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Is200 Sport Buying Tips


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Hi Guys

I am looking to buy an IS200 Sport in 3 months time and was wondering what I should look out for, i.e., issues, wear and tear, boy racers, neglect and so on. I have looked at the buying advice on this website but would like to know a little more form you guys that own one.

With regards to mileage, obviously the lower the mileage the better, but know that more modern cars engines are obviously built to last, but at the same time I do not want to buy a car with 100k on the clock either. What do you all think?

Also, what sort of price range should I be looking at for an 'A' spec sport, that is no more than 5 years old?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. :)

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Haha maybe !!! Right i just bought a Is200 sport in good condition its a 2000 on an X and i paid 6300 for it.It has 72000 miles and i am verrrrrrry happy with it though they do have a big flat spot and need to be revved hard if you want to move quick.They are a little thirstier than your normal car in there league but i would not change it back to BMW etc.Hope this helps you out.

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I bought my IS sport 2001 about 5 weeks ago, it had 63000 miles on clock and i got it fot £5750, which was a bargain. The car is in mint condition and has 2 years warranty. I knocked the price down a bit but the guy had to sell really quick due to financial problems so guess i was lucky. :D

You'll be looking at between 6-7 grand for a IS sport with 60-80000 miles.

I wouldnt worry too much about having high mileage with Lexus they last upto 300,000. As long as the car's been serviced reguarly.

As for boy racers i wouldnt worry too much as Leuxs isn't really a boy racer car and you tend to find little chavs can only afford nova's and fiestas :lol:

Just make sure you spend time looking over the whole car, check for noises and play in the wheels. Look at old MOT's to see if the car has failed on anything.

Also check service history as to what has been changed in the past.

You cant go much wrong with a lexus so sure you'll be very happy with on purchase.

You do have to go past 4500 rpm to get the best out of the engine but cruise very well at lower revs. 6th gear is brilliant on motorways and general driving. :D

Hope this helps, if there's anything else you need i'm sure you'll find the help you need on here, happy hunting. B)

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Haha maybe !!! Right i just bought a Is200 sport in good condition its a 2000 on an X and i paid 6300 for it.It has 72000 miles and i am verrrrrrry happy with it though they do have a big flat spot and need to be revved hard if you want to move quick.They are a little thirstier than your normal car in there league but i would not change it back to BMW etc.Hope this helps you out.

Thanks for the reply Boddamloon.

I am off for a test-drive in one on saturday so I am really excited about that. I sound like a big kid! Blokes and their toys eh!

Did you buy the car privately? also, I have seen that some sports have the additional sports kit on the bumpers etc and others dont. I thought that they would all have these. Was this an additional cost do you know?

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I bought my IS sport 2001 about 5 weeks ago, it had 63000 miles on clock and i got it fot £5750, which was a bargain. The car is in mint condition and has 2 years warranty. I knocked the price down a bit but the guy had to sell really quick due to financial problems so guess i was lucky. :D

You'll be looking at between 6-7 grand for a IS sport with 60-80000 miles.

I wouldnt worry too much about having high mileage with Lexus they last upto 300,000. As long as the car's been serviced reguarly.

As for boy racers i wouldnt worry too much as Leuxs isn't really a boy racer car and you tend to find little chavs can only afford nova's and fiestas :lol:

Just make sure you spend time looking over the whole car, check for noises and play in the wheels. Look at old MOT's to see if the car has failed on anything.

Also check service history as to what has been changed in the past.

You cant go much wrong with a lexus so sure you'll be very happy with on purchase.

You do have to go past 4500 rpm to get the best out of the engine but cruise very well at lower revs. 6th gear is brilliant on motorways and general driving. :D

Hope this helps, if there's anything else you need i'm sure you'll find the help you need on here, happy hunting. B)

Many thanks Rikos

To be honest, when I come to check over the car, the only thing I know is regarding the bodywork as I used to be a panel beater/sprayer a while back. I could really do with some help on the mechanical side, but Im sure I can find someone who can help there.

Good news on the boy racer query! last thing I want is to have a car that has had some snotty nosed chav behind the wheel. Like you say, they love their 'bargains' too much. :lol:

6-7k? is that for a 2001? really dont want to pay more than 8k tops as I know the fuel consumption is not the best.

I will check the servicing etc on sat and ask a load of questions.

I am wondering if I should buy from a dealer because of the additional warranty? :excl:

Well it's like that it is :angry:

Won't be helping you again :lol:

HaHa! cheers Rikos. saw your reply afterwards! :D

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Haha maybe !!! Right i just bought a Is200 sport in good condition its a 2000 on an X and i paid 6300 for it.It has 72000 miles and i am verrrrrrry happy with it though they do have a big flat spot and need to be revved hard if you want to move quick.They are a little thirstier than your normal car in there league but i would not change it back to BMW etc.Hope this helps you out.

Thanks for the reply Boddamloon.

I am off for a test-drive in one on saturday so I am really excited about that. I sound like a big kid! Blokes and their toys eh!

Did you buy the car privately? also, I have seen that some sports have the additional sports kit on the bumpers etc and others dont. I thought that they would all have these. Was this an additional cost do you know?

There are quite a few mods out there that you can add.I just added the sports grill to mine yesterday(36 quid from lexus) to my is200 sport(its not standard)which has made a big difference to the front of it.I have a thread on here boddamloons mods to date and i will add pics tonight.If you look on eBay you will find all sorts of things to spruce up your car if its not already added.You will see loads of different styles that other members have went for on here and they are all a good bunch of guys who will help with any sort of problems.Lets know how you get on with the test drive and oh i have had a silly smirk on my face since i got mine so happy hunting and all the best bud.

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Hi mate, welcome to LOC!

I personally think you might struggle to find a good Sport for £8k that's only 5 years old as Sports are quite rare - if you're not too bothered about getting the Sport specifically I'd go for the SE as you might get something much newer for the same money.

The bodykits and 18" alloys were an optional extra so some will have them and some won't - you'll find a lot of SEs from 2003 will have the kit though as they did a special offer on them at the time :)

Good luck with the search :winky:

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i just sold my '02 sport for £6600, the mileage was 91k hence the price, but if you are willing to go for a high miler, then the price drops quite significantly. i would look out for general body condition, as this is the best indicator of how a lex has been treated, mechanically there are no issues with this model, however, some have had 'quirks' with their gearboxes, ranging from a mini-like whine, to stubborn first and second gears, this does not mean there is anything wrong or that the problem will get worse, it's just a characteristic, also check for uneven tyre wear as the is200 is apparantly geometrically setup slightly 'off', Tony at www.wheels-inmotion.co.uk is the man to see about this easily and cheaply solvable problem, just allow at least £100 per tyre if they are worn and need replacing.

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Cheers for all your help guys and if there is any more ideas, then keep them coming!

This may sound a stupid question but what is the difference between the SE and the sport? If it is anything like the honda civic sport it goes on the styling/kit alone but the same engine. Are there many SE with the sport kit on them or would I just be clutching at straws?

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Most of the differences on the Sport are cosmetic, or if not can be easily added to an SE. The only thing that is a real difference is the limited slip differential on the Sport - if you really want it you need to get a Sport.

Otherwise there are plenty more SEs around so will be much easier to find what you're looking for.

Regarding the styling kit, not sure if I've confused you but it was an option on both the SE and the Sport - as standard both cars look almost identical cosmetically, only difference is that the Sport has a spoiler and tinted windows. Otherwise exactly the same :)

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Haha maybe !!! Right i just bought a Is200 sport in good condition its a 2000 on an X and i paid 6300 for it.It has 72000 miles and i am verrrrrrry happy with it though they do have a big flat spot and need to be revved hard if you want to move quick.They are a little thirstier than your normal car in there league but i would not change it back to BMW etc.Hope this helps you out.

Thanks for the reply Boddamloon.

I am off for a test-drive in one on saturday so I am really excited about that. I sound like a big kid! Blokes and their toys eh!

Did you buy the car privately? also, I have seen that some sports have the additional sports kit on the bumpers etc and others dont. I thought that they would all have these. Was this an additional cost do you know?

There are quite a few mods out there that you can add.I just added the sports grill to mine yesterday(36 quid from lexus) to my is200 sport(its not standard)which has made a big difference to the front of it.I have a thread on here boddamloons mods to date and i will add pics tonight.If you look on eBay you will find all sorts of things to spruce up your car if its not already added.You will see loads of different styles that other members have went for on here and they are all a good bunch of guys who will help with any sort of problems.Lets know how you get on with the test drive and oh i have had a silly smirk on my face since i got mine so happy hunting and all the best bud.

Cheers mate, I am sure I will be exactly the same once I get mine! The day cant come too soon! Ill keep you posted on the saturday test-drive. Ill be there bright and early, to get the best out of it!

Most of the differences on the Sport are cosmetic, or if not can be easily added to an SE. The only thing that is a real difference is the limited slip differential on the Sport - if you really want it you need to get a Sport.

Otherwise there are plenty more SEs around so will be much easier to find what you're looking for.

Regarding the styling kit, not sure if I've confused you but it was an option on both the SE and the Sport - as standard both cars look almost identical cosmetically, only difference is that the Sport has a spoiler and tinted windows. Otherwise exactly the same :)

Thanks a lot for the advice, it will come in useful, though I may have to grab a 2001 IS if I am going to get everything I want for the right price!

Wish me luck! :D

i just sold my '02 sport for £6600, the mileage was 91k hence the price, but if you are willing to go for a high miler, then the price drops quite significantly. i would look out for general body condition, as this is the best indicator of how a lex has been treated, mechanically there are no issues with this model, however, some have had 'quirks' with their gearboxes, ranging from a mini-like whine, to stubborn first and second gears, this does not mean there is anything wrong or that the problem will get worse, it's just a characteristic, also check for uneven tyre wear as the is200 is apparantly geometrically setup slightly 'off', Tony at www.wheels-inmotion.co.uk is the man to see about this easily and cheaply solvable problem, just allow at least £100 per tyre if they are worn and need replacing.

When you say it is just a 'characteristic' do you work for lexus by any chance? :lol: THats what they say when there is an issue they cannot solve! THanks for the other advice. I have taken everything on board!

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For some research and information, you may want to search for a topic I started (may be a few), as I asked all these sorts of questions and the members on here were kind enough to help quite a lot. Resulted in me picking up a squeeky clean model! Have a search for my username and you'll no doubt return some results.

Also check here:

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/knowledge...p;id=41&c=5

Regards,

Jamie

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For some research and information, you may want to search for a topic I started (may be a few), as I asked all these sorts of questions and the members on here were kind enough to help quite a lot. Resulted in me picking up a squeeky clean model! Have a search for my username and you'll no doubt return some results.

Also check here:

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/knowledge...p;id=41&c=5

Regards,

Jamie

Cheers my fellow northerner!

Will have a look later and see what I can find.

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