ooops - just bought a Lexus...

[scorcher]

...and again I'll blame you Nick, for suggesting the IS300 Sportcross in the first place :D

Just went to see on in real life at the dealer in Guildford, ended up taking it it for a long drive with heavily pregnant wife and she thought it was fantastic - and I was very very impressed - soooooooo many toys! And no hesitation at all in the auto box (unlike my 528) - didn't try the steering wheel gear change as I thought that might be best left until I'm on my own! Didn't realise how little they look like 'estates' in the flesh - much more like long hatchbacks, if that makes any sense.

http://www.lexus.co.uk/images/G/GV04LOD.jpg

It's a 2004 Sportcross Navigator in Platinum Ice with black leather, ex demo in mint condition - couple of stonechips they are going to sort out and it'll have a brand new set of rims under warranty (all of them had bubbled, which was a bit odd). It hadn't been prepared for sale yet, so am sure they would have sorted the faults anyway.

They offered me a very good trade in price for the R32, and as it was filthy inside and out (wasn't expecting to trade it at all) and I'll be collecting it next Friday.

Very impressed with the customer service too - nice to be treated as a human (remember I'm used to VW and BMW dealers)

So that was a little faster than I was planning on changing cars, but it's all done now!

And I don't think I'll be getting these...

Nasty Mods (http://www.goldplating.co.uk/product.php?subcatid=3&carid=2)

[thumbsdow

[Har5ha]

congrats on the car...!

Hopefully u will pick it up before the baby arrives!

[peppernick]

[crackmeup [crackmeup [crackmeup ....honestly dude the IS300 is a top car [ok

Like a lot of things in life, you never know until you try them out :cool:

[scorcher]

Baby and car are both due on the 20th :eek:

And cheers again Nick - would have never thought of a Lexus [cool

[Har5ha]

Post pics of both when they arrive!!!

I assume ur car will be female? and baby..boy or girl?

[Stock323iSaloon]

HOLY LEXUS DAN!!! You have many options, excellent dealer service, and pure reliability [jam Let's get the wheels and lights sorted before your missus REALLY needs to go to St Peters!

[InvIs Inc]

nice 1 dude hope u get as much fun as u did with the r32 [cool

[Shuriken]

Congratulations (on both) mate! As Harsha said, be sure to post pics. :)

Shuriken.

[Afif]

[crackmeup. Thats just mad how quick you changed cars! Its all good though :cool:.

[scorcher]

Post pics of both when they arrive!!!

I assume ur car will be female? and baby..boy or girl?

Don't know if it'll be a boy baby or girl baby, but the car is definitely an it!

[Raj]

Hey Dan, congrats matey. You can't really go wrong with the Lexus as it is really sweet. Both due on the same day (that could be really stressful). Good Luck.

[paulm3]

good choice, they are great cars.. and handy it beeing an estate :):):) good luck with it (and the baby)

[Spoon]

Congrats dude!!! The Lexus looks slick!

I hope you will have a healthy baby too!

[Ali_]

Congrats on the new purchase Dan [ok

[Stock323iSaloon]

Now that you joined the Japanese car scene, there are plenty of mod parts you've never been able to fit on your VW or BMW :cool:
- blue LED dial mod
- CF bonnet
- TRD strut
- Raizer exhaust
- Tein coilovers
- TRD gauge clusters
- TOMS ECU
- HKS manifolds
- Enkei
- CF lower spolier

[lee330sport]

Cool car dude, what kinda power those things running.

[scorcher]

Cool car dude, what kinda power those things running.

3 litre VVTi producing 211 bhp as standard (which it won't be for long :D)

So not as powerful as the R32 by a long shot, but still faster than my old 528 :)

[scorcher]

Now that you joined the Japanese car scene, there are plenty of mod parts you've never been able to fit on your VW or BMW :cool:
- blue LED dial mod
- CF bonnet
- TRD strut
- Raizer exhaust
- Tein coilovers
- TRD gauge clusters
- TOMS ECU
- HKS manifolds
- Enkei
- CF lower spolier

Oh blimey - that's a good selection to be getting on with :D

Do you know of any good Lexus aftermarket parts websites Mitsu?

[Ali]

Congrats.

The IS is a very nice car and a fine handler... nearly bought an IS200 sport before my 3 series...

One warning though, you'll be taking a little time to get used to its very wierdly magnified rear view mirror! [hmm

[scorcher]

Congrats.

The IS is a very nice car and a fine handler... nearly bought an IS200 sport before my 3 series...

One warning though, you'll be taking a little time to get used to its very wierdly magnified rear view mirror! [hmm

I thought I noticed that the view in the mirror was a little weird, but put it down to my excitement :o

[ANT MAN]

HOLY LEXUS DAN!!! You have many options, excellent dealer service, and pure reliability [jam Let's get the wheels and lights sorted before your missus REALLY needs to go to St Peters!

Agree with the above, Lexus= quality and quality customer service too. Check out the latest JD power survey. Sensible choice of car [cool

A sharp contrast to the cowboys at my local stealer. Went to have a mirror fixed and they scuffed the door card, which the service manager denied. After having an argument for 5 mins, I later repaired it myself.

They must have put a box or something dirty on the boot, as that was scratched too. Going back tomorrow to get them to sort it properly as their first attempt wasn't good enough. :mad:

[scorcher]

When I had my 528 I changed from going to my local dealer, Cooper Cobham, to Cooper Thames Ditton as the customer serice at the former was f***ing awful, and the Thames Ditton boys were amazing!

Since found out that the Inchape Group own Lexus Guildford (where I bought the new car) and Cooper Thames Ditton - maybe they actually bother to train their staff in customer care?

[Stock323iSaloon]

some JD Power results....u made the right choice Dan!

Toyota and G.M. Earn Top Spots in Quality Poll
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: May 18, 2005

Filed at 8:54 p.m. ET

DETROIT (AP) -- General Motors Corp. and Toyota Motor Co., the world's two largest automakers, had the top vehicles in 15 of 18 categories in a closely watched survey of 2005 models released Wednesday by research firm J.D. Power and Associates.

Toyota's Lexus SC430 was the highest-ranking vehicle for the second year in a row. Owners of the luxury coupe reported 54 problems per 100 vehicles, less than half the industry average of 118 problems per 100 vehicles. Suzuki Motor Corp. had the highest rate of problems per vehicle at 151 per 100 vehicles.

Industrywide, automakers showed little improvement in overall quality in 2005, moving up just one notch from 119 problems per 100 vehicles in 2004.

Chance Parker, executive director of product and research analysis at J.D. Power, said automakers shouldn't get complacent because quality will keep improving. Just five years ago, the industry average was 154 problems per 100 vehicles, he said.

''Car companies that take their eye off the ball risk being left behind,'' Parker said.

Overall, Toyota had the top vehicles for initial quality in 10 categories, including the Toyota Prius compact car, Toyota Sienna minivan and Lexus sedans in all three luxury car categories. Toyota said that was a record number of segment awards in the study.

''As we continue to expand our manufacturing operations globally, it's gratifying to see that we continue to prioritize quality,'' Toyota vice president Don Esmond said in a statement.

GM had five winners, including the Buick LeSabre full-size car, Chevrolet Suburban full-size sport utility vehicle and GMC Sierra heavy-duty full-size pickup. That was a boost for the automaker, which saw its U.S. vehicle sales fall 7.7 percent in the first four months of this year.

''GM's been doing very well over the last couple of years. They've made some great improvements,'' said Neal Oddes, J.D. Power's director of product research.

Shares of GM climbed 76 cents, or 2.5 percent, to close at $31.61 in trading on the New York Stock Exchange, where they have traded in a 52-week range of $24.67 to $48.27. Toyota shares rose 7 cents to close at $72.53 in trading on the exchange.

Jaguar was the top-ranking European brand, with 88 problems per 100 vehicles. Ford Motor Co., which owns Jaguar, said that was a 10 percent improvement over last year. The jump in quality could help the struggling brand, whose U.S. sale were off nearly 25 percent for the first four months of 2005.

The survey, in its 19th year, is an important one for automakers, which often use the results in their marketing campaigns. J.D. Power and Associates questioned more than 62,000 people within 90 days of buying or leasing a 2005 vehicle. The survey measures 135 attributes, from handling, braking and engine trouble to seat comfort and stereo systems.

GM's Hummer brand showed the most improvement from the 2004 survey, J.D. Power said. Hummer was last among vehicle brands in 2004 with 173 problems per 100 vehicles. This year, it had 110 problems.

Hummer improved in 76 of the 135 different attributes, including reducing wind noise and improving its interior, Oddes said. Kevin Williams, vice president of quality for GM, said the company learned valuable lessons that it applied to the Hummer H3, a smaller SUV that went on sale this week.

Williams said GM wants to get brands like Chevrolet and Pontiac, which ranked below the industry average, up to the level of top performers like Cadillac and Buick. He said this survey and others are improving GM's standing among consumers who perceive a lack of quality in the company's vehicles. Earlier this week, GM was a top performer in a survey by Strategic Vision that measured quality as well as owners' emotional response to vehicles.

''We're starting to see the impression of our vehicles change,'' Williams said. ''(Consumers) are pleasantly surprised, not just in the product itself, but how well that product is put together.''

Williams said Cadillac slipped slightly in the J.D. Power survey this year because the brand introduced new models that tend to be more prone to hiccups and consumer complaints. But Oddes said new models don't necessarily have problems. For example, the new 2005 Hyundai Tucson had just 99 problems per 100 vehicles.

''Hyundai is truly dedicated to making a quality product,'' Oddes said.

Nissan Motor Co. had the most improved vehicle model with the Nissan Quest minivan. Oddes said the Quest had 243 problems per 100 vehicles last year, and dropped that to 139 this year. The Kia Spectra, Hummer H2 and Scion xA also showed marked improvement.

[scorcher]

Yay! Must admit I wasn't overly impressed with the R32's build quality, so fingers crossed the IS300 will be as solid as they say :)

[Stock323iSaloon]

Yay! Must admit I wasn't overly impressed with the R32's build quality, so fingers crossed the IS300 will be as solid as they say :)

I'll vouch for the Japanese build quality! If your wife goes into labour and your IS300 breakdown, give me a shout and I'll deliver the pair of you to St Peter's!

[scorcher]

Cheers fella!

But not sure if you are only suggesting that as the Lexus isn't that likely to break down :rolleyes: