mmartin061

Had to sell the F recently do to some unforseen circumstances. I am thinking about taking a step back in time, getting rid of my 01 IS300 been properly maintained but cosmetically has seen it's better days. Maybe a cheap trade in or sell it for a couple grand. Looking at a newer 04 or 05. Under 40k. What would you guys and girls spend for an IS that is this old year wise, but has low miles. As we know these cars are high mile cars. But there is just something about this car that draws me back. And at some point want a dead nuts cheaper reliable car. ISF easily trumped in gas mileage though. Lol

rayson

Assuming everything is checked out (clean title, no accidents, good maintenance records) 2004 or 2005, under 40k miles, maybe $12-15K?

mmartin061

Thanks for the input. Pretty incredible how these cars can hold their value given their age. Finding a low mileage one though is getting more difficukt to find. And if I recall the 2004's had melting interiors just like the ISF's. You'd think Toyota would have figured out not to change their recipe from year to year. Same dash on the 01 as on the 04. Wth

mitsuman

Here is one local to me. A bit far from you, but maybe worth a look regardless?
I test drove it, because I was going to try and trade my '04 in to get a lower mileage model. But they did not offer enough for my trade in.
Everything seemed fine on it to me when I test drove it.

http://www.hyundaiofevansville.com/u...06df2bc55d.htm

RBabros

Did a little research. The most you'd be able to get in a private sale is around $8,200. That's KBB value on an 01 IS300 with 35,000 miles in Charlotte, NC. I selected white paint since that is one of the most sought after colors. These cars have lost quite a bit of their value in the past 4 years.

mmartin061

Well that is true. The last model year is already 11 years old and people are tech nuts and the IS300 doesn't have tech in spades. Plus I just don't think that these will be sought after like the Supras. Sure it was a "nice" swing at the entry level sports car segment. But let's all face it, that engine tranny combo in automatic trim is a downright slug. But something to be said for Toyota engines. I have owned several Toyota products in the past. I even liked this car better than my GS400. But not as much certainly as the ISF. Mileage is horrible and takes premium fuel. But there is something about these cars that is just raw. Refined yet unrefined, that every owner knows what I am talking about. I still like hell want an ISF, because after having owned one it is almost impossible to look back to a 300. But no matter what avenue I think of, I just can't see one financially now without taking out a loan.

NAYTRON

I just recently picked up an 2004 is300. Sport design. TCM. Manual transmission. One owner. Great condition. 127k miles. For $7200. Since it was manual I found it a pretty good deal considering it being a manual. (in California btw)

mmartin061

That is a very reasonable price. Like I was saying these cars are becoming harder to find with low mileage since the last model year is now over 11 years old. If I have a chance to jump on one at a good price. I will otherwise I certainly won't pay a ridiculous price for a low mileage one. I'll just wait a bit longer to buy another F

NAYTRON

Yea it was just right timing when I found it. I would haven't got it if it wasn't manual. I'd say if you find the right one, clean and decent miles, get it and keep it. I definitely feel the is300 will earn that classic status if not already. And then you can have the isf on the side as well

mmartin061

Well one or the other for now. I am not sure the IS300 will get it. It may, but I don't think it had the impact that other classic Japanese cars did. The S2000 may keep its status, the Acura for sure will, I don't even think the EVO's will have a lengendary status. I know that the Supra TT is, and it had competition from the 300ZX and Mistsbishi VR4. Someone might be able to explain why out of those 3 the Supra was the one to become iconic. I can understand why the S2000 did and the NSX have.

NAYTRON

Yea I don't expect it to get status like Mk4 supra or fd rx-7. But a status more like the bmw e30.

knshro13

iTrader: (4)

The only time I would pay more than 10K on an IS300 is if it is a manual trans.

DrDDay

My guess is the dead reliability and the styling is generally liked by everyone. The other 2 cars are known to be rather finicky mechanically (especially the VR4). The MkIV is also very easy to make dumb amounts of power in, and can be made to handle fairly well too. It does have that GT racing heritage too. Really, all of those JDM supercars of the early 90's have become legends other than the Z and the 3000GT, and really the Z has its own special niche. The GT is just the bastard car because it really didn't handle well, it was heavy as all hell, had a bazillion mechanical gremlins and unless you were getting the VR4, you were getting something slower than the kids who were buying up Civics and Integras.

As for the OP;

if you don't want a manual, you should be able to find one in good condition fairly easily. There are still a lot of great IS300s out there. You may have trouble finding one with those miles.

I purchased mine late last year. Just over 100k on the clock, never winter driven (which is a lifesaver here in the midwest) 5spd, meticulously dealer maintained, and the cleanest 100% stock and factory paint IS you will come across. I paid a touch over $7k for the car, but that deal likely won't be duplicated. I have already had serious offers over $10k. This baby isn't going anywhere.

Also, for the person who mentioned it being like an E30 BMW, I would say that it very well might be looked at as the E30 for Lexus someday, but an E30 it is not. The E30 is just such a perfectly raw driving experience. I do see this car with a lot of parallels to the E36 and IMO there are a lot of things that make this car better than the E36 short of it being a single purpose track vehicle. BMW reliability and parts costs are ridiculous for the little extra you get performance wise between the 2 cars. At 10/10 the M3 is better, it's just sharper, but I don't drive at 10/10 very much any more. Even when I am at the track I don't drive 10/10 anymore, maybe I'm just getting old. For me and the way I drive (which is pretty spirited I guess you could say) the IS300 is perfectly suited. Smooth, quiet, comfortable, nimble, relatively light, and a quite linear power band. I believe that just a little sharpening of a few areas makes this vehicle very comparable to the E36M. It's obvious that they built this car in the likeness of the super successful small German sedan, and they did a wonderful job. Making it a Lexus was inherently going to make it softer, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.