IS300 decision

[ASTCB7]

i have been really wanting the IS300 for my next whip.But can you guys give me any feedback about the car? I was almost close to getting one that had 76k on it. How is the maintenance? What is common to go wrong with them? This will be my daily for the next 5 years so im trying to make it count and plus i want a little luxury whip.

thanks!

[deevergote]

I've heard very little about reliability issues, so to my knowledge, they're very solid cars.
They're not all THAT luxurious... I mean, it's basically a mid-range Toyota in Japan, and it was Lexus's introductory offering. It's essentially what Lexus released to compete with the 3 series, C class, and A4. But, like those cars, it'll blend a nice mix of luxury and sport, and you'll get to rock the prestigious Lexus badge.

I've talked to a few people from this site that have gone from CB7 to IS300, and most of them were underwhelmed by the power. They said the engine performance was much less sporty than they expected. That can be fixed, of course... the engine is essentially the Supra engine... but out of the box, it's not going to throw you back in your seat.

My major concerns are that it's a RWD Lexus with no cheaper Toyota counterpart and that the engine is found only in the Supra and other Lexus models. When something breaks, you're going to be forced to pay Lexus prices, not Toyota prices.
The good thing is, the car is pretty old, and it was fairly common... so junkyard parts, used parts, project part-out parts... they may save you a few bucks.

The good news is that if you choose to modify it, there is a decent aftermarket for it.

Overall, I think it's a pretty decent choice. I considered one myself, but dismissed the thought due to the power output (I passed over a number of great cars because they made under 300hp.)
My friend is actually in the process of buying one. I'm excited to see it!

[10thAnnivCB7]

I know one guy with an auto with 80k and its all stock and it runs and feels strong. I know of another guy here at school who put a turbo on it and that thing flies. Either way they are good cars depending on how the previous onwer treated it.

[Hopeless]

theyre good cars. a friend of mine had one for a long time until he got in a wreck recently and totalled it.

the 2jz is a great motor, very reliable. it is true though that the only cars in the states that run on the jz platform are lexus's (sc300, is300, and gs300) and the mk4 toyota supra.

the n/a power is slightly underwhelming for them because the lexus's are so heavy, and the n/a 2j's only make 220hp/220tq

that being said theres a pretty good aftermarket for both the 2jz and the 1jz, and some of the 1jz parts are interchangeable.

as far as e's is300, i dont think he had any maintenance issues for the entire time he owned the car.

my buddy's is300 in a couple different wheel setups he went through:

[wed3k]

my dad has one in stick shift. amazing everything...

only issues was it started consuming oil when we went from mobil one to castrol syntec but i seafoamed it and im assuming it loosened up the gum on the oil control rings.

ive laid two stripes down the street courtesy of the factory lsd (not all are equipped, read the door sticker prior to purchasing one)

no top end power, even my dad says it but great for canyon carving.

the interior and doors are not quite a top notch lexus but hell, you can get is300's for 6k now. don't be afraid of the 200k mileage ones. they still pass smog and be weary of salvage title. Lots of is300 are salvage for some reason.