I'm starting to get sick of my ES300... great car but the straight-line performance doesn't justify the lack of fuel economy, I think a Kenworth can out-handle me in a curve, and I think a yacht has a tighter turning radius. And then there were those damn cupholders. All in all, I'm not very old, so I'm thinking that an IS would be a better answer.

What turns me onto it the most is easily the handling. It's an extremely fun car to drive. The xenon lights and the overall styling of the vehicle are a big plus as well.

Now, why didn't I get one to begin with? First and foremost, it's RWD and probably pretty terrible in the snow. Of course, I've driven both a 98 GS400 and 06 GS430 in the snow, and I haven't wrecked anything yet. If you can believe it, the ES really isn't all that great in snow. I have no problem having 2 sets of wheels/tires since I have a place to store them.

I was also strayed away by the fuel economy, but since I'm really only averaging ~18 in my ES300, I'm not really worried.

I've also thought about getting a GS300, and for some reason I can't stop looking at some of the local 3-Series BMW's for sale (especially the 3##xi's AWD), but I know the reliability isn't there with Lexus. It's still good, especially for a European car, but still not up there. Plus I can get maintenance and whatnot on a Lexus for a lot cheaper, given my family's purchase history with our dealer.

Additionally, I'm gonna need this thing to last past 150,000 probably (possible even 200k, and I'm really stingy on my maintenance... I get pissed if I go 10 miles over an oil change). I'm not worried with a Toyota inline-6, personally, but still would like some input on it.

So my question is, how much of an ownership difference am I going to notice? Is this going to be better or worse for me?

 

i've driven ES300 loaners and they do not compare to an IS300
driving the ES reminds of driving a boat; accelerates and handles like it, too.
but i have to admit, the ES has a very nice luxurious soft ride; probably great for a long road trip but i probably get sick of that rolling motion
stock IS performance is good; won't win you any 0-60 shootouts or 1/4 mile runs, but there's something about the inline 6 and all that torque that's very infectious..
and you can run at 100+mph all day and the engine won't even struggle
handling wise, the IS is good; very nimble and tossable
add a few suspension mods, and FR setup is fantastic
as for driving a rwd in the snow, can't address that for myself in sunny SoCal
if you do regular maintenance, the car will easily go over 150k miles
have fun and good luck..!

 

is300 is fun to drive. ES300 ride just like a camry and IS300 rides like a NA supra

 

well the IS has the same engine as an NA supra so i hope it would ride the same?

 

I think he meant suspension-wise, but yeah that was my first initial reaction as well

I'm still looking around. All I know is that I've pretty much had it with my ES. It's also starting to give me a lot of trouble for a Toyota, oddly enough.

 

i never driven supra, but i let my supra friend drove my car and he said it drives exactly just like a NA supra.

i think you will notice alot different with IS300 since it is more sports tuned and has more aftermarket support than rest of your cars.