

Scythe

^^ At my dealership, i noticed on a small pricing sheet that the factory spoiler was an aditional $1200 dollars....
i then ventured over to Sewell.com, and found the same piece for a whopping $197.00

hmmm

If your going to be upstate, and you live in NY (As you do) i'd really recommend getting the 250Awd.. i'm young too, and it has been a really good 1st car to me, i live in NY too and the AWD has been a really big help in the snowstorms, especially since we're both pretty inexperienced in the snow (if your 17 you cant have driven in the snow much yet, and yeah yeah, you hear that inexperience crap from your mom and dad, but after a spin out or two you'll realize that they might be right, and no matter how good of a driver you think you are, when rubber tries to take traction on ice, it will slide... personal experience)

to be honest, although you don't want to hear it, at 17 having a 350 may be a little much.. i'm only 18 and i'm not nieve enough to realize that if i had a 350 my license would have been gone LONG ago (i have 3 speeding tickets, and only have a 250, 2 of the tickets i had NO idea i was speeding the car is so smooth, the 350 would only be worse), and your insurance would go up tremendously between the 250 and the 350... although if its YOUR decision between the 250 and 350, you must have inherited a boat-load of money, and insurance payments wont be a problem.. if your parents are paying flat out for the car, i'd be nice to them and save them the speeding ticket fines, insurance fees, etc. and get the 250, especially since your in NY and you'll be dealing with snow for more than you'd like.

Rythmx2

I'll spend the extra money for the exhaust...not $1200 for a spoiler though.

Scythe

^^ haha +1 to that, i saw that pricing sheet while sitting across from the salesman.. i sort of snickered, knowing 1200 was outrageous.. he saw what i was looking at, gave a chuckle and leaned in and said 'check online, save yourself the agony'

llamaboiz

there is only 1 difference that matters, 100hp, its like night and day between the two cars.

4U2eNv_8o8

iTrader: (1)

Yea. Everyone seemed to his the diffrence on which would be better. If you get either one, I would suggest getting it with the Nav+ML. Most people seemed to regret getting it in the first place because their going to think its useless or not needed(Well....I know I did) Getting the right IS is like math. Its pretty plain and simple. If you are looking for power then the 350 would be the best. If your looking for a good gas saving car and/or looking for the AWD feature then the 250 would be the best. Just remember to think it through becase I made a mistake with going with the IS250 since I was more of a power and speed person. It did save alot more Gas Miles, but it just wasn't satisfying my needs(Power, Nax, ML, Etc.).

As for insurance......I just think it really matters where you are I think. When I seen someone say they were paying $5000 I was like........ When I had my IS250 I only payed about $1600 a year and now that I have the 350 I'm paying about $1800 a year and thats with a little higher deductible. Mine is currently $500 deductible. Not to sure what they other guys one is. But that is what I' am currently paying. I' am also currently 21.

Rythmx2

who are you insured under? And what do you do-use the minimum insurance?

Scythe

^^ wow for a 21 yr old with a 350 you sure have low insurance

i agree with above though, but saying from experience, for your/our age, the 250 is plenty fast... when i graduate from college i plan on upgrading, after school and stuff is out of the way and i can focus on more important things (my.. car, for example)

and from what i hear, the gas mileage is hardly different, 2 mpg, and with my 250 i can make my tank range from 16mpg to 28 mpg, depending on how much of an ******* i feel like being (driving fast, low gear/high rpm driving)