Hey everyone im somewhat new to the car scene i had an 98 SC300 when i was 16 but at the time i didnt have enough money to maintain or work on the car like i wanted to. fast forward 5 years and im considering buying an 02 IS300 or an 02 GS300. Honestly I could go either way, but my main question would be which car would i get the most bang for my buck. I have a total of 6k to buy and do a few simple mods to the cars. i saw an IS 150k miles going for 3K but its completely tore up from hail damage but i was planning on getting a new hood and body kit anyways. i also saw a GS300 139k miles going for about 5K, carfax is clean



. I would like to at least get a nice body kit and cat back for which ever car i get. In the future i want to consider doing mods to the engine but for now im going to save up. So do yall think its worth the time and money to get the hail damaged IS or should i save my self the hassle and get the GS. also the IS carfax has frame damage reported.
Thanks!

 

yeah I would totally pass on a destroyed car like the IS. But really, these are different cars, so I think it's more up to if you want a big car or a small one.

 

Hey man, I'm also 21. It depends on if you want ultra smooth, slightly sporty, but very comfortable vs small, quite nimble, and feeling like you're flying through whatever you're driving through.

I owned a 2001 GS300 for 14 months and experienced it exactly like Lexus intended. A lot of that is due to how clean the car was even at 255,000 thousand miles. The previous owner kept it garaged, hand washed and waxed, it was his wife's car, so it stayed clean and up to date on maintenance. He already took care of the known issues such as lower ball joints, blend door actuators,etc. I got it at 233k miles. imo, try to seek out a clean car like this, deals can be found randomly. I found mine on Cragslist and got it for $2200, but it drove and looked like it had maybe 90,000 miles. Every feature worked perfectly, the interior is very spacious, amazing for road trips, the seats are some of the best I've sat in, it's like a floating couch, you'll fall asleep in them. It's not crazy fast, but has decent power, the transmission is pretty good, 2001-2005 models will have manual shifting buttons. It has a lot of creature comforts like memory seating, the steering wheel comes out to you, stock sound system is great, and a constant, insulated smooth cruising ride. It excels on the highway, but I did a lot of around town and it was plenty fun for me as my second car, first being a 2004 Volvo S40 1.9T, pretty tame, but I enjoyed that one too.

I bought a 2002 IS300 a few weeks ago, and I already love it more than the GS. It's at 186,000 miles, not as clean or well maintained at all. The paint has a lot of imperfections, the driver's window is on the way out, same with the sunroof motor, there's an aftermarket radio and it's causing electrical gremlins like my gauge cluster lights keep blowing a fuse, but in a weird way, The seats are not in the best condition, interior needs a good detailing, it has sticky dash, a little rust on the rear left rocker panel, the right front wheel is making a weird noise, and the check engine light just came on with a P0442 evap leak.

But, the car drives well, amazingly well. I can just throw it into corners at quite high speed, and zoom out of them due to how small and light the car is,but not before I skrrt the tires because this car is skid happy, but it's still safe with it, pretty controllable. The ability to fly out of turns is even better due to the limited slip differential installed from the factory. You can plug the VIN of any IS300 into the Lexus website and it'll tell you if a car you're looking at has a factory LSD. It stays stable through curvy roads at higher speeds, due to the double wishbone suspension which is so much more superior to the MacPherson strut in the GS. The same exact combo of engine + transmission from the GS is instantly more noticeable and usable in the smaller, lighter, more agile IS. The GS300 can leave you wanting a bit more with its weight, but there's the GS400/430's 300HP if you want it. The IS feels perfect with the 215HP in that light of a chassis.

I do miss the GS and it's many little luxurious materials, features, and the ride, but this car puts a bigger smile on my face every time I drive it. I hope this helps you in your decision to pick a car.

The info below is gonna apply to both the GS300 and the IS300 5 speed auto because both of those cars have exactly the same engine and transmission.

Unless you have service records proving the timing belt, water pump, seals, etc. were done, just save yourself the trouble and get it all done. I'm talking timing belt, tensioners, cam and crank seals, water pump, thermostat, serpentine belt, tensioner again, valve cover gaskets, all filters and fluids, I personally did all that plus, a new radiator. I bought mostly OEM stuff from RockAuto like Aisin, Contitech, etc. Genuine Toyota for other parts like PCV valves, drain plug washers, and things like that. OEM fluids for coolant from Pentofrost, and Idemitsu for transmission fluid. Be sure to replace the 3 o-rings that go inside the water outlet neck going from the block to the head located on the exhaust side of the engine above the alternator. My seals went bad, causing a coolant leak, which killed my alternator after a few weeks/months. The Toyota part numbers for those on my GS300 were 9676124028, and 9676124022. You need 2 of the second one.

 

Sounds good thank yall both for the info, i decided to go through with the GS just for the added features and comfort since it will be my daily.