Thinking Of Getting A Gs300

[jamesholden]

Hi all,

Well after being really impressed with my dads LS400 and the Camry he had before it, i'm thinking of getting shot of my Avensis for a GS300.

Now even though I am only 20 I live in the real world as a person who takes the whole motoring costs into account wherby paying an extra £300 a year in insurance is a drop in the ocean compared to paying for the car itself so i'm not to concerned about the running costs (if you can afford a car then you can afford to run it etc.)

My questions are, are there any advantages of the MKI over the MKII?

Does the steering wheel automatically retract into the dash on departure like in the LS400?

Anything else I should know about them?

Or do you think I should buy something else entirely? Bearing in mind I have tried BMW 3 and 5 series and found them fairly awful inside for ergonomics and the last gen. crop of Mercs felt very cheap inside.

I have between £5-12k to spend (a bit of a range I know but thats why I have the choice of either MKI or MKII).

Cheers for your help.

[Steve]

I reckon a series 2 would be the best... but get the sport if you can.. they look and handle much better

And yes the steering wheel does retract automatically.

[ifraz]

I think NickF is selling his Sport MK2.

Another one from Nottingham....hello :)

[jamesholden]

Another one from Nottingham....hello :)

Perhaps I've seen you around.

[ifraz]

Another one from Nottingham....hello :) 

Perhaps I've seen you around.

Maybe.... but us IS owners are becoming really common now.

Have a look in my gallery for photo's of my car....you may recognise it. :winky:

[jamesholden]

The gallery doesn't appear to be working. Well not to give too much away I live near IKEA (infact I can see the entire bloody thing from one of our windows - there are quite a few IS200's around.

[ifraz]

Sorry, I meant Garage not gallery

See here

I live nearer the City Centre, around the Sherwood area. B)

[NickF]

Hi James, welcome to the club. I have been thinking this week about swapping my GS 300 Sport Mark 2 for something different (non-Lexus!). Haven't really thought about price and stuff yet, but it would probably be somewhere around the £12000 mark.

I'm from the Notts area anyway, so if you want to take a look at a Mark 2 Sport, let me know and we could meet up. I wouldn't put you under any pressure to buy mine!

[jamesholden]

Why are you changing to something non Lexus and what to?

[aido]

Hi James, welcome to the club. I have been thinking this week about swapping my GS 300 Sport Mark 2 for something different (non-Lexus!).

Welcome to LOC James & good luck getting your motor.

OT but Nick - if you're looking for an S3 like in your avatar my mate is swapping his for an S4 and Stockport should be getting it in around 3 months, no idea what price they'll be putting it up for though?

[NickF]

Sorry, that post makes it sound like I want anything other than a Lexus! That's not what I meant.

For the last few years I have had 5 series BMWs, then I bought the GS. I'm thinking of getting an Audi S3 for a change more than anything. I've never had a small fast car.

[NickF]

OT but Nick - if you're looking for an S3 like in your avatar my mate is swapping his for an S4 and Stockport should be getting it in around 3 months, no idea what price they'll be putting it up for though?

You are on the ball Aido! I sort of talked myself into it this week. Knowing me though, I'll probably change my mind again. Did your mate like his S3?

[jamesholden]

I know this might sound a bit crass, but isnt the Audi S3 just a 4WD Golf made quick like the Leon Cupra R and Octavia Turbo?

How about a proper little sports car like the Honda S2000? It came 1st for performance in the recent autoexpress driver power survey and 1st for brakes, 3rd for reliability, 4th for build quality - 3rd overall in the whole survey and that was up against stuff like the Porsche 911.

[aido]

Yes mate, it's a great little sleeper motor the S3 - no-one thinks it's going to be quick but it's rapid!

He'd had an M3 before but sold that due to a few problems he was having with the exhaust and the dealer couldn't fix it (it was only about 6 months old!)

He was thinking about going for either another M3 or even the M5 but decided on the S4 in the end, think he preferred the Audi's handling (4 wheel instead pf the rear wheel of the M3)

He's very happy withthe guys at Stockport and has gone back to them to swap for the S4 - theyre big cars though - he's about 6"9' and the S3 even had plenty of room (it's a struggle in the passenger seat of the IS)

[jamesholden]

It's stan from the used ship emporium! I like adventure games too.

[aido]

A fan of the old classics :) There are a few Monkey Island gifs kicking about on the net but I thought I'd use old Stan!

[NickF]

I know this might sound a bit crass, but isnt the Audi S3 just a 4WD Golf made quick like the Leon Cupra R and Octavia Turbo?

How about a proper little sports car like the Honda S2000?

I'd love an S2000, but they're a bit out of my price range, and also I think it would be a bit too small for me.

The A3, Golf, Leon and Octavia are all made from the same bits and pieces, but I like how the S3 looks. Also, I haven't had a 4x4 since I was 16!