In your honest opinion, which are you leaning towards more?

 

I would go to the closest dealer and tell them you are thinking of buying some dealers will let you spin the tires the evo is awesome but doesn't have the extras cruise contol etc.

 

there was a video showing an IS350 doing 0-84 mph, it was wicked fast. the car was shifted manually, and side by side with an smg e46 m3, it really wanst much difference..somce people even thought the IS accelerated faster. my point is, the new IS350 is a monster, but compared to the evo, it is only a straightline car. however, luxury and comfort wise it PWNS the Evo.

all aournd performance = Evo. IMO it's more practial too due to AWD, as well as more roomy interior. looks = subjective so cant help you with that one. interior/comfort = IS350. only thing is what's more important to you

if i had an Evo i'd definitely take you out for a spin. it's really tough to get a drive from the dealers. good luck finding someone willing to help you out oh and recently this dude on this board just traded in his newly bought is350 for an Evo 9, maybe you can ask him about his thoughts on the 2 cars

 

Here you go... I'll make the choice even harder... just kidding!

The IS was owned by Izzyracer (member here). However, probably just a month of owning his car and test driving my Evo for less than 5 minutes, he traded his IS for a blue Evo... Don't ask me why... Good thing we took plenty of pics before he went berserk! Yup, blame me and my white evo... but I swear, we're as innocent as can be...

 

yeah thats right, is350 is RWD, not even offering a 6spd in it yet...

 

lol, wow man you are in the same shoe as me.
I graduated from UCI as well, and am thinking about buying the
Evo IX right now before the special is over. One thing i know for sure,
your insurance is going to be hella high. I am 25 now, and I think i will still be
paying 1.6k-2k range. Clean record as well. No ticket.
The the only problem i have right now is that i only have fragging 25k money to go
while the evo out of the door is 30k+ ... and this is the 25k pre-approved from my credit union... tough choice, you wanna head down to the dealership sometime this thursday or friday ? we can both check out the evo and see if we can get a better deal from buying two :P :P

 

simple choice, performance or luxury. of course performance = + fun, - practicality, - maintenance.

like many have said, your still young so why not enjoy your life and go the luxury route in your later years when your ticker cant handle the boost anymore and your a family man.

 

I had an IS350. Crystal White with Nav and Premium package. I drove it for a month. Very powerful and fast. Has a lot of gadgetry. I had a paid off car to trade in so I bought it without much second thought. Then my friend showed me his Evo IX. It was nowhere close to my IS350 as far as gadgetry and luxury goes. He let me drove his IX. That was a big mistake, I got to feel the damn car. This thing had a heart and soul in it.
It is very hard to compare the EVO IX to an IS350 or for that matter to any car. It is just a different car.

If you want plush seats get the IS350, if you want a real driver's car, get the Evo.

In less than a month I grew tired of the IS350, and had the opportunity to get a Blue Evo SSL through Mark's deal of SC Mitsu without hurting my pocket too much.

I made the mistake of buying the IS350 in my opinion not because it's a bad car, it's because I got to experience the EVO IX.

If you are even considering the EVO IX, go for it. The very least, you know it is a cheaper car and you will definitely have fun with it. Plus with Mark's deal. Free Maintenance for those prices. No way you can go wrong with that deal.

 

Do you mean a manual? The IS is 6 speed auto and it is a fast shifter even in auto, specially for the average user.

 

Yeah sorry should have been more specific....Takes alot outta it without the manual part!!

 

I'm 22 and got an Evo recently (about a month ago) and let me tell you, if you drive it, you'll want it even more lol. You just got to decide whether you want luxury and performance, or full out performance. I chose the latter since I'm too young to even think about luxury cars at the moment and just enjoy life.

 

The IS350 is indeed a very nice car. It is also significantly more expensive. With all the bell and whistles, OTD it's a $50k car. I think if I was your age, I would most likely go with the EVO. It would totally be a hard choice for me if I didn't already have an EVO and had to choose between the IX and the IS.

After having owned the EVO for almost 3 years, I do enjoy it. However, I must be getting old because the longer drives in traffic is really annoying me. After driving a few hours in traffic, I get really annoy and do not want to drive the Evo at all. The rough ride, the stiff clutch, the no luxury whatsoever, etc. Yea, I know, if I want luxury, the Evo is not the car. But this only happens when I drive more than a few hours in stop and go traffic.

Since I feel like I am getting old, I would probably choose the IS if I was in your shoes. I am beginning to look for the more luxury stuff. And plus, I just hate the whole rice image with the EVO. Anyhow, just my opinion.

 

I figure the IS350 I'd want would hover just above $40k. But the "rice image" thing associated with the car sometimes is also something I would consider. I know that I shouldn't rely on other people's views on the car, but it's ALWAYS a factor, otherwise there would be a lot more SRT-4 drivers on the road.

Anyway, how long do you guys typically drive on the freeway before you start to feel uncomfortable? And how badly does air conditioning affect fuel consumption?

 

dude, don't get an evo...it's not for you. and it's obvious from your questions that you want the lexus anyway.

 

But damnit, I want that performance! It's so sweet... I'm just asking all these questions to see if it will outweigh all of the "shortcomings"