Low-Mileage 2004 IS300 SportDesign, Reduced & Still Rockin’

Lexus IS300 features the 5-speed manual transmission, making this SportDesign an enthusiast’s dream car.

While flipping through the Club Lexus Marketplace, we came across the 2004 IS300 SportDesign shown here, which has an interesting story that just keeps on growing. This car was initially posted for sale on the forum back in 2015 by “turbotron”, but it didn’t sell, so it was relisted again in November 2018 in the thread we are discussing today.

It was initially listed for $15,000 and later reduced to $14,000 in a relatively active Marketplace thread, but the post stalled sometime in January. The thread bounced back onto the front page of the marketplace in early March, when “LS460Crown” asked if it was still available and right now, it is still available because people keep backing out on the deal.

The Introduction

When the OP posted this IS300 for sale back in November of 2018, he included the following information.

I originally made this post back in 2015. I must be the most unmotivated seller ever. I still have the car. The mileage is slightly different at 51,588 but just as clean. The (original) clutch has begun to slip a little. It’s still drivable and the slipping only happens under aggressive acceleration. I point this out mostly because many folks have asked about picking it up and driving across the country. I personally wouldn’t take the risk of having it repaired on the road in the middle of nowhere. So I recommend transport and then having the repair done when you’ve got time to research a shop you feel comfortable with and most importantly that will warranty the work. The estimate I’ve gotten to replace the clutch and flywheel ranges from 1,500-1,700 depending on configuration. The dual mass flywheel really makes this a pricy first clutch job. Afterward, it’ll be a lot cheaper if you go with a lighter single mass flywheel that can be resurfaced later (the dual mass flywheel cannot be as far as I’m aware).

I believe it to be a fair price considering the condition of the vehicle. You will not find a comparable (clean title & less than 60k miles) IS300 Sport Design with a 5-speed transmission below $15K. This vehicle has just over 51k original miles. The vehicle is in amazing condition and is a time capsule with all the swag to prove it. The full leather interior has no rips or tears. The body has a few very minor door dings and blemishes. The car was in a very minor accident back in 2004. My sister-in-law was rear-ended at a very low rate of speed in stop and go traffic. She was coasting in neutral and was pushed into the car in front of her. I’ve included a link to the photos that were taken by the insurance company’s adjuster and the estimate of repair just to show that the extent of the damage was indeed very minor. All of the repairs were completed by a reputable shop and still look great today. Everything on the vehicle is in excellent working condition. The notorious driverside door lock solenoid has stopped working, and a key fob casing has broken. It’s still in working order, but the casing is cracked. There is another (unused) key fob that will go with the car. So there are two key fobs (one damaged) and a valet key in total. This vehicle was adult driven and stored most of its life. Did I mention this is a single owner vehicle with clear title in hand? I think it’s the cleanest one on the market today.

As you can see in the text that has been struck-out, the seller has made some changes to the post over the course of the past six months, but aside from the aging, stock clutch, this Lexus looks great on paper and in pictures.

The Community Swoons

As you might expect, the ClubLexus community was quick to love on this 2004 IS300 SportDesign, with many members suggesting that such a unique car be listed on the popular automotive auction site Bring-A-Trailer.

“IMAGINTHAT” was the first to comment:

Nice car – don’t see too many clean ones left these days. You should post this up on BaT if you want to move it.

And “woaitaimei” supported that approach, while pointing out the selling price of a comparable car.

looks clean, if you have all your service records intact, BaT will move this car quick.

check the history, a 2002 with more miles, more owners, sold for 15500!

While some other folks just crushed on the car, including “Luxurious”.

i don’t know about 15k but this is screaming enthusiast like crazy. you even have the rare leather door cards! lol

best of luck

While “stheodore” crushed on the car while going into more detail on Bring-A-Trailer.

Wow, that is a really nice IS300 indeed. Is the color Thunder Cloud? That looks much darker than the standard silver to me. If so, it’s even more desirable and looks like the nicest 5MT car for sale in the country at the moment.

Regarding BaT, I would strongly recommend it for a car like this. I’ve sold a high end Supra on that site and it takes quite a bit of work from the seller side, but it’s one of the best venues you’ll find for specialty cars like this one. I am almost certain this car would get at least $12k on that site and probably a lot more if the right people are bidding. It is true that it could set an all-time BaT record for IS300s there, so I would consider it. If I were you, I’d try to negotiate a reserve auction though, and if they agreed to $12k then I think you’d be in good shape with some significant upside potential. I suspect they would NOT allow a $14k reserve, but the only way to find out is the have that conversation with them. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to ask, and I truly love your IS300!

The Modern Discussion

All of the discussion above took place between November 2018 and January 2019, but we learned back in March that the car was still available. The OP offered the following information, having obviously learned some frustrating lessons about the selling process.

Unfortunately, the interested party and I could not work out logistics, therefore, the car is no longer pending sale. It was a great experience and I think he was very diligent but I should point out a few things. First I should mention that I will not transport the vehicle prior to payment and I prefer cash

Ideally, in a perfect world, that would mean you:
-fly out to inspect the car
-buy the car in cash obtain the clean and clear title in person at my bank
-drive it a prearranged transporter of your choosing and fly home.

I know that’s not always possible and am willing to explore options. I have been approached about using a service such as escrow.com and I just can’t take the risk. It seems to be a great deal for buyers, especially if you’re buying from an importer or dealer in those cases I even recommend it. Just not a great deal for the seller if he’s an average joe looking to safely offload his pride and joy without getting screwed, for a lack of better words. If the car should get damaged during transport, the seller bears the risk and has to deal with the transport companies insurance. Or hey, maybe the buyer decides that within a week they no longer like the car – they can reject it and escrow.com will use a transporter of it’s choosing to ship it back, yet again having the seller bear the risk of transport.

The car has been in a very minor accident. Back in 2004 My sister-in-law was rear-ended at a very low rate of speed in stop and go traffic. She was coasting in neutral and was pushed into the car in front of her. I’ve included a link to the photos that were taken by the insurance companies adjuster and the estimate of repair to show that the extent of the damage was very minor. All the repairs have been made.

If it doesn’t work out I’ll likely just end up getting the clutch repaired soon and just advertise the road trip of a lifetime.

He also included a video of the car with that post, giving us a look at the car from every angle.

Finally, after seemingly finding someone to buy the car, the seller was let down once again, leading to two more posts about the frustrating process.

Sale pending 👍🏻 FYI the guys on this board are awesome to deal with

No longer pending. Price is no longer negotiable and the clutch is going to be repaired. Please do not contact with me unless you plan to travel to get the car.

Going forward if anyone requests to have the car marked as pending please expect to pay a deposit. I’ve wasted a lot of time with folks who’ve requested that I mark the sale pending and then later backed out after failing to consider logistics.

So, if you have the desire and the means to buy a gorgeous 2004 Lexus IS300 SportDesign that needs a new clutch, thus needing to be trailed to its new home, this thread offers you a chance to get one at a great price.

Join the Club Lexus forums now!

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

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