Lexus IS300

[compguy786]

Hey,

i had a past thread of getting a Brand new accord, but i have dropped that plan in the favor of getting a 2001 Lexus IS300. I want to know if there are any issues with the car from previous owners, and what they think of it. I have a 93 accord, and definately want to know..are IS300s bigger or about the same size ???

any info would be appreciated !!

Thanks !

 

[BassBomb]

compared to a 1993 accord probably same if not bigger

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Good luck finding one that hasnt been riced of some sort. I remember looking for the same thing when I was in the market for my first car (2005ish) and every single one was modded to some extent, or had 100K+ miles on it. The motor is fairly solid though, cast iron block I believe.

2001 is pretty old though

 

[mb]

You said you can get an 09 Accord LX for $18k. Please tell me you are not thinking of spending anywhere near that for an IS300, especially for a 2001.

 

[compguy786]

9k. My dads friend is sellin it, non riced at all. Sell my car for 3k and put it in.
I am going to lower the price though.

 

[Kromis]

Originally posted by: compguy786
9k. My dads friend is sellin it, non riced at all. Sell my car for 3k and put it in.
I am going to lower the price though.

Wow! 9K?

Damn, my friend has a 2003 IS300 MT for 14K.

I think it had like 70K miles in it though.

 

[Skunkwourk]

Don't do it, my 2001 ES300 is starting to cost me. Since the timing Belt at 90K, I've had the mass airflow sensor fail, rear suspension replaced, water pump, and recently the check engine light came on again (all within a year and a half). The car has served me well, and I've been happy with it, but the car is showing its age.

 

[InflatableBuddha]

The IS300 is 300mm (1 foot) shorter than the 4th generation Accord, but only 0.5 inches wider. It weighs about 500 lbs more. The IS has less room in the rear seats, which may be a consideration if you often drive with multiple passengers. They are both classified as compact cars.

A buddy of mine is a Toyota mechanic and has "test driven" a few IS300s that he serviced. He says they are quick, with tight handling and generally a lot of fun. Long term reliability is supposed to be very good.

 

[compguy786]

I'm talkin bout. A IS not ES

 

[LOUISSSSS]

you dropped an 09 accord for an 8 year old compact lexus?? NO!!!!!

very bad idea, the lexus, even though its a great car and should last you a few years its nothing compared to a brand new accord. jeez

very bad idea imo

 

[compguy786]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
you dropped an 09 accord for an 8 year old compact lexus?? NO!!!!!

very bad idea, the lexus, even though its a great car and should last you a few years its nothing compared to a brand new accord. jeez

very bad idea imo

i didnt like the accord too much honestly, plus it was HUGE !

and also did not want to spend 18k, especially for 5 years, as a college studetn. $279 is a bit too much for my range, i think $100-150 would be better.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

so you're financing an 8 year old car? and you like an 8 year old car better than a brand spanking new car?

o well, its up to you.... i would definitely spend that extra $120/mo

 

[PhoKingGuy]

You might as well find a focus or cobalt or something. Sure its a bit rough around the edges but for about 3k more you're getting something infinitely more reliable than an 8 year old Lexus, and has a warranty to boot.

 

[Demo24]

The Is300 is perhaps one of the more solid cars Lexus gave us in the past few years. The engine is rock solid as it's overbuilt in that it shares most of it's parts with versions that were turbo'd. If you have problems with the engine then there is either a defect or someone did something stupid with it. Otherwise everything else is equally solid. When I was looking around the most common issue with them was a radio that likes to get stuck with CD's in it, but it is fixable. Probably won't get as good of gas mileage as your old accord, but it should be in the upper 20's highway.

I kind of wish I had picked one up back when I was looking at them.

 

[desy]

Don't listen to Lois he drives a 96 Accord and is a TROLL
He didn't decide to spend an xtra 120 a month why should you?

Used luxury is a hot market right now and sounds like your getting a good price
I don't know the market your in but the status of a Lex is much better than that of a Accord and its costing you a lot less. You've been in both you've decided you like one better than the other.

I toy with moving older upscale over brand new for the next one too Just realize there will be more maintenance 'I think you do' and a few less yrs.
I tend to drive til they drop and after 10+ yrs of any car I get tired of it, so I'm thinking if I buy used luxury get only 8yrs and spend half I'll get less bored with em

 

[RichieZ]

the G1 IS is getting on in age, i think it kind of looks like a corolla now. something about the profile

my friend had one, other things to note about the 01, the dash trim is the only one that is two tone, it doesn't have the armrest that came in 02+ and I think they changed something about how the windows worked (all auto up/down?). gets pretty lousy mileage too. you have to remember this is the same engine as the NA Supra engine. Rock solid, but its ancient and the auto tranny has 5 spds that are relatively closely geared (65mph on highway in 5th is like 3K RPM). I remember it having a tiny gas tank and wind noise is also extremely high.

I personally would buy it over a family sedan, but with the car market the way it is I think you should try and see what else is out there in the sport/lux segment.

 

[geno]

Originally posted by: m0mentary
Don't do it, my 2001 ES300 is starting to cost me. Since the timing Belt at 90K, I've had the mass airflow sensor fail, rear suspension replaced, water pump, and recently the check engine light came on again (all within a year and a half). The car has served me well, and I've been happy with it, but the car is showing its age.

AFAIK the IS shares nothing with the ES.

 

[compguy786]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
so you're financing an 8 year old car? and you like an 8 year old car better than a brand spanking new car?

o well, its up to you.... i would definitely spend that extra $120/mo

you sound like a 16 year old that just got their license.

if you are 19 years old..work PT...i think i would like to save that extra
$120 for something else probably ?

 

[postmortemIA]

wow, again from guy who says "every ford is crap", you are so sold on quality perception that toyota & honda have... go ahead, buy a 8 yr old car and enjoy the rude awakening.

 

[her209]

Originally posted by: postmortemIA
wow, again from guy who says "every ford is crap", you are so sold on quality perception that toyota & honda have... go ahead, buy a 8 yr old car and enjoy the rude awakening.

I have to say I don't see many 8 year old Fords on the streets these days.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Originally posted by: her209

Originally posted by: postmortemIA
wow, again from guy who says "every ford is crap", you are so sold on quality perception that toyota & honda have... go ahead, buy a 8 yr old car and enjoy the rude awakening.

I have to say I don't see many 8 year old Fords on the streets these days.

There are plenty of first gen Foci, Escapes, F-150s, Expeditions, Rangers, Tauruses, etc from that generation around So Cal. Where do you live? Cuba? lol

 

[randomlinh]

eh, if your father's friend took care of it, I don't see a problem with it. Just put a car payment away every month. You're either paying to have a new car, or paying to maintain it. I'm done w/ the new car stuff... it hurts too much, even if I plan on driving it till it falls apart. I feel like I'm paying too much to commute, haha.

 

[desy]

Yeah my poor Ford is 9yrs so its too old

Among nameplates, the research showed the survival rate for vehicles older than 15 years from offshore-based manufacturers including Toyota and Honda had shot up to 53.9 per cent
North American-based General Motors, Ford and Chrysler also had improved their survival rate for those aging vehicles to 43.7 per cent

So after 15 yrs you can expect to see almost half of the Fords still on the road after 8 I guess most of them would still be around jackarse

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
so you're financing an 8 year old car? and you like an 8 year old car better than a brand spanking new car?

o well, its up to you.... i would definitely spend that extra $120/mo

It's easy to spend somebody else's money.

To the OP, while I think it would a nice car it's going to cost you more to keep on the road. You may be able to handle a $150 payment each month but you're on the hook for anything that breaks. On a 8 year old car you may end up with easily a $600 repair each year and normal maintenance could add up to another $300, or even way more if you need tires. Insurance on a sporty car like that will be noticeably higher than your accord also.

While you may be able to afford the $150 car payment you'll need to add another $100+ onto that to really account for the cost of ownership.

My advice is if you're in school you should probably keep your current car or get something that is cheap to keep on the road. IMHO the last thing you want to do before graduating is to take out any more debt than you can avoid.

 

[ballmode]

That engine while super reliable gives out crappy gas millage for its power. I recommend the BMW 330, more hp and better gas millage. Both cars eat premium