Steviewevie

No-one's answered the styling pack question yet, and I don't really know the ins and outs of that, but I would suggest that you just use your own personal preference to pick an IS200 that you like. There are various alloys, various styling accessories (e.g. swapping the whole front bumper for the TTE front bumper, or just fitting a TRD lip spoiler and retaining the front bumper), etc, etc. You might find some cars with factory-fitted styling kits, or extras that were fitted later on. As long as it looks like the parts are still fitting ok, and you like the look of them, I'm not sure that it really matters. Alloy wheels are another personal thing, e.g. which ones you think look the "best". The alloys are prone to corrosion, and you should be able to see that if you check them out. Some trade sellers might already have refubed the wheels though (the place where I bought mine from had done exactly that). Good luck and let us know how you get on !

According to the article in the link I posted, they haven't actually gone bankrupt though :

I have had various quotes from Lexus dealers for a cambelt change, the cheapest being around £350. If you find an independent specialist then they should be able to do it cheaper though. Or there's even a sticky post on the IS200 forum showing how to change the cambelt yourself.

I can't answer that directly. Forgive me if you already know this and have factored it in to your calculations, but you know that a car of that year is going to be hit hard by the ridiculous car tax increases soon ? Unfortunately the IS200 is in a very high band and the tax will be £400/year from 2010 on that.

Looks great ! :D I highly recommend a trip to WIM to get your geometry setup properly. It will stop premature tyre wear and will great help the handling. Breakers ? Or Lexus dealer.

That reminds me, I must check my pollen filter. I made one attempt to get the glovebox out but failed. Think I probably wasn't pressing the sides in hard enough.

I don't think it's a dumb question at all, I think it's a very good one. As you say there were styling kits available and various optional extras (e.g. skirts/lip spoilers/alloys can be added independently). I'm sure someone who knows the history much better will be able to answer on that. Regarding a Sport, make sure it really is a Sport if that's what you want, not just an S or SE with added extras. It should have rear tinted windows (factory tint, not film tint add-on), with "Sport" engraved on the rear quarterlights (some obvious things to look for, which wouldn't be easy to "fake"). Also no auto transmission, the Sport was manual-only. I don't know if it's possible to tell from the VIN or other stuff on the plate under the bonnet whether it's a Sport.

Probably. But to be absolutely sure, watch the Security light when you put the key into the ignition (when you insert it, before you turn it). If it goes off immediately then I believe that's a master key, if it lights up for a second and then goes off it's not a master. This seems to tie in with what others have said in the sticky thread on key programming too.

It might be that when they come from the factory all the 3-button keys are indeed masters, but who knows what happens along the way in the life of a car (e.g. problems, possible key reprogrammings by dealers etc) ? I'm not sure that the manual is correct on that in terms of all 3-button keys always being masters. I programmed my 3-button key off my master key but I don't believe that itself it can be used to programme others.

Wow, that dash looks like something out of Star Trek !

As Mark W said, although the start of the article seems to "shame" the IS200, if you look further down they give failure rates, and the IS200's failure rate is way lower than most.

That's not a reliable guide though, for example I've got a three-button key that's a master, and another three-button key that isn't a master. So if I lost the master and sold the car to someone they might think they've still got a master key when the haven't. The only reliable way to tell that I'm aware of is the security light check. Relying on the number of buttons could be an expensive mistake :winky:

That's the thing, I think the survey doesn't have anything to do with how often the car might break down, only how much it would be to repair if it does go wrong.

It seems to be a pretty common problem. I believe that the later units aren't exactly immune to the problem either. Some might have had it fixed under warranty, but that doesn't mean it won't go wrong again, unfortunately. If you're looking at IS200s, load some CDs in and check if you get this problem. If you get ERR3, then use this to negotiate down the price. If you don't, then it's pot luck really, it might stay working for ages or it might go wrong a few weeks later. My own 1999 model has a bottom-loading unit. So far no ERR codes (touch wood), but it does seem prone to jumping when getting towards the end (edge) of the disc, which to me seems like a sign that it could be on the way out The sound quality isn't bad at all IMHO.

Try and get some warm soapy water down behind the number plate, and then just pull the number plate off. It'll probably leave a load of sticky pad residue behind. That'll come off with some tar remover or WD-40.

There was a clutch discussion a few weeks ago in this thread, that might help.

Perhaps you can blame it on it not being black (like Claude's or yours)

Missing from the knowledge base article (I sent in a comment a while back but it hasn't showed up) but very important is to check that you get at least one "master" key with the car. Without a master key you can't programme any more keys, potentially meaning if you lose the other key(s) you will have a *very* big bill to get any more (new ECU required). To check if a key is a master, put it into the ignition and watch the flashing "Security" light on the dashboard. If it immediately turns off when you put the key in, it's a master key. If the Security light comes on for a couple of seconds when you put the key in, it is not a master key.

cheaptoyotaparts.co.uk have quoted me £102 for a water pump including delivery, so I have decided to order one off them. Thanks to all for your advice and help ! :D

The stock setup, unfortunately. WIM will fix it though.

Thanks Rob, I'll check out a motor factors price too.

I was worried when I saw the subject title But I'm relieved now, have a great time ! :D

I was thinking of getting ToyotaGT to do the work. I haven't tried the site you mention yet but will do, thanks. Is it really the same part and not just some cheap copy ? No matter which motor factors you might use ? Just feel slightly nervous about this route.

I can understand that on the bigger Lexus models like the LS, but is that really the case on the IS ?

If you're asking whether there is one transmission type to steer clear of on the IS200, then I don't think there is, there are people like myself who love their manual gearboxes, and others with autos who are equally keen on those. It's personal choice, as has been said, go for whichever one you prefer driving. One other consideration is that the Sport model only comes in manual. The Sport model hasn't exactly got huge changes from the SE though, so that shouldn't be a major issue.