Re: Bimmer 325 vs. Lexus IS300 (archive)

Okay, first of all, you're on the wrong board, because this board deals with the ancient 70's-early 80's 3 series, which I'm sure you're not interested in. But if you go to the E46 board there's just going to be a bunch of rich snobs flaming and being angry for you asking this question. I think that using reason, one could venture to say that the cars are quite similar. I personally think that Lexus has no business designing cars, and their attempts to go after BMW are laughable in most cases, but with the advent of the new 3-series BMW has made a car that, although quick, has nothing to do with the 2002s and early 3's from which it developed. Thus Lexus has been able to catch up with their factory rice-racer IS300. Put a peppy six in a sedan, features KIDS want on a car (like those HIDEIOUS clear marker lights, HIDs, funny looking "ghetto" interior, etc) and then hope that well off business execs. will buy them so they can rekindle their horrible relationship with their awkward teenage son. Or, on the other hand, Rich Dad buys car for spoiled kid who takes it to drag races, only to cause serious damage by attempting to race a 440 Roadrunner or something of that ilk. My point is, most people are buying this car for all the wrong reasons. When one compares it to the BMW, there's really no common ground except performance. The Lexus' bold styling is immediately overtaken by the pseudo-classic and SUBDUED styling that one would find in any base-model bimmer. As far as I've read, the interiors are about the same in comfort, with leather, blah blah blah, everything you'd expect. You can get the bimmer with a manual, which would be my selling point, but I would never be in this situation anyway. And, finally, like Matt said, there's something out there called an M3, which blows away almost everything else out there. Now THAT's a car. Well, anyway, though this is more than a rant than help, I'd say when you test drive these two cars, ask yourself this.

Do I want a luxury version of a trend involving hot Japanese compacts with completely rediculous styling cues or the modern adaptation of a classic German autobahn sedan, even though in recent years it has become bloated and pedestrian?

-alan
83 320i
79 320i

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