Fidgits

This happened a couple of weeks ago, but i put it down to the fact it was raining, and there was water on the rear disk, which caused the rear cailpers to 'stick' to the disk...

However, it happened again last night - car has been stood for a couple of days in the garage, i come to pull it out, release the handbrake, and the car wont move...

Eventually brute force gets it moving, but not without a loud 'clunk' from the brakes... and a horrid scraping sound from them for the first 5 minutes...

Is this just the brakes seizing to the disks? is there a way to avoid this (dont say leave the handbrake off), is there any damage being done?

congrats...

happy birthday!

Very good....

Bud ad's are brillant too

yeah, i think the Bud, we'll do the beer, you do the football ones are the best...

its old, but sooooooooo true...

yeah, shouldnt be too bad...

Especially looking forward to the light thing. Seen a sticker somewhere to go in the back window saying "fitted with lexus lights as standard" or something like that. will definitely be getting one of them!

I've heard alot of negative points about fuel economy. I do a fair amount of driving (average 35 miles a day) is it really going to be that noticeable. although, right now I do think my mind is pretty much made up to get one, and if I do end up not liking it for whatever reason then I can always sell it

it depends..

how are those 35 miles spent? what sort of speed? cruising? traffic?

I get good mileage in everything but city centre stop/start traffic..

soooooooooooo old...

but still funny ;)

Nice little car. thirsty as an LS400 though. Without the power or refinement. Got lots of toys in it though for a car in that bracket. As for looking distinctive, ask yourself if you are happy sharing rear lights with just about every car that has ever been to a sunday night cruise!

Sorry, couldn't resist. Everyone calls them lexus lights when they are only IS200 and Altezza lights. All the bigger lexus cars have conventional lights and show no sign of following the IS in the 2007 line up... message there, methinks.

coming from the bloke who doesnt even own a lexus yet :P

yeah, this was discussed towards the end of the season last year - WRC is going the BTCC way - just two manufacturers, handful of private teams, followed by privateers..

over regulation ruin motorsports...

The IS200 is simply the best all-rounder I have ever driven, and easily the best car I have ever owned, before it, my cars last 6 to 18 months before i got bored (infact only one lasted past 12 months), yet the IS200 I have had 4 years, and it still puts a smile on my face.

You can spend 6 hours cruising on the Motorways in perfect comfort, with a cossetting, relaxing ride and ease. Then turn off onto a twisty A-road, and it becomes a taut, edgey saloon. It has precise steering, a sharp turn-in, and the rear wheel drive chassis, while perhaps not quite up to the level of the 3 Series, it still delivers and enjoyable experience.

The 2 litre straight six is a lovely smooth engine, but it does tend to suffer at low revs, not pulling well. However, bury the accelerator in the carpet, and as you pass 4,500 the engine changes into a screamer, change at 6,000 revs, and the six speed gearbox is perfectly ratio'd to keep the engine in the power band through the gears. You have to be careful though, the cabin is well insulated, and you can very quickly find your speed on the wrong side of the legal limits, but thankfully, one of the best features of the IS200 are its brakes. It pulls up sharply, and easily under control, the ABS never cutting in too soon or often to intrude, but there if you need it.

The only downsides to the IS, are its practicality, the rear passenger space isnt quite as good as that of the A4 or C class, and the boot suffers from intruding wheel arches and boot hinges, creating less space than appears, with only a ski-hatch for expansion.

Economy is a mixed bag, on motorways and A roads, you wil get a reasonable return for a straight six, however, the moment you hit traffic or enter a town centre, expect the figure to drop, signifcantly.

Sure, there are lots of faster saloons, bigger saloons, comfier saloons, but I've looked at buying everything from a Evo VIII to a Supra (and a lot in between) but for the jeckell and hyde car i need, its a motorway crusier, a A-road stormer and something just that little bit diferent, you cant go far wrong with the IS200.

no, it could be a good deal for someone... worth posting..

were not saying its not a good deal... just that when a LS gets to that sort of mileage, if something goes wrong, it can be very expensive... like the suspension overhall...

Just because its all been serviced, doesnt mean he's got the big jobs done, especially if he knew he was going to sell it...

its nearly at a quarter of a million miles, so not exactly a bargin...

that said, one owner and full LSH does kinda make it a good buy if your looking for one...

I was trying for a luminous green (which didnt work) and the bottom layer stripes were an attempt at a reflective silver (which also didnt work)... but hey, it was only a quick effort...

I also tried porting the graphics over to Mat's green...

Very cool Barrie...

If you remember Japfest last year - fastest car on track was a little Starlet, it was passing scoobys and supras... etc...

because its you Jane...

go on then, i had a fiddle...

oh well, done anyway... and hey, 25 grand would be as handy next year as now ;)

well, start with a new backbox, it makes a big difference to the rev pickup and the noise...

If you can afford it, go for a supercharger for some serious performance...

hmm, id be actually be upto driving, take a week of work and go on a road trip

ive been to Finland before, aslo driving when i was in germany, so pretty much know the best route up :)

Roll up roll up place yours bets Monsta vs Plane

London - Helsinki

Im going with the Airbus 320 to win!

whereabouts in Helsinki?

i might be there sometime around then ;)

no such thing as aliens, but UFo's do exist

they were first developed during the second world war..

what better way to take intrest away from sensitive projects than say there aliens

of course there is such a thing as UFO...

Unidentified Flying Object...

so, if somethings picked up on radar - until it is verified or identified, its unknown...

it doesnt automatically mean a flying saucer with ET inside..

what i ment...but didnt say, is flying saucers exist, i assumed the intelect of LOC mebers would see the connection i was poorly trying to make

ahhh ok - but your talking EM powered craft developed for military purposes though?

and you should know better than relying on the interlect of us lot!

no such thing as aliens, but UFo's do exist

they were first developed during the second world war..

what better way to take intrest away from sensitive projects than say there aliens

of course there is such a thing as UFO...

Unidentified Flying Object...

so, if somethings picked up on radar - until it is verified or identified, its unknown...

it doesnt automatically mean a flying saucer with ET inside..