skaterjoes

Hello guys!

Well I have finally decided to upgrade (or downgrade, depends on whose talking) from a 93 LS400 to an IS. I have 2 kids so the sportX would be ideal. Unfortunately I'm having a hard time finding one in the greater LA county that isn't salvaged or overpriced. I have found a clean looking sportcross in San Diego with 160K miles on it and it appears to be lowered, tinted and re grilled. The indie dealer didn't have any info on the maintenance as he says it's a trade in and Lexus.com has no record of maintenance beyond 10/2009 (although it did reference multiple times that it was an employee vehicle.) I'm in LA and the car is in San Diego. I'm not opposed to taking the train down there to check it out, but having no experience with the IS, I would love to get some feed back from people on this forum on what to look for. Specifically for a sportcross. I could take it to a Lexus mechanic down there and have them check it out??? Is there a way for them to see if the timing belt and WP have been replaced recently? Any other issues I should look for or ask about??? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

is3wagon

Water pump is above the alternator on p/s front of engine. It is fully exposed. As for the timing belt, take a 5mm allen for the top cover and remove the two bolts in front of oil filler cap. Take a 10mm socket with you also. Then you can pull the top engine cover and peek around for anything unusual. I own a 2002 sportcross and I love it. It has 200,567 miles on it. I also have three kids, but I drive it without my wife. If we all go out together, I have to drive a mini van..lol. Good luck!!