north

that ain't to bad I know several cars that make more noise (think scooby) but this sounds nice! sporty not in your face engine note

Yes it burns in a bit and that's when the sound changes a bit for full on deep sound you'll need to change the OEM back exhaust but for what i gathered from your questions you where not after a loud exhaust.

look in the DIY section my friend it is there as a download and step by step you can't go wrong ;)

changes are even power loss as the holes are made in the bottom sucking in hot air away from the engine.... you are better of creating an induction kit (as you can find on this site in the downloads) or adding an extra cold air intake on the standard intake duct (has to suck the air in right behind the bumper and you'll have to drill a hole in the original air duct)

it is a sports cat but the cops will not pull you over as it doesn't give that much extra engine noise it just changes the frequency it will be more base then loud ;) plus the fact that it is new will make your engine breathe better hence the fact that the engine feels more responsive. so it is not al bad news

The standard exhaust system is quite well designed meaning you'll spend loads for a meagre 7 to 10 bhp.. unless you buy the stuff from ebay at auction and put it on yourself It has no use to go cat- back that will only change the engine note from the exhaust ( no BHP gain) you'll have to get the full system (exhaust manifold/ 200 cells sports cat/back box) the reason for this is the cat doesn't life for ever... get a new one and you'll be amazed by the engine respons ;)

You can snap up an AUDI A6 Avant 2.5 TDI (2000 SE model) for around the 1000 pound mark or less. Or go for a Vauxhall Zafira 7 seater (2000 model) same price range as above... Keep the IS300 as your spare car for when ever you want to enjoy high end luxury... Because by the looks of it you have kept your IS in A-condition and you'll never see that money back!

Nothing wrong with that.. a friend of mine would have his IS's geometry check done every 3 months

well if they replace the waterpump with the 50k service yes if not you can do it yourself will cost you something in the regions of 80 quid incl some hours to change all filters, all fluids, sparkplugs and all brake pads. I would check the timingbelt first to see if there is any weird wear on if yes, you might be better of just getting them to do the timing belt & water pump at the same time.... (also for OEM parts the prices are quite right but DIY makes owning a IS200 a lot cheaper)

there is a 200 cells one on ebay going for 140 ( it's a company so look for the extra bits) use the link provided. also do not forget that a new cat does make the engine feel more alive ;)

Yeah you will have a fresh cat. which should work like new.... and a bit of really shiny new metal under the car

It is more of an extra bumpstop but because it is rubber it still gives some extra flex... not that much and it makes the spring very harsh... but under load it does what it says on the package comfort is out the window

you can change to it if you want but won't change anything in the sound department....

take a look at this click here

none give better HP .... but you can build your own induction kit, do a search on the forum as this has been described a few times ;)