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Help Before Buying Please


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I am on the verge of buying an IS200SE. But I'm a bit worried about the rear wheel drive. I have bad memories of the way rear wheel drive cars handled in the snow and ice from back in the early 80's when I had a Capri and an Opel Manta GTE !

Can someone put comments about grip on this board into context ? Have we moved on from those days? Does the traction control and the snow button give safe handling on icy roads? Or will the back swing around a bit?

I hope not as until this moment, i'd worked my way through a whole series of potential new cars and ended up several weeks later at the Lexus! Then the rear wheel drive bit hit me along with the comments I read here.

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dont let what you may have heard put you of,ive had 3 is200 now and all have been great cars i admit there not fantastic in the snow,but i work in germany and i have taken the one i have now with supercharger down to bavaria in the winter in 3 inches of snow.......it was ok aslong as you take it easy......i mean,its snow,you can get winter tyres for them and that improves things greatly

the car is fantastic,dont let rumor put you off owning such a good car

mat

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I agree !

This is the second winter that I've had my IS200 SE.As long as you take easy and are not heavy on the accelerator then you will be alright,besides we don't get that much snow in the uk !

[Edited on 12-2-2002 by Chris Shipley]

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Hi Mark, welcome to the club. Iv'e got an IS200SE, its the first RWD car iv'e driven and I wont be swapping back to FWD. It goes round corners like its on rails. Just follow any FWD car and watch how the driver has to lean into the corner, then have a drive in a Lexus, and notice the difference! In the snow it's ok if you don't boot it, but hey why hurry to get there, just enjoy the ride. :tumble:

[Edited on 13-2-2002 by Wallace]

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Thanks for all the comments. Much appreciated. I'm test driving an IS200 on Saturday and I reckon I'll be going for it ! You guys are certainly all big fans.

I've spoken to a couple of other people today and put the Rear Wheel Drive into context. So, I think i can forget about that. Okay, I'll just have to take it a little bit easier in the odd few days or snow. But I can live with that.

Strangely one reason I ended up with the Lexus was that currently I've had an Avensis for 3 years (no probs very happy) and that meant that I had CD Changer/MD Changer and Cassette. The Lexus was the only car on my list that offered that plus the audio system seems to be one of the best around for a manufacturer's system. The Avensis was a nice piece of kit (Big Sony head-unit) but was let down by poor speakers. I'm getting the MD changer, anyone have experience of using this with the Cd changer etc. I presume it does full track info etc. My dealer was not up to speed on the MD changer. I hope I am right in believing it is additional to the Cd changer and not in place off!

Anybody seen or own the car in the bright red my brochure says Scarlatti Red? Is this a new colour. The dealer has an IS300 SportCross in this which looks good but I can't get to see an IS200 in this before I buy.

Thanks again for the help.

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Jiggi-Jiggi...........................for all those who know me, I'm back in Africa and sampling the beer!:P:P:P

Cure for winter driving.........................leave the country!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Sadly, I can't stretch to an IS300 !

I've realised that the IS200 is a bit slow from 0-60. Although the brochure spec quotes 9.5secs.I've seen 10.3 quoted in one of the motor mag listings! Which was a bit frightening.

I've got visions of being cut-up by postmen on push-bikes :) !

All the salesman kept saying was, you've gotta drive it, then you'll understand it's not quite like that !

If the test drive goes okay and it passes that real test of the wife reckoning she could drive it ! Then I'll be ordering one early next week, should have one by first week of March.

Luckily the wife has her own car so she'll only be driving it now and then. So, if you see one being driven at 50mph down a motorway, that'll be her not me :)

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The salesman looked on the computer and provided I go for a standard spec IS200, then there are quite a few different colours available with quoted delivery of 1-2 weeks. If I'd wanted a Sport it would have been much longer. If I'd wanted to add a few extras like rear spoiler etc that would also have made it longer.

I saw the computer list so it was not sales-speak !

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