i bought a 2005 tsx with nav a month ago for $26300 + tax. since all of you guys who don't own either car seem to be experts on them, i will chime in since i actually have one of them. for a lot of people its a great car, it also costs about 5 or 6 grand less than a TL.
yes it is no rwd. i have owned a g35 coupe (apparently everyone's favorite car here) and it is rwd. driven a bunch of bmws and i've test driven the is350 at the lexus test event.
anyhow, equivalently equipped a is250 will cost like $5000 more than a tsx. i guess the difference is not so bad since you want a manual. but you wont be able to haggle on an is250 and you can easily get $1500 under msrp even on a 2006 tsx.
i've never actually driven an is250, but i've driven an is350. is350 is really cramped inside the rear leg room is probably worse than sitting in the back of a g35 coupe and the headroom is pretty bad too. specs say its over 5 cubic feet less interior space. in my opinion they should hav ejust made the IS a coupe, since it is barely useful as a sedan.
most reports online say they should be around the same 0-60 wise or the is250 is a bit slower (i'm comparing auto ones, since i have an AUTO tsx), the disparity is suppoed to be even bigger for stick ones.
yes i know you have just branded me not a man, my g35 coupe was also auto. for normal driving the rwd vs fwd aspect probably doesn't make much of a difference.
the only time a g35 with rwd really felt like the rwd matter was at over 100 mph , in fact it really helped at 130mph because the weight is on the rear wheels at that speed. i wouldn't even drive the tsx at that speed if i could it would be stupid.
anyways, for a normal person who wants a fairly sporty car, i think for the money the tsx is probably better. i also think that from my experience driving the is350, that the tsx's steering and traction control are not as intrusive. the IS has a very intrusive traction control system which makes it less controllable than say a bmw 5 series in high speed turns. my opinion anyway (they had a 5 series at the event to compare with which i also drove).
anyways, i know you guys are very pro rwd, etc etc. pro manual etc. this totally depends on where you live. if it takes 40 minutes to drive 5 miles in your town ever such as mine, you may like the auto.
if you are going to extensively autocross or race the car you end up buying, dont get EITHER of these cars. buy a mazdaspeed6, an STI, EVO9 anything.
if you want a fairly sporty luxury car, neither of these cars will be driven at 90+ mph for long enough for the fwd/rwd factor to matter.
the tsx weighs about 200 pounds less than an equivalent IS250 for auto and about 150 pounds less for stick. 2006 tsx's have more hp, bluetooth and a few other features etc. now, with only $5000 or so difference, the IS could be the right car for you , but if you are gonna buy a lexus IS , buy an IS350 at least you'll have good straight line speed. the IS250 for what it is not the best value , even a bmw 325i if you must have rwd is a far superior choice. it will roast an is250 and costs more or less the same if it is speed and handling you are concerned with and it has more interior room than the TSX and far more than the IS250.
yes it is no rwd. i have owned a g35 coupe (apparently everyone's favorite car here) and it is rwd. driven a bunch of bmws and i've test driven the is350 at the lexus test event.
anyhow, equivalently equipped a is250 will cost like $5000 more than a tsx. i guess the difference is not so bad since you want a manual. but you wont be able to haggle on an is250 and you can easily get $1500 under msrp even on a 2006 tsx.
i've never actually driven an is250, but i've driven an is350. is350 is really cramped inside the rear leg room is probably worse than sitting in the back of a g35 coupe and the headroom is pretty bad too. specs say its over 5 cubic feet less interior space. in my opinion they should hav ejust made the IS a coupe, since it is barely useful as a sedan.
most reports online say they should be around the same 0-60 wise or the is250 is a bit slower (i'm comparing auto ones, since i have an AUTO tsx), the disparity is suppoed to be even bigger for stick ones.
yes i know you have just branded me not a man, my g35 coupe was also auto. for normal driving the rwd vs fwd aspect probably doesn't make much of a difference.
the only time a g35 with rwd really felt like the rwd matter was at over 100 mph , in fact it really helped at 130mph because the weight is on the rear wheels at that speed. i wouldn't even drive the tsx at that speed if i could it would be stupid.
anyways, for a normal person who wants a fairly sporty car, i think for the money the tsx is probably better. i also think that from my experience driving the is350, that the tsx's steering and traction control are not as intrusive. the IS has a very intrusive traction control system which makes it less controllable than say a bmw 5 series in high speed turns. my opinion anyway (they had a 5 series at the event to compare with which i also drove).
anyways, i know you guys are very pro rwd, etc etc. pro manual etc. this totally depends on where you live. if it takes 40 minutes to drive 5 miles in your town ever such as mine, you may like the auto.
if you are going to extensively autocross or race the car you end up buying, dont get EITHER of these cars. buy a mazdaspeed6, an STI, EVO9 anything.
if you want a fairly sporty luxury car, neither of these cars will be driven at 90+ mph for long enough for the fwd/rwd factor to matter.
the tsx weighs about 200 pounds less than an equivalent IS250 for auto and about 150 pounds less for stick. 2006 tsx's have more hp, bluetooth and a few other features etc. now, with only $5000 or so difference, the IS could be the right car for you , but if you are gonna buy a lexus IS , buy an IS350 at least you'll have good straight line speed. the IS250 for what it is not the best value , even a bmw 325i if you must have rwd is a far superior choice. it will roast an is250 and costs more or less the same if it is speed and handling you are concerned with and it has more interior room than the TSX and far more than the IS250.
I really want to trade in my 3 for the mazdaspeed6 though.... ah, the joys of depreciating new cars.. and the pure lack of ability to afford it. 
Facebook
Twitter