Talk me out of picking up an IS Sportcross, doing a manual transmission swap (and swapping in a limited slip) and considering E85 and mild boost targeting 350ish hp down the road.
Tell me why I shouldn't, that engine management is a nightmare, that I should finish other projects first , etc.
See how the interior is holding up. I seem to remember the plastics not aging well.
When I asked this, everyone told me they were incredibly boring and get terrible fuel economy. I still sort of want one.
In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :
We had one as a press car–in fact, I think I drove it to the $2001 Challenge. It was like a Japanese 3 Series wagon.
I still want to do the same thing. Had the opportunity to grab a W58 swapped one but opted for the manual G35 Sedan instead.
A boosted Sportcross just sounds fun
Not terribly good looking, cramped/dated interior, horrible fuel economy for no reason, meh handling, how much power can a W58 even hold??
It's old, but still new enough that you'll have to figure out a way for it to pass inspection once it's heavily modified
You're basically taking the one thing it had going for it (reliability) and tossing that out the window.
Captdownshift (Forum Supporter) said:Talk me out of picking up an IS Sportcross,
No.
doing a manual transmission swap (and swapping in a limited slip)
I mean, if you want, I guess.
and considering E85 and mild boost targeting 350ish hp down the road.
It is a 2JZ. IIRC the nonturbo engines got turbo blocks. I am pretty sure you could double that power goal and still be fine.
I really liked the one I drove, but that was back in like 2002. At least on the street, the handling seemed great to me. I'm sure it would turn into an understeery mess at 9 or 10/10ths. I bet that could be sorted though.
DO IT! 
Small RWD wagon, and I actually like the way they look. What's not to like? Do it!
My ex had a 2003 Sportcross. It was fantastic except for one thing that David said: check the interior first. By 2011, the dash was a sticky mess. I can't imagine what it's like 12 years later.
Am I the only one who read the title as LS Sportcross?
You can read about my experience with my old sportcross here: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/avoiding-new-car-itis-how-to-make-my-is300-a-better-daily/184179/page1/
If you boost the car with a standalone, you won't have the same lousy throttle response issues I had, but it'll still always be a car that feels 200 lbs heavier than it should. With that said, I didn't have many mechanical issues with mine, and it was a mostly comfortable daily driver if the seats suit you. Not a lot of back seat room for a wagon, but truly spacious for cargo with the seats folded. I liked the steering feel and the handling was decent, but it was noticeably nose heavy and always feels like a slightly larger car than it actually is. I drove mine to Texas to trade it for an FC RX7 and I haven't regretted the decision.
They look great all done up!
oh I was ment to talk you out of it
Oh also, there were only about 3000 sportx's built, so you don't have a lot of cars to choose from, I live in WV but flew to Miami to get mine. They're almost always high mileage cars, but they're fairly durable. Make sure the lower ball joints are in good condition, if they fail, the wheel often destroys the fender. Some of the interior pieces are still available from the dealer, but are not cheap. The alcantara seat centers age like milk..
Had a sedan is300 for a short period. It's a smaller car, but I liked the size. Mine had 254k miles, and I paid 200 dollars. It was not loved but required little rehab. Stock ac stuff blew ice cold. Interior was still very nice.
It wasn't exciting at all and had terrible fuel economy, but mine wasn't modified and was auto.
Aren't the easiest thing to work on but not terrible.
I probably would have kept it for quite a while but a tow truck put a huge gash in the quarter panel, next guy didn't care and was ecstatic to find one
I like the Altezza's looks on the outside, but the interior was dated when it was brand new.
I crosss-shopped them when I bought my E46. The one-step-up from-base 325i (sport package) was a comprehensively better drive, even with less power. At that time it was notably cheaper, too, but that was a long time ago, and probably irrelevant at this point.
Sportcrosses are cool because they are rare, but I'm not sure that juice is worth the squeeze.
Another thought: The 25 year import rule is starting to hit it's stride. There's a whole host of relatively quick wagons you can own and drive RIGHT NOW in the $15-20k mark. They'll likely end up being faster, cheaper and more reliable
I liked the interior. Seemed unique at that time at least.
Calteg, what wagons are you thinking for import?
In reply to calteg :
Time for a Stagea!
In reply to Captdownshift (Forum Supporter) :
Wouldn't it be easier to find one that was manual from the factory? IIRC correctly there were a few made.
In reply to Duke :
I replaced my is300 with an equally unloved 330 e46. The e46 was no question the better car in pretty much every way, except reliability.
The IS300 had been under water and required less work than the E46 which had just lived a hard life. E46 drove better and got better fuel economy. Similar sizes though.
Tuning issues: Do you have to pass emissions?
CyberEric said:I liked the interior. Seemed unique at that time at least.
Calteg, what wagons are you thinking for import?
Here's a few examples on a small lot local to me. I'd also be looking at the Toyota Crown Athelete wagon. Personally I'm waiting on the Toyota Blit, though that won't be import legal for a few years.
https://www.austinjdm.com/collections/jdms-for-sale/products/1998-subaru-forester-t-tb
https://www.austinjdm.com/collections/jdms-for-sale/products/1998-subaru-legacy-gt-twin-turbo-manual-transmission
https://www.austinjdm.com/collections/jdms-for-sale/products/1997-nissan-stagea-rs-four
https://www.austinjdm.com/collections/jdms-for-sale/products/1996-mitsubishi-legnum-vr4
In reply to Caprigrip :
Only the sedan had a manual option. The Sportcross was all autos.
In reply to calteg :
He has had that Stegea for a while. It looks like the one I drove last year.
I was totally down for that Legnum but it would be a DDish for me and parts are RARE even by JDM standards. It was a great drive. I would take that over a stock IS all day long. Unless I was turboing the car, there are so many great options over the IS IMHO.
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