Interested In Buying A Lexus Is200/300

[gysenn]

Hey all. I'm currently living in Melbourne, Australia - and drive a 2000 model VT commodore. I've been interested in selling my current car and buying a IS200/300 for quite a while now, and wanted some advice from those who own one before I do. I'm after an automatic Sports luxury, with between 60,000 and 100,000 kn's on the clock. Would be greatly appreciated if anyone is willing to help me out with the following questions, and if possible, a comparison between the 200 and the 300 where applicable.

-What's the fuel economy like? My current car uses about 11.5L/100km (combined), and I was hoping for less than that. (IS200 and IS300 please.)

-What's the acceleration like? I've heard that it seems a little sluggish off the mark.

- How reliable is the engine? How many K's will I get out of it before I start having problems?

-Any common problems found in these models? What to watch out for when buying?

- What's the difference between the sports and sports luxury? and what do the GXE# variations mean?

-How comfortable are they? The interior looks great, and is one of the main things that attracts me. I'm also very tall, is there a lot of leg room and head room?

- How easy are they to modify? (Body kit, headlights, speakers, CD player etc.)

-How much should I pay? (200 and 300)

-Last of all, in your opinion - Should I go for the 200 or the 300?

Apologies if any/most of these have been asked before, but after (literally) days of searching through the forums, I was unable to find conclusive answers to these questions.

Thanks again. :)

[noby76]

both IS models are nice to drive and responsive they are reliable with less to go wrong when maintained. they are not LS400 comfort but mine rides better than my mates 330Ci BMW and we both have 18" alloys. the engine is Toyota so will go as much K's as you want it to go if you change oil and fluids whens they due. I have driven both IS200(test drive) and IS300(current car). I will say it depends on what you want. if you dont care about speed and how fast it gets off the lights then go IS200 auto, IS200 manual is more quicker to 60mph and will build up speed quicker dues to having 6 gears compared to the auto's 4 gear ratios. IS300 is quicker than both and has tiptronic box, has more torque which makes rolling acceleration easy, quicker 0-60 and higher top end speed. havent done a lot of 0-60 acceleration in mine but i would place it at 7-7.5 seconds in real life. just go for one in good confdition with service histroy and less previous owners. all engines are 6 cylinder as you might already know so they consume fuel like any other 6 cylinder petrol powered car manufactured between 99-2005. we go my miles per gallon in UK and both IS200's achieve 20-21 mpg in town and 28-30mpg on combined motorway/town driving. IS300 achieves 18mpg in town and 26mpg in combined motorway/town driving. if you ask me there is not that much of a difference between the 2.0 litre and 3.0litre when it comes to consumption. e.g. if a full tank costs £80 to fill in the 2.0litre which gives you 400miles it will cost you another £10 to fill the 3.0litre up to travel the same distance of 400 miles but you will get there quicker in the process. if you are into modifying cars for looks and cruising then IS200 auto. if you are into modifying cars for looks and a little bit of speed then IS200 manual(you wont be smoking any Type R's in this tho). if you are not into modifying cars and want speed then IS300(This smokes a Type R, Saab Turbo's, most BMW's, most Merc and most Audi's). if you are into modifying cars for looks and serious speed then go IS300 with a Turbo(1000bhp is no problem if you have the cash to take it there). :)

best is to take all 3 models for test drives and spend time with each and you can decide mate!!

[lexus loon]

Dont forget the rz200 altezza , but im not sure if it comes with leather interior as they all seem to be cloth.

[ChrisIS200SportTTE]

That's a lot to answer lol....

Ok... Fuel consumption is pants but as Noby said is pretty much the same weirdly! Looking at 300-400 miles a tank or 25-30MPG.

I have a 200 manual Sport and the acceleration is acceptable but nothing special. I personally think it needs more power. The 300 feels a lot quicker.

Common probs, sticking brake callipers, (very common) dodgy cd player, they all seem to pack up lol.

Engine is bulletproof in all models and if maintained correctly will go past 200k and beyond easily :)

I think they must have been branded differently in oz as we don't have sport luxury model. We had the S, SE and Sport. S being the basic model with not a lot extras. No heated leather seats, no electric seats etc. the SE was fully loaded as was the Sport. The sport had a few extra touches such as a two tone steering wheel, alloy pedals, lower suspension and LSD to name a few.

Don't know how much you should pay as prices over there differ from here.

If I was looking to buy an IS again I'd get a 300 :)

[Youngiceman87]

Can only really comment on a couple of things, plus i have a 200 so cannot comment on the 300 although they will be very similar. As you want an auto you'll prob want a 300, im sure most people will say that auto box is better. Mine is comfortable and the half leather/half suede seats are good enough for me. Leg/head room depends on how tall you are really, im about 6ft 5 and head room isnt brilliant but leg room is fine cos of the adjustable seats. Very reliable cars, 300,000 + kms no problem (im thinkin of the 200 but im sure the 300 is also super reliable). Either way im sure everyone would agree that you shud just test drive both and make your mind up yourself. Lastly, although the 300 is faster if engine swaps or any sort of turboing would interest you then Ray Hall Turbocharging ( www.turbofast.com.au ) would be a good place to go whether you got a 200 or 300.

[petayV8]

If you can afford the insurance get the IS300, you'll regret it if you dont down the line. However if I had the IS300 i think ide be tempted to push it more and in doing so get a worse MPG than in my IS200 where i dont even bother because every time i do im disappointed lol