Do Not Sell My Personal Information Jump to content


Advice For A Potential New Owner


Recommended Posts

Hello All,

Firstly sorry for asking questions that will have been asked a million times all ready but please stick with me.

Firstly I am def. in the market to buy a second hand IS200. Taking into account the alloys and other bit I would prefer a SE or sport, is there much difference between the two and which would people recommend.

Having 10-11K to spend, I have already seen 01/11/2000, sport with 37000 for 10,995 here in belfast where my folks live, or a 2000/X SE with 33,500 for the same price in lexus glasgow where I stay. These seem good prices according to parkers. are they, I know there is a new version due in 05 will this be much different, or a subtle tweek.

What should I be looking for when it comes to buying, how have you owners found having these cars, they have a tremendous rep. for relability, is this justified. Having a fiat at the minute I really what something classy and above all else reliable and rattle free.

Are the running cost bearable, I believe mpg isn't great, that isn't too much of a problem as I dont do a great number of miles, but what about servicing and parts.

Anyway sorry for the essay and thanks for your time.

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Welcome to the club Steve.

Firstly I am def. in the market to buy a second hand IS200. Taking into account the alloys and other bit I would prefer a SE or sport, is there much difference between the two and which would people recommend.

The sport seems to be more popular on here, it comes with a few more modifications than the SE. i.e LSD, lower suspension, metal pedals to name a few.

They both share the same engine, brakes etc. You can only get an automatic gearbox on the SE.

What should I be looking for when it comes to buying, how have you owners found having these cars, they have a tremendous rep. for relability, is this justified. Having a fiat at the minute I really what something classy and above all else reliable and rattle free.

Generally these are very reliable cars but there are a few things they seem to suffer from, corroding wheels, ball joints, notchy gear change on the manual gearbox. Do a search on this site these items there will be loads of info.

Are the running cost bearable, I believe mpg isn't great, that isn't too much of a problem as I dont do a great number of miles, but what about servicing and parts.

MPG is not great its about 28mpg depending on how you drive and main dealer prices are at the expensive end however the dealers are in the main very good.

I hope this helps.

:D :D :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought a Lexus IS200 Sport last year and I love it. You also get tinted rear windows, two tone steering wheel, split diferental, metal foot pedals/kick plates & rear spoiler. Best thing to do is look at all three. The S has 16" wheels. The SE comes with 17" & the Sport is the same. I would advise you to check the alloys for corrosion and if they are ask about refurbs or replacements. The wheels on my IS were bad, so I bought aftermarket wheels. After I told him he I bought new wheels he asked why? So he replaced all 5 with refurbs. I had to replace my front lower ball joints and it cost me £150.00 fitted. Lexus customer service is the best. If you have a problem with your radio (the dreaded err3 code) Lexus have extended the warranty to 5 years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:D Hi Steve, welcome to the club! I bought my first Lexus in November, it is a X 2000 IS200 Sport in Granite Sky (Dark Grey). I paid £9,500 with 72k FLSH at an independant dealer and the wheels are not great - i am going to get them refurbished in the New Year. It is a great car only a little thirsty but it is worth it for the quality you get with a Lexus.

Here is some advice for you:

1) Check the front ball joints as i think mine are on their way out - they knock when turning whilst moving slowly.

2) Haggle the price if the wheels are corroded.

3) Try and get mats with the car as they are over £80 for a set.

4) Make sure all electrics work correctly as everything in an IS200 is electric.

5) Check service history/mileage as some services are very expensive.

6) If you buy a 2000 on model the radio will have the CD slot above the display, these are not prone to the err3 etc malfunctions so are a better option.

Hope this helps and Good luck searching

Chris

:driving:

Link to comment
Share on other sites


With that sort of money to spend go for the revised IS which was released circa 2001 I think, I wouldn't personally go for the S model as the SE / Sport has much much nicer interior!!

If I was to buy one now I would go for a say, 2001 model "Y" or "51" and if the alloys are corroded ask the dealer if you can upgrade to the 18"'s as they are the dogs....!

Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Steve, I have a SE, and has been said, the only real difference (pre-01) from the Sport was the LSD - post 01 the Sport was also 15mm lower springs. Beyond that, its just a few chrome bits.

The sport model will cost around £500 more than the SE (for 2000-ish models) so really its down to you, the sport is also a group higher on insurance (13 rather than 12).

The only advice I will give is, the IS200 is not a cheap car to run, for Motorway driving, I can get good MPG, but around town it can be quite bad.

Services will cost in excess of £200 on average, and tyres will cost about £100 each.

All that said, I have been shopping for a new car for 6 months, and havent found anything that comes close to the IS as a package..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Steve, I have a SE, and has been said, the only real difference (pre-01) from the Sport was the LSD - post 01 the Sport was also 15mm lower springs. Beyond that, its just a few chrome bits.

The sport model will cost around £500 more than the SE (for 2000-ish models) so really its down to you, the sport is also a group higher on insurance (13 rather than 12).

The only advice I will give is, the IS200 is not a cheap car to run, for Motorway driving, I can get good MPG, but around town it can be quite bad.

Services will cost in excess of £200 on average, and tyres will cost about £100 each.

All that said, I have been shopping for a new car for 6 months, and havent found anything that comes close to the IS as a package..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Steve,

I run a 2000 SE with 115000 miles on the clock. No squeaks, creaks or rattles and whilst the running gear is a little looser than when new the engine feels and sounds like it's just getting run in.

These are strong cars so don't be put off by higher mileage examples than you might normally go for, particularly as you say you don't do a lot of miles let someone else take another 20K miles of depreciation. As long as they've got FLSH they should be sound.

Check the inner edges of all the tyres, particularly the fronts, for wear. The outsides can have 3-4mm with inner edges bald and to the metal....

Watch out for the timing belt change due at 100K, likely to be around £350.

Enjoy!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello All,

Firstly sorry for asking questions that will have been asked a million times all ready but please stick with me.

Firstly I am  def. in the market to buy a second hand IS200. Taking into account the alloys and other bit I would prefer a SE or sport, is there much difference between the two and which would people recommend.

Having 10-11K to spend, I have already seen 01/11/2000, sport with 37000 for 10,995 here in belfast where my folks live, or a 2000/X SE with 33,500 for the same price in  lexus glasgow where I stay. These seem good prices according to parkers. are they, I know there is a new version due in 05 will this be much different, or a subtle tweek.

What should I be looking for when it comes to buying, how have you owners found having these cars, they have a tremendous rep. for relability, is this justified. Having a fiat at the minute I really what something classy and above all else reliable and rattle free.

Are the running cost bearable, I believe mpg isn't great, that isn't too much of a problem as I dont do a great number of miles, but what about servicing and parts.

Anyway sorry for the essay and thanks for your time.

Steve

Hello mate and welcome, i just bought my is 200 sport and its the dogs and realy fun to driver as it hadles realy well!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share



×
×
  • Create New...