Help Should I Buy An Is200?

[Jay6]

Hi All,

By the end of this month I will finally have saved enough money to buy a car. However I am still undecided. I have a max budget of £5,500 and am interested in an IS200 Sport/SE, or a MK4 Golf 1.8 Turbo. I know this an IS200 forum but I just wanted your opinions. The IS200 has a much better spec and is rear wheel drive, so I presume would be more fun to drive. However the 1.8T is quicker and better on fuel consumption. I suppose the thing that’s putting me off is the MPG from the IS200. I have searched the forum and have read some horror stories about MPG, are they really that bad on fuel??

I hope to test drive an IS200 next sat. If you had a budget like mine what would you buy? Any opinions would be greatly received.

Thanks

Jay

[Adie]

I'd buy an IS200 :winky:

[jason_l]

I would get the IS200 over the golf but thats because i prefer jap cars.

I bought mine a few years ago and love it to bits, at the end of the day its your choice! the golf will be quicker but the lexus will have more gadgets and be more individual!

Jason :P

[sparkzilla]

They are not the best on fuel no matter if you drive slow or fast. To be honest it doesn't matter if i drive sensibly or rather fast, the car seems to drink the same amount of fuel.

I drive a lot of miles all over the country and although it is a bit too thirsty, you cant put a price on comfort, looks and all round fun. Id go for the is200 mate, you wont be sorry :D

[Mike_B]

The Lex will be thirstier and slower, but much more comfortable and will stand out more. I guess the insurance would be less than the Golf which might make up some of the petrol difference too. If you do a lot of town driving and have a heavy right foot, expect little more than very low twenties mpg from the Lex.

The rear-drive handling is more fun, but be very aware you can get badly caught out and your lairy exit from a wet roundabout for the amusement of your friends suddenly becomes, in the blink of an eye, a very expensive mistake indeed...

[Hando]

I'd definitely go for the IS - put it this way: my one got written off on Friday after 4 years of joyful owenrship and I know what I'm going to replace it with: another IS.

My previous car was a Golf - well-built and quick but it was sooooo sterile. It was a car that did the job but I never loved it and it never ever made me feel special to drive it.

[The Transporter]

I run both an IS200 and a VW Transporter, I love both to bits and both my dealers know my name but for different reasons.. Lexus Stoke see me every 12 months for servicing and remember my name because they can... My VW dealer remembers me because the damned thing breaks so often. VW vehicles used to have a good reputation but their quality has slipped... A long way. The VW will be replaced with a Toyota, the IS I want to keep for ever.. Ultimately the choice is yours, you have to decide what you want from your car.. My IS suits me just fine...

[Rory]

Yes you shud :D

[SINGH182]

have to agree with "the transporter", i bought a brand new vw transporter van and the dam thing has been sat at the dealers for so long i forgot wat it looks like(handbrake failure, gearbox problems, central locking problems, excessive oil consumption.. list goes on)...id never buy german...cant beat jap

by the way get GET THE IS200

[Rikos]

I'd get the IS200 ... o i did!!

I havent regreted buying it one minute since ownership and the reaction people give is always nice plus sat driving you feel as though the car is going to go forever it's brilliant. All i can say if your not sure id take them both out for a test drive and see which you prefer mate.

[Lexus2D]

Yeah Baby Yeah :winky: IS200 B)

[rig-pig]

hi i had the same thing as you what car to get a golf or a lexus ???

my m8 has the golf gti 1.8 turbo and iv driven it a lot but there is a lot of golfs going about isnt there

so went and had a look at an is200 sport lots of toys looking good, nice in blue another point, so went sor a test run comfortable, and what a nice sound when you floor it and thats standerd

And i pick my IS200 sport up on wed from garage

[Chris.S]

im on my 3rd IS200 so id have to say IS200 aswell

[rudy]

haven't owned or test driven an is200 or a VW but If you are so worried about the fuel consumption on the IS200, then you should equally be worried about the higher cost of maintenance of a VW it being a european car.

[Tango]

im on my 3rd IS200 so id have to say IS200 aswell

I have had my Lexus IS 250 SE-L for (almost) two years, but my IS200 Sport for 5 years as I couldn't bear to part with it. The IS200 is a great car in many respects and I still enjoy driving it....so yes, buy one.

[Jay6]

Thanks for all the comments guys. MPG is not a major issue, as long as I can achieve what it states on the spec sheet (or near about). What are you guys achieving from a full tank of petrol (obviously depends on town/motorway driving)

Well guys with my budget I suppose I am going to be buying an IS200 with 90,000 miles plus. Is there anything to specifically look out for

Also should I be buying an SE or a Sport Model?, thanks Jay

[Hando]

Thanks for all the comments guys. MPG is not a major issue, as long as I can achieve what it states on the spec sheet (or near about). What are you guys achieving from a full tank of petrol (obviously depends on town/motorway driving)

Well guys with my budget I suppose I am going to be buying an IS200 with 90,000 miles plus. Is there anything to specifically look out for

Also should I be buying an SE or a Sport Model?, thanks Jay

Do it - I guarantee you won't regret it.

Buyer's guide here.

At 90k miles I'd try and make sure it's had cam belt change done. Other than that just follow the points in the guide - remember the cars are built by Toyota so are basically bomb-proof.

[Lexus_Lee]

I drive mine on mainly country roads to work and back (a 24 mile round trip) and do overtake cars sometimes plus its used for knockin about after work, i usually get about 25 mpg but its so hard to keep calculating at petrol prices keep fluctuating.

when lookin at an IS bud check the belts bin replaced or take some torx screwdrivers n take the cam cover off and inspect yourself, check for front inner edge for tyre wear (some suffer more than others from what ive seen) inspect ball joints and just generally listen for any abnormal noises when driving it, it is a very relaxed and quiet ride so any abnormalities shouls appear, also check the cd changer loads & ejects cds and finally enjoy!

i love mine and so far i aint sin anythin out there that looks as good and drives as smooth as one of these.

[Gareth Rose]

I went through this earlier in the year. Was offered an IS200 Sport for decent money, but just coulnd't help myself trying to persuade myself to buy some thing cheaper to run..... Anyway, finally disconnect the common sense side of my brain and bought the IS, and havn't regreted it once. Still can't believe I've got a car that I've lusted after for years. Brings a smile to my face every morning when I leave the house and see it, then look around and see buckets of euro boxes like mondeos, golfs, all that stuff, then I jump in the IS and grin all the way to work.

As for the mpg, don't know If I've got a particually frugal one, but the best I've had was around 33, so I thought I see how bad It could be last week,so I brimmed the tank, reset the trip meter,drove like a boy racer, with only bout 70 miles of motorway, and it done just over 250 mile when it hit 1/4 left. So filled it up again, took a note of the litres, and an online calcualtor worked it out as just a shade over 25. Which I was pretty pleased with.

Follow your heart not your brain and buy the IS.

Gazza

[Rikos]

I normally get around 285 miles from £40, mixture of country roads and dual carriageway.

[WylieCoyote]

Mine's an auto and on a full tank just pootling round town I'll be lucky to see 300 miles (around 21-22/gallon). However on a recent trip to France, with a very heavily loaded car and not exactly hanging about on the motorway, mostly at around 120km/h with cruise I got 420, which works out around 31/gallon.

You won't regret buying either I don't think - they're both good cars but for different reasons. You have to decide which reason you want. Exclusivity, snob value, comfort and refinement, go for the IS. Performance and handling, go for the Golf. Both are reliable, MPG probably won't be too different between them, insurance maybe more expensive on the Golf, servicing costs likely similar and so on. Obviosly, asking the question about whether you should buy an IS or a Golf on the Lexus Owners Website, the answers you're going to get are likely to be, what shall we say, somewhat biased! The only way you can choose is to spend a day with each car and see which one feels right. A 5-minute test drive up and down the road can't answer the question for you and take the car out on your own, leave the salesman behind. Most garages will do this, but not routinely. You have to ask them.

Hope this is of some use.

Keith

[Jay6]

Kieth,

Thanks for the info. Idealy I would love the opportunity to be able to drive the IS200 for more than 5mins but living in London I think that Garages are not so friendly.

Only last week I went to see an IS200 locally in a garage and the guy was so unhelpful. He was not even willing to take me on a test drive let alone let me drive it.

Mine's an auto and on a full tank just pootling round town I'll be lucky to see 300 miles (around 21-22/gallon). However on a recent trip to France, with a very heavily loaded car and not exactly hanging about on the motorway, mostly at around 120km/h with cruise I got 420, which works out around 31/gallon.

You won't regret buying either I don't think - they're both good cars but for different reasons. You have to decide which reason you want. Exclusivity, snob value, comfort and refinement, go for the IS. Performance and handling, go for the Golf. Both are reliable, MPG probably won't be too different between them, insurance maybe more expensive on the Golf, servicing costs likely similar and so on. Obviosly, asking the question about whether you should buy an IS or a Golf on the Lexus Owners Website, the answers you're going to get are likely to be, what shall we say, somewhat biased! The only way you can choose is to spend a day with each car and see which one feels right. A 5-minute test drive up and down the road can't answer the question for you and take the car out on your own, leave the salesman behind. Most garages will do this, but not routinely. You have to ask them.

Hope this is of some use.

Keith

[evoelf]

I've had my IS200SE auto since the beginning of August and i must say...I Luv it and wouldn't change it :D

[DINO]

I get around 300 miles with 1/4 tank left. All urban driving and half the time heavy footed. Had the car for 3years and still love driving. No faults to date just normal service (touch wood). I also put injector cleaner in the tank before its filled up full every 4-6 months. This helps to give you better milage, as all injectors can get clogged or not spraying correctly, which affects the performance and fuel comsumption.

[evoelf]

Slightly off topic... After reading what some of the milleage some people are getting from their car, i think i may have to put my car in for a service sooner rather than later.

During the week I drive from Bexleyheath - Thurrock... a round trip of 30 miles, my car struggles about 95-115 miles for every £20 of "Go-Go Juice"

Sorry to hi-jack