Hi, all. Brand new member of Club Lexus. Have been reading threads as a guest for a while now. I am the owner of a 2002 IS300 and love the car. Has been trouble free for over 160k miles now and still running strong, however I feel it's time to upgrade. I have been considering the 2nd generation IS350 for some time now, but my predicament is that do I want to buy a 2nd generation now that the 3rd generation is so close to coming out? I want to be able to do basic mods to my car, i.e suspension, exhaust, wheels/tires so my question is, and sorry if this has been discussed before, will 2nd generation IS350 aftermarket parts fit the 3rd generation? I know the 2IS has good aftermarket support and as silly as it seems I am willing to pass up on the 3IS if the aftermarket is a couple of years from catching up. Thanks for your responses.

 

Good chance when the next IS is released, absolutely nothing made for the current IS's will work at all...

Kinda like IS300 vs IS250/350 - very little, if anything at all will work on both...

 

Hi Azlxs

Welcome to CL! Glad to see another car enthusiasts. ur 1IS is an amazing car that definitely has a lot of aftermarket support more so than the 2IS especially if you are looking to the performance mods.

IMHO I believe you are better off with the 2IS rather than the 3Is becausse it will take some time before mods will start showing up for the 3IS if they come out... The designer of the new IS even said in an interview that there focus is on the look of the car inside and out. The engine is the same as the 2is but I am glad they finally came out with an 8 speed tranny for the 3is350. The 2IS is a great car and if you are looking into modding then you are better off with the 2IS with all the aftermarket support it has right now it will definitely take time before the 3IS will catch up. But if you want to jump the gun then the 3is is a good option looks wise.. Well for me I only like the interior of the 3IS the exterior is not my style its too wild and takes away from the is look. Unlike the 4GS those models are keeping true to its style of luxury sport and intrigue.

 

Thanks for the reponses. I did not research the technical aspects of the car. I figured the differences between the 2nd and 3rd generation were mostly cosmetic and tecnological. I didn't realize that it was designed "from the ground up". I had considered serious mods to my 1IS, but at the end it's still an 11yr old car and would rather spend the money on a newer model year. I suppose I can go with a 2IS for a couple of years and then if opportunity presents itself I can trade it in for a 3IS when ther aftermarket catches up.

 

Well although it is an 11 year old car, it doesnt stop the endless upgrades that you could do to it. But ya I would also go with a new car that has a bit more refinement to it. Exactly, play with a 2is for now and if you really really want it, then get a 3is down the line. Besides its never a good idea to buy the 1st year model of any car, that where issues usually come up and just like any other car it gets better the following year. Recalls have been a big part of improving what went wrong for the next year.

 

I personally hate the look of the 3IS so I would go with an IS350 with low miles if you can find one