Replacement / Second Car

[jasper]

Hi All,

I have an is200se navigator at the moment and am about to get a contract where some heavy duty milage is going to be done. My is milage is well under average and I want to keep it that way (so I dont have car worth next to nothing when i've finished paying for it). Therefore, I am looking for a second or replacement car to cover the miles. I really love thr soarer after me and wifey to be say one in los angeles 2 years ago, so these are my questions to you helpful members: -

1. I fancy a 2.5tt, are these reliable (i had a mondeo st24 previously)

2. is the fuel economy bad (i do push the is200 a bit)?

3. what should I be looking at paying for what year/ milage (i am getting wed in 11 weeks)?

4. Can nevigation be sorted for these and if so, how much?

5. Where to buy from i.e. dealer, autotrader, importer, suprachargedis430 (can u sort)?

6. who services the car toyota or lexus?

Thank you for your advice in advance

Jasp

[Fidgits]

1. Yes

2. Terrible (if you drive them hard)

3. Erm, dunno

4. Only aftermarket, not OEM I believe

5. Dealers are rare, look private and specialist import garages

6. Either, your choice...

Why not consider an older GS300, I think you can pick these up from 5K upwards, better MPG than a soarer...

[soramad]

if you are going to be doing "heavy" milage then i would not consider a soarer as my first choice of vehical especialy a 2.5tt , i can only speak of the V8 which i suppose 28 to the gallon on a long run would be a good mpg, i never bother about mpg as i just enjoy driving it and i hasten to add ,hard .

fidgets is right if you want a lexus then try an early 300 saloon or sport .

incidently to set the record straight , a soarer is technically a toyota , but mine is badged as a lexus as i believe if they had have been sold in the uk ,it would have been under the lexus mark as is the sc 430

[soramad]

my car is looked after by my local toyota garage who are very good at getting hold of spares , although some parts have to come via lexus now due to internal polotics

if you are intent on having a soarer then there is the 3ltr model no difference to look at and has a lot of tuning potential ,a little slower than the others but still has style , the americans seem to like them a lot due to the tuning aspect , see clublexus

you have got to look at, at least 3 to5 grand for a good motor, get it checked out

[SimonR]

The 2.5 TT Soarer is a fantastic car but don’t think that you will be able to run it on the cheap. I get low teens mpg. Some people say that you can get that higher by staying off the boost but what’s the point? You’d be better off with a V8 version.

Also, don’t forget that this car was never officially imported to the UK so parts are expensive and if the turbos die then it’s mortgage time.

I don’t believe that navigation came as standard, certainly on earlier models.

I paid £2,850 for mine off eBay, but since then I have spent more than that bringing it up to scratch and there’s still more to do.

Only buy one if you are prepared to spend. It's terrific fun, though.

[UKPulse]

I can only tell you the same story. The Soarer 2.5TT is a fantastic car, great to drive and goes like stink, BUT... it won't be cheap to own.

I bought a '94 TT last year and it was in good nick and had a full history (which is uncommon). I was very lucky to sell it 6 months later for pretty much what I paid for it. However, in those 6 months I did 10,000 miles at around 22-25mpg, got an oil/filter change at Lexus Brighton for £110 (ouch), had a full Type C service + radiator + gearbox service + bushes done at SSS for £925... The car was £650 or so to insure for a year, so all in all it probably cost me £1,500-£2,000 for the 6 months I had it, and this was for a car that was already good mechanically when I got it! Had I needed tyres, etc.... :o

That said, I'm looking for another as a 2nd car, but want to go for the newer VVTi version - these cars are addictive!! In the six months I had it, the IS300 stayed in the garage practically the whole time and barely did 500 miles!

[Carlos_SC]

You may be best off with a 3Ltr one. They were available '94 onwards, and standard ones may have been looked after better and not thrashed like a lot of the 2.5TT's. They have much better economy, and more standard engine parts (same as N/A Supra mk4).

The other option is the later turbo. Available late '96 onwards, they come with a single turbo and VVTI. More powerful and better economy than the earlier Twin Turbo's.

There are not many of either of those models around for sale in the UK though, so you may have to think about importing if you want a really pukka one!

A well looked after Soarer will go on for ages though, try and find one with service history, and you shouldn't have many problems.

Don't expect them to be 'cheap' to run though!

What would be better would be to buy a good low milage Soarer, and use the IS for travel:p

An early Twin Turbo can go for around £3,000, but its worth spending a bit more for a good one. Up to around £5,000 for <'94. '94 was a facelift year, so late '94/'95/'96 go for a bit more. Then '97 onwards pay around £7,000 ish at least for the single turbo.

3Ltr can go for a little more purely because there are not so many around. £6,000ish for a good pre'96, then again, £7,000+ for '97 onwards when there was another facelift for all Soarer's.

TTs and 3Ltrs didn't come with the touchscreen that came on the V8s. But '97 onwards there was an option for a built in screen which tilts to reveal the CD player. There are ways to add UK satnav to these. Expect to pay around a grand. Or just buy one of the handheld ones that stick on the windscreen.

Good luck!!

[jasper]

Thanks guys for you info, I will read all your posts at the weekend and make a decision

Jasp

[GreyBeard]

is jasper a rough diamond like his avatar suggests??