duckJAI

Hey guys, I'm coming from a 2000 Lexus GS300 as I'm trying to step away and go into another sedan which can offer more power and the same type of luxury.

I've thought about GTE'ing but at the end of the day I don't think I would be fully satisfied. The car is a boat and very limited suspension choice (I want to have coilover options that I can leave on during the winter, don't want to swap in and out).

I've really thought long and hard about a 07'+ 335i but almost everyone has told me to avoid it unless I have deep pockets, which I don't.

After, I've thought about the 08' ISF (also the M3 Sedan, but don't want to go into a BMW because of the above mentioned issue) but I don't think I'm willing to spend $40k+.

Lastly, I've thought about a 05 STi but I would lose a lot of luxury but gain a lot of performance. I'm still iffy on this one.

Now comes the 06/07 IS350....it's a Lexus which I'm familiar with their standards and also maintenance isn't going to be like a BMW.

Power is definitely an upgrade from the GS, and not as heavy as well. I'm not looking to be racing the car, but maybe hit the track once or twice for fun.

Is the IS350 a good car for your weekend enthusiast? I have a family with 2 kids so I need something still practical and reliable at the end of the day. There seems to be more aftermarket support than my 2nd gen GS300 which meets my criteria.

What issues are common and what should I be looking for? Any particular features/packages? I live in Canada so we get a good amount of cold in the winter. How are the seats?

If I needed some easy power upgrades, what is available and what hp #s can I expect?

Mods I'm thinking are going to be:

Suspension (coilovers and sways)
Exhaust
Wheels/tires
LSD maybe? (I currently have a TRD 1.5 way LSD in the GS300 and love it for the winter time)

Any input and advice is greatly appreciated!

heyarms

iTrader: (5)

intake/exhuast/midpipe/headers will net you around ~30whp, and that is essentially all you can gain, aside from boosting (with very limited gains of ~50whp, for a minimum of $5k).

I have a 250 with intake/full exhaust/headers and although i know i wont be beating cars on the road with my whopping ~230hp, but its still a very fun car to drive now! I've also never owned anything faster, so there is nothing to miss (power/speed) when I've never had it to begin with

reyoasian

iTrader: (2)

Therefore, GET YOUR IS350

Jayd41

I agree with what has already been said here.
I think you answered your own question and if you're just looking for reassurance, trust me, you'll be glad you got the IS350.

I just traded out of a 500+ horsepower GTO and honestly, I don't miss it that much.

The power on the IS350 is plenty for daily driving, it really smokes most cars on the road until 100mph anyway, and how often do you really want to drive that fast?

The handling is easily upgraded and it would be lots of fun to toss around on a track a few times a year.

My main point is that you aren't sacrificing much in performance (if anything) compared to your other options, and you are gaining a lot of luxury and refinement, and the peace of mind that you have one of the most reliable cars on the road, that is priceless.

Let us know when you pick your 350 up

Oh, and I forgot to mention, the fuel economy when you aren't beating on it is amazing! I got 32 mpg on my last tank of highway driving!

duckJAI

I can't believe I didn't think of the IS350 up until now.

I've been thinking for the last 12-16 months on what car to get and the IS350 wasn't one of them for some reason, but I LOVE the look on them when they are stanced out. I'm very comfortable with the Lexus brand so I think I'm going to go ahead and start looking for an 06/07 IS350. Is the 07 better than the 06, or are there very minimal changes?

How does the IS350 handle when upgrading the suspension to coilovers? I know these can feel very floaty with a stock setup, so swaybars is a must from my short research. I personally don't like the GS300 suspension setup as the UCA ball joint would hammer itself into the shock tower when hitting big dips. Is this the same for the IS350?

I'm sure there are common issues that are known with the IS350 (just like with the GS300s), or unless it's that great of a car. If so, I'm even more excited

This is my car now, I'll probably keep it as a beater since the GS300s aren't worth too much.

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

I too came from a 500+ hp V8 to my IS350.

If you're buying the IS350 to mod for power you are buying the wrong car, period, full stop. An IS-F would be 'cheaper' in the long run for more power and a better transmission.


That said, the 350 offers excellent bang for the buck, and it runs a sub-5-second 0-60 bone stock in decent weather and a good launch... that's pretty livable.... throw on some F-sport sway bars and good tires and it handles quite nicely too.... all while getting 28-30 on the highway.

BTW, main benefit to 07 over 06 is you can more easily disable the traction control/VSC system.... and if you like sporty I'd suggest you try and find a model with the sport package- bit firmer suspension and slightly lower in front while still being a nice ride on linear springs... all it needs is the tires and sways mentioned earlier.

I'd also try and avoid the factory nav system if you can- screens failing seems moderately common and it ain't cheap to fix... and feature-wise it's inferior to a $100 Garmin anyway.

UniSlayEX

In terms of power, the car comes with it. 306hp as listed. Any performance upgrades add little to no power. In order to do so, you'd be looking at custom work that will make you wish you just bought an IS-F.

The car can be comfortable for a family of four. I have gone on a couple weekend drives (spirited driving if you will) and some vacations with four adults and everyone was fine. Some will probably chime in about how small the back seats can be, but it is not that bad.

You may have to wait for some fellow members from the great white north to discuss what packages you should look for. Off the top of my head, definitely the heated and vented seats.

The mods are there. Without a doubt I would look at this car. But in my honest opinion I hear the '08s would be right up your alley. Take a look and bring your family to sit in it when you're narrowing your options.

Hope to see you mod soon!

heyarms

iTrader: (5)

Clean beater

Cosmetically (exterior) the only difference i believe is the addition of the shark fin antenna in '07.

Interior, i dont believe anything major was changed. Others will chime in. I have '09 so i know they made a few refreshes by then. I think they added different wood grain packages in '07?

duckJAI

So for the 06' is it not possible to disable the VSC with a touch of a button?

I like to do some winter drifting so it might come in handy. I always turn off VSC when driving the GS300 wherever I go.

306hp is good, but adding 30whp more with exhaust, intake and headers would be just right imo.

Would the IS350 compare on a higher level than let's say a 2008 Infiniti G35 type S? I've driven those for a few months as my uncle left the country and the power on that is pretty good. However, seemed a bit like a diamond in the rough. Not really a fine tuned car imo.

Nikon

iTrader: (2)

you can pick up an 06-08 model in the low $20k range so it is definitely affordable.

reyoasian

iTrader: (2)

2006-2008 is same and easiest to mod
2009-2010 is a tiny changes to front bumper, rear bumper, side mirrors, taillights, etc.
2011-now is a complete facelift

Slam on coils and get rear sway bar and maybe front strut bar

07+ you can fully disengage traction control by holding it for like 10 seconds
06 i think you have to do some pressing combination of ebrake, brake, etc. upon startup

duckJAI

How's the paddle shifters?

I hear they aren't that great?

Do they automatically shift for you or something? My experience with paddle shifters is in a 08 G35 type S and I think if I was in second gear and was in redline, it would actually stay until i manually shifted.

I'm assuming this isn't the case? Not a huge deal as I can use the actual shifter to be forced into staying in a lower gear.

Evitzee

You are looking at the wrong car if you think you are going to get a lot more horsepower out of the engine. 306 hp is plenty enough for a daily driver, you don't need 350 hp or 375 hp to make the car righteous, most of the mods people do aren't adding a lot of hp or real world performance. You can increase the overall performance by tire selection and some sway bars, but other than that it's not going to add to the experience by doing headers, exhausts and all that..

The IS is NOT a very good family car, they put all the space in the front cabin and the backseats are pretty poor, even if they are inhabited by kids, that's just the way it is. It's made for two people and if you accept that limitation the IS is a great sports sedan. Other than the recalls for valve springs, floormats, fuel rails and a few other things the car has been rock solid. Reliability is NOT an issue with these vehicles.

duckJAI

I'm not looking to get a boat load of hp, just something to keep me happy in the years to come of ownership.

I have a van, so currently my GS300 gets parked on the weekends as I find it pretty tiny. I do need 4 drs just incase I need to drive the kids to school and what not, but I've read it is pretty tight.

My youngest son will almost be 2 so he can sit in a forward facing car seat, which takes up much less room. He'll probably be setup to sit behind me, and the older (he just needs a booster) to sit behind the passenger so there's more space.

reyoasian

iTrader: (2)

It's just a shift limiter....You don't "shift" the car to 4th gear...you "limit" the ECU to accept 4th gear as highest so your car will go 1-2-3-4 and stay there instead of 1-2-3-4-5-6

...at least I think

Headers aren't bad...proven 18whp.....intake about 5...axleback and midpipe together probably around 10 so you're looking at about 30-35 added to the wheels which brings the car pretty close to 300 wheels :P:P pretty sweet for a daily driver

Yeah rear seats are small but I'm 6' and I'm doing okay driving with friends in the back all the time, even for long trips

Only thing I hate is the rear seats don't fold down (I have 2009) not sure if the 2006-2008 does