Lexus IS300....auto?

Hello all. A friend of mine (who is admittedly low on the learning curve of DIY) asked me for recommendations on a sports/sporty sedan. One of my recommendations was a IS300 as a "Japanese BMW". (I know.)

He found one, loves it, but it's an auto. He's ok with it, but I wanted to confirm that these have a reliable (auto) trans. The car in question has about 60k miles on it.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Nathan

Edited to improve terrible sentence structure.

My wife has one and we love it; no complaints except one: it get's amazingly poor mileage, around 18-20mph. The irony is that the new one - with 100+ more hp - gets better mileage but oh well. Other than that it's a great car.

Just got rid of an is250, different engine but same car. THE most boring car I've ever owned and I've owned a mid 80's Olds station wagon.

No guts, no character, nothing to recommend it. It is your grandparents Buick!

Aren't IS300s just 4 door Supras?

How about g35 sedan?

carguy123 wrote: Just got rid of an is250, different engine but same car. THE most boring car I've ever owned and I've owned a mid 80's Olds station wagon. No guts, no character, nothing to recommend it. It is your grandparents Buick!

I thought that the is250/350 chassis was entirely different from the IS300?

93celicaGT2 wrote:

carguy123 wrote: Just got rid of an is250, different engine but same car. THE most boring car I've ever owned and I've owned a mid 80's Olds station wagon. No guts, no character, nothing to recommend it. It is your grandparents Buick!

I thought that the is250/350 chassis was entirely different from the IS300?

^yes

Yes, the IS300 is different from the newer models and basically is a 4-door Supra. Most of the Supra stuff will interchange, including the TT motor. I like them much better than the newer models which to me feel more like a Camry. They are basically bullet proof, even the auto transmission, which isn't that bad. They aren't all that fast stock, but small mods can make a big difference.

I can tell you that even before the turbo swap, they are fast enough to beat my Dodge Dynasty... which is the only way ive raced one on the street so far.. However, i would watch out for Chevy Trailblazers from a dig.

Excellent, thanks all. Bullet proof is key for this particular character. I've heard great things about the manual cars, but wasn't sure about the auto.

i dont understand the is250 hate, an ex had one and i thought it was fun to drive, sporty and responsive, even if it was a bit down on power with only 205, but the is350 would fix that. it did have the +1 wheels and summer tires though, as do nearly all lexus' sold in texas.

I've got a Sport Cross(wagon version)

Only thing about the auto tranny is when you do service it, use ONLY Toyota/Lexus fluid.

Oh... before you buy it... have the alignment checked. There are some pricey lower control arms that can bend easily

Lexus "targetted" the 3 series with the IS....apparently they are getting further away?

Inline 6, RWD, and Toyota reliability = great car.

I just picked up a used IS300 auto last month and love it. Nimble and resposive, but quiet and smooth. 80-90% of the performance of a 3 series with 10% of the maintence costs.

I've driven a couple of IS250/350s and they are not the same car. They look a lot better, but they are a V6(yuck!) and and don't have the sporty feel.

I was interested in the first generation IS car but I couldn't find one with a manual transmission for the life of me and the gas mileage is too poor for that size of car.

230 HP inline 6, auto, in a 4 door sedan averaging 21-23 mpg...good enough for me.

Of course I love mine so much because I replaced a 20 year old VW with it. Relatively speaking it was a dramatic upgrade.

even if it was a bit down on power with only 205,

Well hey, is250's are still strong enough to run door to door with the 97 Dodge Intrepid i used to have, so that's gotta be good for something..

Strizzo wrote: i dont understand the is250 hate,

Owning one. Yup, that'll do it.

They have no personality & no character. An Impala rental car is more fun to drive.

I've driven the V8 version and it's the same old boring thing with just a little more pep. They are very 1980's GM like.

215hp, bulletproof inline 6, optional LSD, rwd, HID standard and good looks. I love mine. Less than stellar gas mileage- these days getting like 18-19 mostly fwy, but I have mods and a low idle issue that needs to be sorted. Badly designed stock headunit that tends to have a faulty cd loading mechanism, requires toyota tiv tranny fluid for the autos and toyota antifreeze. Spark plug and oil filter locations aren't the best either, the former being under the throttle body and the latter require a little tetris and use of plastic bags and quickness to change without causing a mess. Excellent brakes.

No real problems I can think of other than the cd changer and the nav brain on mine giving up the ghost. Well... soft paint and design of the front end = chips galore. Can be expensive to keep up and repair but for the GRM/diy'er it's not too bad.

Make sure the service has been kept up, the 90k can cause sticker shock priced at the dealership.

Autos are a little beefier than the manuals and can hold a little more power when boosted, so it'll be fine for daily given the proper maintenance. Insurance might be a touch on the high side due to the youngn's wrapping them around trees and such.

carguy123 wrote:

Strizzo wrote: i dont understand the is250 hate,

Owning one. Yup, that'll do it. They have no personality & no character. An Impala rental car is more fun to drive. I've driven the V8 version and it's the same old boring thing with just a little more pep. They are very 1980's GM like.

I didn't own one, i said an ex had one, meaning ex gf not ex wife. she made the $750/month payment, not me.

i thought it was very crisp and responsive, maybe a bit overboosted brakes, but still linear and strong. most annoying thing to me was that the traction control turns itself back on over 25mph, and theres no turning it off.

Oh yeah, the drive-by-wire thing is okay, but in stop-and-go traffic it can be annoying, seemingly unable to make up it's mind when you're trying to barely move.