Thinking about getting an IS300, need advice
03-31-13, 05:42 PM
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Thinking about getting an IS300, need advice
Hey guys :wave:
I'm currently in the market for a new car and among my list of options is an IS300, but I'd like to hear what you guys think before I buy one. I currently drive a 2000 Toyota Celica GT. It's my first car, bought it two and a half years ago with 59k on the odometer. I've put 30k on it since and it's been fantastic, but unfortunately it's burning oil at about a quart every 1000 miles (common problem for 1ZZ-FE engines from 2000-03) and I'd have to get the motor rebuilt in order to fix it. I've decided to just sell the car and get another one. My budget is around 9K or so.
I'm wondering how the IS300 fares in terms of cost of ownership. The Celica was great in that I didn't have to do much to it to keep it running; it had a timing chain, not a belt, so I didn't have to worry about that, and since I got it with such low miles all I really did was change the oil regularly and keep an eye on the fluids. The bulk of maintenance costs for me actually went to tires (the price you pay for driving a slammed car). What do I have to worry about if I purchase an IS? Given my budget and the age of the car, its likely that any IS300 I find will have 100K+ on it already. Had I known that I'd have to rebuild my motor in a few years when I first purchased the Celica, I might have not bought it. Anything big I need to worry about with the IS?
Also, how is the performance? Does it feel like a luxury car or is there some sportiness to it as well? I want a car that's somewhat refined (not looking at any old Civics or Integras), yet still sporty, and good throttle and steering response is really important to me. I want to find a 5MT if I can, but I know that they're super rare and if I find one, it's probably either beat up or highly modded, and I want to buy something that's stock. How are the paddle shifters? Is it pretty smooth and responsive and actually fun to drive?
Lastly, how are the insurance prices and fuel efficiency? I'm a 20, about to be 21 year old student who commutes to school and work, sometimes driving up to 80 miles a day, so those are some other factors that I'm keeping in mind.
Thanks for your time all and hope to hear from some of you guys with personal experience
I'm currently in the market for a new car and among my list of options is an IS300, but I'd like to hear what you guys think before I buy one. I currently drive a 2000 Toyota Celica GT. It's my first car, bought it two and a half years ago with 59k on the odometer. I've put 30k on it since and it's been fantastic, but unfortunately it's burning oil at about a quart every 1000 miles (common problem for 1ZZ-FE engines from 2000-03) and I'd have to get the motor rebuilt in order to fix it. I've decided to just sell the car and get another one. My budget is around 9K or so.
I'm wondering how the IS300 fares in terms of cost of ownership. The Celica was great in that I didn't have to do much to it to keep it running; it had a timing chain, not a belt, so I didn't have to worry about that, and since I got it with such low miles all I really did was change the oil regularly and keep an eye on the fluids. The bulk of maintenance costs for me actually went to tires (the price you pay for driving a slammed car). What do I have to worry about if I purchase an IS? Given my budget and the age of the car, its likely that any IS300 I find will have 100K+ on it already. Had I known that I'd have to rebuild my motor in a few years when I first purchased the Celica, I might have not bought it. Anything big I need to worry about with the IS?
Also, how is the performance? Does it feel like a luxury car or is there some sportiness to it as well? I want a car that's somewhat refined (not looking at any old Civics or Integras), yet still sporty, and good throttle and steering response is really important to me. I want to find a 5MT if I can, but I know that they're super rare and if I find one, it's probably either beat up or highly modded, and I want to buy something that's stock. How are the paddle shifters? Is it pretty smooth and responsive and actually fun to drive?
Lastly, how are the insurance prices and fuel efficiency? I'm a 20, about to be 21 year old student who commutes to school and work, sometimes driving up to 80 miles a day, so those are some other factors that I'm keeping in mind.
Thanks for your time all and hope to hear from some of you guys with personal experience
03-31-13, 06:19 PM
#2
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personally i own an 02 is300 and a 95 turbo integra gsr
my IS is an auto and i bought it just off some pictures a dealer had up on ebay and my car was located in ohio and i live in texas. so i took a chance but the seller had 100% feedback and only sold luxury cars. my car has never given me any serious problems, the only thing that went was two o2 sensors. i had the timing belt service done by a friend of friend that works at the dealer but i used OEM parts. if your on a tight budget im not sure if this is the car for you because it only takes premium fuel. i tend to drive my integra a whole lot more, to work, than i do my IS because its less to fill up because it has a smaller tank. this is my first luxury vehicle and i really enjoy driving it, as a matter of fact im going to buy another lexus because i was satisfied with my current. insurance all depends on your driving record and insurer, but the IS300 is most likely classified as a family sedan. i use the paddle shifters if i need slow down in traffic on a rainy day. performance wise this car still amazes me at times, i mean it has the same engine a supra...well not exactly but its from the same design. inline 6 maybe be a long motor but its well balanced and most of my friends if not all cant even tell if my car is on or off. hope this helps
my IS is an auto and i bought it just off some pictures a dealer had up on ebay and my car was located in ohio and i live in texas. so i took a chance but the seller had 100% feedback and only sold luxury cars. my car has never given me any serious problems, the only thing that went was two o2 sensors. i had the timing belt service done by a friend of friend that works at the dealer but i used OEM parts. if your on a tight budget im not sure if this is the car for you because it only takes premium fuel. i tend to drive my integra a whole lot more, to work, than i do my IS because its less to fill up because it has a smaller tank. this is my first luxury vehicle and i really enjoy driving it, as a matter of fact im going to buy another lexus because i was satisfied with my current. insurance all depends on your driving record and insurer, but the IS300 is most likely classified as a family sedan. i use the paddle shifters if i need slow down in traffic on a rainy day. performance wise this car still amazes me at times, i mean it has the same engine a supra...well not exactly but its from the same design. inline 6 maybe be a long motor but its well balanced and most of my friends if not all cant even tell if my car is on or off. hope this helps
04-01-13, 04:18 AM
#3
The fuel economy is not good on this car, so it will be pretty expensive when you are driving much. I have had to change out some suspension parts on my Sport Cross in the front, but that is it... Of course there has come new brakes to it, rotors and pads, but that is common on any car The feel of the car is very good, in fact I think it is what you are looking for, it is comfortable, but still sporty. The automatic gearbox is silky smooth, but not so smooth when the engine is cold. The paddles is actually buttons on the steering wheel, but works fine, but it does work as a limiter and do not hold the actual gear you choose though... Hope this helps as justYnG's comment does
The feel of the car is very good, in fact I think it is what you are looking for, it is comfortable, but still sporty. The automatic gearbox is silky smooth, but not so smooth when the engine is cold. The paddles is actually buttons on the steering wheel, but works fine, but it does work as a limiter and do not hold the actual gear you choose though... Hope this helps as justYnG's comment does
04-02-13, 01:25 AM
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bought mine 7 years ago CPO. So far the only thing that was not part of normal maintenance was 2 O2 sensors that were replaced under warranty by my dealer. otherwise the car is currently at approx 170K with 0 issues. Its my daily driver which can be a bit expensive, since its premium fuel only and i average something like 18-19 mpg mixed ($70.00+ per fill-up)
As far as smoothness goes its about as good as it gets, everyone that rides in it always asks why they cant feel the engine running even people that drive much nicer/newer cars. I guess that Inline 6 is really smooth but i guess I'm just used to it.
The backseats are a bit on the cramped side but comfortable if you aren't over 6 ft.
As far as sportiness goes, turn-in is crisp and steering responce/feel is great (almost as good as a BMW M3, but not quite) with good summer tires i have taken corners much faster than i ever should have and survived. Acceleration is meh, since it only makes 215hp 218tq stock and has to lug around 34-3500 pounds, but can still get to 60 in mid 7s. I did a quick little run against my co-worker in his RSX type S and he beat me by like a 1/4 car length.
Its a good looking car and extremely reliable if its well taken care of. In fact 2 of the guys that work at the carwash/detailer i go every weekend to now own IS300s. I guess they really liked my car enough to buy one of their own.
hope this helps and good luck!
As far as smoothness goes its about as good as it gets, everyone that rides in it always asks why they cant feel the engine running even people that drive much nicer/newer cars. I guess that Inline 6 is really smooth but i guess I'm just used to it.
The backseats are a bit on the cramped side but comfortable if you aren't over 6 ft.
As far as sportiness goes, turn-in is crisp and steering responce/feel is great (almost as good as a BMW M3, but not quite) with good summer tires i have taken corners much faster than i ever should have and survived. Acceleration is meh, since it only makes 215hp 218tq stock and has to lug around 34-3500 pounds, but can still get to 60 in mid 7s. I did a quick little run against my co-worker in his RSX type S and he beat me by like a 1/4 car length.
Its a good looking car and extremely reliable if its well taken care of. In fact 2 of the guys that work at the carwash/detailer i go every weekend to now own IS300s. I guess they really liked my car enough to buy one of their own.
hope this helps and good luck!
04-03-13, 06:05 PM
#5
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bought mine 7 years ago CPO. So far the only thing that was not part of normal maintenance was 2 O2 sensors that were replaced under warranty by my dealer. otherwise the car is currently at approx 170K with 0 issues. Its my daily driver which can be a bit expensive, since its premium fuel only and i average something like 18-19 mpg mixed ($70.00+ per fill-up)
As far as smoothness goes its about as good as it gets, everyone that rides in it always asks why they cant feel the engine running even people that drive much nicer/newer cars. I guess that Inline 6 is really smooth but i guess I'm just used to it.
The backseats are a bit on the cramped side but comfortable if you aren't over 6 ft.
As far as sportiness goes, turn-in is crisp and steering responce/feel is great (almost as good as a BMW M3, but not quite) with good summer tires i have taken corners much faster than i ever should have and survived. Acceleration is meh, since it only makes 215hp 218tq stock and has to lug around 34-3500 pounds, but can still get to 60 in mid 7s. I did a quick little run against my co-worker in his RSX type S and he beat me by like a 1/4 car length.
Its a good looking car and extremely reliable if its well taken care of. In fact 2 of the guys that work at the carwash/detailer i go every weekend to now own IS300s. I guess they really liked my car enough to buy one of their own.
hope this helps and good luck!
As far as smoothness goes its about as good as it gets, everyone that rides in it always asks why they cant feel the engine running even people that drive much nicer/newer cars. I guess that Inline 6 is really smooth but i guess I'm just used to it.
The backseats are a bit on the cramped side but comfortable if you aren't over 6 ft.
As far as sportiness goes, turn-in is crisp and steering responce/feel is great (almost as good as a BMW M3, but not quite) with good summer tires i have taken corners much faster than i ever should have and survived. Acceleration is meh, since it only makes 215hp 218tq stock and has to lug around 34-3500 pounds, but can still get to 60 in mid 7s. I did a quick little run against my co-worker in his RSX type S and he beat me by like a 1/4 car length.
Its a good looking car and extremely reliable if its well taken care of. In fact 2 of the guys that work at the carwash/detailer i go every weekend to now own IS300s. I guess they really liked my car enough to buy one of their own.
hope this helps and good luck!
04-03-13, 06:14 PM
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great car, mods are pretty affordable, and you have alot of options in getting parts since its the 2jz. its really not expensive car for upkeep, not your regular "lexus"
04-08-13, 01:32 PM
#7
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Hey man for being a former 02 Gt Celica owner (ran into the same 1zzfe oil problem) I'll give you my opinion on the IS300. It's a nice car and a good upgrade coming from the Celica. For your price point of 9K you can find plenty even some under 100K, I picked mine up for $9,700 with 96K on it. I over paid a little because i got he car from Lexus of Palm beach, FL. The interior refinement is a big upgrade. As soon as you get into the car there is no doubt,..your in a Lexus. The celica lacked that quality interior feeling. Exterior wise the car has very good lines. And the Stock 17's also look nice on the car.
The power delivery is nice and smooth. I rarely find my self in a situation that I dont have enough. Coming from the GT It' will be plenty of power. I found my self in the celica doing very aggressive down shifts to get up and going,..now I just give the car some gas and what I need to accomplish get's done without the 7k redline blast. On top of the stock engine being smooth the potential for big power with the adding of force induction is there and easily obtainable. NA hp gains are not that great be are decent.
The over all drive and feel of the car is solid. Feels BMW ish. Turn in is nice. Throttle response can be sluggish at first but there is a easy fix for that and is a nice free mod that can be done. Handling wise it feels good, But you will miss that Gokart connected to the road feeling the Celica had. The Celica was light,..this car is not,.it's heavy. I found my self able to throw the celica around. In the IS you can do it but it will take a little more effort. The car responds well to suspension upgrades. On the Plus side of things the car is rear wheel drive so getting sideways is a possibility. TRY to find one with a stock LSD.
To answer the question about the e-shift, it's responsive, some will say not responsive enough but it's good for me. I press up it goes up,..i press down it shifts down, in a timely manor with in a sec, of the request. good enough for me. You can hold the gears out to redline and it wont up shift for you. It's will down shift though if your in a gear to high and you step on the gas. Also it only can shift down to 2nd gear. 1st gear is very short so it's really not a problem. But in all honesty I never use it. It;s cool to have but I find the computer knows what gear is best 9.5 out of 10 times.
Now man I'm going to be completely honest with you. The day's of filling up and going a little over a week without getting gas again are gone. $20 splash to hold you over till pay day,..nope no sir wont happen. The gas mileage of this car compared to the Celica is horrible. Averaging about 32 Mpg when i had the Celica was nice. i didn't know how good I had it. In the IS300 look for real world to be between 18-20mpg I often watch my gas gauge needle move while driving. On top of it all it takes premium gas. Sure you can get away with putting 89 in but you gas mileage will be even worse then it is now. Just something to seriously think about.
Insurance is manageable Im paying around $75 monthly.
Well hey man I hope you found some of that info helpful. It's a all around great car that put's a smile on my face every-time I jump in the driver seat. It's extremely reliable and requires very little maintenance, good luck with your search.
The power delivery is nice and smooth. I rarely find my self in a situation that I dont have enough. Coming from the GT It' will be plenty of power. I found my self in the celica doing very aggressive down shifts to get up and going,..now I just give the car some gas and what I need to accomplish get's done without the 7k redline blast. On top of the stock engine being smooth the potential for big power with the adding of force induction is there and easily obtainable. NA hp gains are not that great be are decent.
The over all drive and feel of the car is solid. Feels BMW ish. Turn in is nice. Throttle response can be sluggish at first but there is a easy fix for that and is a nice free mod that can be done. Handling wise it feels good, But you will miss that Gokart connected to the road feeling the Celica had. The Celica was light,..this car is not,.it's heavy. I found my self able to throw the celica around. In the IS you can do it but it will take a little more effort. The car responds well to suspension upgrades. On the Plus side of things the car is rear wheel drive so getting sideways is a possibility. TRY to find one with a stock LSD.
To answer the question about the e-shift, it's responsive, some will say not responsive enough but it's good for me. I press up it goes up,..i press down it shifts down, in a timely manor with in a sec, of the request. good enough for me. You can hold the gears out to redline and it wont up shift for you. It's will down shift though if your in a gear to high and you step on the gas. Also it only can shift down to 2nd gear. 1st gear is very short so it's really not a problem. But in all honesty I never use it. It;s cool to have but I find the computer knows what gear is best 9.5 out of 10 times.
Now man I'm going to be completely honest with you. The day's of filling up and going a little over a week without getting gas again are gone. $20 splash to hold you over till pay day,..nope no sir wont happen. The gas mileage of this car compared to the Celica is horrible. Averaging about 32 Mpg when i had the Celica was nice. i didn't know how good I had it. In the IS300 look for real world to be between 18-20mpg I often watch my gas gauge needle move while driving. On top of it all it takes premium gas. Sure you can get away with putting 89 in but you gas mileage will be even worse then it is now. Just something to seriously think about.
Insurance is manageable Im paying around $75 monthly.
Well hey man I hope you found some of that info helpful. It's a all around great car that put's a smile on my face every-time I jump in the driver seat. It's extremely reliable and requires very little maintenance, good luck with your search.
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04-08-13, 07:10 PM
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Not a good choice for long commutes. If you're driving 80 miles a day, you're gonna need to budget for around $400 a month for gas. It kills me to write this, as I agree with everyone on here that the IS is an amazing vehicle, but it's not going to be economic for a situation involving a lot of driving.
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