The difference between 350 and 250 fuel economy isn't much despite the 100hp. 350 is the better choice because it's the better engine. In about about 3-4 years you'll start to see signs of carbon build up once again and watch this forum set ablaze.. again..

 

350 has the 8 speed transmission. It actually gives pretty good MPG at 306 HP. the 250 is way too slow. its to to heavy, if your going to get a F sport, why bother with such a slow car. why not just wait for the 300H model then, you'll save more MPG

 

That's why Lexus came up with 250 and 350.

Go 250 if you are broke and want a nice entry luxury car. Lexus didn't introduce 250 to smoke anything. They want to get the money from people who can't afford the 350. I love my IS250 (2nd gen), not the fastest car on the road but not the slowest also. I don't race or speed very often so 350 would be me wasting the HP

If you have cash, go for the 350. Faster and more fun to drive with a small hit on MPG. No modding on a 250 can come up to the same performance as 350 for the buck you pay now.

 

Don't bother with the 250 if you luv power. I'm currently driving the previous IS250. I purchase the car specific for my 15 year old son b/c it's so slow and reliable. But it could never be my main vehicle to show off. I have trouble passing civic's in the 250.

 

I would go for the base IS350. It would be easier to buy mods to change the appearance, but a lot more expensive to buy mods to increase hp, let alone close to 306hp.

 

I don't care too much about MPG, but there's only a minute difference between the 250 and 350's MPG. I'm really more interested in the 8speed transmission. Man, I might just have to pony up and get the 350F sport.

 

theres not a lot of mpg difference between the two, like 2-3 mpg

 

Alan, $47K wasn't the OTD price, was it? What was original MSRP and what did you pay OTD?

 

No need to go all the way. The regular 350 RWD comes with the 8-speed.

 

I will vouch for the fact that the 8-speed transmission is 100% worth it! Recently, I owned a 2010 IS250, and while I thought it was a great looking car, had tons of luxury features and amenities, it's performance was underwhelming. The 200hp really isn't enough, and is lacking in torque where turbo 4--cylinders have a huge advantage over the 2.5 V6. I also found the 6 speed transmission to be a little clunky, particularly in traffic. It was a nice, comfortable car but boring to drive if I'm being honest.

But on my new 2014 IS350 F-Sport, it's an entirely different story! The engine is fast, smooth, and responsive. And the 8 speed transmission is one my favorite things...shifts are extremely quick and smooth. I feel like the car is always in the right gear.

I love the F-sport styling (front bumper, grill, and wheels), the LFA-style gauges, and the Rioja red interior. 45-50k is a lot of money for most people to spend it on a car. But if its something you plan to keep for a while, it's worth saving until you have enough money to get exactly what you want. Even if that means waiting a few months to a year or more. You don't want to spend 46,000 now and look back a year down the road and wish you spent just a few thousand more. Compare to the price of the car, the upgrade is very reasonably priced. in the end, It's a personal decision, obviously, but i highly recommend trying to find a way into the 350 f-sport, even if that means waiting. You're guaranteed to have no regrets down the road and better resale value as well when you eventually do want to sell.

Good luck!!!!!

 

I know what you mean by regretting my decision down the line. I guess ill aim for the 350F now. Its trrue if i'm spending this much money i might as well get exactly what i want. Back to making payments again haha. Well at least im downing $20k minimum to bring the loan down so my montly should be around 600+ at 48/mo. But you never know, things might change.

 

By base 350, do you mean one with zero options? Or do you just mean a non-F-sport version? If you mean no options at all, I don't think any dealer has been getting base 350's so early on.

 

350 absolutely.

I have a base, relatively "bare bones" 2009 IS350 and I don't regret my decision one bit. The extra horsepower is absolutely worth it. Daily driving is pleasant knowing that you have the power to blow by 95% of cars on the road.

The 250 is probably the most underpowered car in its class. It feels a bit weaker than 200 HP, whereas the IS350 feels a bit stronger than 300 HP.

A recent review said the 350 basically feels like an Audi S4 performance wise (333 HP, which is in line with the IS350 feeling a bit stronger than 300).

The IS350 won't blow you away to the point where you think "Oh my gosh this is so fast!" but it's terrific for daily driving. On the other hand, the IS250 will underwhelm. I think for a daily driver, the 350 has the perfect amount of performance (and then some). In truth, something like a BMW 328i probably will give you the perfect amount of daily driving performance, so the 350 gives you a little bit extra which is great.

 

The only downside is only the F-sport versions come with the LFA-style tach, IIRC.

 

350, 350, 350.... and by waiting a few months you can save up an extra grand or two and you might be able to get an extra grand or two off by then.

I'm not a 'power' guy, a 250 would be ok for me 90% of the time, but that 10% of the time I need the feeling of 300hp!!! Being that you have a 300+hp Z you would probably 'need' the 350 to be happy.