looking at buying a IS what do I need to look out for??
 

I'm looking at a '03 with 39K miles for my best friend (who will become a member of this community if he buys one!)......I know the GS and LS models really well, but not really much about the IS. I am a car guy so I know to check for records and paintwork and that sort......but is there anything I really need to watch out for on an IS? Many thanks in advance for all your help!

well.... not really if it only has 39k miles... make sure that you take it out for a drive, YOU drive. just cuz some people are cheap and dont put minimum 91 octane fuel in their IS's, and in turn the motor runs more lean when it is meant to run rich and it sometimes develops knocking sounds (but i SERIOUSLY doubt you will encounter this problem). other than that, the car is super reliable and will run forever. how much are they asking?

Check the CD changer. I think they had it fixed by this time but the 01-02 CD changers have problems. Costs $600+ to fix. Other than that they are great cars.

hehe oh yeah forgot to mention that the cd player is prone to getting jammed.... mine did in my '02. but it miraculously fixed itself one day and works just fine now. weird i know....

bump I am also looking for this information


this is why I come to the forums...you can get more relative information that wont be found on paper and people with experience on the cars for advice like that

so the IS doesn't have any know problems like the GS's lower ball joint going bad and the door lock actuators being ******?

Ok one weird thing about IS300's is some come with lsds and some do not. check the door jam for a Bo code, if it is Bo2a- the car does not have a LSD. If it is Bo2b or Bo2c- the car had a LSD.

if it is manual check out 3rd gear while test driving it, ive heard some people have problems with 3rd