Thats good!!! All will be well lol

Toyota/Lexus builds cars to last! I've owned many other brands of vehicles and I think I'll be sticking with Toyota/Lexus from here on out if they keep to the standards they've always used

 

I have a C63 AMG, let me tell you that it have more wind noise then my IS.
Had rattle noise and went to dealer more then 6 times already within 1 year.
But have to say that the 300 is not as solid as the AMG, not to mention the power.
I would take the IS over Audi anyday, except for the R8

 

Your Benz is louder than your IS? Wow, my brother has a W203 and it is quiet as a church mouse, a lot quieter than my A4.

 

I went and drove a 2003 IS300 sport edition today and I came away rather impressed. It has 67k miles and was in very good condition. I loved how smooth and quiet the engine was but I expected a bit more of an exhaust noise since I could almost fit my fist inside it. The E-shift is nice but less responsive than I had expected. At highway speeds, the interior is acceptably quiet. I did notice the wind noise but it didn't seem any more evident than it is in my A4; and road noise is nicely muted. I didn't notice if it felt twitchy going down the road because the 300 lb. owner was in the passenger seat. From what I could tell, the car was satisfyingly connected to the road. Visibility and seat comfort got high marks, even with my 6'2'' frame, but it certainly did not exude the 'air tight' feeling of solidity that is found in my Audi. There were no squeaks or rattles to speak of so I know everything is put together well but I will miss that Teutonic ambiance. I did leave with a couple of questions the owner could not answer. First is with regard to the two buttons next to the shift gate, marked 'Snow' and 'PWR'. I suspect these two buttons alter the transmission logic in some way but could someone clue me in on the details? The second has to do with the TRAC button; I know it stands for traction control but I want my IS to have stability control as well. I pushed the button and the only light to illuminate in the gauge cluster was TRAC OFF or something like that, no other lights or acronyms to speak of. So my second question is how do I tell if an IS has Lexus' optional stability control system in addition to the standard traction control?

 

"German" car is to wide of a range, what in particluar are you talking about?

I have owned

02 BMW 330ci
04 MB C320
05 MB CLK500
07 BMW 745Li

So of course the CLK and 745 blows the IS3 away, even the fit and finish on the c320 and 330 are a tad bit better. Every car has it quirks, almost all BMW have window regulartors problems when they get a bit older, benz seem to develop squeaks, the IS3 has the same problems with 02's and map sometimes.
Overall the IS3 is cheaper to fix so that is a plus but remember the IS3 is the cheaper Lexus car, so compare it to the cheaper German entry car.

 

Trac off + shift into second gear. Apply brake and stomp on the gas.. Then turn steering wheel and let off brake.. fun stuff
Trac off just lets your wheels spin. no explanation needed on that one.

PWR, do a search on the first gen IS section for a better explanation. But basically it shifts the trans later in higher rpm's when there is still power to be gained before each shift. Where typical daily driving your car might shift at 3 or 4rpm, in pwr mode it might shift closer to redline at 6 or 7rpm. I'm not sure exact details, just giving an example.

SNOW is just, well, for snow driving. It is like super traction control. But don't let the button fool you, it is not "INSTANT 4x4 MODE" where you are unstoppable in snow.. The IS300 is pretty horrible in snow, I wouldn't even try it. Even wth the snow button pushed I still can't keep my car on the road. Best bet, if it snows in your area, get a 4x4 for the winter and park your IS in storage for a couple months.

or take it out and do this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVfL3gj_io0

 

I know what traction control does and how it differs from stability/yaw control. What I want to know is how I can tell if the car is equiped with BOTH systems.
I don't think the seller would like me trying to spin the car to find out; cool vid though.

 

The W203 is built much better then the 204
My old 202 was bullet proof.
Had a 335I Few years back and return it as Lemon.
These days German cars are as solid it used to be.

They want to compete with Japanese car price and lower their standards.
Audi alaways have some kind of problems with their cars.

 

My IS300 has been OK in the winters (am from Ontario ), just put some good snow tires on and you will be fine

Reliability is why I bought it. This car has won JD Power reliability awards many times so another confirmation of its quality...

 

its worth mentioning that the IS300 seats are very comfortable, one of the best ive sat in, very good for long drives.

 

how do all these old threads keep coming back to life hahahaha

 

Personally, I appreciate it when members revive old threads because the information found within it is usually still pertinent and it keeps this site free of redundant threads which clutter the forum. It was a delight to see that someone had posted in my thread again because I've had Lexus on the brain a lot lately. After I sold my A4 I stupidly purchased a 2004 Saab 9-5 thinking it would be safe, fun, and cheaper to run. Why god, why do I put myself through such torture! It's been up for sale for two months and no one has even looked at it. I'm selling it for $2000 less than what I paid for it four months ago. Saabs are the anti-thesis to Lexus, nothing works as it should.

It's good to know that the seats in the Lexus are long haul comfortable. That is one thing my Audi excelled at, those seats were incredible! After 700 miles, my backside didn't even feel fatigued. I have yet to find seats that are as comfortable (to me) as those from VW/Audi. I am curious to know how the leather Lexus uses holds up over time. Does it rip or crack after 100k miles or does it hold up against the elements? I'm also a little concerned about the multitude of complaints I've read about the melting dash material. I personally feel that the IS300 interior is the cheapest feeling interior Lexus has ever made.

The final point I want to mention in my ramble this morning has to do with the comments I have read about Lexus service and repairs being very expensive. If you are looking at buying a luxury class car, whether at the entry level or ultra luxury, you can do no wrong with choosing Lexus. I almost purchased a 2002 GS430 in August. Since I distrust all used car salesman, I took the car to my local Lexus dealer for a pre-purchase inspection which I was happy to pay for out of my own pocket. $150 later, I learned that particular car had major problems with the engine so I passed. During the inspection, I asked the service writer some questions about Lexus ownership and general maintenance and I was surprised at how cheap major components are to replace. A full timing belt service is less than $600 parts/labor. My A4 was $1500. And the service department is like a resort. Free cookies, coffee, sandwiches, and beverages. Love it!

 

Yea I came from Audi. The repairs were seriously insane, thank god I'm good with cars. But even so the parts were crazy expensive. TB and WP service is 1500+. But I will say I do miss the quality of my A4. The is300 handles better in the dry, and has way more potential but theres just something about Audi that I love. Must be the quattro which is unstoppable in snow lol. My is300 is for sale, I miss my A4 so much. Too bad you didn't get an is300. I have always like saab's for some reason too bad you got a bad one.

 

I agree 100% czum, there was certain charm about my Audi that I have not been able to replace yet. I think it was was the attention to detail that was paid to the interior. Even the sound of the doors closing seemed to be acoustically tuned to please the ear. Audi, and VW for that matter, can make more of a statement with the subtle curve of a body panel than Lexus can with a mile of chrome. My A4 was a tank in the snow, no wheel spin unless I tried REALLY hard. Now my Saab has its charms. The air conditioned seats are soooo nice! Saabs have special glass that reflect solar heat so the interior stays very cool in the summer months. Saabs are also kind of rare here so my car stands out against all the Audis, Bimmers, and Jags. Other than that, it's nothing special and the cons out weigh the pros by a large margin.

 

I had a 2000 Jetta VR6, and man let me tell you, my IS looks nicer, feels nicer, interior quality(Leather in both cars) is a HUGE difference. Also, these damn Audis and VWs cost you 100$+ for a friggen oil change, when the IS only needs regular oil, cutting that in half!!