Quote Originally Posted by Jkuao
IS is pricey relative even to the new G...my sister-in-law's 350 w/ nav was a solid 10k more than my fully loaded '06 G and doesn't even have memory/heated seats, HID's, premium audio, or the G's gimmicky reclining back seats. Admittedly I don't get the slick looks but the G does everything I need it to and shares parts w/ coupes/350z's so plenty of cheap mods should I keep it beyond the warranty.


The IS is pretty though...and plenty fast, although the paddle shifter is kind of lame. IS250 is the only one in the 35k range though. 350's with anything other than sport wheels cost high 30's after tax. Most girls I know go 250's b/c it looks the same and feels plenty sporty compared to the Camry's they're used to.

If she's an enthusiast, there are the dark horse options like used CTS-V, AMG C32, S4, M3 (coupe yes but so sexy) but the IS is 90% as fast w/o the reliability/maintenance headaches. IS is also a poor tuning choice unless she has an extra chunk in reserve to build a real money pit. Also no mention if auto is requisite...if so please don't let her buy a real performance model as it only encourages more manufacturers to build these half assed SMG's, paddle shifted autos, etc.
You my friend, you summed it up right.

Tell her to get a 330i (06+) or a G35 Sedan, if not those, a used IS350 will do her right, those are SICK cars.