wrxhoon

You hit the nail on the head, why would anyone want to built cars in this country? Wages are very high, work practices are extreme and our market is tiny by world standards. You can built cars anywhere else cheaper and import them here for either zero import duties or max 5%, depending on where they come from. Toyota will be going in the near future as well just like all manufacturing in AU. We will be a dirt exporter, financial hub ( Sydney), maybe education exporter and tourism when our currency is low. Our agriculural stuff is very expensive as well but at least we have the land ( until it's all sold to OS interests) to produce, something the Asian countries don't have and can't have unless we sell them ours! .

You would be surprised to know people have paid well over the recommended price to get a car they want but I don't know if anyone would on a Lexus. Low $80's is the normal on road retail price for the F-sport without options, the poster is getting option pack II, not sure how much it is but at a guess at least $4-$5k option. There aren't any advertised deals on the new IS as yet however you can always get substantial discount on car that's worth $80+k, maybe not in the apple isle though. ISF-350 , it's actually easier to get discount on a car you order because the dealer doesn't out lie anything and has your deposit for a few months unless of course you buy last years car like buy a car in Feb-March 14 and its made in Dec 13. I hope you know you are unsecured creditor to the company you ordered from.

- They would only be to happy to take your money, why wouldn't they? $500-600 to change the oil, good work if you can get it!! Thats all that matters.

I think you came across a normal old school used car salesman, there are still some around but I didn't think they would be any in a Lexus dealership, then again I wouldn't buy a used car form a dealer. The $6 k extra the Mazda dealer offered you, some of it ( probably most) would be disquised discount on the new car you bought. Your choice and your opinion on FWD versus RWD for me only RWD or AWD ( true AWD or with RWD bias) never FWD, however FWD cars are much cheaper to build, use less fuel and have more internal space for the same weight and size. Twitchy in straight line?? Are you sure you don't have a turbo or supercharger under the bonnet? Nothing wrong with 16" wheels for that car, I'm not a fan of huge wheels unless I have huge brakes and I need the big wheels to clear the callipers. Like I said nothing wrong with the big Maz but don't be surprised if you have to add oil between services, make sure you check it regularly, all cars will use some oil. Nothing like a new car enjoy.

Wow , not one $ discount?? Ah well you live in the apple island. I don't know why you didn't buy one in Mebourne or Sydney, I guess you are happy to pay the going rate from the only dealer there. I paid a lot less than that for my sport luxury!

I don't know where they are made, they could be made in Taiwan ( much better than China), my comment was general but unless you pay big $$ most cheap wheels are Chinese made. As for Aus certified , well so are Geat Wall and Cherry but I'll never drive one! Lots of lexus owners change their wheels, If I was you i would look at some used Lexus wheels 17" or 18", even 18" Lexus Is wheels are fitted with 35 profile tyres at the rear, if you buy 19" you will need 30 profile, you may as well use liquorice. Your 250 is not exacly powerhouse, large heavy wheels will not do it any favours, unsprung weight will not help in handling either.

If I was you I would keep away from Chinese wheels, especially large diameter , not much tyre to take the shock, easy to break.

Thanks for the heads up, I will look out for the button. Do you know how the TPS works? Does it detect the diff in rolling of the lower pressure tyre? I know tahts how it worked in my old Bimmer, it could detect as little as 4 psi difference. Has yours ever come up?

Mazda 6 is a nice car, has a nice in line 4 as well its a little on the guttless side for my liking though but don't even try to compare it with a Lexus IS. How can you compare a FWD to a RWD? Ever tried going hard in to a corner on a FWD? She will understeer and go straight. A RWD with some grunt will oversteer with a bit of play with the steering you will go around. Of course FWD is cheaper to produce, lighter and will use less fuel all else being equal.You mean you sold her because she was using to much oil? At least Lexus have rebuilt engines with high oil consumption, other brands will tell you it's normal to use oil and it is to some extend. Any engine will use oil and when you don't have to change it for 15 k k's I can guarantee the oil level will go down on any car. You never checked the oil for 7000km? Just because it's a Lexus it doen't mean you don't need to do normal routine checks, have you read the owners manual? If you did you will find there are several checks you should carry out on a weekly or at least monthly basis, one of the many is check oil level. As for the tranny sealed for life , thats a plus i would think but you can always have it serviced if you want. You will find all new cars are going that way with trannies now, they all use WS oil ( very expensive ) both Jap and Euros are sealed for life, what's more you will find the Maz has the same Aisin 6 speed as your old Lexus. Mine has the 8 speed Aisin , very smoth box but I have to say I prefer the ZF that my old BMW had because the converter was always locked, almost like driving a manual. Good luck with your MAZ , it's a new car you will like it but it's NO Lexus .

Does anyone know if the new (GSE31) sport luxury IS350 has it? If yes do you have to initiate it?

It will vary from state to state due to the coist of rego and stamp duty. Check stamp duty cost in various states on this : http://www.privatefleet.com.au/links-and-resources/crash-tests-car-safety/car-stamp-duty/ QLD is one of the cheapest , WA is most expensive but WA has cheap annual rego. Are you looking to buy a new car if so go to Lexus website and check the driveaway price in your state then go to your dealer and negotiate a lower price from there. If you are not trading a car it's very easy, buy from the dealer that will give the lowest price and service where you think you will get the best service and price. If you are trading ( not recommended unless trading a late model Lexus) you have to drive around and try to get the best money for your car. I buy new cars but never trade because I can get more that the dealer will offer for trade because they will only offer wholesale money.

If mine was smashed I would insist on a genuine screen and they have to supply a genuine screen in the warranty period, You can only use genuine parts if you want to keep your warranty. I may add , I don't ever take windscreen option for the reasons Lance correctly pointed out, your screen is covered just like everything else is subject to ecxess. On older cars that insurance will install aftermarket glass ( Chinese) is hardly worth the effort you can one replaced for under $300 and they will come to you , take the smashed screen off install the new Chinese screen and take away the old one.

Yes some can and will but because it's time consuming they will charge you for it, yes they do have to program every key not just the replacement key. Of course not many locksmiths that can do it, I know of one in Sydney that can and will as long as the used key you supply is the same number. You may find a dealer that will do it as well but I don't know of any. Dealers have to ability to do it as well but I don't know of any that will because it's time coonsuming and they want to sell you a key as well. It takes a dealer 5-10 minutes to program a new key, if they charge $80 it's good money!!!. If I was buying a car with one key I would ask the buyer to provide a second key or negotiate the cost of a new key on the price of the car.

Welcome to the club , I hope you enjoy your 250. You have 2 options. Buy a new fob and key from Lexus Australia ( your local lexus dealer) at about $590 ( $490 for the bob and $100 for the key), then pay your Lexus dealer from $60- $90 to have it programed, they actually have ro program both bobs the new and your existing one. As you can see it is a very expensive exersise, that goes for all new cars, you should always make sure you get at least 2 keys when you buy any car these days, Lexus supply 3, 2 fobs and a card, all 3 have a mechanical key as well. Second option, buy a used key and find a locksmith that will program it will cost around the $200-300, .They need to reset the proxy (proximity) computer, then program both bobs. You can buy used fobs with new blank keys in USA from about $50, you have to make sure your fob and the one you buy have the same numbers. Example here: FCC ID: HYQ14AAB IC: 1551A-14AAB Note how the numbers are the same both are 14AAB. Another option buy a new fob in USA ( make sure the numbers match) for about $130-$160 including the mechanical uncut key and go to either dealer or locksmith, if you find a dealer that will do it it will only cost $60-90 to program and $10-$20 to cut the key at your locksmith.

- IMHO, very low mileage on a car is worse than above average mileage. Not from my experiance Subby, I prefer a car with very low k's to a car with high k's as long as all else is the same, like condition, age etc and as long as it's been serviced. What triggers red flags with me is the very low k's , I want to find out the reason the k's are very low. In the above case there could be a very legitimate reason but it could also not be. It could have oddo haircut or could have been off road ( read damaged). The fact the car was sold new in NSW minimises the accident, they usually bring them in from interstate particularly WA. Serious accidents ( cars written off by insurance ) are registered as repairable write offs in NSW and from a couple years ago as statutory write offs. A stat write off can never be registerd in Australia.This is the reason insurance companies now will repair vehicles with severe damage .

Held by motor dealer is the time it was registerd in the dealers name not nessesary the time in the dealers possession. Dealers are slck they don't tranfer as soon as the buy the vehicle, they just pay the fine and transfer when they sell in the above case they probably done it when it went to auction. Dealers don't pay stamp duty and only pay half the tranfer fee we pay. Auction houses don't have to transfer as they act for the vendor in the above case the Audi dealer. I hope this explains the reason the auction house is not listed by RTA. Note the current dealer hasn't transfered yet either they will do it when you ( or someone else) buy it . Ask the original owner if she fitted new tyres before she sold it and check the date on the tyres see if they match. Check the oil in the engine to see if it was serviced in the last 3 years, oil breaks down over a period of time regardless of km travelledespecially if parked outside in the cold at night. If aftermarket warranty ( like 3 years) offered by the selling dealer read it to see what it covers ( I bet not very much ). Only the statutory warranty ( 3 months on vehicles under 10 years and under 160 k ks and under around $58 k) is any good. Make sure it's sold on form 4 not form 6 or form 8. Form 6 has the warranty but dons't cover the exclussions listed on the form , form 8 no warranty. I don't know how the price compares with other cars available for sale and if you are paying a premium for the low kms or not . Keep in mind the car is 6-7 years old, time as well as use wear cars out, again make sure the car hasn't been in a stack or flood, the guys at staewide should pick that . From my experience ( ex motor mechanic) Japanese BUILT cars ( not nessesary Jap branded cars) have proven to be very reliable over the years. The plant where Lexus are built is probably the best plant on earth.

I'm not aware of the tyre brand lexus used in that car however they would have to be Japanese made. Check the date on them . Original number plate was obviously personal plate and removed when traded in. Audi didn't want to retail it so it went to auction , all good here . The original owner sold 2 years ago, at what km? Has is been continiously registered? The dealer has to sell it with clear tittle but make sure it is before you part with your $$$ just in case the dealer goes broke before they pay the finance out. State roads will do all the checks for you, they will even tell you if it has been in a stack even minor. Good luck with it.

That's the compliance plate, it won't have paint details on it. Have a look at the bilt plate, should be on the passengers side b piller. This will have the manufaturers name ( TMC) NIN , engine number , paint code trim etc... As far as KM's go people can always cheat, there are ways to do it but I won't go on a public forum about them, some cars are more difficut than others and all of them are much harder than the days of the none digital oddos, however they are all doable. Loook for normal wear at the usual places , like drivers seat leather, steering wheel, brakes etc... they should all match the ks. Are the tyres worn out or new?, if worn check if they are original tyres as fitted in 2007, if new check when they were made. It's fair to say the car did 45k ks in the first 3 years but only 5 k ks in the next 3-4 years is a little odd. Before you commit to buy check if it has been in an accident ( severe, not a small dint), if yas keep away from it The car doesn't have original number plate on it either, what was the original plate? Should be on the service book. The fact it was sold at auction means nothing other than someone wanted to sell quick ( wholesale) .

Lexus of Chatswood has done it again, I had a letter form the dealership owner thanking me for doing business with them and if I choose to service the car with them assuring me they will take good care of her. I was offered a car free car wash and clean once a month for 4 years ( warranty period) or as long as I own the car provided I have her serviced there. All I have to do is take the car there and they do her while I wait . They also offered a free after delivery service ( about an hour), a tech sits in the car with me and goes through everything to make sure I understand how all the features work. This is the best service I ever had from any dealer by far and this is not the most expensive car I ever bought!! After 700 km on the clock I enjoy driving the car, still learning how everything works. The only thing I don't like about the car is the sill foot operated ( ala Yank) parking brake. I don't for the life of me understand why they don't have a normal handbrake on the centre console. I wonder if I'm the only one that doesn't like this.

From WA you heard about Lexus Chatswood? I don't want to disclose the price because I named the dealer, I can say that I got a substantial discount to the normal retail price. The dealer that gave me the cars to test wouldn't come to the party on price, not even close . These cars retail for $93k in NSW, they are a bit more in WA because you have to pay more stamp duty but then again you pay half what we pay on rego per year so over 5 years it works out about the same, besides you guys in the wild west are wealthy, not only you dig up dirt and sell it, we in the east subsidize you with our taxes. I think it's about time this stopped. As I said before the 335I is quicker that the IS 350 and handles better, the downside, even if you optioned it with everything you can get, it still can't match the sport luxury features. It's a well known fact about the oil leaks in the N54 engine, they all will leak from the oil filter housing, some with as little as 30k ks and most will leak from the transmission ( 6 speed ZF), I don't know about the new F30 with the 8 speed ZF. Another common failure is the fuel pump, more in USA than here. Check on google BMW335I problems and see what you came up with.

Yes of course the new shape.. BMW gave me a car to test , why wouldn't Lexus? I wanted to drive both the F-sport and the sport luxury because nobody could tell me for sure if the suspenssion is the same. I bought the car from Lexus of chatswood but that's not where I tested the cars. I have to say they are very proffessional, the salesman spent well over one hour with me showing me all the features and how to set everything up he even set my phone!! The cars was supplied with slimline plates ( they are extra money in NSW) and a box full of roses, a gift voucher from roses only, a bottle of French champagne and a box of chocholates! Never has this kind of service from BMW ....

Thats a long time ago,I bought one of the first WRX's to come to Aus (1994 hatch), 1999 sedan 2000 STI, 2002 sedan and 2003 STI, the 2000 STI had the most work, she was fairly quick in her day. All of them had some work, turbos are so easy to power up. I haven't had a WRX for a long time now but my wife had a liberty tuned by STI until 3 years ago. I had a few Nissan GTRS as well, one of them with heaps of work , around 800 hp, sus and brake work ,very quick car. I was going to replace my 335I when the new F30 came out about 18 months ago when I realised I coudn't buy a German built car, I couldn't bring myself to pay $110k for a SA built car so I waited for the new IS to come out . I would have liked an ISF but the BM is long overdue for replacement, maybe next car??

More fruit in it and I don't have look for an optioned up F-sport, ah the other thing F-sport doesn't have analogue speedo ( I could live with that), the last I remember about digital only speedos was in the mid 80's when all upmarket cars had them. It would be best to have both, like some cars do, BMW has, even my LC200 has both, why not Lexus . I guess buying a car is always a compromise , you like some stuff on one brand and other stuff on another brand. i'm still saving heaps buying a Lexus though...

From what you say sounds like she maybe addling to low, could be the fuel they used.

In my younger days I had several STI's and standard WRX's, mostly worked and I tracked them.