IS300

[sheepyshaun]

Hi all.

 

I've still got my battered old Golf but have been doing lots of car hunting online recently. Initially I was going to get an IS200 but the 300 sounds very exciting, and having recently turned 50 yrs old it's about time I got myself my desired 'midlife crisis' car.

 

Now, I recently saw a beautiful looking IS300 advertised for sale up in Manchester, it has done 99k miles. The owner is asking for £3,100 for it, I contacted him via email and asked what is the bare minimum he would take for it, and his response was £2,100. Him being willing to drop the price that much made me suspicious, I can understand him knocking off maybe £2-300 but not a thousand. 

 

Would any of you agree that I ought to be wary of this? It really is a stunning looking car, but as I live in Hampshire it would be a long way for me to travel just to be (possibly) disappointed with it.

[noby76]

02 Plate with 100K on the clock sounds about right for £2100.... £3100 was way over pricied to start with. body work does look good from the pics but has he done the major things like cambelt change? how many prev owners and whats the service history like? you wont go wrong with an IS300

[easye1]

Hi sheep I lost my 200 back on boxing day but still keep looking for one again. but I check the check the mot history to find out it's passes or fails since 2003.ish.. goto check my mot history before you even consider looking at anything mate..seen some stingers being advertised as they make good money.. hope this helps.

[easye1]

Ringers. ....not stingers...lol

[sheepyshaun]

Last night I enquired about a nice looking IS200 near me, asking if the cambelt had been done (it's done 94k miles), he replied earlier saying that these cars have chains rather than cambelts....I smell a rat.

[gdh300]

Hi Shaun; I can only agree with Ian about checking a car's MoT history, it can be very revealing. I travelled miles looking for mine and ended-up seeing some very tired examples; the new MoT website would have saved me all that! 

I've noticed on Autotrader a lot of dealers putting a pretty high price on IS300, particularly clean ones. I don't think they are an appreciating classic just yet, much as I'd like that! Perhaps this seller in Manchester was just chancing his arm based on those prices but knows £2000 is more the mark. Looks like an enthusiast's car so may well have had money lavished on it. Sorry to say, the only way you will know is to meet the owner and see the grubby bit of the car. Check the brakes first of all, then the belts, then for sill corrosion.

Even if you end-up seeing some rubbish, at least you can get behind the wheel and see if the IS300 is all you're expecting. It's not a sports car - the old-tech autobox and low stressed engine see to that - but it can get a shimmy on to catch-out more modern stuff if you're in the right gear and you can take overtaking opportunities when they present themselves. Handling is good on the A-roads and refinement on the motorway (with the right tyres) is good. And when you want to lazily mooch about town, without any hurry, it's wonderfully relaxed and within its capabilities. They do like a drink though! Definitely an eight-tenths car, not a ten-tenths car. 

I'm in Hampshire, so if you want me to pop-over and show-off my old girl, let me know.

[sheepyshaun]

Hi Glyn, thanks for the info. I've never driven a 3 litre car before so maybe I'm getting a bit carried away and should probably aim for an IS200 instead. 

 

Whereabouts in Hampshire are you? I'm in Andover. Be good to see your motor some time as I've never even sat in a Lexus before, never mind driven one.

[gdh300]

24 minutes ago, sheepyshaun said:

Hi Glyn, thanks for the info. I've never driven a 3 litre car before so maybe I'm getting a bit carried away and should probably aim for an IS200 instead. 

 

Whereabouts in Hampshire are you? I'm in Andover. Be good to see your motor some time as I've never even sat in a Lexus before, never mind driven one.

Whoa, don't get me wrong Shaun! I love my 300; without doubt the best car I've ever owned; I hope I didn't come over as negative about it. From all I've read, the IS300 is the car the IS200 wants to be (no offence to IS200 owners!) just it may not be the rocketship you might expect. A manual BMW 300i would leave it for dead, but you'd more than make up the time while the Bimmer is in the workshop. And the Lex is far more relaxing; 600 miles in a day is no problem. What sort of mileage do you do, and will it be your daily driver? How much are you prepared to spend on fuel?

I'm about twenty minutes down the A303 from you (what an indecipherable clue!), so happy to let you have a look. 

[sheepyshaun]

When are you free? Sunday is good for me.

 

[easye1]

22 hours ago, sheepyshaun said:

Last night I enquired about a nice looking IS200 near me, asking if the cambelt had been done (it's done 94k miles), he replied earlier saying that these cars have chains rather than cambelts....I smell a rat.

Been thinking about your comments shaun, some imported lexus lookalikes are ALTEZA`s with a different engine, a 4 cylinder one I believe.

the alteza badges are the same size so can be swopped over of lexus ones.

theres also minor other differences inside the car also, as i believe they have fewer "nice touches"

best google lexus / alteza I think for a more in depth Idea of what to find.

dont want to end up with a "Import" version eh.. 

 

sadly, this is the end for me http://www.copart.co.uk/uk/Lot/41004285

Edited November 25, 2016 by easye1
sad old pictures of my much loved lexus

[doog442]

Shaun...back in 2007 I went down the same road. I wanted a 3 litre and set my heart on an IS300. I almost got it in my head that an IS200 wasn't worthy. I test drove a couple of 300's at dealers and was bloody impressed at the smoothness, the auto etc but was simply priced out of getting one and they were as rare as rocking horse sh@t on the private market.

I reluctantly took a IS200 out for a drive and was gobsmacked,loved everything about it and went straight out and got one. Apart from gearbox the car felt pretty similar with that lovely straight six note...

If the IS300 is proving to difficult to source, try an IS200 if you haven't already. You will probably get a new, lower mileage specimen.

Just a thought and best of luck with your search.

[sheepyshaun]

Hi doog

 

I can't get my mind off the beautiful IS300 at the top of this thread but I'm more than happy to try a 200, there's a couple near me which I have inquired about so may arrange a test drive very soon. Overall which variant has the most/best toys, the SE or the Sport? I like the idea of full leather seats but most importantly it MUST have a bloody good stereo as I love my music. I've very recently found a very nice looking IS300 in Yeovil (see attached photos) but it's a bit too 'boy racer' looking for me, bearing in mind I'm 50 :) it's done 140,500 miles

[sheepyshaun]

I've found online a lovely looking IS300 very similar to the blue one I posted before,its pretty local to me too. The seller wants £2k for it (its done 99k miles).

 

Now,I did a background check on it and discovered its been a Category C write off in the past. Should I have anything to worry about with this? I've become very wary of Cat C's although I've never previously owned one,just don't like the idea of driving a previously written off car.

 

 

 

[Malc1]

maybe if you could find out the extent of the damage that caused the Cat C then that might put your mind at rest.

Insurers write cars off for many relatively minor issues that make the car insurance-wise uneconomic to repair .............. a busted headlamp and a crunched bumper will probably be sufficient for that alone

But it does affect the re-sale value hugely.

Malc1

[easye1]

agree malc, my one was purchased from family, so was a known vehicle after being retained along with a nice pay out.

it sat there looking at me so i purchased it for £400....really...

drivers side centre door pillar was moved in slightly plus the 2 doors had dents due to a fairly low speed supermarket shunt at it at 90 degrees.

still well below mileage for year that made it more appealing..

I hunted round for 2 same year, same colour doors that cost me £60 the pair with about £50 round trip petrol & burgers (lol) to collect them.

I changed the front door, left out the rear door, then used my newly purchased porta power with wood blocks in and around the front seats runner & centre tunnel that created a solid point to push from, and a small block of wood over the rear doors lower hinge point, then just pushed (pumped the hydrolic ram) till the front door shut perfectly, and I mean perfectly !!

I then fitted the rear door to ensure a perfect fit....Now, as the lower rear door hinge took some impact, it was slightly "crushed" by roughly 3mm, so I made a C washer that thickness to go behind the door piller & hinge = Perfect fit again..

sprayed the hinges and just visible C washer, reconnected the electrics, refitted the door mirror, refitted the door trims and -

you would never had known it had been repaired..

Then I had to book a VIC check, that done, re apply for its V5c, that received, taxed it and away..

I had to Insure it first of course, it still had its MOT (requirement of driving it to its VIC check)

Now, you no longer need to VIC check it I believe..

*NOTE* the newly sent V5c had its front page declaring its insured statement of previous accident being repaired..

Must admit of having previous experience of "body repair" & porta power use in my 14 years of banger, stock car & hot rod racing history....

plenty of previous use..............lol

 

Hope all this helps.

[sheepyshaun]

Malc I've just emailed the owner of the IS300 in Hampshire to ask about the extent of the damage to warrant its Cat C status. He's adamant he wants £2k for it and no bidding, but when I contacted him last week I didn't know about the Cat C damage then. He himself may have been unaware of the damage it sustained 10 years ago and it appears he only bought it in July this year. Oh and it has only done 54k miles and not 99k as previously stated, which kinda makes me even more suspicious.

[easye1]

Plenty more out there mate

 

[sheepyshaun]

Plenty of Sportcross versions yes, I want a saloon

[lexus22]

On 11/25/2016 at 8:39 PM, sheepyshaun said:

Hi doog

 

I can't get my mind off the beautiful IS300 at the top of this thread but I'm more than happy to try a 200, there's a couple near me which I have inquired about so may arrange a test drive very soon. Overall which variant has the most/best toys, the SE or the Sport? I like the idea of full leather seats but most importantly it MUST have a bloody good stereo as I love my music. I've very recently found a very nice looking IS300 in Yeovil (see attached photos) but it's a bit too 'boy racer' looking for me, bearing in mind I'm 50 :) it's done 140,500 miles

This is really a bit special as red one's are few and far between and it has the full factory fitted Areo Kit including the 18inch wheels..nice!

[sheepyshaun]

Yes it is a beauty...but the price of it makes me wonder what's wrong with it. I'll do a check later.

[lexus22]

I have owned my is300 for about 3 years now and love it to bits! Had an is200 sport before (only for a year) but found it to slow, the is300 is just great with the option to put it into manual mode and use the "up/down" shift buttons on the steering wheel, surprises BMW reps on the motorways! Worth checking that red one out, it does look bloody good! It's gonna have full leather etc etc, if it has the factory sat nav then top dog..