Trading in my new Lexus for an ITS

[2024ITS]

Hi everyone,
My first post here, so a big hello to fellow enthusiasts.

My situation: A few years ago the wife (then girlfriend) needed a car, and I found her a low milage 2018 Lexus ES350 for a safe daily driver for her. Just our luck, this past March we clipped a deer and totaled the car. Needing a car in a hurry, we ended up buying a new Lexus ES350. She wanted the panoramic roof and good stereo, so we took an Amtrak train up to Albany where a dealer had one with the options we wanted.

Now, five months later, I find myself doing most of the driving, and aside from the times I prefer a quiet long distance drive on the highway, I’m getting completely bored with this car.

My gripes, it’s bigger and heavier than our last ES, weighing about 3600lbs. As you can probably guess, it drives like a grandmother’s Buick. Worse than that though (and from what I’ve read this is inherent with all of them), the 8 speed transmission has a very noticeable shudder at low speed/low throttle. Almost as if the tcc is locking/unlocking and can’t decide what to do, or it’s just the 2 to 3 shift doing the same. Other than that, the rear springs sag in the ass end, making the car perpetually look like the trunk is completely loaded.

So, fast forward to the present. We’re on vacation, and while browsing through the magazine section at the supermarket, I see Car & Driver with a new ITS on the cover. I picked it up and read through it while sitting on the beach.

I’ll say I’m impressed, and now seriously thinking of trading in the new car for an ITS. One slight issue, I’ll need to teach the wife to drive a stick with it, but the good side is she has always said she wants to learn.

Sorry for such a long winded first post, but I thought perhaps some of you may have found yourselves in similar situations and I was wondering what actual owners might think. If I sell the Lexus, I’d probably take a 10k hit.

 

[Integra23]

Welcome.
Lots of us have upgraded from various vehicles.
I took a similar hit moving from the Integra Aspec to the Type S. I will say it's definitely an upgrade on the performance side.
Good luck.

 

[eculley]

Teaching your wife should be a breeze with this clutch and shifter setup. Very easy to drive.

 

[Bigislander]

The only other car I considered was a new Lexus IS F Sport 6cyl. I didn’t drive it, but only sat in it. Proportionally inside the cars feel pretty similar, but I wanted something with more storage flexibility. I’ve only had my ITS a few days, but it has great balance. The power to weight ratio along with a slick 6 speed was more than I could pass up.

 

[suzysparks]

Going from the ride of a “Buick” to the ITS is night and day. But I wouldn’t look back. That being said my husband and daughter have absolutely no interest in MY ITS. They have made it perfectly clear that this is my car, enjoy it, leave them out of my craziness.

 

[XYR03]

The only other car I considered was a new Lexus IS F Sport 6cyl. I didn’t drive it, but only sat in it. Proportionally inside the cars feel pretty similar, but I wanted something with more storage flexibility. I’ve only had my ITS a few days, but it has great balance. The power to weight ratio along with a slick 6 speed was more than I could pass up.

I'm surprised that the ISF is not getting compared to the ITS on all these reviews.

 

[TheRas900]

We had a 2016 ES350 and every time I got a loaner new generation ES (which was too frequent for a car with supposedly great reliability), it seemed a noticeable downgrade. The steering was tighter, but everything else seemed cheaper and less premium.

I went from that ES350 to my A Spec 6MT Integra for my daily driver. They are completely different cars, and what one does great the other does poorly, and vice versa. The driving experience and gas mileage are much better in the Acura, the interior materials and overall workmanship are far superior in the Lexus. Make sure you are okay with these tradeoffs, and then go forward. I do agree an Acura/Honda 6MT is the easiest to learn on, just wished my wife would take me up on that offer!

Good luck with your decision!!

 

[Hakmamba]

I'm surprised that the ISF is not getting compared to the ITS on all these reviews.

The ISF price point wouldn't be a fair comparison (that and its V8) The IS 350 with the V6 would be the more comparable. Having said that and owned an IS350, if you want engagement or space, the IS has neither.

 

[VarmintCong]

The ISF price point wouldn't be a fair comparison (that and its V8) The IS 350 with the V6 would be the more comparable. Having said that and owned an IS350, if you want engagement or space, the IS has neither.

Yeah, I don't see the appeal of the IS350, the car and engine are ancient.

The IS500 however will be a future classic. OP, I'd get an IS500, make yourself and the wife happy. Very unlikely she'll be happy driving stick.

 

[XYR03]

The ISF price point wouldn't be a fair comparison (that and its V8) The IS 350 with the V6 would be the more comparable. Having said that and owned an IS350, if you want engagement or space, the IS has neither.

I think IS500 would be more comparable here. You get a V8 for about the same price. If it came in stick, it would be a good option. Not sure why they are not selling like hotcakes. They don't look bad.

 

[Integra23]

I think IS500 would be more comparable here. You get a V8 for about the same price. If it came in stick, it would be a good option. Not sure why they are not selling like hotcakes. They don't look bad.

It is a dated vehicle, has a tiny trunk, and rear seating is small.

 

[XYR03]

It is a dated vehicle, has a tiny trunk, and rear seating is small.

Just terrible

 

[2024ITS]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply, listening to other’s opinions is appreciated.

Regarding the situation, selling my new Lexus and taking a hit on it is not the worst thing. The Lexus is really not a bad car, and there are things I really like about it, but in the end I’m left wanting something more engaging.

That brings me to the ITS, it’s not exactly what I would prefer, but at this point it’s really the only game in town in this segment. In a perfect world, I’d prefer it to be 400 lbs lighter, and with a normally aspirated V6 of similar hp that ran on 87 octane.

So, considering the current environment of EV’s, having a new model like this is practically a godsend.

I saw that some previous posters have suggested a bigger/heavier/more powerful car, but for my needs with this, that is definitely not me.

A little about me, I’m probably a little older than most folks here and have been playing around with cars since I was 16, so I’m probably outside of Acura’s targeted demographic. Here’s a pic from the mid-nineties. I bought this car new when I was 30 and tracked it throughout the northeast with SCCA, so much fun I truly miss it.

Thanks again for everyone’s comments. I’ll try to get to a dealership next week when I get home from vacation and take a closer look at an ITS.

 

[VarmintCong]

It is a dated vehicle, has a tiny trunk, and rear seating is small.

There's a lot of dated vehicles now worth more than their original MSRP.

I think it's simply that it's $60k and up, so there's limited buyers at that price point - and it's sort of an in-between vehicle - it's not as ISF, so doesn't appeal so much to ISF fans, but it's impractical like you said, so it's not a great long-distance family cruiser.

optioned as I'd want it it's $64k, and that's a lot of money, the ITS is probably a better fit.

 

[rovingardener]

I have an Integra mit 6MT and traded up from a Mazda6 about 3 weeks ago. The interior space is within tenths of an inch in almost every dimension. I wanted more involvement and I definitely got that, plus better fuel mileage at a cost. The materials are better to marginally better, plus "luxury features" like auto HVAC, wipers and lighting. So far, so good. If you are only looking for more involvement then the A spec tech 6mt will suit the bill.