2002, Is200, 2litre, automatic

Geoff5 · June 26, 2022

Hi.

I'm not a member (yet) of this group and have never owned a Lexus Is200. I currently own a 1999 Toyota Corolla Liftback, 1.6 automatic and as much as I love this old girl and it's still fine, exceptionally well cared for and not a mark on it, I know it might be time soon to look for another car. I was interested to learn that the Lexus is built by Toyota with very good reliability and styling. I am on a very tight budget and don't wish to pay for anything that is going to hit me in the pocket. I've done a bit of research and it seems I might be able to get the above 2002 model. Can anyone give me advice on this. I know about all the pros, it's the cons I need to know about.

Thank's folks.

Geoff.

samplify · June 26, 2022

Rusty sills, they always go. Even if they have been mended before, it is only a matter of time before they go again. There are some things that you can do to really put it off waxoyl, holes in the bottom of the sills etc. but yeah, corrosion is a biggy there. Oh, and in the boot pockets. None of it is structural (to begin with...)

J Henderson · June 26, 2022

Well, one of the cons is that the AT model is particularly thirsty, and pretty slow. But, since you're coming from a 1.6 auto the lack of performance may not be a huge issue.

They are very heavy on fuel though. Don't expect much more than 25MPG unless doing long motorway trips.

I owned a manual one for 4 years and averaged about 30MPG. Although not great, plus £300-ish road tax to boot, I was happy to accept this due to the fact it was such a nice car to own & drive. Plus, the lack of any other repair costs & breakdowns that might occur with a lesser brand made the mediocre economy easy to live with.

However, fuel was closer to £1 a litre at the time than the £2 a litre that it currently costs, so the week-to-week running costs are of added importance today.

Body-wise, the main area of concern for corrosion is in the sills, just in front of the rear wheel. It's a known water trap that will eventually rust from the inside out.

It can be repaired, but if there's already visible bubbling on the sill it's probably too late and an MOT failure waiting to happen.

It's so common that whenever I see a 1st-gen IS out and about, my eyes are immediately drawn to the sills to see if any rust is visible.

Other than that, they are a nice car to drive and own and offer the typical Toyota reliability that you've been accustomed to.

Typical wear & tear components like shocks, springs, brake pads, discs etc are widely available and not hideously expensive, so outside of fuel and toad tax costs, the IS can be reasonably cheap to run.

royoftherovers · June 26, 2022

2 hours ago, Geoff5 said:

Hi.

I'm not a member (yet) of this group and have never owned a Lexus Is200. I currently own a 1999 Toyota Corolla Liftback, 1.6 automatic and as much as I love this old girl and it's still fine, exceptionally well cared for and not a mark on it, I know it might be time soon to look for another car. I was interested to learn that the Lexus is built by Toyota with very good reliability and styling. I am on a very tight budget and don't wish to pay for anything that is going to hit me in the pocket. I've done a bit of research and it seems I might be able to get the above 2002 model. Can anyone give me advice on this. I know about all the pros, it's the cons I need to know about.

Thank's folks.

Geoff.

Welcome Geoff.

Read and digest this https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lexus/is/1999/