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Used BMW 320i or Lexus IS250?


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Hi Guys,

 

Friend is changing ride soon and cannot decided between these 2. He's pretty much leaning towards the 320 but heard lots of horrible stories abt the reliability of it.

 

IS250 on the other hand is pretty much bullet proof as it's sharing Toyota parts but he finds it boring.

 

Any advise on the pros and cons of these 2 rides?

 

 

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Hi Guys,

 

Friend is changing ride soon and cannot decided between these 2. He's pretty much leaning towards the 320 but heard lots of horrible stories abt the reliability of it.

 

IS250 on the other hand is pretty much bullet proof as it's sharing Toyota parts but he finds it boring.

 

Any advise on the pros and cons of these 2 rides?

 

My 2 cents .... IMO - IS 250 is better insulated Toyota ... but I never doubt it's reliabilty as it is afterall a TOYOTA.

 

My previous car is the E90 and I still miss the car today ... I will go for the 320i anytime between the two and I have also heard of the horror stories with replacement of parts when the car gets older.

 

If your friend is concern about reliability ... go look at the Merc C class. I beleive the price for A4 is similar, why not look at the A4 as well.

 

 

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Buying 2nd hand branded cars make sure you can afford the repair. I been buying 2nd hand cars for own ride and based on my experience, never trust the dealer that sell you the car on the condition.

 

Many a times, you need to spend average another 1-2k on wear and tear parts and servicing (that's for Japanese car)

 

As a driver, road safety and car worthiness is more important than anything else as it will save your life.

 

Be it what car you buy, as long as its 2nd hand, bring it to the workshop for complete inspection and get the necessary replace.

 

Most 2nd hand cars in the market have problems or have met with an accident before. (you just go LTA or onemotoring website, are you aware how many road accidents happen in A DAY, where are those accident cars)

 

 

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thanks for the input guys.

 

A4's depre is much higher than the 2 cars mentioned. no mercs, coz no matter how he looked at it, it juz doesn't hv the 'oomp' factor to him.

 

and so, as expected, E90 is higly recommended. wat are the usual things that we gotta look out for? does it breaks down as often as wat others claimed? :)

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thanks for the input guys.

 

A4's depre is much higher than the 2 cars mentioned. no mercs, coz no matter how he looked at it, it juz doesn't hv the 'oomp' factor to him.

 

and so, as expected, E90 is higly recommended. wat are the usual things that we gotta look out for? does it breaks down as often as wat others claimed? :)

 

I have owned both. The E90 was terrible. With only 50k kms on the clock, I let it go cause the problems were crazy. It is not a claim, it is the truth.

I changed to a IS250 Lux after that. I can tell you upfront, the drive is silky smooth and is problem free. On top of that, the servicing costs at Borneo. For the same job done at PML, it is like 4 figs. Over at Borneo, low 3 figures.

 

so if ur friend is inclined towards the badge and status, go for the BMW. He must be prepared to fork out $5k and above for small problems to settle first. The bigger problems will probably cost around $4-8k. Good luck.

 

 

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Neutral Newbie

Hi Guys,

 

Friend is changing ride soon and cannot decided between these 2. He's pretty much leaning towards the 320 but heard lots of horrible stories abt the reliability of it.

 

IS250 on the other hand is pretty much bullet proof as it's sharing Toyota parts but he finds it boring.

 

Any advise on the pros and cons of these 2 rides?

I own this 2 car before if u ask me personally i will tell u both are not very good as bmw is not reliable and is250 is no fun to drive and the cabin is very small

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Just get the 320i. Just go for the badge since your friend doesn't know anything about cars.

 

Dont' think your friend needs extra power from a 2.5L V6 anyway so just stick with a 2L 4 banger will do.

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Neutral Newbie

My 2 cents .... IMO - IS 250 is better insulated Toyota ... but I never doubt it's reliabilty as it is afterall a TOYOTA.

 

My previous car is the E90 and I still miss the car today ... I will go for the 320i anytime between the two and I have also heard of the horror stories with replacement of parts when the car gets older.

 

If your friend is concern about reliability ... go look at the Merc C class. I beleive the price for A4 is similar, why not look at the A4 as well.

Merc class & audi a4 i don't like their handling

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I have owned both. The E90 was terrible. With only 50k kms on the clock, I let it go cause the problems were crazy. It is not a claim, it is the truth.

I changed to a IS250 Lux after that. I can tell you upfront, the drive is silky smooth and is problem free. On top of that, the servicing costs at Borneo. For the same job done at PML, it is like 4 figs. Over at Borneo, low 3 figures.

 

so if ur friend is inclined towards the badge and status, go for the BMW. He must be prepared to fork out $5k and above for small problems to settle first. The bigger problems will probably cost around $4-8k. Good luck.

 

WTF!! i tot it was bad, but this is incredible.. literally 'Mamamia!'.. hahahaha..

 

think i wld suggest to my fren to get the Lexus instead. he wld probably be a happier man if he drives the IS250..

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Just get the 320i. Just go for the badge since your friend doesn't know anything about cars.

 

Dont' think your friend needs extra power from a 2.5L V6 anyway so just stick with a 2L 4 banger will do.

 

ur rite, my fren has been driving jap all the while.

 

ur oso right that my fren dun need that much 'power' anymore coz he's already sick of having more then double of wat IS250 is giving now, the last i heard. i guess as a man aged, power is not everything, anymore.

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if u really must choose between the two i suggest u get a bmw 325

 

what kind of stupid reply is this?????

 

he asking 320 and is250...

 

and you say..if you must choose between the two....u say 325???

 

just like you asking is KFC or Texas Fried chicken nicer....

 

and i say...if you must choose between the 2 i suggest buy iphone

Edited by Rubberstamp
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I think u hit the nail right... my ex boss got a so call very new 3yrs old 5series and toward the end of 1st mth of ownership, kaput .... and the repair bill-- 8k+.... [laugh]

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I have owned both. The E90 was terrible. With only 50k kms on the clock, I let it go cause the problems were crazy. It is not a claim, it is the truth.

I changed to a IS250 Lux after that. I can tell you upfront, the drive is silky smooth and is problem free. On top of that, the servicing costs at Borneo. For the same job done at PML, it is like 4 figs. Over at Borneo, low 3 figures.

 

so if ur friend is inclined towards the badge and status, go for the BMW. He must be prepared to fork out $5k and above for small problems to settle first. The bigger problems will probably cost around $4-8k. Good luck.

 

Yeah, my elder bro's 318( which is quite similar to 320 ) warranty claims 3 times within the 1.5 year that he own the ride. Fuel injectors and another 2 items which i did not ask what was replace FOC due to still under warranty. Till he lose trust and patience in the car and sold it off recently.

 

But he bought another BMW again( 2 year old 520 ) [dizzy][dizzy]

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Dunno why so many horror stories about 320i. I bought a used 320i 2 years ago when it was 3.5 years - got it cheap for a reason - there was an oil leak. Spent about $1.8k fixing it up and for the past 2 years, I had problem-free motoring with the car. Only changed wear and tear items like brake pads, suspension, and tyres and once, radiator hose leaked. I make sure to service the car very regularly, every 8k km instead of the PML recommended 15k km or even the outside workshop's recommended 10k km.

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Depends on what is important to your friend...

 

Prestige...BMW 320i.

 

"value for money" Lexus I250.

 

For me I won't chose the E90 320 for 2 reason.

 

1) 3 series is small...dunno where all the space gone to.

2) inline 4 engine (which I think is the same as the previous generation 318is engine)

3) Boring interior.

 

I say "value for money" for I250 is becos...I think its also over priced. [:p]

 

I say...get the Mark X instead. [laugh][laugh]

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IS250 boring ???? hmmmmmm then dress her wif a ISF body kit lor !!!! spent more time on the road posing with a fast ride ......

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