I'd say at $1200 beggers can't be choosers. If it runs/drives nice and the rust isn't so bad to where it is unsafe to drive, I'd say its a keeper.

Hey its gotta be better than a POS 15 year old Land Rover, right???

Also if you decide to run winter tires, pick up some cheap 15" steelies or find a set of used 15" or 16" Lexus wheels. If they came from a RWD Lexus, they will bolt right up to your IS, tires are A LOT cheaper for 15" wheels vs the stock 17 or 18" setup the IS300 came with.

 

I understand. i do want a civic but the ones in my area in the price range are absolutely rusted out and some of them even need major engine components. which is crazy because i know for a fact how reliable Honda's are. Tomorrow i will go test drive this IS 300 and i am also taking a mechanic friend with me to see what he finds. The guy selling it to me is also a mechanic though so let's see how this goes. I will for sure post an update. Just in case this does not go through, in what price range should i expect to find a decent high mileage (160k-190k) IS 300 that does not have any major issues?

 

Definitely better than my rover. That thing has already been through an engine swap. It's crazy how unreliable it is. i will admit it is a very good winter car but a horrible daily driver. Worst experience i have had with a car so far. I hope the Lexus brand in general changes my perception of foreign cars

 

There are pros and cons to your situation. First, it's a Lexus IS300, which are proven to be reliable cars. But it's old, has high miles, and rust. You are taking a big risk with those cons. But that could be the case with any older car. If it were me, I wouldn't set my sights on a Lexus. If one thing major goes wrong, you are in deep doo-doo with higher costs to repair. Stick with a lesser import car that is also reliable, but easier and cheaper to repair. Establish yourself a little more, save up more money, then enjoy something a little more premium later down the road. You will definitely appreciate it more when it does happen. Walk, then jog, then run...

 

$1200 sounds too good to be true... must be something wrong... no matter how 'honest' the owner seems, i'd get it thoroughly checked out by a mechanic or hell even a lexus dealer... worth the $x00.

 

So i'm posting and update to the original post. I went to test drive the car today, and the engine sounded great. the trans shifted smoothly, no jerks or nothing. There was an ABS light on which i imagine is a wheel sensor. Mechanically the car was good but cosmetically it did need some work. There was rust spots, on the rear fenders and the passenger side skirt as well. Rear bumper is in bad shape, but nothing a replacement can't fix. The car drove well. The guy did tell me the car was in an accident but there was no frame damage. A further inspection of the under body proved that. The car did need the right side fog light (just the bulb) and a real bulb as well. I have a video of the car running is there a way i can post that?

 

Funny how people are crying about an IS being a bad "snow" car. Just put some Blizzaks on it and drive normally and you will be A-OK. I know plenty of people driving RWD manual (some don't even have traction control). Use common sense and you have absolutely nothing to worry about.

He is in Illinois.... where we get more "salt" than snow. He is not in Alaska where you are driving in over a foot of snow to get to town haha. At that point anything but a lifted truck and massive tires is going to be worthless and bottom out. Literally have like 2 days out of the year after a big storm where the roads suck to drive on... at that point most businesses are closed anyways and it's not recommended to be out driving regardless of what car or tires you have.

 

Yes here northern IL where i am winters are not that harsh. It gets super cold but not much in terms of snow (2 feet max for snow and that hasn't happened in a while). I don't plan to be doing burnouts or drifting with it i just want it as a daily while i figure out what is going to happen with my rover

 

Blizzaks will help, but a car of the 1Gen IS's design is still not going to be a snow-bunny by any means. Front-engine and RWD is just not the proper weight-distribution or drivetrain for it.

 

If the OP knows how to drive, he will be fine with a set of snow tires on a RWD car.

There are some of us here in the Great White North and northern American states who remember driving RWD cars on bias-ply tires and then putting on snow tires on the rear (drive) axle when the snow was about to start. We only used 2 snow tires back then and only drove RWD cars (no 4WD or AWD, which came later) because that was all we had available; there were no more cars in the ditch than we have now.

If the roads had not been cleared, we did not drive.

We are spoiled now, with full sets of 4 very high-quality winter tires, traction control, ABS, FWD or AWD,... to the point that we no longer know how to drive.

 

agreed, it will require lots of maintenance with that many miles. I bought a 2010 Ford Focus with 130K for $1988 to use as a beater - parts are cheap, timing chain (no belt to swap).

 

I don't remember him asking the car to be some snow monster...

From what I have seen it's all the idiotic Subaru drivers that get WAY too cocky and have more ***** than driving talent that are sitting wrecked on the side of the road. AWD gives a false sense of capability that most people have no clue how to actually use properly. They turn too quickly, power out of a turn too quickly, go way faster than they should when there is now on the ground, etc.... all that does is get you in trouble.

The only thing AWD is good for is getting out of a dig. I feel like RWD with winters actually makes you more aware and more careful of how you drive.

It's not a race. Snowy road conditions are not to be taken lightly. Unfortunately all of these AWD warriors see it as a moment of opportunity and as "their time to shine" and showoff. Doesn't end well for many of them. You need to realize what you're driving and treat it with respect.

 

True, but the discussion turned to winter traction.

Well, I can't speak for all Subie drivers (particularly the young guys in WRX/STIs with their caps on backwards LOL) ...but I myself owned an Outback for six years, and always drove it carefully, even in the worst of winter conditions (which it basically laughed at, and went through handily). In fact, one of the reasons why I bought that Outback because because I was so dissatisfied with the way my IS300 skated all over the road in slippery conditions.

 

Agreed!!!

Its not the Subie drivers who go nuts where I live when the snow flies, its all the idiots with a sense of invincibility in their jacked up 4WD bro-trucks that drive like maniacs. Yeah you might have great traction under acceleration with those knobby tires and 4wd, but they never take into account that your truck is huge and weighs 7000lbs. Stopping that huge rig takes way longer than a normal car because of all the weight behind your momentum. Same thing with turns, you carry more mass, if you start sliding that mass really works against you. Especially if you're already driving too fast to start with. Always funny to see 4wd trucks/suvs in the ditch when it snows around here.

 

I don't care what kind of car it is--212K miles is a crapshoot. If you want the car, get it. If not, move on.