deburn

Hi All,

I'm thinking of buying a IS 300 and would like your input on whether there are any benefits to buying an 02 or 03 (apart from it being newer and hence less likely to need maintenance)?

for example, many times the first model year will have some kinks that is taken care of in subsequent builds.

I have seen ads for a couple of 2001's that have around 100k miles. Is that too high. I've heard Toyota's are good for 200k miles and Lexus' are eveb more reliable than Toyota's.

this car is going to be my daily driver - I will put about 15k miles on it per year. I'm looking for something that's fun to drive - I used to have a 325xi and an A4 till mortgage payments began! So now I'm looking to get a car that is good in the "twisties" ie curvy roads, is reliable and easy to maintain. I'm not into mods. Any thoughts on what to keep in mind or look out for would be very much appreciated

also, I've always driven a stick shift but now considering an automatic (getting older!!) and would appreciate your thoughts on a stick versus an auto on the IS 300.

Thanks!
deburn

rominl

iTrader: (4)

deburn, welcome to clublexus!!

about the car. if you talk about engine and drivetrain, there is nothing to worry about on the is300. toyota engines are very durable, and the same engine is used on the NA supra, so you can imagine how durable it is. and the tranny is very strong too for the car

the 01 did have some little bugs here and there that were resolved in later years. imho at least get an 02, or even 03 if possible. getting those cars and a lot of the problems are reoslved already

deburn

Thanks rominl! I'm trying to keep the cost down but I think I can convince myself to spend the extra $$ to get an 02/03 since the maintenance costs etc will be lower! I've just started looking and I've seen quite a few 2001's for around 14k but with 100k miles. I havent seen any 2002s and the 03's are close to 20k.

Any thoughts on automatic versus manual transmission?

juniorsdad

nothing beats driving a stick unless you're stuck in rush hour traffic everyday... so it depends on how long your daily commute is & if you can tolerate it
as for me, i went w/ the auto/e-shift... it's fun, but i miss the stick once-in-awhile
i believe the paddle shifters have come a long way recently though - see latest IS350
btw - as mentioned above, stay w/ '02 and higher ('01 - no stick, no LSD, no arm rest, lots of little things that got fixed w/ 02s and 03s...)
good luck..!

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i had 03 5 speed manual is300. to be honest if i had to do it again i would still choose stick over auto any day, even in daily traffic. it's just more fun and you have more control of the car, not to mention the 5 speed is quite a bit faster than the auto

influent

I have a 2002 IS300 Sportcross with 30,000 miles on it, and I love it! The only things I don't like about it are how much it slides in the rain (I'm in Seattle) and visibility in the rear and rear sides. The traction control is very good though. I have an automatic, partly because it's safer (I can pay more attention to the road than to shifting), and partly because it's easy to roll backwards on the Seattle hills. Plus I'm lazy.
The suede seats and the smooth, fast acceleration are my favorite things about the car.

DriftVIP

iTrader: (4)

are all 02 and up is300 equipped with LSD?

deburn

Hmmm, i wonder how it handles in the snow...I live in the Boston area...

rominl

iTrader: (4)

nop, mostly only 5 speed manual have it, up till 04 i think? i have 05 they made it option