I like my cars but have never really worked on them so could be swindled! Looking at one of these later today, seems to have a FSH, 86000, £3250. I am keen, but just wanted to see if anyone had anything they knew I should look out for? Cheers!
The IS250 like all Lexus have a great build and a reliable reputation, if a tad boring. If it’s got FSH and it’s in good nick, go for it.
Superb build quality and attention to detail. IS won't be as engaging to drive as a 3 Series, but it'll be 500x more reliable and actually if you drive them as they're meant to be driven, i.e. relaxed, they're also far more comfortable than their competitors. As others have said, service history is important as with all cars, but older Lexus are ridiculous amounts of car for the money.
I drove one of these for about 12 months 6/7 years ago. Thought it was a nice drive. Not very fast but enough to get you out of trouble if needed and very smooth. It was the SE model and I put some sport alloys to make it a bit more pleasing to the eye. Had all the toys in it as well and was really nice inside. The servicing at Lexus was a bit steep and I remember there was a jump in tax band dependant on what year it was and if it was an auto or manual (worth checking that out first).
As mentioned make sure its got service history, check the electrics work, and theres no problem with head gasket - although this is more of an issue with the diesel. Had 6 lexus' over the years and the only one with major problems was the is220d, all the others were reliable except for a few electric niggles here and there. Good luck.
Had mine for 6 years - probably the most reliable car I've ever owned, and the most helpful/customer-focused dealer network.
The SE-L spec with Navigation and Mark Levinson audio is the one to have if you want absolutely all the toys (including cooled seats and electric rear blind).
As others have said, it's not an especially involving car to drive. I got mine for a long weekly commuter, mostly on motorway, and it's in its element there. It's not slow (the IS250 is a 2.5 litre V6) but the handling is definitely "comfort" rather than "sport".