My Two Week IS350 Review
11-10-11, 11:16 AM
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My Two Week IS350 Review
I'm just an average Joe giving my feedback after two weeks of owning my (new to me) IS350. Hopefully this will help someone out there.
AGE: 34
OCCUPATION: High School Administrator
PRIOR VEHICLES: (most recent to oldest) 2003 Honda Accord V6, 2003 Honda Pilot, 2004 Ford Freestar, 1998 Accord Coupe, 1992 Taurus SHO, 1986 Buick Regal.
CURRENT VEHICLES: 2007 IS350, 2008 Honda Odyssey, 1994 Harley Davidson Heritage Nostalgia
OTHER VEHICLES CONSIDERED: 2008ish Acura TL, 2007 BMW 335
HOW I GOT TO THE IS350
My search for a new vehicle began about six months ago. I was always drawn to the look of the ISx50. I decided to test drive a 2008 IS250 at a dealership and I was severely disappointed. No offense to any 250 owners out there, but the car was a dog. I felt it was very underpowered. But I still found the aesthetics of the vehicle quite beautiful.
After that test drive, I didn't really pursue any specific vehicles and sort of crossed the ISx50 off of my list. I continued to watch prices of cars and saw that some BMW 335s and Acura TLs were close to my price range.
About two months ago, I test drove a few Acura TLs. They were nice, but not all that different than my Accord (duh). I did like that they were quieter and 'felt' better. But they didnt offer much of an improvement over what I was driving. I then drove my uncle's 2007 335i coupe and LOVED it. I was really blown away by the car. I started to do more research on that specific vehicle and saw how costly an out of warranty bimmer could be. I was pretty bummed, but ruled it out on this principle alone.
As dumb luck would have it, I was waiting for my wife (surprise) one day and saw a black IS350 on a Chevy lot. I thought, "oh, I never considered the 350 before, lets take it for a drive". It was priced at $25K (lower than I had seen when I first started looking). I drove it and was WOWED.
So the search began again with some research. I really loved the reliability of the Lexus. I settled on the 350 and moved to finding one in my budget. I searched high and low and came up with a 2007 IS350 (Tungsten) with 45K miles, 18's, Lux Package, Nav, park assist for $23K via private party sale. I checked the service record via Lexus.com and found that the car was impeccably maintained. I bought the vehicle two weeks ago on a snowy Saturday!
MY EXPERIENCE THUS FAR
My very first impression was WOW and I am still awed by the vehicle every time I step in it. One thing that really impresses me is how well the car handles. I am not a particularly fast driver, but I now enjoy taking turns WAY faster than I ever have before. The car just sticks on the road. I also really enjoy how effortlessly this car 'pulls' (well, pushes). It seems like it just wants to 'go' all the time.
One thing that I do not particularly like is that at 80mph, I get a slight vibration in the steering wheel. I commute on a highway everyday and I can see where this might become a bit annoying. I will have to have the tires checked my first checkup.
Also, the navigation is a bit confusing for me. I've owned several vehicles with nav and this one seems a bit confusing so far. I'm also a bit frustrated that my iphone 3g will not sync my phonebook with the Lexus.
I also found the headlight washers interesting, but they spray stuff EVERYWHERE.
THE VERDICT
Overall, I would give the car a 9/10. I am very very happy with my purchase and would do it again tomorrow.
AGE: 34
OCCUPATION: High School Administrator
PRIOR VEHICLES: (most recent to oldest) 2003 Honda Accord V6, 2003 Honda Pilot, 2004 Ford Freestar, 1998 Accord Coupe, 1992 Taurus SHO, 1986 Buick Regal.
CURRENT VEHICLES: 2007 IS350, 2008 Honda Odyssey, 1994 Harley Davidson Heritage Nostalgia
OTHER VEHICLES CONSIDERED: 2008ish Acura TL, 2007 BMW 335
HOW I GOT TO THE IS350
My search for a new vehicle began about six months ago. I was always drawn to the look of the ISx50. I decided to test drive a 2008 IS250 at a dealership and I was severely disappointed. No offense to any 250 owners out there, but the car was a dog. I felt it was very underpowered. But I still found the aesthetics of the vehicle quite beautiful.
After that test drive, I didn't really pursue any specific vehicles and sort of crossed the ISx50 off of my list. I continued to watch prices of cars and saw that some BMW 335s and Acura TLs were close to my price range.
About two months ago, I test drove a few Acura TLs. They were nice, but not all that different than my Accord (duh). I did like that they were quieter and 'felt' better. But they didnt offer much of an improvement over what I was driving. I then drove my uncle's 2007 335i coupe and LOVED it. I was really blown away by the car. I started to do more research on that specific vehicle and saw how costly an out of warranty bimmer could be. I was pretty bummed, but ruled it out on this principle alone.
As dumb luck would have it, I was waiting for my wife (surprise) one day and saw a black IS350 on a Chevy lot. I thought, "oh, I never considered the 350 before, lets take it for a drive". It was priced at $25K (lower than I had seen when I first started looking). I drove it and was WOWED.
So the search began again with some research. I really loved the reliability of the Lexus. I settled on the 350 and moved to finding one in my budget. I searched high and low and came up with a 2007 IS350 (Tungsten) with 45K miles, 18's, Lux Package, Nav, park assist for $23K via private party sale. I checked the service record via Lexus.com and found that the car was impeccably maintained. I bought the vehicle two weeks ago on a snowy Saturday!
MY EXPERIENCE THUS FAR
My very first impression was WOW and I am still awed by the vehicle every time I step in it. One thing that really impresses me is how well the car handles. I am not a particularly fast driver, but I now enjoy taking turns WAY faster than I ever have before. The car just sticks on the road. I also really enjoy how effortlessly this car 'pulls' (well, pushes). It seems like it just wants to 'go' all the time.
One thing that I do not particularly like is that at 80mph, I get a slight vibration in the steering wheel. I commute on a highway everyday and I can see where this might become a bit annoying. I will have to have the tires checked my first checkup.
Also, the navigation is a bit confusing for me. I've owned several vehicles with nav and this one seems a bit confusing so far. I'm also a bit frustrated that my iphone 3g will not sync my phonebook with the Lexus.
I also found the headlight washers interesting, but they spray stuff EVERYWHERE.
THE VERDICT
Overall, I would give the car a 9/10. I am very very happy with my purchase and would do it again tomorrow.
, and welcome to Clublexus. Let the mods bug begin lolz.
11-10-11, 11:28 AM
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http://is.sewellparts.com/accessorie...2007/2123.html - $26
I would still have them check out your tires too, i've had problems on pervious cars with vibrations and it was caused by the wheels.
11-10-11, 11:46 AM
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11-10-11, 11:47 AM
#7
congrats on the purchase, you really need to study the nav manual to understand all the features and how to use them. Also, as for synching the phonebook, I had to download a special bluetooth app that would send my phonebook as a certain file type to the car, that is for an android smart phone though, not sure if the apple store has anything similar... i used a program called bluetooth file transfer and it had an option for sending phonebook
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11-10-11, 11:51 AM
#8
If you enjoy taking turns with the IS350, you should consider getting the F-sport front and rear sway bars. This is by far the most useful and high impact modification you can possibly do to your IS350.
See this thread
Please note that every person who had started with only the F-sport rear sway bar and added the front sway bar later have noted a marked improvement. You'll find that many people opt to install the rear sway bar only, but I would not necessarily recommend going this route.
If you plan on installing the F-sport sway bars, plan on installing both at the same time.
See this thread
Please note that every person who had started with only the F-sport rear sway bar and added the front sway bar later have noted a marked improvement. You'll find that many people opt to install the rear sway bar only, but I would not necessarily recommend going this route.
If you plan on installing the F-sport sway bars, plan on installing both at the same time.
11-10-11, 11:52 AM
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There is a cheep and very helpful mod to fix this. You can pick up the ISF Steering Damperner from sewell and put it into the steering wheel. Total time - 10 minutes. All you need is the correct Torx bit for your wrench and a phillips screw driver.
http://is.sewellparts.com/accessorie...2007/2123.html - $26
I would still have them check out your tires too, i've had problems on pervious cars with vibrations and it was caused by the wheels.
I've had my car for about 5 months now and the navigation unit still confuses the hell out of me some times. Not to mention that I am an IT manager for a fortune 500 company these things usually come pretty damn easy to me... not this one however lol
COMPETELY AGREED!!! Congrats on your new ride! Enjoy my friend
http://is.sewellparts.com/accessorie...2007/2123.html - $26
I would still have them check out your tires too, i've had problems on pervious cars with vibrations and it was caused by the wheels.
I've had my car for about 5 months now and the navigation unit still confuses the hell out of me some times. Not to mention that I am an IT manager for a fortune 500 company these things usually come pretty damn easy to me... not this one however lol
COMPETELY AGREED!!! Congrats on your new ride! Enjoy my friend
great tip on the steering wheel damper! fantastic!
thanks man!
11-10-11, 11:53 AM
#10
+1 for your decision on purchasing LEXUS and good luck,
welcome and congrats
11-10-11, 12:00 PM
#11
And now that you own the car, you might find some of these reviews to be interesting.
IS350 vs G35 vs Acura TL (Road and Track): http://www.roadandtrack.com/var/ezfl...abd609bbf8.pdf
Here's a Car and Driver piece on the "Quickest Sedans of 2008: $30,000 to $40,000 (this is the highest range they go)" - http://www.caranddriver.com/features...30000-to-40000
You'll find that one of the most rewarding aspects of the IS350 is that it is deceptively powerful down low. The official acceleration times that Lexus states (0 to 60 in 5.3 seconds as of 2010) are grossly understated.
People have recorded as low as 0 to 60 in 4.7 seconds bone stock with the IS350. Only the 335i rivals this level of acceleration. Both the IS350 and 335i are head and shoulders above the rest of the competition (with the G37 or post-06 6MT G35 coming in a close 3rd) in this regard.
IS350 vs G35 vs Acura TL (Road and Track): http://www.roadandtrack.com/var/ezfl...abd609bbf8.pdf
Here's a Car and Driver piece on the "Quickest Sedans of 2008: $30,000 to $40,000 (this is the highest range they go)" - http://www.caranddriver.com/features...30000-to-40000
You'll find that one of the most rewarding aspects of the IS350 is that it is deceptively powerful down low. The official acceleration times that Lexus states (0 to 60 in 5.3 seconds as of 2010) are grossly understated.
People have recorded as low as 0 to 60 in 4.7 seconds bone stock with the IS350. Only the 335i rivals this level of acceleration. Both the IS350 and 335i are head and shoulders above the rest of the competition (with the G37 or post-06 6MT G35 coming in a close 3rd) in this regard.
11-10-11, 12:23 PM
#12
I considered the same vehicles as you when I was searching and moved to the IS for the same reasons. TL was boring to me and the 335i.....maintenance cost scared me. I have a IS250 and I agree it isn't that fast, but I got the 6 speed which helped and 95% of my driving is on the interstate with the cruise set at 75, so I can live with the 205 hp. My second car in high school was a 1987 Buick Grand National.
11-10-11, 12:42 PM
#14
It's cool to hear you like your IS350! I love mine too.
Glad I'm not the only one who feels the Lexus navigation system is confusing compared to the recent aftermarket external ones I've tried. I do like having the navigation built-in with the car though.
Glad I'm not the only one who feels the Lexus navigation system is confusing compared to the recent aftermarket external ones I've tried. I do like having the navigation built-in with the car though.
Last edited by Wunko; 11-10-11 at 01:52 PM. Reason: typo
