Go big or go home

 

Here's the answer: https://www.rx8club.com/general-automotive-49/farewell-my-rx-8-hello-e92-lots-pics-163852/

 

I love the look of the bmws. Have been in both cars, driven neither... the lexus is a lot nicer from a passenger's perspective. I'm not sure if it matters though.

But if it were me, I might go with the lexus, because everyone I know who has a bmw, regardless of the year (anywhere from 00-09) spends at least a week in the shop for bmw problems, not accidents or anything. My 8... spends 0 days a year.... going on it's 4th year. I can't speak for the reliability of the lexus, but my instinct says it's better.

Tell him to get an infinity G and be happy.

 

In my totallly honest unbiased opinion, get the IS.

But really, if your looking at a 335 the IS 350 is more of the fair one to look at.

335 is about 7k more then a IS250, unless you start loading up with the Lexus options which add up QUICK!

Lexus, or at least my Lexus dealer is awesome when it comes to customer support and service. You think you got a squeak... bring it in, here is Lexus loaner, no questions or arguments about it. My friend had to bring his one year old 60kish BMW wagon for a ABS light and they gave him a Dodge minivan to drive for a week.

Luxury, service = Lexus

Driver car, might have to put up with some ****.. = BMW

 

^ that depends on where you are my fiancee had an is250 and had 2 problems with it nothing major but the dealer here said if she wanted a loaner she had to call in an appointment to get it the first availible one was 4 days away so she didnt take it ... theyre service is ok here but as far as loners are concerned your on your own ... also its used and the is250 and 335 hes lookin at have around 10k miles on em are the same price and the 335 is a little more loaded ... the is doesnt even have nav

 

Not sure yet. Leaning towards selling it.
It has 86,500 miles on it and it's been paid off for quite some time now. I can basically pay for the 335 for a year if I sell it.

 

Eh. The M Sport wheels are alright. They'll be used for my winter rubber (the stock run flats, lol).
I'll be picking up a set of VMR VB3's (same wheels as DEEDUB's) most likely with some real tires for the rest of the year. VB3's are unbelievably common on 1er's and 3er's, but they're also awesome wheels.

 

yea I have 2 dealers near me, both owned by the same folks. They have something like 30-40 loaners at each dealer! So no problems at all getting loaners from them for service work or conerns. They used to even give you one for an oil change but people kept taking them to the beach or out of town for the weekend running up miles, using all the gas so.... ruined it for the rest of us. You can still get one, but have to make an argument for it.

I was wondering how the heck he was getting a 335 for the price of a 250...thinking damn..... I would have looked at 335's as well but thought they where over my intended budget. ( wanted to stay below 30k )

Is that just an awesome deal on the 335 or do the depreciate that quick?

 

just a good deal its a private buyer who ran into financial difficulty and needs it gone plus hes paying cash so he went a little lower too ... its a bargain of a deal if my friend passes it up i might just be tempted into getting the 335 again since my last one burned i actually want a vette and am looking right now but idk i just love the 335 so much ...

let me ask you this ... same price which would you pick

 

me too. even though i 335 is faster car then then the 250 or 300. i just like the style of hte IS. but if it was ISF vs M3. M3 would be the car i get, just sexier

 

The main reason to even consider the IS would be the features... so if it doesn't even have nav (I honestly thought the nav was standard on that car), what does it have? I'm starting to wonder why there is any debate here.

 

I am like your friend, I want a hastle free 100k + car so I would have to stick to the Lexus. Not slagging the BMW though it's an awesome car.

That and the wife has a miata so I can get my driving ya yas out on that for now.

What year vette you looking at? I love the last couple of model years. Interior seemed a little.... eh.... but man that back end just looks awesome to me and you just can't beat the sound, or the torque of a big ol V-8!

 

nop nav is not standard it as a screen to display the car stats etc and tems and all but no nav

 

Oh man.. first off, sorry to hear about the fire. That has to be one heck of a stressfull situation to say the least.

A Z-06 should help you forget all about it. Mark it down as "therapy" on your taxes and see if you can write it off.

 

Alfy there is a skyline for sale 70 something.. its white and is in MINT condition. There is a link on DEEDUBS NEW RIDE thread. Just FYI/ thread jack

 

The IS is not in the same league for those who would like to drive.

I own a 08 335i coupe/6mt/sports package etc.

PM me if you want to know more.

 

335i, nuff said.

The 350 is a nice car but nothing compared to the likes of the 335i's potential.

I have a Soarer and a E34 M5 so i love both makers, but the BMW is the ultimate driving machine.

Rishie

 

the IS feels like you're on a cloud when you drive, mt or at. the 335 has a more involved driving experience. if his drive is full of traffic, get the lexus. if he wants to have fun on the drive, the bimmer wins. both are luxurious, so that shouldn't be the selling point.

 

that must be saying a lot.

every new bmw i've driven feels like its on a cloud. especially compared to the 8.

 

The IS250 should not even be considered with the 335i. The IS350 is a more appropriate comparison. I'd put the IS250 on par with the the Acura TSX. A 328i has more get up and go but is more comparable. I'd get the 335i. I sat in an IS350 and it has a very small backseat.

 

i guess you havent driven an is coz that feels like the big body chevys of the old day LOL

 

They're not too bad in my opinion, though I haven't driven too many brand new ones. My mom's previous gen 525i had a decent suspension with a good steering response/feel. Test drove the 335i and it had a pretty good feel. It was a bit smoother than the 8 but still conveyed enough of the road that you didn't feel detached. I think the IS would greatly benefit from a bit less body roll. It feels slightly sporty (not as disconnected as many other lexus/toyotas) but it seemed the biggest issue was body roll.

It's not too bad. When compared to the 8 or the 335i it definitely gets that feel. Like I mentioned above, it still has a bit of a sporty feel/responsiveness to it, but it's mostly hidden behind the fluffy luxury feel.

That's one thing that neither the IS250 or 350 will have. The feel. When I was first learning to drive I wasn't nearly as into cars as I am today. Before I had my own car, I was always driving my mom's BMW 525i or my dad's volvo S80 (previously my mom's car... she got the good end of that deal). The S80 had a bit of that "feel" but it was mostly a luxury oriented car. I couldn't describe it at the time, but I knew there was something about the feel of the steering and suspension in the BMW I liked. At the time, I poorly described the steering as feeling "stiff" though I now know that is what is responsible for that connected feel that you get. With a car that is so focused on luxury like the IS, you'll get that soft, disconnected feel. My mom now has a lexus GS which is a fun car to drive around in, especially since it's almost a polar opposite to my car. After driving the 8 though, it's like driving a tank.

I would not trade my 8 for a fully loaded IS250. I might forget about the 8 if it was a 335i. My friend's car is nice, but it's not meant for car people. The stuff in it is nicer, sure. But for how much you pay it's not really worth it. The IS is more about the lexus name than what you get in my opinion. The only 1 thing I would really like to have in my 8 that my friend has in his IS would be the mark levinson sound system. That thing runs laps around the 8's bose system. My mom's GS has it as well and it is by far the best stock system I have heard. Hell, it's probably the best system I've heard in a car (personally).

 

^ that sound system is amazing i also love the bang and olufsen sound system in the newer audis ... but yeah i love my 8 too and i also loved my 335 especially after driving the 8 theres no way id be content driving an IS

 

I drive the IS250 and 350 everyday.

The 350 is more comparable to the bmw.

There is revised brake pads for less noise and dust which sacrifice braking power a lot. W/o the revised brake pads the IS will stop on a dime but you generate tons of brake dust.
The original pads from the factory will also chew through rotors so much that when a brake job is performed the rotors are replaced due to how thin the rotors become.( Due to less material = less ability to shed heat = greater tendency to warp a thinner rotor.)

The motors gum up in the valves and you pretty much need to rev the **** out of it to clean it up or run GM top engine cleaner through it regularly(ie:30k, 60k)

Since your in houston you probably don't have as many cars with dash rattles but here in the cold the dash rattles like nuts in a tin can. Easily fixed through warranty, however they have to remove the entire dash.

Either way its a good deal whatever route you choose. High end car manufacturers will give their customers anything if they bitch enough. We warranty sludged motors for example by customers who come in 4-8k over their oil change.

I drove the 335xi and the steering is definitely something to get use to. I'd go BMW imho. And yes I work at Lexus.

 

lol i know man i like the is as a car to cruise around in but to drive everyday id get bored and fall asleep at the wheel and die! its as simple as that lol maybe its coz ive gotten used to my 8 but for real i mean im not taking away from lexus im no hater but when it come to performance plus luxury the germans cant be beat ... at least not at an everyday price ...