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Consumer Reviews for the Lexus IS 350
Read recent reviews for the Lexus IS 350
One of The Best Vehicles Ever Made, Yes Read
Preston The Car Guy, 09/25/2022
2007 Lexus IS 350 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
I've had my 2007 Lexus IS350 since 2010. It was the first "nice car" I purchased after college after it won the "Executive Car of the Year".
I've kept it long since I retired it as my daily. I've owned a Huracan, Boxster S, 911 Carrera S, 2017 Acura NSX and spent a few weeks with a 458 and more. I've taken performance driving training and done some racing, learned a lot and that I … never appreciated the IS 350 enough in hindsight. Driving it now I can compare it to elite vehicles better and understand how to get the most out of it.
Are those others better performance cars? Absolutely!
But are they better daily drivers or values than a IS 350? NO! IS 350 is one of the best values made in this century and hardly anyone talks about them unless they've owned one.
Huracan & 458 are most fun but not that comfy & it sucks being stuck in one behind a truck going 35 all day in 1st. Not practical, not great daily drivers, obviously. EXPENSIVE!!
NSX & 911 are amazing daily drivers AND performance cars but they still cost $100k+ easy, which rules out a lot of readers here considering an IS 350 or similar.
You can get an A+ Boxster S or GTS for $50-$100k and in my opinion, those are some of best true sports/fun car driving experiences & value that can be a daily... That's if you want the cheapest super car, exotic or true race car... Mid Engine.
However, they grew uncomfortable on me on trips longer than an hour or two. Not great visibility, esp with top up. Subpar ride quality. Bumpy. Fun though? O yes! Lots and more than IS 350 but in my humble opinion, not by much and I didn't get the chance to drive around the twisty turns all day that really make those cars just a fair bit more fun than an IS in handling, excitement.
If you put good exhaust, sway bars on a fully loaded 2nd gen IS 350? Maybe a few other little things.. I think you have at least a comparable, more reliable & ALMOST as fun experience for a fraction of the cost.. A sleeper too. Looks like a plain old IS 250.. Rock solid in every way!
It will last long enough for you to actually learn how to drive it.. No, you do not need a car with 690 HP.. Please learn how to drive a car with 300 to 400 hp first and the 2nd Gen IS 350 is one of the best for that.
An extremely clean 2nd gen IS 350 can be bought for around $10k-$20k in 2022 (That will go up) used and let me tell you.... I'd rather own one of those if I was at the beginning of my career again and had a budget or was using as a daily... Better than BMW & Audi over the long haul by far! Don't bring up Mercedes please. Tesla, different buyer..
Super-cars are often very fast, not reliable, expensive to maintain & too fast to use or be safe. You cannot put miles on a lot of them without heavy depreciation or repairs.
That eliminates all cars over $100k, so it comes down to Boxster S or Cayman S for me... as the benchmark fun quality value
Those don't have super car acceleration but close & make the driver work more, which I enjoy more than 0-60 in 2 seconds and you're done and braking...Then do it over again... That gets old despite how cool the exhaust note sounds at 10 mph in your neighborhood :)
We can all agree how fun a car is to drive > how fast it is, I think.. That's why those old Porsches are gold!
IS 350 is a blast with a cult following! It is luxurious. It's like a luxury sports car but a sedan... Smaller, lighter.. A LOT of thought went into the vehicle. You can tell.
Better than a Z.. A Supra.. Throw anything at it in that price range and grade it in all categories after driving for a week. Not going to beat this today for a N/A premium performance sedan that you can drive 400k miles with hardly anything more than oil changes & tires.
A good driver often gets more out of a inferior car than a inferior driver with a superior car.
The experience of the IS 350 grows on you in time and is one of the best IF you begin to start getting familiar with it & pushing it's limits. It's a great car to learn how to performance drive safely while having more fun than a June bug in a pepper patch.
Now back to the IS 350...
Its probably the most comfortable or as comfortable as any of these cars... 911 & NSX are there too and may be more comfortable for driver but not by much.
You can get a 2G IS 350 for $10k right now vs a Boxster/Cayman S for $40k, $50k+ at least
The IS has a MUCH lower total cost of ownership
The IS has better longevity & reliability
The IS is safer
The IS has a backseat, a real one and can seat 5 adults
The IS has A/C in the backseat
The IS handles and is faster than specs report
0 to 60 under 5 secs
1/4 mile mid to low 13s w/ small mods
Handles as well as a beamer and just about anything, SO tossable!
N/A engine is a beast
Paddle shifters and middle (transmission is biggest place Porsche has this car beat) but will you really be shifting all day?
The list goes on. The IS 350 is one of the most under-rated driver's cars of this era. Only a matter of time before values spike.
They are getting hard to find because owners won't sell them.
Coming from a car enthusiast a 2012 or 2013 Boxster S is one of the best sports cars out there but it costs 3-5x more with low miles.
It is not anywhere near 3-5x the car the IS 350 is. I would say the IS is better and more well rounded vehicle for a fun daily driver that will last 100 years and give you no reason to sell it.
In 12 years, I've only replaced headlamps outside of regular maintenance, tires & oil changes. 130k miles.
Best 0-60 4.8 secs
Best 1/4 mile 13.5
Great brakes & easy to upgrade
Handling very steady, not much feedback. Just goes where you point it with a lot of push
Great interior and features, tech
Not for someone over 6'0" or 6'2" unless you get seat angle perfect.
Rock solid chassis, very minimal body roll
Great on gas 20/30 city/hwy
Comfortable for long rides, 5 to 6 hours easy
Good size trunk
Great tuned legendary engine
Small backseats but ok
Treat lights so they dont fog
This car should be selling for a lot more
Drive one for a week and tell me otherwise?
Soon to be classic these IS 350s & IS Fs
Both amazing, I actually like the 350 more than the IS F.
Get a Lexus or Toyota mechanic to check out any used one you are considering buying.
If clean, BUY IT NOW! No regrets. Sleeper heaven.
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