Goodbye Tahoe, Hello Lexus

jdandy

jdandy

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Joined
Apr 28, 2015
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3,483
Location
North Central Florida
Day before yesterday I traded my 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe LTZ for a 2017 Lexus IS350 F Sport. The Lexus had been on lease to an engineer in Ocala who was transferred to Boston, so he wanted an all wheel drive vehicle instead of the rear wheel drive one. He sold the Lexus to CARMAX in Gainesville, Florida. I saw it on the CARMAX website the day it went up, drove to Gainesville last Thursday to look at and test drive it. Slept on it, then went back Friday and made the deal. The Lexus had 10,700 miles on it and looks brand new inside and out. I took the IS350 F Sport to the Lexus dealer in Jacksonville yesterday to pick up a set of all-weather mats for the front and rear, and while there I had the service manager pull up the vehicle's VIN to see if it had been properly serviced by Lexus. It had been serviced at 5021 miles and 10,268 miles by Lexus of Orlando, so I know it is in perfect order.


CARMAX gave me a surprisingly decent trade value for my Tahoe LTZ, which of course was still in mint condition with only 28,081 miles on it. The entire deal went smooth as silk. This was my first time buying a pre-owned vehicle in over 40 years, and my first time dealing with CARMAX. I am pleased with the entire event. With the Lexus having such low miles and in like new condition it feels and drives like a brand new one.


The IS350 F Sport is very well equipped. It has a naturally aspirated 3.5 liter V6 engine that turns out 304 hp. It has three driving modes, Eco, Normal, and Sport+. The different modes remap the transmission shifting characteristics and the vehicle's suspension. The transmission is an eight speed automatic with manual mode and paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Included are lots of other optional features, the Mark Levinson sound system, navigation on a wide 10.25 inch display screen, heated and cooled seats, radar cruise control, collision avoidance system, cross traffic alert and blind spot monitoring, Home link that lets me open my electric gate with a push of a button on the rear view mirror, and other unique features. The cabin is cozy, comfortable, and quiet. I got 29.2 miles per gallon on my round trip to Jacksonville yesterday. It is a joy to drive. I am quite happy with my new Lexus IS350 F Sport.


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Congrats on your very nice new ride Dan, a definite step up in class from a Chevy truck to a Lexus F-Sport! :congrats: Drive it in the best of health!
 
Awesome car Dan! Congratulations. Beautiful color too. Many happy miles.
 
Congrats on the car. Love my Lexus (2020 RX 450h), just got it and the 2nd Lexus I've owned (had the RX 350).
 
Congrats Dan! We had a Lexus GS350 for 5 years. Super reliable. Never had an issue with it.
 
congrats!
After driving SUVs forever, I decided to let it go for a 4door sedan automobile.
I really enjoy the drive; So much better to than an SUV that I wondering did not do that sooner. After all, it isn't like we need a four wheel drive truck that Nevers sees bad driving conditions!
Only once or twice in a year have I wished I had the extra room to carry big stuff from a hardware store. But there is always a friend who is willing to help.
Enjoy your Lexus. They are are very well made cars!
 
Gentlemen.......Thank you for the kind words and congratulations. Now that I am by myself and no longer own a horse, or pull a trailer, or haul feed bags and hay, I had no reason to own a full sized Tahoe. I enjoyed it for almost five years without issue, but it was time for a change.

I am so pleased I was able to find this Lexus IS350 F Sport, especially with such low miles and so well taken care of by the original owner. I avoided the new car depreciation and still feel like I am driving a brand new car. I haven't found anything on it that causes a second look. Under the hood the engine and all ancillary components are spotless. The interior looks the same way, no scuffs or scratches to be found. It still had the clear factory protective plastic over the stainless Lexus door sills. The red leather seats and door trim are perfect.

I spent some time this morning installing and hard wiring the Uniden R3 radar detector into the Lexus. I have to wait on a new cable to arrive from Blackvue before I can install the Blackvue DR900S-2CH front and rear 4K dash cams, but I am making progress.

Here is a YouTube video review of the 2017 Lexus IS350 F Sport. I thought it cool the review car is the same exterior color as mine. Watch in Full Screen by clicking on the YouTube logo, then click the Full Screen symbol at the lower right of the video.






 
Sounds like a good deal, enjoy. I hope it’s not as hard for you as it is for me going between SUV and Car. Rare exception I use the full size, seats seven for more than one, me.


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UltraFast69 said:
Sounds like a good deal, enjoy. I hope it’s not as hard for you as it is for me going between SUV and Car. Rare exception I use the full size, seats seven for more than one, me.
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Ed.......I am still adjusting to being so much lower to the road. The Tahoe was considerably higher at the driver's position. I don't miss the Tahoe's space because i wasn't using it like I did when Marlene was still here. I hauled a lot of stuff for her horse. This past nine months it has been only me in the Tahoe. It was way more than I need. The Lexus fits me like a comfy pair of fur lined house moccasins. It feels right.
 
Congrats Dan. You’ve been eyeing this car from the minute it was announced. Had to scratch that itch I guess. :)
 
Mike said:
Congrats Dan. You’ve been eyeing this car from the minute it was announced. Had to scratch that itch I guess. :)
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Mike.......You're right, I have been eyeing this Lexus model for awhile. I particularly like the Lexus IS350 F Sport for several reasons. I wanted a rear wheel drive vehicle. I have owned a front wheel drive and did not like it. I wanted enough horsepower that the car would be fun to drive and get down the road quick when necessary. The 3.5 liter V6 with 304 hp is plenty of power for me. I wanted a naturally aspirated engine for its long term reliability. Lexus has been making the V6 for years. It is perfected to the precision of a Swiss watch. The complexity of smaller displacement engines with turbos to achieve higher horsepower ultimately means a shorter life span and greater maintenance issues over time. The Lexus IS350 F Sport is manufactured completely in Japan which is another plus in my book. It checks all the boxes for me. I had been looking at a 2019 model, but when this super clean, low mileage, one owner 2017 model showed up I could not resist it. Buying the 2017 model saved me over $17K plus additional taxes versus the 2019 Lexus IS350 F Sport similarly equipped. I am quite pleased with this purchase, and happy to be the new owner of a very fine Lexus automobile.
 
I got the front and rear dash cams and the radar detector installation completed today. All cable concealed, everything working with the ignition. It was quite a chore and took me a little over three hours to get it completed. Looks like a factory install, just how I like it. The Lexus IS350 F Sport is ready to roll.



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jdandy said:
I got the front and rear dash cams and the radar detector installation completed today. All cable concealed, everything working with the ignition. It was quite a chore and took me a little over three hours to get it completed. Looks like a factory install, just how I like it. The Lexus IS350 F Sport is ready to roll.



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You installed it or had it done?


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Elberoth said:
That was a smart buy. Looks like a brand new car!
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Adam.......The fellow who had the vehicle leased it new from Lexus of Orlando. He recently graduated from the University of Florida and had accepted a job offer in Boston. Since this Lexus IS350 F Sport is rear wheel drive he decided it would be wiser to own the all-wheel drive version. He took immaculate care of this Lexus. I feel fortunate to have been found such a nice IS350 F Sport. I just turned over 11,100 miles. It is a joy to drive.
 
Dan, indeed a great find and purchase. Glad to hear your install of the dash cams and radar detector are completed and to your satisfaction. Now, get out there and enjoy the road!


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Did almost the same a few weeks ago, lexus RC from 2016, fully loaded, low milage, mint condition.

Nice looking IS Dan, enjoy driving it.
 

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