USED Lexus IS Saloon (99 - 05)

My car

Well were do I start? I feel like I must be the only Lexus owner ever to have a complaint against them but I feel I have good reason to.

I bought a 2004 IS 200 SE in July last year and ever since then it has been nothing but trouble. For starters, it fails to start - not all the time but quite often - and they can still not fix it seven months down the line.

A month after owning the car, the power steering belt broke while driving on the motorway which seems weird to happen as I was going in a straight line. And now the clutch has gone and so too has the gearbox. All this on a seven-month old car with 8000 miles on the clock.

I thought I was buying into a quality brand but it seems I was not. And as for customer services, yeah the showrooms look great and so is the service you get when you buy the car, but the after-sales falls a long way short of what I find acceptable.

I would never buy a Lexus ever again.

My car

My better half and I purchased a pre-registered ‘03 IS200 SE from the dealer at the end of December 2004. We practically got a new car for well over £5000 less than the list price. It was pure luck that we happened to drive by a Lexus dealer and decided to pop in just to see what was on offer. However, the Lexus sales personnel didn't seem to understand the word ‘discount’ and we spent over 3 hours haggling until we struck a deal.

After doing the relevant research, we decided that Lexus had the best overall package. Audi dealers seemed snobbish promoting their cars as the best in the world, although reports have suggested otherwise for reliability, repairs and running costs. As for BMW, the designated test-drive car refused to start after we had booked the test dive well in advance. Not something to be expected from a prestige brand.

I have to confess that I was a sceptic that a Lexus is simply a Toyota being sold for an unreasonably high sum of money. It has been quite an eye opener how good these cars really are and the high level of service that is provided. To cap it off, the Lexus Owners Club website is full of useful information.

PS: Mr Hole - if a Lexus is just a Toyota then an Audi is simply no better than a Seat or VW and a Jag is no better than a Ford.

My car

I own a 51 reg, IS Sports Navigator, and can only say it has been a dream to own.

When deciding on how to spend the 30K budget I had, I started down the normal route of comparing vehicles. And like most took test drives from Audi, BMW, Lexus and all I can say is Lexus won hands down in all aspects of my decision, and I have never looked back.

I will explain, the Audi in the price range I was looking at was dull and dated, the BMW was the same story.

In addition to the vehicle it was the staff and how I was treated which also confirmed my decision, they were polite, helpful and not pushy.

After taking delivery of my shiny new car, what I never expected was the after sales service I received. I had a phone call from the dealership on the 1 and 2 month aniversary of my purchase to ask if I there was anything I needed help with or if there was anything not 100% right with the car.

The car is sporty enough considering we have speed limits in the UK, but if you know how to drive your car it's more than able to leave supposedly much faster vehicles in your exhaust fumes.

The car has been reliable from the moment I purchased it, and although I had an issue with 1 alloy wheel corroding, Lexus when shown did not use any excuse to avoid the work and replaced all 5 alloys under my warranty, even though the manufacturer warranty only had 2 weeks left until it expired.

My car

Don't be tight! Spend a bit more cash and get a car that's good! If you want a Toyota, buy a Toyota!

For £2,000 more you could own a BMW, Jaguar or Audi!! How much better does "I drive a Jag" sound than "I drive a Lexus"?!?