Aristo

i've been thinking about getting rid of my 1993 GS300 and getting an IS300. i've also been toying with the idea of leasing instead of purchasing the vehicle. as i've never leased a car before, i was wondering if some of you wouldn't mind sharing some of your leasing stories regarding the IS300? how many months is your lease? how much per month? how much for a down payment? mileage allowance? certain things to "watch" for to make sure the dealer doesn't screw with you? etc?

thanks much for the help.

~mark m.

TheKevin

iTrader: (6)

I have a relative question too.

i was wodering what a decent minimum down payment should be for a five year plan. i will be using my mom's credit, she has excellent credit if it helps.

GS4Will

A,

the is, undoubtably an excellent fun car, is quite small and less comfy compare to the gs300(i used to own one). just make sure you do an extended test drive.

now the lease. currently, lexus corporate lex is offering an extremely good deal at $400+tax/month for 39 months. if you are a repeat lex financial customer, they would prob waive some fees such as security deposit. for me i like to saty at 36 months, but then the payment would be hoigher.

the program is quite attractive, and the interest rate they charge is less than 7%. but there are quite a few factors you need to pnder when it comes to leasing, especially you like to mod you ride heavily.

my advice, take a look at EDMUNDS.com site, they have excelllent info pertaning lease vs. buying.

P,

it all depends on how much money you can afford /month? the IS right now is selling at ~$30500+fees and tax. you would prob need $5-6000 for down payment. assuming exce;llent credit, your payment ~$565/month for a five year plan.

the 2002 IS will be getting some new options, so as august gets near, the price for the remain 2001 will come down a little more.

1niceride

aristo - I think the IS 300 is small to me. Why not get a 2001 GS 300 instead? IS 300 is a great car but its not as big as a GS . If your single or don't mind the smaller interior than go for it.

Just my thoughts though.

Aristo

thanks for the heads-up guys.

as far as the "roominess" issue...i am rather tall, but i've test driven the IS300 extensively (twice at dealerships in the area, plus i attended the IS300 Test Drive Event last summer and took an IS300 around the autocross course several times). so while the IS300 is small, i think i fit fine. plus, i always felt that my GS300 was a little too large for my tastes. it's a PITA to park it in and around the city.

after having a "family sedan" for the past few years, i'm itching to get something sportier. hence, the IS300 over the GS300. although, if i can find a used 98/99 GS400 at an attractive price, i might be considering that as well.

as far as mods are concerned, that *is* an issue for me. my current GS300 has been modded up to 300hp (naturally aspirated, no NOS). so that, for me, is the biggest downside to leasing as opposed to buying. though even if i purchased the car instead of leasing it, i'd probably keep it relatively stock for the first few years anyway, out of warranty concerns.

~mark m.

1niceride

Aristo - 300 hp from a 1st gen. GS , Wow. So how did you do it? I have a 98 and was wondering if i could do the same mods top get 300 hp.

edawg

MY is was about 35000 with a spoiler and some aftermarket rims and all i did was put my truck down ( not much) and one grand down and my payments are $575 or course i am leasing because i want to get the new is with 6 gear shift. For all of you that have a family and want a is remember that in 2002 or 03 ( i think) that a IS staion wagon is going to come out...

Aristo

"300 hp from a 1st gen. GS , Wow. So how did you do it?"

hehheh...a lot of time, patience, money, and testing. when i first started to mod my car, there was virtually nothing out there for tuning Lexus vehicles, so i adapted a lot of Supra aftermarket parts for my 2jz-ge engine. let's see if i can remember everything:

-Blitz intake
-Blitz exhaust
-custom fabricated mandral-bent chrome intake tube
-Mr. Gasket breather element
-Bosch +4 Platinum plugs
-Vitek ignition wires
-MSD ingition system
-Unorthodox Racing underdrive pulleys
-AEM cam gears
-Stillen fuel pressure riser

i did Dyno runs after just about every mod. the biggest gains were realized through the proper tuning of the AEM cam gears, which gave me somewhere around 22 hp & 25 ft/lb of torque to the rear wheels. of course, the cam gear tuning was done after everything else (except for the Stillen fuel pressure riser, which was the very last item i added), so i'm sure i wouldn't have seen such phenominal results had i not added everything else.

the actual Dyno numbers were somewhere around 210/215hp to the rear wheels, which when adjusted for a roughly 30% loss due to the automatic tranny, equals approximately 300hp drivetrain. not too shabby for a NA car without NOS

"I have a 98 and was wondering if i could do the same mods top get 300 hp."

probably not while keeping in normally aspirated. with the addition of the VVt-i technology, i don't think it would be wise to mess around with the cam gears. additionally, i'm not very happy with the underdrive pulleys...on a cold winter day or hot summer day, if i have any accessories on in the car at all, i have to be very careful about the battery. i had the car crap out on me once in traffic b/c i had the radio/headlights/air-conditioning all on at the same time.

if you want to get 300hp though, you could always go the forced induction route. had there been as many kits & parts available for me at the time, i would have gone in that direction instead. as it stands, i probably spent well over the cost of a forced induction kit to get my car where it is. but for me, it was a labor of love, so i don't mind...and i certainly learned a *ton* about my car in the process, so it's all good.

can't wait to get my hands on an IS300...[drool]

~mark m.

YLW IS300

there's no question it's a great car and with the current lease programs you would be crazy not to lease one.

RealMarty

A few things to remember about leasing.

1. If you plan to purchase the car at the end of the lease it's a pretty expensive way to go.

2. If you aren't sure you want to keep the car for the full lease term an early buy-out can be expensive (since you'll be upside down for most or all of the lease) or a pain as you envision having to pay off all your remaining lease payments or as you search for someone willing to take them on. Changing your mind about the car in mid-lease is a bad idea.

3. You can't do any mods to a leased car that can't be removed when you turn the car back. The car has to go back to the leasor stock.

4. If you go over your miles it will cost you.

5. At the end of the lease you have no no down payment for your next lease or puchase

Don't get me wrong. I've leased my last 5 cars. Just helps to know what you're getting into besides the cap cost reduction and the monthly payment.