jvmagic

to purchasing your Lexus? I have a 10' IS 250.

I bought ours because of the reliability ratings and maintenance costs that many were talking about. I love the look and feel...performance would have been nice as well (though I did not buy my Lexus for this reason).
I have a slightly modified 90' Mustang with crazy torque to keep me happy when it comes to brut strength.

Why did you purchase your Lexus?

Slammer1

I have always appreciated Mercedes and BMW, but never seriously considering buying one. When it comes to the IS, I was always a fan of the look of the first gen and immediately fell in love with the second gen. When we were ready for a new vehicle, it was what I wanted. All three are well built and reliable but the Lexus (while it can be expensive) is still cheaper to repair and maintain than the other two. While I still maintain that BMW cars have some of the best looking factory wheels in the industry, there isn't a single detail about the IS that I don't like. In my opinion, every line, curve and accent serves a specific purpose, and is perfect just as it is. May sound lame, but I love my car.......

Initial G

iTrader: (38)

I purchased because of reliability and I liked the overall look and feel of the IS. I wanted something luxury. If I wanted performance etc I would have went with an Evo, WRX, or S2000 (personal preferences). I'm very happy with my IS and haven't regretted the decision.

I've had too many problems, maintenance with BMWs in the past. Haven't owned a MB before so I can't speak on that matter.

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

A BMW 335i optioned similarly to my IS350 would have cost almost $8000 more, with a much crappier interior and vastly lower reliability, for virtually identical performance.

I can't figure out why anybody buys BMWs for the prices they charge, but there must be some reason given their sales figures.

Mercedes didn't offer anything I'd even have rated as comparable at the time, the C350 was dog slow in comparison...

The cars I cross-shopped mainly were the G35 sport, the Caddy CTS, and the Acura TL... the Caddy was big and slow and overpriced... the TL was... nice... but drove the wrong wheels so performance and handling not up to par and interior wasn't as nice either... car was also long in the tooth in its generation...the G35 was the nearest... but the price difference wasn't that much, and the breakdown to me was:

Lexus:
Better interior, slightly better performance, better reliability and resale, better factory premium sound, better mileage

Infiniti:
Better nav system, bit more rear legroom and trunk space

Plus the G35 had a very twitchy throttle...So the Lexus became the easy choice.

smokyis350

iTrader: (21)

I think why most people would chose a 335 over a IS350 (judging by the sales number), is because the 335 drives so much better. Driving a Lexus sometimes makes me feel like I am a grandpa. And my car is no where close to stock. I just test drove the new generation 335 and it is very impressive. 34 MPG with 8 gears automatic. Sure, it might be a couple thousand more than the IS350 but it feels like a whole different animal IMO.

darkdream

I thought about getting a 335i instead of a IS350, but as a daily driver I wanted more luxury and reliability. For fun I now have a S2000, which is more of a thrill to drive than a 335i.

Tarrant64

I almost went with a BMW 335xi. Not a fan of the interior and maintenance can be high. Overall it wasn't cost that bothered me but the lack of a fresh interior. I seriously feel like when I step inside a BMW it looks close to what it did 20 years ago. Great engines, improving on its drive by look, but I'd like to see something more. At least lexus isn't afraid to change It up every few years.

Where I work there are a few BMW owners of late models. One sold his after 6 months and another is on her 2nd BMW thinking it won't have the problems first one did (small stupid electrical stuff).

I ended up in an IS350.

Joshohoho

Before buying the Lexus my first 2 choices were Mercedes CLK and BMW 325ci. I wanted reliability as priority and more a luxurious feel than a sporty feel.

My dad had more experience in car buying and he owns a CLK, his advice to me was Mercedes and BMW had expensive maintenance costs. Before buying the Lexus my first 2 choices were Mercedes CLK and BMW 325ci. I wanted reliability as priority and more a luxurious feel than a sporty feel. My 4th choice would be a mustang then a CTS.

knguyenk

The BMW brand is pretty much the reason why anyone would buy one. People buy it for the name, but their cars are so much more fun to drive at the cost of reliability.

When I was looking for a car, I looked at a 3-series BMW and compared it to the IS. I am not a big fan of Mercedes Benzes so I kind of avoided them altogether. What made me get the IS was more or less the reliability and the navigation. Plus, I really wasn't concerned about sportiness as opposed to luxury, which is the main reason why I ended up with the IS besides a sophisticated exterior design.

A random bonus was that Lexus is a division of Toyota and in my family, we all practically own Toyotas.

Samieee

iTrader: (1)

I looked at the 2012 MB C350, 2011 BMW 335i, and 2011 IS350 at the time of my shopping.

The refreshed C class is a nice car. The interior is nicely crafted and they finally updated the 3.5L engine to 300hp. Mercedes has excellent reliability when compared to the other Euro cars. I believe they're ranked #3 in JD ratings. The only reason I didn't get it was the options I wanted would've taken 4 to 5 months to deliver. I probably would've ended up with the C350 if it wasn't for the delivery time.

The 335i definitely drives the best out of the 3 I looked at. But its price steered me away. A similarly equipped model costs about $5k more than the C350 and $10k more than the IS350 I ended up with. To me, that amount of money doesn't justify its driving abilities. And I'm sure you're aware of their reliability and maintenance costs.

I felt like my IS350 was waiting for me at the lot. It has most of the options I'd want in a car including the color and came at an amazing price. So I took it home right after the test drive

iRyan

iTrader: (7)

Never a fan of Mercedes point blank...not even if it was free....but I considered getting an E92 M3 as well as the 335i or the 535i for the facts of speed because it would definately been at Active Autowork making 400+, but that would have been the only reason why I would pick it over Lexus....coming from my 2GS the IS was super small but I love the interior looks and the luxurious feel that all lexus have over it competitors.

felo2081

I own a c300 4matic love it. The reason I bought my is is cuz I didn't want 2 Mercedes and I love the way the is looks. As far as BMW I have 6 friends that own one they have all had problems with them and I agree the interior on the BMW feel cheap and look like u driving a older car inside with a new exterior IMO.

VTsuckah

iTrader: (1)

The only German make I would own is a Porsche.

vapid2323

Looking at the last ten or so years of JD Power dependability study's, and also cost of ownership and reliability ratings forced me to buy Lexus/Toyota. The Engine in the 2006 IS350 has also been rated in the top ten of Ward's reviews for quite a few years as well. Not sure how much that matters as its a new rating system.

So when I was looking at buying a car this info kinda forced my hand, granted if I was to lease I would have looked at something in the Porsche inventory.

circuitt

iTrader: (3)

I got my IS350 about 6 months ago, was considering an Audi A3 QUATTRO, or BMW 335I
test drove both cars before my I350. both drove great, the Audi I actually liked more than the BMW
it was probably the interior mixed with AWD. BMW 335i was definitively faster, but the inside is dated
looking, uses run flats, the thought of the fuel pump going, and all the issues my co-workers had with there BMW 335i (in the shop at least once a month) scared me away from BMW.