Wannabe Altezza Owner

[PooM]

Hey all,

My name is Steve and im from W Sussex.

I currently own a modified Honda Civic Coupe, and run a club called www.civiclife.net

However after owning my Honda for 2 years, I feel its time for a change. Especially since im gonna be 21 this year and I can get insured cheaply on more powerful and newer cars.

I have always liked the Altezza and had a look on Autotrader, and to my suprise they were extremely cheap. For a 2001 model it was like £5500 approx!!! I didnt think they were that cheap!

So I quickly looked on Elephant.co.uk's online instant quote service, but at that point I got stuck. There is so many different models of the IS range. I was wondering if you could help me clarify which one is specific to the Altezza?

Heres the list they have:

- 200 Limited Edition

- 200 S

- 200 S Import

- 200 SE

- 200 SE Import

- 200 Series 1

- 200 Sport

- 200 Sport Import

So what do you guys think of the Altezza as a car over all, people are saying they are slow for a 2ltr S/C and the gearbox is very sloppy etc. I think they look great personally, never been in one before but the pictures get me well excited, so much more luxury than a 94 Civic :P

Another question that I need answered is this. Is Lexus an American company or Japanese? A debate me and my friend are having. I say they are Jap but obviously you lot will know for sure :)

Anyways, great site and I hope to speak to you all soon :)

Cheers,

Steve

PS. Heres some pics of my car http://www.civiclife.net/images/members_rides/poom/

[Zee007]

Welcome to the Club.

The Altezza is the Jap import version of the Lexus IS200/300.

It has a completely different engine to the IS200.

IS200: 1G-FE - 153bhp

Altezza RS200: 3S-GE - 210bhp

Have a look round the forums, and wait for Mac, Robin, Mr Singh and a few other Tezza owners to pop on and steer you to the darkside...

[MacRS200]

Welcome to LOC :D

1st off the Altezza is not a Lexus so when looking on line etc look for Toyota Altezza. The Altezza is only sold in Japan and is the same as the IS with the exception of the RS200.

There are 3 different Altezzas the RS, AS and Gita. The AS is basically the same as the IS and the Gita is the IS Sport Cross, both have the 1G-FE 6 cylinder engine if around 156bhp.

The RS200 is the one you want :D 4 cylinder 3S-GE engine 200bhp in the tiptronic version and 210bhp for the manual. Easy to spot by looking under the bonnet it even has Yamaha 3S-GE on the front of the block. That is standard power output and there is lots of potential for further tuning from induction kits and exhausts to boost with a supercharger or turbo if you want. There are also loads pf mods available for handling, braking and To give an idea a supercharged IS will only get up to standard Tezza power levels.

Overall the car is not slow, the IS is, in the big scheme of things. I have a tiptronic and a Civic Type R will struggle to keep up, so have a BMW 325 and 530 diesel in the past. The thing I like is it is a sleeper, eveyone thinks IS then where did that go :D The trade off is that the car is less refined than the IS, has less in the way of gadgets and the trim is usually more basic like cloth interior on the Z edition.

To answer your last question Lexus is Japanese.

Any more questions just post up :D

[Noel]

Try insuring as a Toyota not a lexus.....

Edit...........Mac posted as i was typing ........me type sloooooow...hehe

[Robin H]

So what do you guys think of the Altezza as a car over all, people are saying they are slow for a 2ltr S/C and the gearbox is very sloppy etc. I think they look great personally, never been in one before but the pictures get me well excited, so much more luxury than a 94 Civic :P

what do I think about the Altezza RS200

Ace mate!!!! lovin driving it :D , I've got the 6 speed mt which I hunted for high and low for sometime 5 months these can be a bit harder to come by then the tiptronic version

IMO I think the IS is a bit underpowered for it's size, and like Mac said a tuned IS is similar to a standard RS

it's not as plush in side as a lexus

defo not slow you wanna be playin above 5000rpm then the fun really starts :D

[PooM]

Welcome to LOC :D

1st off the Altezza is not a Lexus so when looking on line etc look for Toyota Altezza. The Altezza is only sold in Japan and is the same as the IS with the exception of the RS200.

There are 3 different Altezzas the RS, AS and Gita. The AS is basically the same as the IS and the Gita is the IS Sport Cross, both have the 1G-FE 6 cylinder engine if around 156bhp.

The RS200 is the one you want :D 4 cylinder 3S-GE engine 200bhp in the tiptronic version and 210bhp for the manual. Easy to spot by looking under the bonnet it even has Yamaha 3S-GE on the front of the block. That is standard power output and there is lots of potential for further tuning from induction kits and exhausts to boost with a supercharger or turbo if you want. There are also loads pf mods available for handling, braking and To give an idea a supercharged IS will only get up to standard Tezza power levels.

Overall the car is not slow, the IS is, in the big scheme of things. I have a tiptronic and a Civic Type R will struggle to keep up, so have a BMW 325 and 530 diesel in the past. The thing I like is it is a sleeper, eveyone thinks IS then where did that go :D The trade off is that the car is less refined than the IS, has less in the way of gadgets and the trim is usually more basic like cloth interior on the Z edition.

To answer your last question Lexus is Japanese.

Any more questions just post up :D

Wicked man, that explains alot! I appreciate the time you took to right that up, if you go on a Honda forum and ask any question they are just like "Use the search button...**** off" <_<

Your getting me well excited now with all this talk! :D

One more question for ya, the RS200...is it NA or Supercharged? I always thought the Altezza was a 2ltr Supercharged as standard.

Im sooo glad it japanese, but didnt know it comes under Toyota, thanks for clearing that up! :D

Also, whats the best compromise to go for with the RS200 if you wanted a bit more upclass interior (leather seats etc)?

Try insuring as a Toyota not a lexus.....

Edit...........Mac posted as i was typing ........me type sloooooow...hehe

Must be REALLY slow, look how much he typed out compaired to you!! :winky:

Thanks for effort tho! :)

So what do you guys think of the Altezza as a car over all, people are saying they are slow for a 2ltr S/C and the gearbox is very sloppy etc. I think they look great personally, never been in one before but the pictures get me well excited, so much more luxury than a 94 Civic :P

what do I think about the Altezza RS200

Ace mate!!!! lovin driving it :D , I've got the 6 speed mt which I hunted for high and low for sometime 5 months these can be a bit harder to come by then the tiptronic version

IMO I think the IS is a bit underpowered for it's size, and like Mac said a tuned IS is similar to a standard RS

it's not as plush in side as a lexus

defo not slow you wanna be playin above 5000rpm then the fun really starts :D

Wicked m8, glad to hear it! Wow, 5 months, that is a long time. Bet you got a good one then! :D

How much am I looking for then if I want a manual RS200 with the nicest trim etc?

I saw a nice one browsing the net (lost the link tho ), it was silver, 2001, 6 speed manual, 60k on the clock and it was £5786. Does that sound realistic?

Thanks for all your help guys, you have been extremely helpful so far! You have made a good first impression! :D B)

Cheers,

Steve

[Noel]

Must be REALLY slow, look how much he typed out compaired to you!!

yeeeeeessss buuuuuut heeeee might have started first....... ;)

No supercharger as standard, i think some of the L-edition Altezzas have leather, If it has Jap Nav waste of time, won't work, they all have Air con, don't think any have electric seats as with the Altezza extra weight was kept to a minimum.

I bought a tiptronic, great fun slightly slower than a manual ( 1 sec to 60 slower) but glad i did so far.

Take an RS200 for a test drive and keep it reved( over 4000) and then all will be clear.....

But be absolutely sure it is an RS200, not AS200......I had one dealer with an AS200 trying to pass it off as an RS, the key is RS = 4 cyliders, As = 6 ( 4 is faster )

OH and all manual Altezzas (IS200 too) have 6 speed boxes, Tiptronic has a 5 speed whereas a normal Lexus IS200 auto is only 4 speed...

good hunting

[PooM]

Nice one dude, thanks for clearing that up! Very helpful, I will be on the hunt later this year for one :D

Good news about it being NA, means I can go out looking for a turbo kit for it :D