TO me the biggest negative of the IS is the gas mileage around 18-20 MPG. Otherwise its a great car used for college students. Reliable, well built, small so its easy to park, HIDs standard and room for friends need be.

The ES is the opposite, larger, FWD and more mature but easy to maintain.

Big fan of the 03 Maxima of that era, great speed, nice interior, good looks, HIDs.

Altima V-6 has the same engine, it is lighter, interior is far worse but its a great cheap car that still looks pretty good.

The Accord is reliable, good interior but I don't trust their trannies and every other girl in your class will have one.

To me the LS/GS/SC that old will need $$$ to run and maintain so I can't recommend.

 

id love to see a picture if you can find one. I have never seen wood trim in an IS300

 

Wow, couldn't find any but it was a rare option in later years. I think you got full leather too instead of the leather/suede mix.

Also the IS 300 is a very safe car.

 

OP....Now that i think about what happened to my car in 4 years of college:

- Broken into 2X
- Attempted theft
- Vandalized 2X
- Numerous door dings, scratches and dents from careless students

I'm really happy i only spent $5,000 on my car out of my $15k budget. The car ran perfectly fine 5 years later, it was just messed up a bit on the outside from dumb students. If i wanted to, i could have paid $1.5-2k and had all the body work redone (which i was going to do till i saw an IS )

If your ok with it, try looking at a cheaper car ($5-7k or so). Even if something crappy happens like the tranny takes a dump and you spend $2k or something, you'll only have spent $7-9k on the car. If you go to college 4 yrs, i can almost guarantee you it will take a beating...might as well be a cheaper car. Then get something nice when you graduate

 

The Altima interiors, from 02+ kinda suck. The Maxima up until 2003 had much nicer interiors, and by now I would imagine prices have equalized. I really like the Accord but the V6/auto combo scares me on an older Honda. I would go for a Maxima or any Lexus..

Coincidentally I've been considering seeking out a stick shift Maxima, test drove one and they are pretty solid. Nissans are definitely hit or miss..

 

Btw if you want an Altima, you can find 06-08's between $11-13k from private sellers.

My girlfriend just got picked up a pretty loaded 08 Altima (Hybrid too not even the 2.5) for $14.5k at a dealer. ~45K miles and 3 year/36,000 warranty.

Also, all 2003-2010 Nissan CVT automatic transmissions are covered by an extended 10yr/120,000 mile extended warranty

warranty info: http://www.nissanassist.com/ProgramDetails.php

 

how about a used corvette? you can pick up up a used C5 for around your price range. They are faster and more fuel efficient than every car on your list

 

Honestly, I've owned a used SC300 before. If you're going to buy a used car, don't buy anything more than 50k miles. Especially if you want to hold onto it for 4-5 years.

I would use that 12k and go for a brand new car. You have quite a few options with some being from Toyota, Honda, Scion, Hyundai, Kia..etc...

 

Here you go. One of the door-panel woods (Burl Walnut, I believe) was also a factory-option. I saw it on some IS300 models actually in stock at dealerships.

http://www.wooddash.com/category/LEX...ts_IS250350300

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=h...OYOB8gaGz-SYBw

 

The leather/suede option was called Alcantara. It was nice because the suede-like texture, in the middle of the seat cushion, had some grip and generally kept one's butt from sliding around the seat like it does on some smoother, slicker all-leather surfaces. of course, my own IS300, which had black-cloth seats, didn't have that problem either (the standard cloth seats, like the 16" all-season tire option, were dropped on the 2Gen model).

Yes, it's hard to do better than 19-20 MPG (16-19 is about average) unless you are on a long trip at moderate cruising speeds. Added to that, of course is that cost of the required premium fuel.

Another negative of this car is the generally lousy winter traction, even with the traction control, all-season tires, and electronic snow-mode for the transmission that limits engine-torque (VSC was not available until later). That was one of the main factors in my later switch to Subaru products.

I agree with you, though, that the IS300 was exceedingly well-built...in almost 5 years of ownership, I had minimal problems, except for some quirky electronic transmission-shifts from time to time. At one time (I don't remember which specific year) the IS300 was the most-reliable vehicle in Consumer Reports' database. But the basic structure of the car (frame, body, interior, etc....) was like a tank.....far more solid than the average 2001 product.

 

'Vettes have traditionally had reliability problems, although, in general, the newer ones (C5 and C6) are substantially better than older models, some of which were chronic breakdown and rattle/squeak machines.

 

For $12k I'd get a near new very low mileage honda civic or toyota corolla.

 

Avoid older Lexus. Yes they can be reliable but they still age. While a 98 LS is still fresh in our mind, they are still 13-14 year old cars.

The initial cost for all the cars is about the same. It's maintaining the car over the long run that's the problem. The cost usually racks up quicker than you think, especially when it comes to fuel and insurance.

Of the cars on the list, I would either go for the Accord or the ES. Both are reliable and get decent fuel economy. I only recommend the ES because it's largely based off the Camry so most of the maintenance/repair are similar. Then again, the ES does have more transmission quirks than the Accord, but nothing too serious.

 

Im in the same boat and picked up a 98 GS400. I get 22mpg per tank out of mine with almost all city driving. Granted my commute to work is a whopping 16 miles round trip.

 

I haven't driven anything yet, still waiting to get my license back. Really interested in the Accord Coupe. That's probably what I will go with unless I can find a black IS300 around GA.