Traded in my 06' 525i for an 07 is350 with 50000km on it. I feel like I have betrayed my BMW passion, but I got a good deal, and it is a nice car. It came with the luxury and sport package, leather ventilated seats, nav, marc levinson sound system...and other nice features. I'll have another BMW someday, but it's lexus time right now.

 

Congrats. The IS350 is a nice car, if you never have to drive in the snow

Enjoy it. Must be a world of a difference from the 525.

 

Glad to see you seem to be happy with the trade. In my honest opinion though Lexus are for seniors and people who don't care for speed and performance. Even though they have tried to change this by making the IS. The IS is a great looking car but not a performance car to me, Lexus did some odd things to that car to take away the possibility of performance, ie. You cannot turn off traction control, and even in the ISF you can partially turn it off basically just for launch but then it automatically turns itself back on once you get to about 20km/hr. I think Lexus was on the right track but missed the mark.

But what really counts is that you are happy with the car, congrats.

 

Lexus? For me

But to each their own.

When it comes to Japanese cars, I like Infiniti a lot more than Lexus. If you like it, that is all that counts.

 

I have had several Lexus models. They are nice cars. Smooth, quiet. Well built. This is my first BMW and I think the difference between them couldn't be bigger. The BMW just feels great to drive. Sporty yet comfortable. Interior is way nicer in the BMW. The BMW feels so solid like it was carved from one piece of metal. It's hard to quantify the differences but I'm sold on BMW for now. I don't care for the F10 styling...

 

My wife would love me if I would get the IS350, she loves them! But it is BMW or bust! She might convince me to get a new 3 series for the same price as an older 5 but she will not talk me out of a BMW!

 

I was very happy with the BMW, but did not have a warranty with it and did not want to encounter any expensive problems. The Lexus deal came up and I will have a warranty until 120000km and 4 and a half years, to me it was a good option. Also, there is no BMW dealer in my hometown so it will now be easy to get my car serviced.

 

BMW can't build a car anything like as well as Lexus. I'd never own a high mileage modern BMW, I would have no qualms owning a higher mileage Lexus. The difference in build quality and reliability between the two is staggering. BWW strikes a great balance between luxury and performance, but sometimes you want the right car for the job. If you want a smooth, comfortable, technologically advanced car you won't find much better than a mid to high end Lexus.

 

Can you even get the IS 350 in manual??

 

Congrats on the purchase, personally I'd never get an is350 but thats only cause I'm 6'4 and I would barely fit in one.