When should we stop repairing our IS300 2004 Sportcross?

[N5girl]

We are long-term IS300 2004 Sportcross owners. The car is at 140k and there really has been nothing wrong with it at all apart from the usual wear and tear and the odd neighbour reversing their caravanette into the bumper. It does two short journeys a day with a weekly 100 mile return trip. It drives beautifully.

Every year we keep saying that we should replace it, we just drove a NX today and it was underwhelming. The RX seems very large. Obvs we could go with a different estate car, but we really wanted to stick to Lexus and the ability to avoid laying out thousands on a new car is attractive.

Our view is that even the odd bill of £500 at service time is a small price to pay - is this totally crazy? This might seem a stupid question, but how have other people made the decision not to repair their car any further?

TIA.

[royoftherovers]

You are not crazy at all. I do it as do others on here.

My Merc is now 18, has 245,000 miles on the clock and it is cheaper for me to keep it and maintain it than sell it for peanuts and have to lay thousands out for something that won`t appeal to me.

Others on here have Lexus cars that are older than my Merc, just wait for them to tell you what they think.

[JamesIS220]

I have a 1996 Volvo 940 auto petrol estate on nearly 206,000miles and wouldn't dream of getting rid of it. I use it as my van, as self employed. Rot free is the main thing and reliable. If it was written off with frame rail damage then I would buy another.

End of last year had it's first breakdown/failed to start in the 5 years of ownership. With help of Volvo forum found the in tank fuel pump had died. I fitted a new Bosch one for £80 and next day failed the MOT on Lower steering UJ and Nearside ball joint. Ordered new balljoint but UJ no longer available new! Had a used one fitted with no play and new ball joint. Cost me £70 in parts and labour and MOT £150. Also had bought a new Ignition Module, Crank sensor, fuel pump relay and fitted these myself as future failure point. (around £70)

Keep it going I say.

I also have a 2015 Toyota Auris Hybrid estate. Prior bought a 2006 Lexus IS220D, that was my worst and most expensive car at(£1475) as head gasket went. Sent to the scrapyard!

Replaced by Auris, nice car, good economy and cheap to run, but no soul. 940 still puts a smile on my face. Biggest thing against it is fuel economy, but looks after itself and easy to DIY service. Next major downfall is a 30 year old design safety wise, an  updated 740, so compared to new cars, not good in a crash as screen pillar bends, leg injury. One of the reasons buying the Auris. Volvo 940 only has drivers airbag, ABS and Side impact beams in doors. Safety has come a long way in the last 10 -20 years.

Fifth Gear - Renault Modus v Volvo 940 Crash Test - YouTube

James👍

[Spottedlaurel]

I'd stick with it, it's the sort of car I'd happily own and you'll struggle to find a good equivalent. The cost saving over buying a new(er) car should keep it going for a while yet. All being well I'm looking to keep my 2014 RX for the long-term, applying similar thinking.

For most of the last 15 years I've had a 1990s Toyota Camry estate, my first was a 10-year old example with high miles but well-maintained, then I got an older version with lower mileage. I still have it, although it's temporarily off the road after the MoT expired and I didn't have the need to get it sorted. A potential house move might see me get it in use again though, it's a far better loadcarrier than my RX. It has a quality feel that doesn't seem to be there in more modern cars, I imagine the same applies to the Sportcross.

It's a real shame Lexus didn't continue with an estate version of the IS, or offer it on any other models. The German brands offer many non-SUV estates.

[N5girl]

Thank you all. I feel reassured that spending some money on a little bit of love for the car is not absolutely nuts.

I don't think we would buy an estate again if there are relatively eco SUVs on offer. I think we would find the higher driving position hard to ignore especially now our council has decided to stop cutting the grass verges at our junctions. 🤦‍♀️

[rich1068]

I've replied to your other posts and for the other work I'd estimate about £600 all in if you use people you trust. And the 2JZ should run forever if properly maintained. Yes it's a low value car but well worth the sprucing up in my opinion. And 600 quid isn't even a decent deposit on a new car, never mind the ongoing payments, lump sum outlay or inevitable depreciation.

[steve2006]

From what you say you have spend little if nothing actually repairing the car, the cost has all been routine maintenance such as brakes, filters and fluids i.e. your service costs.

If it ever goes for an MOT and fails miserably for severe corrosion say on subframe or mounting areas then you reconsider your options, the engine alone will still be worth more than the scrap yard value of the complete car.

You have also owned the car for some time so will no doubt know it’s history, why replace it with another where you don’t.

[N5girl]

8 hours ago, steve2006 said:

From what you say you have spend little if nothing actually repairing the car, the cost has all been routine maintenance such as brakes, filters and fluids i.e. your service costs.

If it ever goes for an MOT and fails miserably for severe corrosion say on subframe or mounting areas then you reconsider your options, the engine alone will still be worth more than the scrap yard value of the complete car.

You have also owned the car for some time so will no doubt know it’s history, why replace it with another where you don’t.

Thank you - this is really helpful. We always get the advisories done, but we have a long-term relationship with our non-Lexus garage and trust them and so far (touch wood) we have not had any really big bills. Of course, I am excluding the time I drove through an overhead barrier with a bike in a roof rack. So, yes, it has all been mostly routine maintenance bar a stupidity tax.