Buying Used Is200 Se

marshy · November 5, 2002

Hiya, I am looking at spending £15000 on a used IS200 SE. Just got a few question, wondered if you'd spare the time to answer.

Does the rear view mirror dim at night or is it a manual flippy jobby. Are there any significant changes been made to the spec from 1999 to present. I spotted the radio has changed with the position of the CD opening moving and alloys are manufactured differently but what else have I missed.

Thanks in advance,

Marshy.

Matthew_McNally · November 5, 2002

What year IS is it?

marshy · November 5, 2002

What year IS is it?

2000(V) so Jan or Feb I believe.

Matthew_McNally · November 5, 2002

What year IS is it?

2000(V) so Jan or Feb I believe.

I believe it should have a nice big self dimming rear view mirror.

This is one of the things they removed in the 2002 model :(

I really liked the big mirror in the tester I drove

ricky_is200 · November 5, 2002

Thats the same month as mine, Jan 2000. Mine has the wide angle mirror, but its not self dimming. This is only fitted to the IS300.

There were some changes made for the latest models which in my opinion don't make it a better car. They changed the stereo and speakers which don't sound as deep, they changed the dash material and added pipping to the seats (which a lot of people don't like). Changed the grill slightly to have three strips rather than 4, the rear lights are smoked on the dark colours, it has a brake assist system plus some smaller changes to the way the deadlocks and heated mirrors work. I can't think of anything else off the top of my head but I've probably missed something (of and it now has DVD Sat Nav rather than CD ROM if it has the option). In my opinion the 2000 model is the best one!

If you really like the latest additions such as the grill and back lights you can easily change them on the older cars. The alloys can be replaced under warranty if they suffer from pitting, but the actual wheels haven't changed, just the finish.

marshy · November 5, 2002

Thats the same month as mine, Jan 2000. Mine has the wide angle mirror, but its not self dimming.
They changed the stereo and speakers which don't sound as deep, they changed the dash material and added pipping to the seats

Will a 2000 SE have the 8 speaker system? What is the order of the three dials within the speedo?

ricky_is200 · November 5, 2002

Yes it will, and it sounds much better than the latest models although it does tend to chew cd's! I can't remember the order of the dials to be honest, I think the mpg is at the bottom, then voltage, then temp at the top.

jenners · November 5, 2002

I've heard a few people mentioning the chewing of cd's but I haven't experienced it yet in mine ! - perhaps it's the type of music that it doesn't like !!! :D

You are right about the mpg at the bottom, voltage then temp. at the top.

djanderso · November 5, 2002

My understanding is that there have been 3 versions of the IS200:

The initial launch.

Then in 2000, they added electric passenger seat adjustment.

Then the major change described above.

ricky_is200 · November 5, 2002

Mine (Jan 2000) doesn't have the electric passenger seat, nor like jenners have I ever had any problems with it chewing CD's (which is one of the reasons they changed the stereo).

I have however had the alloys changed under warranty, plus I've fitted the sports mesh grill which is so much nicer than the latest models have. Don't waste extra money buying the latest model, visually you can't tell the difference!

vudu · November 7, 2002

one more thing the new spec models have is curtain airbags... my March 2000 model doesn't have that (A-spec).. but hey, if you're involved in an accident that's so serious that those babies have to blow up, it probably won't make that much of a difference...

I agree with the others, no point getting a brand new or nearly new model, 2 year old examples are virtually identical.. I personally went to a main dealer for mine even though there are quite a few private ones.. you can get a very nice non sat-nav SE auto for £15k (asking price) from a main dealer, so depends on your priorities..

jenners · November 7, 2002

I'll be trading my IS200 Sport (sat nav) in v.shortly unless anyone knows someone who wants one.

marshy · November 11, 2002

Just went for my first view of the car I am looking to buy. It had been dropped off this morning as a part exchange deal so I got to see it warts and all.

Quite a few stone chips on the bonnet, scrapes to the bumpers on all four corners too. alloys were perfect however. Had a very quick test drive. No clutch judder and it steers and brakes in a straight line too.

Been told it's going to visit the body shop and then the RAC will inspect it. Does anybody know what the RAC inspection consists of?

I also asked what the differences are between a 2000 SE and a current SE. I was told there were 5, non-electric passanger seat, no curtain air bags from A pillar, different stereo, different speaker surrounds and different colour dash.

Get to see it again in a week. Can't wait!

djanderso · November 11, 2002

My September 2000 IS has electric seats on driver and passenger. Doesn't have curtain airbag, stereo has only changed once and that was pre-2000 (I think), my speaker surrounds are black (I believe they are now chrome ringed!), dash is no longer metalic - a good thing if you ask me.

Wheels have probably been replaced under warranty. What sort of mileage does it have?

marshy · November 11, 2002

Wheels have probably been replaced under warranty. What sort of mileage does it have?

20,000

Jimmy Ten Toes · November 11, 2002

Hopefully if its going to the body shop they will do the whole bonnet and sort out the bumpers. £15k seems a bit pricey to me, I think a fairer price would be low 14's.

Good luck :D

marshy · November 11, 2002

Just went for my first view of the car I am looking to buy. It had been dropped off this morning as a part exchange deal so I got to see it warts and all.

One other thing I noticed was that all the windows were branded Toyota. Is this right?

Monster-Mat · November 11, 2002

yes...on the earlier models

Chris.S · November 12, 2002

I'll be selling mine in a couple of months,its been valued at

IS200 SE

Royal Sapphire

Statelite Navigation

with only 13,000 miles

Retail for about £17,000

Anyone know if thats about right

Jimmy Ten Toes · November 12, 2002

According to Parkers, it is worth £15295 in A1 condition :o

marshy · November 13, 2002

Hopefully if its going to the body shop they will do the whole bonnet and sort out the bumpers. £15k seems a bit pricey to me, I think a fairer price would be low 14's.

I set myself a budget of £15000 for this project and am getting the car and insurance for a shade over £15000.

Thank you to everyone who has answered my questions, but may I press you all for answers to a couple more?

How many keys should I expct to get, and what does a full tool kit consist of?

Thanks.

ricky_is200 · November 13, 2002

You should get three keys. All black, but one will not have a boot release button. You should also get a little silver plate which came on one the keyrings originally with key number.

For the tool kit it should be obvious if any bits are missing as there will be a gap in the holder but it doesn't consist of much, one screwdriver etc.

djanderso · November 13, 2002

Just went for my first view of the car I am looking to buy. It had been dropped off this morning as a part exchange deal so I got to see it warts and all.

One other thing I noticed was that all the windows were branded Toyota. Is this right?

This really annoys me. If you look very closely at most parts they have Toyota on them. I would have thought that Lexus could at least have it's own marked parts - and another thing the VIN number starts JT (Japan Toyota) Why can't it be stamped JL ? As you can tell this winds me up a bit. How can you fight back when people dismiss the lex as a "Toyota in a posh frock" when they see that!!