Hi Guys -

I have a 2006 IS-250. I purchased it a year ago. When I bought it, it was between the IS-250 and a 325i. I made what I though was the practical choice and got the IS-250. However, it's loaded. Heated/cooled seats, Navigation, luxury package, etc...

But... it's not the BMW. There hasn't been a day go buy since I bought it that I haven't eyeballed another 3 somewhere and wished I had bought it.

There are two things I'm having a hard time with... I'd like to get some opinions.

1. I really like my Lexus navigation. I didn't care if I had it at first.. but it was necessary for the bluetooth. Now, I've grown quite fond of it. iDrive sucks by comparison.

2. I won't go into the financial details, but my current payment is $615.00. The new payment will be around $670. I can afford both, but I have a bit of a mental block about going over $650. However.... the lexus maintenance (at the dealer) is killing me. My 30,000 mile maintenance (within the next 12 months) will be over $900.00. So, there's that to consider as well.

So... should I bite the bullet or not? Is the extra $55/month worth it? If so, should I get the iDrive or not?

I'd like to get the thoughts of BMW owners.

-Tom

You can understand what we are going to say. But with the free maintanace, and with Lexus's 900 dollar services, one Lexus service is the equvilant to 16 months of that extra 55 bucks. Might be worth a thought. I wouldn't think twice on the matter myself. Also, Idrive isn't all that bad. It takes a little bit of time to get used to it, but once you do it is very easy to use.

also, this is a good read: http://www.thecarconnection.com/Vehicle_Reviews/Sports_Convertibles/Faceoff_Lexus_IS350_Vs_BMW_330i.S184.A10149.html

We (my wife and I) test drive the IS-250 and e90 325i back to back when we wanted to get a replacement for a e46 320i recently.

Honestly, after the test drive on IS-250 we looked at each at other and said naaah. It is too soft, heavy and just doesn't feel like a BMW. After getting used to a BMW, it is hard to go with Lexus.

So we got the 2007 e90 325i instead and the only peeve we have is the RFT (run flats) giving a harsher ride on imperfect roads. The idrive is actually pretty good but I do agree that Lexus navigation is really good.

Did you get the sport package? Is it worth it?

I take it you have the iDrive?

Hi Guys -
Trade my IS-250 for a 328i or not? (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?p=9942453#post9942453)
-Tom
In a heartbeat.

I tested the IS250... My head hit the headliner no matter how I adjusted the seat. However, I did think it was a lot of car for the money. I wish my 328i had the paddle shifters.

If you're going to swap cars every few years...learn the lease :)

$55 over how many months, and what are you losing in the payments you've already made.

Say you've own the Lexus for 12 months and pay $600 that's 7200 you threw out the window...so it's much more than $55.

If you're going to swap cars every few years...learn the lease :)

$55 over how many months, and what are you losing in the payments you've already made.

Say you've own the Lexus for 12 months and pay $600 that's 7200 you threw out the window...so it's much more than $55.

Yeah... but I'm coming up on the last few days of 12 months with my IS-250 and I'm only 100 miles short of 20,000 miles.

So... Let's just say 20K miles per year. I'm going to be raked over the coals with a 20K+ mile/year lease. At 15K miles, the lease payment is already pretty darn close to my proposed loan payment. Or am I missing something?

-Tom

Oh... and my last car, I drove until it was paid for and continued to drive it for another 2 years. I would like to do the same here. I was planning to do that with my last purchase... however, I'm just regretting the IS-250 purchase and want a BMW.

-Tom

Oh... and my last car, I drove until it was paid for and continued to drive it for another 2 years. I would like to do the same here. I was planning to do that with my last purchase... however, I'm just regretting the IS-250 purchase and want a BMW.

-Tom
Nothing worse than driving a car and having second thoughts. GO get the BMW.

Yeah... but I'm coming up on the last few days of 12 months with my IS-250 and I'm only 100 miles short of 20,000 miles.

So... Let's just say 20K miles per year. I'm going to be raked over the coals with a 20K+ mile/year lease. At 15K miles, the lease payment is already pretty darn close to my proposed loan payment. Or am I missing something?

-Tom

20K may cause residual problems, yes.

Are you swapping keys for this purchase or putting money down. Smarter would be to sell it privately and minimize the loss.


Comparing a 3 year lease to a 5+ year loan isn't directly comparable. Compare a 36 month purchase to a lease and that's where you see a bigger savings of the lease.

Also if you don't complete the term of a lease you're not held accountable for miles. Since you technically own it. Say at 34 months you trade it in, they don't look at your car as a lease, so they depreciate the car with the miles it has, not what you agreed to.

For the most part people should never complete the terms of the lease.

At 15K miles, the lease payment is already pretty darn close to my proposed loan payment. Or am I missing something?If that's true, then I suspect that you're putting a decent amount down/have a good chunk of equity. Not smart in such a situation, that equity is only going to depreciate.

I've got an E90 with iDrive and sports pkg and love it to death. I would only recommend the sports pkg only if you like to drive pretty sporty, otherwize the larger wheels and lowered suspension isn't enough alone to suffer from a harsh-er ride (however I've never driven an E90 without the sports pkg, so I guess I can't compare). As for the iDrive, which I really don't need, it's pretty easy to use in my opinion, but then again this is my first car with a navigation.

I loved the IS on paper but once I drove it, I knew I wouldn't be happy. I then drove an 06 325Xi, 330Xi and an 07 328Xi Coupe and loved them all but the 330Xi was the best deal for me when weighing performance, features and cost. If I were you, I would look for a used 06 or 07 with less than 10k on it, you'll end up with a near perfect car with a great warranty and someon else will have taken the $$ hit for driving it off the lot. My dealer still has the 07 328 coupe that I drove with about 9k mi. Good luck, Pat

My friend's husband has recently got himself a new Infinity G35 with manual transmission. Several weeks later, he drove his friend's BMW 3 series and started mentioning to his wife that it's the car he actually wanted. I'd not be surprised if he ends up trading his G35 for a 3 series.

Personally, I've never test driven a Lexus IS so no comments here. But wifey and I were in a BMW dealer 2 months back making decision which bimmer we should take: a 5 series, a 335i or a 328i. We ended up with a Sport 328i and have been happy ever since.

Although once in a while my wife mentions we should look at a Mercedes, I'm so clear a bimmer would do much better for us.

As a former IS250 driver, I'll tell you what I thought of the car. Maybe you had the same likes/dislikes.

Positives
1. Super quiet and smooth drive (unless you buy a 6MT, then you risk a rattling tranny)
2. Awesome leather. Some of the softest leather I've ever sat on.
3. Decent power, nothing great, nothing too weak
4. Pretty good looking
5. One of the best NAV systems
6. Comfort Access built in
7. Good gas mileage w/ conservative driving (best personal average was 38 MPG for a tank)
8. Damn cool instrument panel
9. Knee airbags (are you serious? pretty cool)
10. Cooled seats. Feels tingly awesome
11. Toyota engineering and maintenance t/o lifetime (better reliability than BMW [according to Consumer Reports] and cheaper maintenance later in car lifetime [evens out free BMW maintenance over long period of time])

Negatives
1. VDIM - doesn't let you drive the car the way it should
2. Decent power, nothing great, nothing weak I want more (335i)
3. Tight backseat room...really tight (I'm sure you noticed the same)
4. Crappy manual transmission (way worse than Acura/BMW)
5. Excessive brake dust (I hear 3-series has same issue)
6. Sensitive alignment - myself and a lot of people had issues with the car pulling to the right. Most of us were able to fix with Bridgestone tires.
7. Auto-headlights - I know these things aren't perfect but mine would turn on in broad daylight, a little too sensitive

I think it's really your call. I know a lot of women who drive an IS250 and they love it. Not that I'm a chauvinist, but I think the car matches women a lot more than men. It's smooth, quiet, and looks good. But it didn't deliver the power with a good manual transmission that I wanted so it's not for me. Personal preference...

We (my wife and I) test drive the IS-250 and e90 325i back to back when we wanted to get a replacement for a e46 320i recently.

Honestly, after the test drive on IS-250 we looked at each at other and said naaah. It is too soft, heavy and just doesn't feel like a BMW. After getting used to a BMW, it is hard to go with Lexus.

So we got the 2007 e90 325i instead and the only peeve we have is the RFT (run flats) giving a harsher ride on imperfect roads. The idrive is actually pretty good but I do agree that Lexus navigation is really good.

very well said and good choice.

Have you ever owned a BMW? I was also deciding between the IS and the 328i. Test drive them back to back and see what you think. Once I did this it was a no brainer to me - the BMW was MUCH more fun to drive and felt tighter and more solid. I could have gotten a fully loaded LExus for what I pain for my 328i coupe (which only has the Premuium package) but have never regretted my decision for one second. The free maintenance played another huge part in my decicion. Not only are they free but you'll have to have your BMW serviced less frequently. Just remember - you will being trading some luxury for more sportiness. THe ride in the IS was much smoother.

Have you ever owned a BMW? I was also deciding between the IS and the 328i. Test drive them back to back and see what you think. Once I did this it was a no brainer to me - the BMW was MUCH more fun to drive and felt tighter and more solid. I could have gotten a fully loaded LExus for what I pain for my 328i coupe (which only has the Premuium package) but have never regretted my decision for one second. The free maintenance played another huge part in my decicion. Not only are they free but you'll have to have your BMW serviced less frequently. Just remember - you will being trading some luxury for more sportiness. THe ride in the IS was much smoother.

How do you feel about not having the sport package? My dealer has one on site that was custom ordered with a bunch of stuff, but no sport package (it has Premium, iDrive, USB/iPod, Upgraded sound, etc). They are eager to move it because the deal fell through with the person who ordered it. I can get it for about the same price as one with Premium+sport alone.

Thoughts?

Have you ever owned a BMW? I was also deciding between the IS and the 328i. Test drive them back to back and see what you think. Once I did this it was a no brainer to me - the BMW was MUCH more fun to drive and felt tighter and more solid. I could have gotten a fully loaded LExus for what I pain for my 328i coupe (which only has the Premuium package) but have never regretted my decision for one second. The free maintenance played another huge part in my decicion. Not only are they free but you'll have to have your BMW serviced less frequently. Just remember - you will being trading some luxury for more sportiness. THe ride in the IS was much smoother.

That's true, BMW v.s. Lexus is a preference of driving pleasure over luxury. I'd keep the extra luxury at home and drive the BMW with lots of :D :D :D :D :D.

So... I guess my decision now is this:

- Loaded (Premium package, iDrive, Comfort Access, iPod/USB, Logic 7, Sirius, etc), but no sport package

OR

- Sport package + Premium package, but that's it.

Thoughts? The seats and steering wheel on the sport is nice, but doesn't charge me up too much. It would be mostly for the suspension changes.

Thoughts?

Test drive with and without SP and see for yourself. To me the difference is significant to definitely make me chose the SP.
Good Luck

OK... 328i (sport+premium). I'm going with the Crimson Red. I pick it up in the morning.

-Tom

Do it.

Welcome to the club, I will make fun of you for not getting the 335, but that's okay.

So... I guess my decision now is this:

- Loaded (Premium package, iDrive, Comfort Access, iPod/USB, Logic 7, Sirius, etc), but no sport package

OR

- Sport package + Premium package, but that's it.

Thoughts? The seats and steering wheel on the sport is nice, but doesn't charge me up too much. It would be mostly for the suspension changes.

Thoughts?

whatever you choose, don't skip the SP. It is definitely worth it, the ride is a little bumpier, but the suspensions are great, the wheels as well. Plus, it gives a better look to your car

Welcome to the club, I will make fun of you for not getting the 335, but that's okay.

Dude,
You have issues... or are compensating for something. I don't think you have ever posted anything but a variation on what you said here.

Well.... I picked it up on Saturday. It's DEFINITELY the car I should have purchased in the first place. Man.... it's a different beast. A true sports car. The Steptronic works really really well. Not like the shifter on the Lexus at all.

Thanks for all the advice!

Dude,
You have issues... or are compensating for something. I don't think you have ever posted anything but a variation on what you said here.

I don't need compensation under my hood, or in my pants.

my mom went from a is250 to a 328i...its amazing the difference in how much better the BMW is oriented to a drivers car. id make the swap if i were u. iDrive just takes some getting used to.

I don't need compensation under my hood, or in my pants.

Then why the constant drum beat trashing all non-335's? You are either compensating or a child that spent mommy and daddy's money on the bimmer. Either way, it is tacky and you made your point about a thousand posts ago.

Then why the constant drum beat trashing all non-335's? You are either compensating or a child that spent mommy and daddy's money on the bimmer. Either way, it is tacky and you made your point about a thousand posts ago.

So your two cool posts are about me...hmmm. Sounds like you have a lot of time on your hands. Go away silly boy. Somebody will like you at some point.

This is the internet. My car is better than yours, my dad can beat up your dad, and I can beat you up.

One of the above is true, your choice.

So your two cool posts are about me...hmmm. Sounds like you have a lot of time on your hands. Go away silly boy. Somebody will like you at some point.

This is the internet. My car is better than yours, my dad can beat up your dad, and I can beat you up.

One of the above is true, your choice.

yawn

I have a better car than both you pansies....

Crimson on an E90 looks sweet. You're going to love the 328i compared to your car. Getting rid of buyer's regret is a damn good feeling :buttrock

Well.... I picked it up on Saturday. It's DEFINITELY the car I should have purchased in the first place. Man.... it's a different beast. A true sports car. The Steptronic works really really well. Not like the shifter on the Lexus at all.

Thanks for all the advice!

Congratulations! So glad you like it, as I did. I kept telling my wife (for whom the 328i is for), "It's amazing the step 328i performs as well or better than my manual Z4". In fact, I also prefer it to the 04' 530i that we've been driving for over 3 years.

And thanks for the hands-on comparison. I've never driven an IS, 250 or 350.

yawn


Exactly....my point being all 3 are true.

depends which one you like they are both good

I have a better car than both you pansies....

I disagree.

Tom,

I did the same thing you did, I looked at the BMW, Lexus and Acura. I ended up with the Acura TL, which is loaded much like the Lexus (I didn't pick Nav), and frankly is more fun to drive than the IS (and faster).

However, I too wish I had gone for the BMW, but at the time the 325i was just too slow compared with the TL. So for that reason I didn't go that route.

But having driven the 328i, the extra horsepower makes all the difference and I am getting ready to trade if I can get the right deal.

I think that the 328i is a better car than the Lexus on so many levels. Although your payment would be higher you should consider the savings in maintenance costs, which should actually save you money over the ownership of the car.

I've not played with the iDrive on a 3 series, but have looked at it on the 5 series. It seems to suck just like all the reviews say. Personally, I'd just get a really nice Garmin for $500 instead of giving BMW another $2100.

Hope that helps!

So... I guess my decision now is this:

- Loaded (Premium package, iDrive, Comfort Access, iPod/USB, Logic 7, Sirius, etc), but no sport package

OR

- Sport package + Premium package, but that's it.

Thoughts? The seats and steering wheel on the sport is nice, but doesn't charge me up too much. It would be mostly for the suspension changes.

Thoughts?

Remember, A BMW is meant to be driven, that means SPORT PACKAGE! The Premium Package is a must also, has bluetooth. A loaded BMW without SP is almost as bad as getting the Lexus. Luxury over sport.

Oops, you got the Sport Package, congrats.

Thanks all. Made my first small road trip today. About 3 hours. Mostly interstate, but what a great ride. Next weekened I'm driving up to my grandma's house (her 90th b-day) in the hills of north Georgia. I can't wait to hit the winding roads!!!

-Tom

Personally, I sometimes regret the harsher ride I get due to the sport package. However, I wouldn't change a thing if I could. The seats in the SP are so incredible, sitting in a car without it makes me want to puke. Okay, not really puke, but you get my drift.

I have back problems and sore body issues because of it, and these are the most comfortable chairs I ever get to sit in. I actually have considered buying one to mount on wheels for an office chair.

Glad to hear you got the SP.

Great choice and welcome to the club.

By the way, I have the 330i, wish I had the 335i, but even the 328 is a marvelous performer. Power isn't everything all the time.

Power isn't everything all the time.
Amen to that.