My current dilemma...

R.C.Anderson · 30 Nov 2013 at 03:27

Those of you with good memories may remember be posting previously saying I was looking at purchasing a Lexus IS, however I'm still can't make up my mind if this is a good idea...

I'm looking for a car with a max budget of around £5-£5.5k, and I want a comfy far with toys, my current choices & their problems are:

BMW 3 series: not many toys.
BMW 5 series: Got the toys, but not much choice for my budget.
Audi: From the research, repair costs are putting me off.
Lexus IS: got the toys, but for the budget, the mileage is higher than I think is good (~90-100k).
Merc C-Class: got most of the toys, but I'm not a huge fan of the looks (they're growing on me though).
Merc E-Class: Got the toys, but again, not a huge fan of the looks & high mileage for the budget.

So my search for advice is: Are there any models other than the above that fit my requirements & I've not thought of? Any of my points above not considered correct?

rodenal · 30 Nov 2013 at 07:16

I like the IS 250 petrol. Compared to the Germans its underpowered but they will still shift and are IMO a lovely all round car so long as you approach with an open mind. Lexus themselves are supposed to be fantastic to deal with too, though the IS diesel had a whole raft of problems I'm not aware of anything with the petrol ( ironically there is a thread about 3 down right now about someone with recurring auto box problems)

You need to drive them all tbh. I'd have an e46 or e39 every day of the week but I just like BMW - mercs of that age are pretty shoddy in terms of build but I wouldn't rule out a petrol A6.

You could also look at something like the accord but the smaller Lexus is a nicer car inside IMO and from what you've written it sounds like something you just wouldn't consider anyway. I would personally go and see the best specced example of every medium/large car you can find thend drive the ones that interest you. Sometimes its better to look first, research second then buy

Participant · 30 Nov 2013 at 08:13

Comfy with toys says Volvo S80 to me. The se lux trim has loads of toys, and even the se comes with loads as standard. It's big and heavy and doesn't have the driveability factor, but it's a super comfy wafter.

geekman · 30 Nov 2013 at 10:59

90k-100k mileage shouldn't put you off - I'd imagine that's pretty average mileage for the age of cars you're looking at.

Just buy on condition - if you're looking at Lexus I'm sure there's plenty of very well cared for, 1 owner cars with full service history which shouldn't cost any more to run than one on 50k miles.

If you're looking for other suggestions, I'll do the standard motors forum thing of recommending my own car.

You can pick up a nice X350 shape XJ6 for £4000-£4500 which will leave you with a bit of cash for repairs. They're extremely comfortable and have every toy you could wish for and don't cost much more to run than most other premium cars.

R.C.Anderson · 1 Dec 2013 at 01:57

rodenal said:
I like the IS 250 petrol. Compared to the Germans its underpowered but they will still shift and are IMO a lovely all round car so long as you approach with an open mind. Lexus themselves are supposed to be fantastic to deal with too, though the IS diesel had a whole raft of problems I'm not aware of anything with the petrol ( ironically there is a thread about 3 down right now about someone with recurring auto box problems)

You need to drive them all tbh. I'd have an e46 or e39 every day of the week but I just like BMW - mercs of that age are pretty shoddy in terms of build but I wouldn't rule out a petrol A6.

You could also look at something like the accord but the smaller Lexus is a nicer car inside IMO and from what you've written it sounds like something you just wouldn't consider anyway. I would personally go and see the best specced example of every medium/large car you can find thend drive the ones that interest you. Sometimes its better to look first, research second then buy

It was the 250 petrol I was looking at, as I noticed there have been issues with the diesel, and petrols in general have less to go wrong. I'm still to drive one though. I'm the opposite to you with BMWs, in general I'm not a fan, although whilst looking recently, I've realised I don't mind them as much as I thought. (it was mainly the looks I didn't like)

I hadn't actually thought about the accord, but from the quick look just now, I'm not a fan of the looks of it.

Participant said:
Comfy with toys says Volvo S80 to me. The se lux trim has loads of toys, and even the se comes with loads as standard. It's big and heavy and doesn't have the driveability factor, but it's a super comfy wafter.

I've had a quick look, and they look reasonable, but I'm not really a fan of having a volvo (even though they've got less boring & old manly than they used to be)

geekman said:
90k-100k mileage shouldn't put you off - I'd imagine that's pretty average mileage for the age of cars you're looking at.

Just buy on condition - if you're looking at Lexus I'm sure there's plenty of very well cared for, 1 owner cars with full service history which shouldn't cost any more to run than one on 50k miles.

If you're looking for other suggestions, I'll do the standard motors forum thing of recommending my own car. You can pick up a nice X350 shape XJ6 for £4000-£4500 which will leave you with a bit of cash for repairs. They're extremely comfortable and have every toy you could wish for and don't cost much more to run than most other premium cars.

I've seen mixed recommendations about mileage, some, like you said 90-100k isn't anything to be worried about, but others indicate it's starting to get into the range of higher running costs.

Although I'm a huge fan of the new Jags (which is actually where my desire for a nice car has come from, as nearly all my driving over the last 2 years (since passing my test) has been in Jags/Range Rovers all highly speced & at most about 1.5 years old.) I'm really not a fan of the older style Jags, so the X350 isn't on the table I'm afraid.

unrealrocks · 1 Dec 2013 at 10:05

Another thing to remember is that the petrol is in a different tax band depending if its auto or manual. TBH the manual is notchy and not great so its not a hard choice - just something to remember!

Given you want toys you really want a IS250 Auto SE-L with the Multimedia pack, I think you will really be struggling to find one of those in your budget as they seem to start around £7k. Although the SE isn't badly specced it does miss out on a few choice options like Xenons

That said great cars - not as driver focused as an E46 by any means but better specced and are very nice. I had an IS200 years ago and very almost bought a IS250.

Jez · 1 Dec 2013 at 11:18

I don't think that this is a good budget for a BMW, it puts you right on the cusp of a generation of models, which means you will either be driving an ancient design of car E46/39, or will be driving the dregs of the next gen (E90/60). If buying a BMW I would either spend less and buy a decent old one (I have an E46 and its a perfectly nice car), or spend more.

The E-Class would be credible, you would get a reasonable W211.

86JR · 1 Dec 2013 at 15:13

Lexus are excellent in regard to customer service, even at smaller dealers ie Plymouth, where there is not as much money as elsewhere in the country. Also Lexus are super reliable, mileage is not really an issue with a Lexus, friend of mine has a 250,000 mile LS400 and nothing has broken yet other than the minor, servicable items.

The only thing I didn't like about the IS250 is that you sit on the seats rather than in them, little bolster support, it is supposed to be like that for comfort but if you have full leather you tend to slide a little on really sharp corners.

You can get an IS350 which is really quick, if you are prepared to import one.