nicks88

Hey all. I am moving on from my 1996 ES300 and I am going to buy an IS300. I need to know, what years had problems, and what years are reliable. I am looking at 2001-2004 models. I know it has the same I6 motor as my supra, (except its the MK4 supra motor, not MK3 motor) but does it have the infamous head gasket problems the 7M motor had. Also, are the transmissions pretty strong? I want a 5 speed, but the e-shift tranny seems to be the one that is easier to find. And any other issues I need to look for as well.

Also, will the tranny hold up driving it harder than normal? Like around a track? Thanks in advance. Excited to get rear wheel drive again.

slidingIS

guess ill be the guy to say it.
its not the same motor as your supra.
doesnt have head gasket problems.
big issue is timing belt and water pump needs to be replaced by 90k miles
transmissions arent v160 strong but they hold up to a decent amount of power
eshifts are good and hold up well as long as they were regularly serviced

they are all reliable in any year but hold out and find a 5 speed for value and rarity.

nicks88

I know its not the same as my supra, the 7M, but it does have the 2j from the 4th gen supra correct? Sounds like they are pretty damn reliable from what I have been reading. I am sold

nsh1351

actually i think there are some tsb's out there for the 01-02 trannys. Id look into something 03+.

good luck.

nicks88

where can I find these tsb's?

baadhabit

iTrader: (2)

IS300 come with the 2JZGE motors with VVTI. same motors as the GS300, SC300 and Supra NA. not the same as the 2JZGTE. T=Turbo

nicks88

yes... I know it is not the same as the GTE motor... lol... But it is the same as the GE motor in the MK4 correct? Or are the internals different? I think the main thing I want to know about is the tranny's. I have never driven or owned an e-shift type tranny and my main concern is if they are reliable and tough, or if they started having problems in the IS!! Thanks in advance. I appreciate all the feedback!!

RX7 RAGE

iTrader: (18)

They're really reliable. My mom has an 02 that's approaching 180k trouble free miles now.

baadhabit

iTrader: (2)

im glad you know this. i couldnt really tell from your post. there are countless posts on these boards confusing the 2 and asking questions like whether the GTE twins or intake manifold can bolt up to the GE head.

the Mk4 GE depending on the year are different than the IS300 GE. from my understanding the Supra GEs didnt have vvti until 98 and most of the years had distributors instead of coils. the internals may be different. im not sure. ive read somewhere that the SC GE rods where stronger than the IS GE rods so im going to guess the Supra GE rods are similar. the crank shafts are the same.

the IS300 GE motor is pretty strong as is. with a little boost can make 300s, with an upgraded headgasket an a few other pieces i made 450hp.

the auto trannys are good. theyre not the same tranny as the Mk4s but still strong. no issues there

baadhabit

iTrader: (2)

in all honesty the only issues i would say about the IS is this.

the car can be considered underpowered by today's standards
2JZ motors = bad gas mileage
interior space is tight. especially back seat space

NCis300

iTrader: (2)

i just hit 150k and the only problem i can find with mine is the rear view mirror vibrates

nicks88

Thanks Baadhabit. I appreciate it. Yeah, I imagine the internals are different in the IS vs the Supra. I am just glad Toyota figured out the headgasket problem in the I6 motor. My 7M motor in my supra was a pain, hence the 1jz swap. Hell, maybe I will put the 1jz in the lexus.. ha ha ha.. anyway. I am sold. Thanks again everyone.

boostedis3

iTrader: (1)

IS300s are reliable across the board as long as they're maintained, much like any other car. The interiors are cramped for a sedan, but no more so than any other "sport" sedan on the market.

VVT-I GE motors are weaker than non-VVT-i motors, and the electronics cause problems with tuning depending upon your methods. EMU trumps the FIC, the EMB sucks, and standalone is the way to go when going for turbocharged reliability.

You can buy TT internals for under $200 from reputable shops and sellers on the forums, so building a motor capable of handling 600+ BHP can be done for very little if you're competent...

Trannies suck *** in anything other than "bolt on performance" cars. Intake, exhaust...trannies will last forever. Turbo them, and its really hit or miss. I didn't have issues with my E-shift until I hit ~500 at the wheels, and then the issues came in droves. Other people with as little as 350 to the wheels have issues that require VB upgrades, sprag upgrades, etc etc etc...